Harman Kardon vs. ONKYO ???

[spinner747]

I'm trying to decide between HK AVR-146 or Onkyo TX-SR505 Any opinions? I was pretty much set on getting the 505, but I heard so many good things about the HKs, and this one meets my requirements and fits my price range.

Whichever one I go with? The HK version doesn't seem to be as well received as the Onkyo.

I have a pretty simple setup; 2 Infinity P252 and center Infinity PC250 , JBL M5 for surround, still looking for a sub. For now I use the audio for TV, DVD, music MP3 and CDs.

Thanks.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I'm trying to decide between HK AVR-146 or Onkyo TX-SR505 Any opinions? I was pretty much set on getting the 505, but I heard so many good things about the HKs, and this one meets my requirements and fits my price range.

Whichever one I go with? The HK version doesn't seem to be as well received as the Onkyo.

I have a pretty simple setup; 2 Infinity P252 and center Infinity PC250 , JBL M5 for surround, still looking for a sub. For now I use the audio for TV, DVD, music MP3 and CDs.

Thanks.

I've owned the HK247 and I totally loved it. Very clean, powerful, honest sound. I would definitely pick the HK146 over the Onkyo505, unless you get the Onkyo 605.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

And I wouldnt touch a 605 with a 6 foot pole...

I've owned the HK247 and I totally loved it. Very clean, powerful, honest sound. I would definitely pick the HK146 over the Onkyo505, unless you get the Onkyo 605.

 

[fmw]

And I wouldnt touch a 605 with a 6 foot pole...

No kidding. He can buy mine for a song before I dump it on ebay. It has only 6 months of use. It has the well known lousy processor problem that Onkyo won't fix or even recognize. They have a bad product and, obviously, they don't want to recall it or deal with it. Hopefully, they will fix it sometime in the future and make it better for future customers.

Greg, the Pioneer VSX92 that replaced it is fabulous. What a difference a competent processor can do to receiver performance! Quiet, accurate, seamless. I had no idea how much difference the processor could make. The 92 is a real winner.

Spinner, I too would recommend the HK or any other receiver in the price range than the Onkyo.

 

[Seth=L]

I recommend this.

http://www.ubid.com/Marantz_SR4001_560W_A/V_7.1_Ch._Home_Theater_Receiver/a11225442-c2-s21.html

It's inexpensive, and has more power and features than the H/K or the Onkyo, totally walks all over those two for that price. (the suggested retail on this unit is much higher than they are selling these refurbished models, Marantz has a 90 day warranty with this product and Marantz tests to make sure the unit is fully functional before shipping it out)

 

[Soundman]

I recommend this.

http://www.ubid.com/Marantz_SR4001_560W_A/V_7.1_Ch._Home_Theater_Receiver/a11225442-c2-s21.html

It's inexpensive, and has more power and features than the H/K or the Onkyo, totally walks all over those two for that price. (the suggested retail on this unit is much higher than they are selling these refurbished models, Marantz has a 90 day warranty with this product and Marantz tests to make sure the unit is fully functional before shipping it out)

Agreed!!!!! This is one of the best values out there right now!!!!!! I highly recommend it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Alex2507]

Marantz has a 90 day warranty

That to me this is a deal breaker.

H/K refurbs have a 2 year warrenty.

 

[spinner747]

Any ONKYO reviews ?

 

[rolyasm]

What issues does the 605 have? I haven't been keeping up.

 

[fmw]

What issues does the 605 have? I haven't been keeping up.

It has a poor processor. I don't know if all of the units do it, but many add tics and pops in Dolby Digital mode. They sound like quantization errors. It is a common problem since it has been reported many times from many owners, including me. Mine also had a hard time steering surround channels. I would get changes in level in the surrounds during portions of sound tracks that shouldn't have them. They seemed strange to me and distracted me from the movie from time to time. I didn't realize this until I replaced it with a better unit with a good quality processor. I thought the little blasts of surround content were in the source material. They were actually created by the processor. Onkyo has never issued a service bulletin about it so I don't think they are gearing up for a recall.

Also, the problem could be in a minority of the units so most of them may be fine. I don't know since I only have experience with one unit. But others have had the same problems.

The amps and preamp functions are fine. The processor is the problem but that's a bad place to have a problem.

The 605 is a great value in terms of features, but not really in terms of performance. I think I would recommend a budget receiver that puts the price more into performance rather than features. That's my advice. There are some great receivers at the $400-$500 price range. One I have owned in the past is the Pioneer 1017. Not so many features but not so many performance problems an really good amplifiers. A lot of Yamaha owners rave about their units in this price range. So that appears to be another good option. The 605 is a risky choice, in my opinion.

 

[spinner747]

I bought both H/K AVR 146 and Onkyo TX-SR505 .
Hooked up H/K to my Infinity speakers P252 - Warm and soft sound , very nice for music. Hooked up Onkyo , what a difference ! Sound is very sharp and strong.Clarity is way better than H/K . Onkyo has more options as well.
Onkyo is producing way better sound overall ! I ended up returning H/K back to the store.

 

[vshine]

Spinner,

I have the SR505 and I'm happy with it to a point. I lost about half of my electronics in my wiring closet due to a power problem and replaced an old Denon (I mean old) with a 505 since I couldn't make up my mind on what I wanted to eventually have - I want to get some higher end equipment since this is in a dedicated theater. I notice the popping and tics only when I'm listening to the XM channels on DirectTV but I've never noticed them when listening to music or movies so I think it is an issue with DirectTV.

I'm driving Polk RTi10s/CSi5 center, f/xi3s for surrounds plus an old Boston Acoustics sub

The issues I have with it are as follows:

1. HDMI on the 505 only carries video not audio so I use optical cables. This limits the options on Dolby/DTS decoding so you can't select some of the newer options (I can only get Dolby 3/2.1 for some reason). This is my biggest gripe
2. Only 2 HDMI inputs - 4 would be nicer
3. No on screen (OSD) display of settings

Pros:
1. Great price
2. No problem with build quality
3. Audessy setup is a nice starting point for tweaking the setup
4. No problem driving my Polk speakers but I have to crank it up pretty high.
5. For the money excellent sound quality

As FMW states above look at Pioneer in the same price range as well. If you can't demo it, buy it somewhere like CC where you can return/exchange it.

 

[Seth=L]

As FMW states above look at Pioneer in the same price range as well. If you can't demo it, buy it somewhere like CC where you can return/exchange it.

Pioneer doesn't even offer anything but pass-thru over HDMI on their entry level products, you would have to go Elite to get those features.

 

[mtrycrafts]

4. No problem driving my Polk speakers but I have to crank it up pretty high.

How high is high and how loud at that volume control level? Maybe you like it very loud in which case you do need it close to its limits.