Onkyo TX-SR705 vs Pioneer Elite VSX-90TXV

[pgvinter]

I recently upgraded my home theater setup and will need to buy a new receiver. Currently I have a set of Mirage OM-9s with an OM-C3 center as the front and center and a pair of Infinity RS2000.4s as my rears as well as a Mirage Omni S12 sub. I will soon be getting a pair of Mirage AVS-200s to use as rear surrounds. The TV is a Sony KDS-55A2020 55" SXRD 1080p. I am using a PS3 as a Blu-ray player. Right now I have an Onkyo TX-SR603x which does not support HDMI switching or the latest surround formats. I want to upgrade to a THX Select2 certified receiver and it seems like the Onkyo and Pioneer will have similar street prices. I know a lot of people have said that Onkyo's audio quality has declined significantly in recent years and I would like to know which receiver they would recommend. Both seem to have similar features sets (Dolby True HD and DTS Masted-HD, THX Select2) but the differences seem to be in the fact that the Onkyo will include HDMI upconversion while the Pioneer Elite will not. I am more concerned by the sound quality than the video upconversion features as the video processing in the TV is probably superior to that offered in the receiver. Also my cable box and PS3 already output everything via HDMI and my DVD player is progressive scan so I don't really care about the upconversion. I do also listen to music and care about the receiver's ability to reproduce music cleanly. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jcPanny]

Receiver options

Also check out receiver options from Yamaha (RX-V2700) and Denon (2807) even though their mid-fi models do not have the THX Select badge. All of the major manufactures should have their new HDMI 1.3 models in the next few months. When this happens, there should also be some good deals on the "old" HDMI 1.2 receivers.

 

[pgvinter]

I am really looking for an HDMI1.3 capable receiver. Does the THX Select2 certification really mean anything in the mid-fi group? Would you recommend a particular brand at that price point? It looks like there should be something available from Denon, Marantz, maybe H/K, Onkyo, Yamaha and Pioneer Elite. Are any of these brands supperior to others in the $550-$800msrp/$400-$600 street price range?

 

[Seth=L]

I want to upgrade to a THX Select2 certified receiver and it seems like the Onkyo and Pioneer will have similar street prices. I know a lot of people have said that Onkyo's audio quality has declined significantly in recent years and I would like to know which receiver they would recommend.

Onkyo's "audio quality" is in no way diminished. There should be no difference in "audio quality" among these receivers.

THX certification is a certain garranty that says you are getting a certain amount of features and power for your money. If you really want a powerful, and sophisticated receiver for a real bargain I would look at the Onkyo TX-SR805 which has 1.3 and THX Ultra 2. It will retail for about $1000, but if you can swing it I would go for that model.

But, you really should just look for a receiver with the features you want for the price you want.

 

[Seth=L]

It is also important to note that the Pioneer VSX-90VXV does not support HDMI 1.3 and for that matter Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, or DTS-HD.

 

[speakerman39]

It is also important to note that the Pioneer VSX-90VXV does not support HDMI 1.3 and for that matter Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, or DTS-HD.

Kinda looks like Onkyo means business........I am seriously looking at the 875 OR at least saving for one anyways.

 

[zoran]

How about 91, are there any direct specs/availability/price