Onkyo TX-NR905 vs Denon 4308ci

[Bloodstriker]

Which one would you choose? And why?

 

[Seth=L]

TX-NR905.

More robust (toroidal power transformers, heavier)

More features (THX Ultra II)

HQV Reon (superior to the Faroudja on the Denon)

Nuff said.

(the Denon probably runs cooler, but I don't care about heat issues as they can be easily addressed)

 

[Addy]

the only 3 things the onkyo has on the denon is what seth said....the video chip the power and the THX certification which is primary because of the transformer..really THX only cares about the power of the component i find..the denon has a whole list of features that onkyo couldn't dream to come up with like wi-fi and Ethernet although the onkyo does have Ethernet, the denon is capable of having customer service log onto you receiver and fix any problems or figure out if it needs to come in..worlds first vista certified receiver,comes with 2 remotes one thats back lit,theres more usb ports, has a denon link III...plus im not too sure on this one but i haven't heard anything bad about the denons lately but i hear alot about the onkyos failing or overheating. it all depends on what your using it for... if you need a video up converter and lots of power then go onkyo but if you already have a high definition format player and no extreme power hungry speakers then the denon is defiantly the buy but then again i hate onkyo

 

[Seth=L]

I would like to know where you heard that Onkyo's are failing. I see people mentioning (new members mostly) but no one has shown where this information is coming from.

 

[Thunder18]

I hear that the Onkyo's run hot, but I'm not really hearing they they are overheating. My Pioneer runs hot enough that it's uncomfortable to touch the top of it and it sits on the top of my audio tower with nothing on the sides or on top of it. It's never cut out on me though or even gone into thermal protection mode.

 

[tn001d]

I would like to know where you heard that Onkyo's are failing. I see people mentioning (new members mostly) but no one has shown where this information is coming from.

I spent a whole day combing through ~1000 posts on avs forum.

 

[Seth=L]

I spent a whole day combing through ~1000 posts on avs forum.

You saw reports of heat related shut downs and damage? Just want to be sure it wasn't other people saying "I heard that....".

 

[tn001d]

You saw reports of heat related shut downs and damage? Just want to be sure it wasn't other people saying "I heard that....".

No shutdown reports.. just that it was hot enough to keep your coffee warm

 

[Seth=L]

No shutdown reports.. just that it was hot enough to keep your coffee warm

They do run hot, I agree. A cooling system or allowing the internal one to handle the cooling when it is necessary should be more than enough. Just give it room to breath and don't put your hands on it. The amp section is at the front of the unit and is sanctioned from the other electronic circuits of the receiver, so heat should not interfer with them much if at all based on the design.

(the hot running units include the Onkyo TX-SR805, TX-SR875, TX-NR905, Integra DTR-7.8, DTR-8.8. The lower models use a more efficient design, but the more efficient design isn't as equipped to handle lower impedance loads.)

 

[mdrew]

I’ve never been a big Onkyo fan, but their new line has me reconsidering my opinion. On paper, they are very hard to compete with. If they had a different label on them, with all else being equal, such as Rotel or Nad, I think you would see a price tag at least double what they are now.

I am looking for a new receiver, or pre/pro and amp, and the 905 is on my short list. I also looked at both the 3808 and 4308, and considering the price difference between the two Denons and feature differences, I do not understand the very large discrepancy in price between the two. For that reason, I dropped the 4308 off my list.

The Onkyo line does have some strange video problems, but they have a firmware release that may address those issues. (color space alteration and lip sync)

Reports are that these units run hot and it is assumed that they do not have adequate heat sync, but I’m not ready to accept that as being the culprit. The pre/pro’s (885 and 9.8) are also running hot, so I am inclined to think they do not have adequate cooling for the Reon processor. I do know that the Reon requires ample cooling, as with most video processors. That is my only concern with the new Onkyo’s and Integra units (assuming the firmware update addresses the video bugs).

One thing the Denons have that I am interested in, is a new GUI that overlays onto any video stream. The lack of THX cert of any kind at this price point has me wondering just what profit margin Denon targeted with these units….. I’m not a THX fan boy, but nowadays it seams silly to me to not get this cert and expect consumers to pay over a grand for a receiver without it.

 

[adk highlander]

I am getting an 885 this week that I have been waiting for about two months.

The REON aprarently runs VERY hot and needs ample cooling. The firmware update is going to fix the black level problems that many were having unless they ran in "through" mode which for me would defeat the whole purpose of getting the REON upscaling. It also adds the adjustments (color, saturation, brightness, noise reduction, etc.) It does nothing with the lipsync issues that many are having but some of this seems source dependent and many issues are DVR not DVD, HD DVD, etc. related.

 

[Panjsheri]

Hey man I had the 875 before I got the 905 but i can tell ya this enjoy and try to keep it cool cause it does get HOT!!!! U will love it

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Yeah, based on specs alone, I would pick the Onkyo 905 too.

But I also hear about reliability issues from friends who have owned Onkyo in the past in general.

Maybe it's coincidence.

I have not heard of reliability problems with Denon from friends who have owned Denon in the past.

Video: Reon vs Faroudja - advantage Onkyo
Audio: Burr-Brown PCM-1796 DACs vs PCM-1791 - advantage Onkyo
Power: advantage Onkyo
Heat: advantage Denon
Reliability: possible advantage Denon.
Aesthetics: advantage Denon - Personal Preference

So in the end, I would pick the Denon 4308 just to be safe.

But I don't think you can go wrong with either.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Hey man I had the 875 before I got the 905 but i can tell ya this enjoy and try to keep it cool cause it does get HOT!!!! U will love it

So please elaborate for us on this HEAT issue.

When you say "HOT", do you mean "100 F degrees" HOT?

Or is like "70 F degrees" WARM?

 

[dobyblue]

One thing about the 905 which I'm sure is the same on the Denon but as yet unverified.

For 24/192 TrueHD and PCM = 2 channel only.
For 24/192 dts-ma = processed at 24/96 only.

On the TX-SR606 I noticed that it now accepts 24/192 multi-channel PCM and TrueHD, but dts-ma is still limited to 24/96 only.

Is this relevant? No, not to film. Probably not in terms of human hearing either. But if we start to see 24/192 dts-ma music releases, I'd like to know the 24/192 PCM1796 Burr Brown DAC's are at least being used to their maximum potential, even if the end result is negligible to me.

I'm presuming the dts-ma decoder in the current line-ups from all manufacturers is only able to decode at 24/96, so it misses 50% of the resolution.

 

[dobyblue]

So please elaborate for us on this HEAT issue.

When you say "HOT", do you mean "100 F degrees" HOT?

Or is like "70 F degrees" WARM?

The 905 will run more than hot, it hits almost 120F, almost 50C.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13033883#post13033883

my 905's current vent temperature is a constant 117 F (47C). I have a H20 tuner and BD30 player sitting directly on top and they are running just fine (I do have them sitting towards the front, leaving the rear vents clear). 117F is slightly warmer than what is needed for proofing yeast. For reference, the vent temperature on my 46” Sony XBR3 LCD (wide open) is 101F (33). These temperatures were taken with a very accurate Fluke digital thermometer.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The 905 will run more than hot, it hits almost 120F, almost 50C.

Okay, Bloodstriker, forget the Onkyos altogether because that 120F heat may just cause that crackling to come back!

Sorry, I could not resist!!!

To me, telling someone to buy the "120F" Onkyos + Cooling Fans is like telling someone to take ONE medication which will unnecessarily cause adverse effects PLUS take TWO more drugs to treat those adverse effects.

 

[PENG]

Yeah, based on specs alone, I would pick the Onkyo 905 too.

I was also impressed by the 905's specs. They do cost a little more in Canada but I decided on the Denon not because of the lower price or specs. For one thing, I don't think Reon/HQV means much to me because I prefer letting my disc players do their job. Aside from anything else, heat is never good for electronics, and fans always add noise. Talking about noise, one good thing about Denon receivers is that their transformers are almost inaudible. If you put your ears close to most receivers/amplifiers, e.g. Pioneer, Onkyo, even Bryston you will hear the transformers hum regardless of whether they are toroidal type or not. Some are louder than others but they all hum, except for the Denons.

 

[wire]

TX-NR905.

More robust (toroidal power transformers, heavier)

More features (THX Ultra II)

HQV Reon (superior to the Faroudja on the Denon)

Nuff said.

(the Denon probably runs cooler, but I don't care about heat issues as they can be easily addressed)

I don't see any probs with heat , if designed properly the amp can take it .
when younger , i would run my 4b @ full load for 3 to 4 hours @ a time and you could fry eggs on it . The amp is perfect to this day and over 20 years old .

 

[PENG]

I don't see any probs with heat , if designed properly the amp can take it .
when younger , i would run my 4b @ full load for 3 to 4 hours @ a time and you could fry eggs on it . The amp is perfect to this day and over 20 years old .

I am not sure if you ran your 4B as hot as others do with their 805 or 905's but keep in mind that the 4B is a power amp so it has less minute electronic devices in it.