Read this if you're thinking Onkyo

[MDS]

The exact same discussion and concerns about heat was had just a few years ago with Yamaha. Everywhere you turned someone was saying how hot they get compared to Onkyo and Denon.

Now did Yamaha drastically redesign their receivers to reduce the heat or did they cut corners somewhere so it wouldn't get as hot? Or did the buzz just die down and now everyone just accepts that the level of heat put out by Yamaha receivers is about right and Onkyo is way over the top because it feels like it is too hot?

Remember also that a lot of this is relative and experience varies. Seth has said many times that he had an Onkyo 502 that ran so hot he had to install a fan. My 502 at best gets to be lukewarm. The bigger heavier receivers will put out a lot of heat and require a lot of open space for proper ventilation yet most people just don't have that kind of space in their rack.

 

[20Glove]

The exact same discussion and concerns about heat was had just a few years ago with Yamaha. Everywhere you turned someone was saying how hot they get compared to Onkyo and Denon.

Now did Yamaha drastically redesign their receivers to reduce the heat or did they cut corners somewhere so it wouldn't get as hot? Or did the buzz just die down and now everyone just accepts that the level of heat put out by Yamaha receivers is about right and Onkyo is way over the top because it feels like it is too hot?

Remember also that a lot of this is relative and experience varies. Seth has said many times that he had an Onkyo 502 that ran so hot he had to install a fan. My 502 at best gets to be lukewarm. The bigger heavier receivers will put out a lot of heat and require a lot of open space for proper ventilation yet most people just don't have that kind of space in their rack.

I checked at Magnolia the other night... I checked the Yamaha's, Denon's and Elites. The Yamaha and Denon were about the same temp.

But neither of these were Onkyo warm... Onkyo warm is warm... and I always compare my Denon 3808 and Onkyo 805 and there is no comparison. Denon gets luke warm/warm to the touch... Onkyo gets hot and it resonates out of the machine!!! But Yamaha is still warm.

 

[Seth=L]

Remember also that a lot of this is relative and experience varies. Seth has said many times that he had an Onkyo 502 that ran so hot he had to install a fan. My 502 at best gets to be lukewarm. The bigger heavier receivers will put out a lot of heat and require a lot of open space for proper ventilation yet most people just don't have that kind of space in their rack.

I would say the Onkyo I had ran hotter because of the demands I had for it. However, I have not had any receiver since then run as hot as it did when being driven harder. My current gear gets luke warm at best (the Teac runs very cool, and the Insignia/Sherwood doesn't get much warmer).

 

[mike c]

Seth... you were one person here that talked me into the Onkyo 805 over the AVR3808ci... are you off the Onkyo bandwagon?

Well maybe not talked me into it but kept telling me about the specs and weight and all that... and well... to me SO FAR it is worth its weight... so thank you... but really are you off the Onkyo bandwagon?

Seth's on the best bang for the buck bandwagon. so he's not off anything really, just that there's a new kid on the block.

 

[tomd51]

Slightly off-topic to the OP, but as far as the heat thing is concerned, even when using my Yamaha RX-V2500 as a pre/pro, it got pretty warm bordering on hot when running it for a couple of hours. A few Denons I've had have also run relatively warm when used for extended periods, but rarely reached the heat level of the Yammy. Having said this, I've never had any of them go into protection mode due to overheating.

I believe MDS has a very valid point in that many people either don't have the space or opt not to provide adequate ventilation for their receivers. If you're going to drive them hard, consider the consequences. Granted each receiver may/will have a different design for heat displacement, but in the end, they've all got to reach specific criteria in this area, so they shouldn't be vastly different in their results unless their is an obvious engineering flaw... -TD

 

[Seth=L]

Sorry 20glove, I missed your question. Am I off the TX-SR805 bandwagon, honestly? I kind of am. With all the bad stuff I keep reading about, combined with another's horrible customer service experience I am starting to understand why the price is cut nearly in half. Prices always have justification. It's go impressive specs, benchtests, and features. But from what I am getting it's hit and miss with the Onkyo's this season. I have owned 3 Onkyo receivers and each was great, it's really dissapointing to see so many are having troubles with theirs.

 

[ParkerAudio]

I have had numerous problems with manufacturers, but luckily my mother is a federal attorney and my wife is a corporate attorney. I think you have received some good advice about the paper trail, and small claims court. The best thing about small claims court is that Onkyo actually has to come to your town to defend themselves, which will cost far more than refunding your money or giving you a new unit. I wouldn't settle for just fixing the one you have. You might have a lemon, and they owe you better after all the crap you have gone through. Write a demand letter, be firm, and then spend the $30 for the small claims court. You need to put a end to this garbage.

How in the world would you be responsible for a shipment Onkyo made between their repair centers? Maybe Fedex didn't break it, maybe repair shop one damaged it.

 

[Audioholics]

Just so you know I forwarded this to Onkyo's PR company, who forwarded it to the folks at Onkyo. The last time I did this (regarding an Integra issue I believe) I got zero response, so I don't hold much hope this time around either.

Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[tomd51]

Thks for making the effort to help on this, Clint. I'm sure the OP can use any help this could provide.

This is one of the reasons AH is my top HT and Audio site... -TD

 

[W8N4AFREAK]

State Rep

Sorry about your problem. I was going to be an Onkyo dealer a few weeks ago. I spoke to a few guys at a Universal Remote class and changed my mind fast. They stated similar problems. If you don't have part for a piece of equipment you just bought then what’s to happen in 2 years?

Here is my suggestion. Go to your local State Reps office. I bet it’s within 10miles. Talk to someone there. They can help you out. The BBB is a pain to deal with. I had a problem with a store not accepting a gift certificate because it said valid for 1 year. When I went it was something like a half a year or so late. So I called Bravo Searia. The manager told me to leave the store at once. So I stopped by my State Reps office and they gave me a # to call. I called the #, sorry I forget the guys title, and 2 days later the shop called me and apologized. They honored the certificate.

I think it was a consumer fraud office. I also live in PA so I assume you can get the same help. It's nice when you actually see someone in person to explain your problem. Your local Reps office will do everything they can to help.

 

[calnbs]

Even when a retail store states that the return policy is only 15 days, 30 days, etc, you can usually get away with atleast a store credit if you make a stand. Retail stores don't like people making a scene in front of other customers. Trust me, I WILL make a scene when I am out of $1,000.

THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD OF DONE and STILL SHOULD DO:

Go back to the store and buy a new receiver. Take out the new receiver and replace it with the old damage receiver and return it at the store and stated that it is not working properly. That it must have been damage during transportation from their warehouse to their store. Most store do not inspect an item prior to purchase so they can not confirm that the item was good when you walked out the store. With YOUR NEW receipt in hand, they can not refuse you since that receipt will show that it is within their policy. Is it morally wrong? I haven't been to church for quite sometimes but IMO, not really because they sold you a bad product in the first place and refuse YOU service. But if in your opinion, you'll go to hell for this then go to small claims court.

 

[Seth=L]

Even when a retail store states that the return policy is only 15 days, 30 days, etc, you can usually get away with atleast a store credit if you make a stand. Retail stores don't like people making a scene in front of other customers. Trust me, I WILL make a scene when I am out of $1,000.

THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD OF DONE and STILL SHOULD DO:

Go back to the store and buy a new receiver. Take out the new receiver and replace it with the old damage receiver and return it at the store and stated that it is not working properly. That it must have been damage during transportation from their warehouse to their store. Most store do not inspect an item prior to purchase so they can not confirm that the item was good when you walked out the store. With YOUR NEW receipt in hand, they can not refuse you since that receipt will show that it is within their policy. Is it morally wrong? I haven't been to church for quite sometimes but IMO, not really because they sold you a bad product in the first place and refuse YOU service. But if in your opinion, you'll go to hell for this then go to small claims court.

Sorry, but your plan will not only not work, but it is illegal. When you typically buy new electronics in this price range they keep a log of the serial number (which is specific to each unit shipped). When you add a service plan to an item such as this, they always get the serial number (and he did get the service plan). Circuit City will check to see if the serial number of the unit sold matches the one on the reciept and the box.

YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT BUY ANOTHER RECEIVER AND ATTEMPT TO RETURN THE NON-FUNCTIONAL RECEIVER TO THE STORE UNDER ANY SORT OF DECEPTION!

It will not work, and it's fraud.

 

[gus6464]

Not yet...at least from my understanding. The manufacturer warranty always trumps extended warrantys. That is, extended warrantys do not commence until the manufacturer warranty has expired. So Onkyo is fully responsible for this one.

That's not true. I work for HP and I deal with our B&M retail channels and when you buy the service plan from either CC or BB they have to honor it from day one. The difference between manufacturer's warranty and store warranty is who eats the cost after a certain period of time.

For example lets say you buy an HP laptop at the store with the service plan and 8 months later it breaks. If the laptop is junked-out (meaning repair would exceed cost) BB or CC send it back to us and we eat the cost to replace it. Now let's say the same machine goes bad in 15 months, since it is out of our manufacturer's warranty BB has to eat the cost of the junked-out unit. So in short CC has the obligation to deal with the receiver because you purchased a service plan contract from them. It is then up to them to either send the unit to Onkyo or fix it in their facilities at no cost to you. That is why you paid the extra money for their service plan so you wouldn't have to go through this hassle.

Go back to the CC and ask for the service manager and tell him about your problem. Get the receiver back and let him deal with it. You paid to have them deal with any problems you might have with the receiver so it's their obligation to make it right.

 

[mike c]

gus is exactly right. (because we have the same opinion)

the store should suck it up because they got your money for the 5 year thing.

BUT ... the OP hasn't returned since he posted.

 

[ParkerAudio]

Sorry, but your plan will not only not work, but it is illegal. When you typically buy new electronics in this price range they keep a log of the serial number (which is specific to each unit shipped). When you add a service plan to an item such as this, they always get the serial number (and he did get the service plan). Circuit City will check to see if the serial number of the unit sold matches the one on the reciept and the box.

YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT BUY ANOTHER RECEIVER AND ATTEMPT TO RETURN THE NON-FUNCTIONAL RECEIVER TO THE STORE UNDER ANY SORT OF DECEPTION!

It will not work, and it's fraud.

I am not advocating doing this, but the truth is it would work. You just don't return the item to CC, you buy it somewhere else and return the defective item there. 15 years ago I worked at Best Buy during my early college years, and we never checked serial numbers. Take it back, keep your mouth shut, and make the customer happy, or the manager would come up and override you because he wanted to keep the customer happy, making you look like the fool.
All this stuff gets returned to the original manufacturer, stores just don't care, and most of the time they are behind the curve anyway. Case in point, stores requesting a photo id when you present your credit card. They are actually not allowed to ask for a photo id, or any another type of ID because it violates the privacy agreement between cardholder and credit card company. You will notice that Best Buy doesn't ask for photo ID anymore. They had a little bit of a problem.

 

[Midcow2]

That sucks big time!

You should get an attorney to call on your behalf. No need to sue right away.

It's amayzing how things can get moving when a professional gets involved...

Problem is the attorney cost is will more than likely exceed the $1,100 he paid for the unit.

I think more cost effective soluiton is tofile a complaint with the better business bureau for the selling store and also for the US Onkyo local and/or regional office/s.

Businesses do not like to have legitimate complaints, and this is lgetimate, filed against them.

Good Luck!

 

[Seth=L]

I am not advocating doing this, but the truth is it would work. You just don't return the item to CC, you buy it somewhere else and return the defective item there. 15 years ago I worked at Best Buy during my early college years, and we never checked serial numbers. Take it back, keep your mouth shut, and make the customer happy, or the manager would come up and override you because he wanted to keep the customer happy, making you look like the fool.
All this stuff gets returned to the original manufacturer, stores just don't care, and most of the time they are behind the curve anyway. Case in point, stores requesting a photo id when you present your credit card. They are actually not allowed to ask for a photo id, or any another type of ID because it violates the privacy agreement between cardholder and credit card company. You will notice that Best Buy doesn't ask for photo ID anymore. They had a little bit of a problem.

I wasn't aware that Best Buy was so laxed about this. Working at Wal-Mart I check serial numbers, we always do when it's an option to avoid this kind of trouble. When the customer knows we know what they are trying to do they typically back off. I would have figured Best Buy and Circuit City would handle this like Wal-Mart if not in a stricter fashion. I still have my doubts that it would work.

 

[ParkerAudio]

Did you check the serial numbers to make sure they matched the box, or did you have a listing of the actual serial number for that item? I think different stores may do different things, depending on the management, what area they are in. I returned a DVD player to Walmart and nobody checked anything.
Shouldn't have to resort to these kind of tactics, wouldn't, companies are just all screwed up right now with foriegn help, and policies that are made by suits in ivory towers.

 

[Seth=L]

Did you check the serial numbers to make sure they matched the box, or did you have a listing of the actual serial number for that item? I think different stores may do different things, depending on the management, what area they are in. I returned a DVD player to Walmart and nobody checked anything.
Shouldn't have to resort to these kind of tactics, wouldn't, companies are just all screwed up right now with foriegn help, and policies that are made by suits in ivory towers.

We typically don't get serial numbers on DVD players. We get serial numbers off of some of the DVD Burners, we always get the serial numbers off of gaming systems and high dollar TV sets. We also get serial numbers from any iPod and some other high dollar MP3 players. We don't sell receivers in the store, so I can't say if we would on those. I would expect high dollar receivers to have serial numbers logged, it would be stupid not too.

 

[GlocksRock]

Since the OP hasn't posted anything but the original post, I'm wondering if this isn't just someone trying to make Onkyo look bad, or if it's legit.