Denon AVR-1913 vs Onkyo TX-NR616

[clarkecraft]

Hello,

I have a question on receivers if you have a moment. My Onkyo TX-NR609 just lost it's HDMI ports and while it's in warranty, the only service center is in Huntington Beach. The shipping alone doesn't make it worth it since I only paid $299 for it on sale almost 2 years ago. That being said, I'm trying to decide between a Denon AVR1913 vs the Onkyo TX-NR616. Currently I'm leaning towards the 1913 as I've seen some people complaining about the 616. Any recommendations?

My environment...
HTPC w/ BlueRay
Sony PS3
DirecTV DVR
5.1 surround currently (planning on 7.1)
5 year old Paradigm Speakers (Titan fronts, Atom rear, cc170 center, PDR-80 sub)
all movies and music are stored on Synology DS412+

Main uses
60% movies / 20% music / 20% gaming

Thanks!
Phill

 

[avengineer]

I remain underwhelmed by the low-end Onkyo products. The Denons usually have better build quality.

You might consider shipping the thing for warranty service via FedEX Ground, it beats UPS often by half. Pay on-line, drop of at FedEx Kinkos. You may feel like you got your money's worth out of it already, but if you got it fixed for the cost of shipping it one way, you could blow it out on eBay and pay for a good part of your next unit. Otherwise, the landfill doesn't need any more Onkyos just now.

 

[rnatalli]

The 1913 uses a better version of Audyssey (MultEQ vs 2EQ). I would stretch for the 2113 which uses an even better MultEQ XT. Or, if you don't need 7.1 and all those features, the 1713 also uses MultEQ XT. Odd Denon used MultEQ on the 1913.

 

[clarkecraft]

yeah, I found that decision by Denon a bit odd as well.

I picked up a Denon AVR-1913 last night from best buy and they match a Fry's electronics sale at $399 for the unit. Got it installed and ran the calibration. After running some sample music and movies, I can only describe it as sounding more technically accurate and precise but there is something missing. It sounds like the TX-NR609 I had produced better low and mids with my Paradigm bookshelf speakers than the Denon. I'll have to try tweaking some settings over the next couple days and see if this is going to work out. Build quality is important but if I can't get the system to sound the way I like, then it's not going to be a good fit.

FYI... The reason I was looking at the Onkyo TX-NR616 as a possibility is that Fry's has it on sale for $369 right now. If I picked it up though, I'd probably try to locate it at a Best Buy and get their warranty on it so I wouldn't have to ship it for repairs. Out of curiosity, would you guys have any other recommendations that are in the same class as the AVR-1913 and TX-NR616? I'm open to suggestions.

As to the down Onkyo TX-NR609 unit, I'll probably take avengineer's advice and get it repaired. I'll either give it to my parents for their vacation condo or sell it off through craigslist/ebay.

Thanks
Phill

 

[allargon]

yeah, I found that decision by Denon a bit odd as well.

I picked up a Denon AVR-1913 last night from best buy and they match a Fry's electronics sale at $399 for the unit. Got it installed and ran the calibration. After running some sample music and movies, I can only describe it as sounding more technically accurate and precise but there is something missing. It sounds like the TX-NR609 I had produced better low and mids with my Paradigm bookshelf speakers than the Denon. I'll have to try tweaking some settings over the next couple days and see if this is going to work out. Build quality is important but if I can't get the system to sound the way I like, then it's not going to be a good fit.

FYI... The reason I was looking at the Onkyo TX-NR616 as a possibility is that Fry's has it on sale for $369 right now. If I picked it up though, I'd probably try to locate it at a Best Buy and get their warranty on it so I wouldn't have to ship it for repairs. Out of curiosity, would you guys have any other recommendations that are in the same class as the AVR-1913 and TX-NR616? I'm open to suggestions.

As to the down Onkyo TX-NR609 unit, I'll probably take avengineer's advice and get it repaired. I'll either give it to my parents for their vacation condo or sell it off through craigslist/ebay.

Thanks
Phill

Does your Fry's have any closeout Yammy's left? I know they're closing out the Pioneers this week (the VSX 1023 specifically). If you insist on Audyssey, Denon and Onkyo are it. Otherwise, there's YPAO and MCACC.