Help me upgrade my Onkyo 605

[fmw]

The Onkyo 605 has proven to be a dissatisfactory product for me. Its bad habit is generating ticks and pops from the processor that are heard all over the place in Dolby Digital mode. I can't stand it any more and I'm going to replace it. Perhaps you have some input for me.

My requirements are fairly simply. I need to get rid of the lousy processor so I'm going to upgrade to a higher level unit. Onkyo is out of the question as a brand name. Burned once. I'm just not going there this time. I have 4 HDMI input devices so I get interested in units that have a lot of HDMI inputs. The unit must be an HDMI repeater or have the ability to process audio from HDMI. I'm not going to start adding more digital audio cables. At the moment the following are interesting to me:

Pioneer VSX92. It meets all of my requirements and I can buy it from a dealer who is a personal friend. Always happy to help a local business. It is THX certified as an additional kicker. I would need to keep my HDMI switch operating with this unit. Not a big hassle, obviously. I like the Pioneer brand.

Yamaha RXV-1800. This unit does everything the Pioneer does at about the same price but has more HDMI inputs. It is feature laden to an amazing degree - impressive, in fact.

Denon 3808CI. This unit is more expensive than the others. It adds network connectivity and I assume it would allow me to stream audio from my computer network. If this is so, then I could move my Squeezebox upstairs to the stereo system and let this unit do the music streaming. I've planning to buy a second Squeezebox so this bit of information makes the Denon a competitor despite its higher price. I've never considered Denon to be a very good value but this one capability may make it worth spending more for what is a close competitor to the other two. It also has a lot of HDMI inputs.

I'm making an assumption that all three of these will do what I want and I view them all as competent products with good track records. Any comments?

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I am glad to see you rid of the 605; so many people are having issues with it. I get sick of people suggesting it just because it is inexpensive. I would hands down go with the 1800. I have had Yamaha all my life and have never had an issue.

 

[gus6464]

I am glad to see you rid of the 605; so many people are having issues with it. I get sick of people suggesting it just because it is inexpensive. I would hands down go with the 1800. I have had Yamaha all my life and have never had an issue.

Same here! That is why I decided to go with the Yamaha 661 instead of the Onkyo 605. Paid a bit more and lost built-in TrueHD, DTS-HD decoding but in the end it's worth it for a better quality receiver. Go for the 1800.

 

[Warpdrv]

I have the Elite 81 and just recently bought the Elite 91 for another setup, to use with an external amp which is obviously a lesser grade unit then the 92, but I still think they are great, underated units... will pass and switch 1080p yes, less hdmi hookups but still awesome units.. Not sure about the Upscaling but the features in the new Elites are excellant, including all the latest audio decoders.. Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio lossless for HD DVD and Blu-ray.
As I have said many times, I wouldn't be buying any of this years units for their upscaling abilities. but thats just me and I'm picky, and I also don't have 1080p yet. For upscaling I think the Integra is the best offering out there with the Reon chipset...

This year should hopefully bring some fresh new units, need to keep and eye on CES...

In the end, all I can offer you is what I have experience with...

 

[gus6464]

Integra is the same as Onkyo right? If so I wonder if their reliability and BQ are the same.

 

[Warpdrv]

Integra is the same as Onkyo right? If so I wonder if their reliability and BQ are the same.

Integra is Onkyo's high end... Like Acura to Honda...

I can't speak of anything I don't know about... I have been reading of the Integra 9.8 and it looks killer for a Pre-amp, has everything that I would want, except I don't have a need for 1080p capabilites right now..

All in all, Im glad I went the way I did buying a somewhat inexpensive receiver to use as a Pre-amps until I go further with my HT, and the Pioneer are flawless for me... I read so many people having glitches and problems with Denon, and that was my only other choice from my wholesale buddy..

 

[fmw]

I have a question about the Denon. In order to play streamed audio from a computer network, do you need to operate things from the computer? I truly love the Squeezebox. It has its own display and I can operate streamed audio right from the listening couch with my universal remote. If that isn't true of the Denon 3808 then I'm going to delete it from the list. I don't see anything it does that the other two don't do for less money. If it works as I expect it does, then the other two units with a second Squeezebox would be the way to go.

I looked at the Pioneer 94 manual and audio streaming works from the computer, not from the remote and local display. The 94 is definitely out and we may be down to just the 92 and the Yamaha 1800.

 

[gus6464]

I have a question about the Denon. In order to play streamed audio from a computer network, do you need to operate things from the computer? I truly love the Squeezebox. It has its own display and I can operate streamed audio right from the listening couch with my universal remote. If that isn't true of the Denon 3808 then I'm going to delete it from the list. I don't see anything it does that the other two don't do for less money. If it works as I expect it does, then the other two units with a second Squeezebox would be the way to go.

I looked at the Pioneer 94 manual and audio streaming works from the computer, not from the remote and local display. The 94 is definitely out and we may be down to just the 92 and the Yamaha 1800.

The network capabilities of the Denon will nowhere near be as robust as a Squeezebox. It might do what you want but not as nicely as the Squeezebox. Couldn't you buy a Yamaha 1800 and a Squeezebox for the price of the 3808?

 

[fmw]

Yes, close enough. I think I'll eliminate the Denon from the mix. I never thought the brand was worth more money than the others anyway.

 

[PENG]

The Onkyo X05 models may have the best prices in terms of watts and features. In terms of reliability, I thought both Denon and Yamaha are the known quantities; they seem to be more trouble free in general.

 

[Rico]

I was about to buy one 605, now I don't know if I should wait a little and go for the 705 or 805 or something else, like the Yamaha RX-V661 wich on ebay you can find for $375 shipped average.

I'm gonna run those BIC Acoustech 5.1 + Blu-ray.

 

[gus6464]

I was about to buy one 605, now I don't know if I should wait a little and go for the 705 or 805 or something else, like the Yamaha RX-V661 wich on ebay you can find for $375 shipped average.

I'm gonna run those BIC Acoustech 5.1 + Blu-ray.

$279 for RX-V661
http://www.ubid.com/Yamaha_RX-V661_910W_7.1_Ch._A/V_Home_Theater_Receiver/a11225445-rsearchone.html

better hurry though as there were 20 around an hour ago and now there are 2 left

 

[Rico]

Thanks for that link Gus,

The problem is, I don't wanna get something now that I'm going to try upgrade anytime soon. Like, I would pay a little more now to have something for the next few years, I hope. I keep looking at the Yamaha and the Onkyo 605 features and I'm really confused. PLus, I don't even know if I'm going to need all those things right away but, the more the better At least they do look good.

Does it make any sense ?

 

[gus6464]

Thanks for that link Gus,

The problem is, I don't wanna get something now that I'm going to try upgrade anytime soon. Like, I would pay a little more now to have something for the next few years, I hope. I keep looking at the Yamaha and the Onkyo 605 features and I'm really confused. PLus, and don't even know if I'm going to need all those things right away but, the more the better At least they do look good.

Does it make any sense ?

Man for that price of the 661 you should jump on it in a heartbeat. What features are you looking for exactly? It can handle MPCM from a blu-ray or hd dvd player so you have that covered. It has preouts so if you decide to upgrade your speakers later and you need more juice you can always add amps. It doesn't upscale video but if you getting an hd-dvd or blu-ray player who cares since most do a nice job of upscaling dvds. You just have to buy the right BD or HD DVD player and it's all you need. Of course the yammy doesn't have the built-in decoders the 605 has but right now there is only 1 BD player and 2 HD DVD players that can do bitstream.

 

[ddcobb]

The Onkyo 605 has proven to be a dissatisfactory product for me. Its bad habit is generating ticks and pops from the processor that are heard all over the place in Dolby Digital mode. I can't stand it any more and I'm going to replace it. Perhaps you have some input for me.

My requirements are fairly simply. I need to get rid of the lousy processor so I'm going to upgrade to a higher level unit. Onkyo is out of the question as a brand name. Burned once. I'm just not going there this time. I have 4 HDMI input devices so I get interested in units that have a lot of HDMI inputs. The unit must be an HDMI repeater or have the ability to process audio from HDMI. I'm not going to start adding more digital audio cables. At the moment the following are interesting to me:

Pioneer VSX92. It meets all of my requirements and I can buy it from a dealer who is a personal friend. Always happy to help a local business. It is THX certified as an additional kicker. I would need to keep my HDMI switch operating with this unit. Not a big hassle, obviously. I like the Pioneer brand.

Yamaha RXV-1800. This unit does everything the Pioneer does at about the same price but has more HDMI inputs. It is feature laden to an amazing degree - impressive, in fact.

Denon 3808CI. This unit is more expensive than the others. It adds network connectivity and I assume it would allow me to stream audio from my computer network. If this is so, then I could move my Squeezebox upstairs to the stereo system and let this unit do the music streaming. I've planning to buy a second Squeezebox so this bit of information makes the Denon a competitor despite its higher price. I've never considered Denon to be a very good value but this one capability may make it worth spending more for what is a close competitor to the other two. It also has a lot of HDMI inputs.

I'm making an assumption that all three of these will do what I want and I view them all as competent products with good track records. Any comments?

I am interested in what you find out here. I was very satisfied with my 604 up until I tried to get HD-DVD audio over HDMI. It only plays background music and you get no voice audio.

 

[Rico]

Man for that price of the 661 you should jump on it in a heartbeat. What features are you looking for exactly? It can handle MPCM from a blu-ray or hd dvd player so you have that covered. It has preouts so if you decide to upgrade your speakers later and you need more juice you can always add amps. It doesn't upscale video but if you getting an hd-dvd or blu-ray player who cares since most do a nice job of upscaling dvds. You just have to buy the right BD or HD DVD player and it's all you need. Of course the yammy doesn't have the built-in decoders the 605 has but right now there is only 1 BD player and 2 HD DVD players that can do bitstream.

Could you please throw in sujestions (brand & models) ?
I was thinking in some entry level for now.

Thks for your help Gus.

 

[pressa]

I thought I read somewhere on this forum that the 605 had a firmware update that would fix the ticking problem?

I was 90% ready to buy the 605 because of the price and HDMI inputs but now im concerned..

 

[Rico]

I thought I read somewhere on this forum that the 605 had a firmware update that would fix the ticking problem?

I was 90% ready to buy the 605 because of the price and HDMI inputs but now im concerned..

So Am I. I'm looking forward to see where this thread will lead us.

 

[fmw]

I'm back and I brought a new Pioneer VSX-92 with me. It was an interesting visit to my old friend's place. I always get some insight from him because his is an insider. He's been an audio dealer for 25 years. He carries two of the three brands. Denon is carried by his competitor. His only comment about the Denon was the the quality of the post Marantz Denon products is not at the same level as the quality before the Marantz acquisition. He thinks the Denon products are now lower in quality and reliability than most of its competitors - exactly the opposite of the situation a few years ago. I don't doubt him. He's been a friend for quite a while and has never lied to me.

We talked about the other two models. He really likes the Yamaha processors. He thinks they are every bit as good as the Pioneer. He also thinks the Yamaha is every bit as good as the Pioneer in terms of quality and reliability. His preference for the Pioneer relates to the amplifiers. He feels the Pioneer amps are stronger than those in the Yamaha and he convinced me of it with a fairly simple demonstration. He was able to drive a difficult speaker load loud with it - very loud - that sent the Yamaha into protection mode. That's what iced the decision to get the Pioneer - since they are pretty close in terms of price and capabilities. I said, "well I won't be needing any outboard amps with this unit." He said exactly. It would be a complete waste of money.

Hopefully, I'll have some time this evening to take it out of the box and hook it up.

Thanks to all for the comments and input. I'm at least confident that this unit will outperform the Onkyo 605 with its poor processor with ease. I'll let you know what I think after it's been running for a while.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

You are not a true audioholic until you have at least one external amp.

Enjoy the Pioneer, it is a fine machine.