Denon 3808, Onkyo nr906, or marantz 8002?

[DocHolliday]

Thanks in advance for any help on the subject. I am currently kid proofing the basement and have moved the wiring for my speakers into the wall before I mount them up off the ground and am also moving the av equipment into my new av closet. To streamline the cabling I only want one hdmi running from my receiver to the tv but have many different sources to supply it.

All that being said, I have looked at these 3 choices extensively and have found some reviews saying the marantz is the end all be all of sound quality and some (like this sight) that say it lacks a little in comparing to others in this price range.

I have always heard good things about Denon and am looking at a refurb from DAK. The Onkyo I am considering because I found a great deal and it supposedly can move my video scaling better (until I buy a better set that doesn't need it) though it may be too hot for my tastes.

My budget is between 900 and 1500 and any help would be greatly appreciated!

Yes you can recommend Yamaha's too. I liked my old one before I bought the Pioneer 1015TX I have now.

 

[strube]

Thanks in advance for any help on the subject. I am currently kid proofing the basement and have moved the wiring for my speakers into the wall before I mount them up off the ground and am also moving the av equipment into my new av closet. To streamline the cabling I only want one hdmi running from my receiver to the tv but have many different sources to supply it.

All that being said, I have looked at these 3 choices extensively and have found some reviews saying the marantz is the end all be all of sound quality and some (like this sight) that say it lacks a little in comparing to others in this price range.

I have always heard good things about Denon and am looking at a refurb from DAK. The Onkyo I am considering because I found a great deal and it supposedly can move my video scaling better (until I buy a better set that doesn't need it) though it may be too hot for my tastes.

My budget is between 900 and 1500 and any help would be greatly appreciated!

Yes you can recommend Yamaha's too. I liked my old one before I bought the Pioneer 1015TX I have now.

I just bought a 3808 for $1274 new. As far as features, the Onkyo has it beat in the video and amp department, but it runs really hot. The Denon has a nicer graphical user interface, AFAIK, and is easier to network with your computers if so desired. I also prefer Denon because I have had and installed tons of them and have never had a single problem.

The Denon has decent video processing, but the Frajouda technology they use is old, and the Onkyo uses Reon processing, which is supposedly great. I don't care about processing because the Anchor Bay chip in my HD DVD player does a great job of upscaling regular DVDs, and so the only source I will probably ever watch that isn't 1080p is 1080i from the TV, but I don't worry about TV too much, and I really don't like to mess with the Xbox signal because it messes up the timing/sync of audio, video, and controller response too much for my liking.

Anyway, I went with the Denon because
A) It runs cooler and I plan to get a separate amp not too far down the road
B) I don't really want or in some cases like video scaling past what my HD DVD player can already do
C) I have had (and heard) nothing but good experiences from Denon, especially their 380* line (I started with a 3803 )


I hope this info helps.

EDIT: Check to see if the deal I used still works if you are interested, it works for most AVRs they have: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52129

 

[DocHolliday]

Thanks for your quick reply. Which one do you think would sound the best then? I know that the Onkyo has only the 2 front channels driven. Does anyone know about the others?

 

[jostenmeat]

The 906. However, if any of the extra goodies are wasted on you, then of course you could try something like Denon, if only for their more celebrated reputation.

The 906 is in a different class of receiver. You'd have to step up to at least 4308 or something, maybe even 5308 to compare. Denon doesn't offer anything past Faroudja, AFAIK, until the 5xxx series. If Faroudja actually does considerable good for you, Id honestly look at upgrading the display first.

dual hdmi outs, reon hqv, isf controls, (vertical stretch for anamorphic?? not sure there).... who knows what else.

Im using an 805 at half the price of the 3808, and THESE are more direct competitors. The 906 is TWO steps above.

Marantz is also well celebrated, but unfortunately FOR ME, the best version of Audyssey they offer is the vanilla multEQ. Not the XT version inherent to 3xxx or 9xx.

 

[DocHolliday]

The 906. However, if any of the extra goodies are wasted on you, then of course you could try something like Denon, if only for their more celebrated reputation.

The 906 is in a different class of receiver. You'd have to step up to at least 4308 or something, maybe even 5308 to compare. Denon doesn't offer anything past Faroudja, AFAIK, until the 5xxx series. If Faroudja actually does considerable good for you, Id honestly look at upgrading the display first.

dual hdmi outs, reon hqv, isf controls, (vertical stretch for anamorphic?? not sure there).... who knows what else.

Im using an 805 at half the price of the 3808, and THESE are more direct competitors. The 906 is TWO steps above.

Marantz is also well celebrated, but unfortunately FOR ME, the best version of Audyssey they offer is the vanilla multEQ. Not the XT version inherent to 3xxx or 9xx.

What about the onkyo 875? If i have to upgrade some of my setup (like an open rack for cooling) i may be budgeting closer to the 875 range.

 

[jostenmeat]

What about the onkyo 875?

It all depends on the features you want from a receiver. When I got an 805 for pre/pro, I could've got a dedicated pre, like an Integra, but I really didn't need the extra features. (Though it would now be cool to have Audyssey Pro capability). What did I do with that $1,000? I threw it directly at acoustical treatments.

If i have to upgrade some of my setup (like an open rack for cooling) i may be budgeting closer to the 875 range.

On a budget, I really like Studio Tech modular racks for $199 shipped. Modular = futureproof.

Do you need video processing in the receiver? Definitely 876 over 875, btw. With money saved from not going to the 876 level, you could save a few hundred more, and get an outboard video processor like the DVDO Edge for example.

 

[DocHolliday]

All my sources do scale to my older Sony HDTV's (1080i) resolution so even if they did a decent pass through to a single hdmi signal from component/hmdi/coax, it would be ok. This is particularly so because I will invest in a significant upgrade to my display in the nearish future.

All being said, I wanted something that did that or more with the video well, and equally important, would have a markedly improved sound quality to my Pioneer 1015TX.

 

[jostenmeat]

All my sources do scale to my older Sony HDTV's (1080i) resolution so even if they did a decent pass through to a single hdmi signal from component/hmdi/coax, it would be ok. This is particularly so because I will invest in a significant upgrade to my display in the nearish future.

All being said, I wanted something that did that or more with the video well, and equally important, would have a markedly improved sound quality to my Pioneer 1015TX.

I see. Well, if it is within your means, yeah, I'd say 876/906. The 876's VP can't be touched really with anything anywhere near its price point.

That said, a couple of things to consider. 1) the outboard video processor. 2) just running component/coax directly to display. If you do indeed get a nice display, money thrown at video processing becomes less and less worth it. In fact, a lot of the times, the display does a better job. Maybe not in the case with the best Onkyo's, but still . . . but . . . if you get something like a Kuro, I'd just save the money.

 

[bandphan]

and equally important, would have a markedly improved sound quality to my Pioneer 1015TX.

Improved sound quality would only come from the eq side and not by brand. Modern avrs are neutral and dont color sound, if you want improved sound quality new speakers and room treatments would do it.

 

[DocHolliday]

Maybe I am using the wrong term here. By sound quality I do not mean voice, although some pro reviewers say that the Marantz is more natural sounding on demanding tracks that can be schrill on other receivers. I mean, low noise/distortion and natural sounding power. The 1015tx I have sounded significantly less powerful than my previous Yamaha even though it had more watts per channel. It also sounded a lot brigther for lack of a better term as I have also not enjoyed very good bass management with my pioneer (I seem to get very little output from the sub no matter the settings) and would like to get some of that "fuller more natural" sound I seemed to have before.

 

[Adam]

I've been very happy with my 1015, but I also experienced some "distortion" at louder volumes. So, I might know what you're talking about. What speakers are you using? I added an amp, and that made a really nice difference. My Pioneer is actually less bright than my older Yamaha because the 1015 has auto eq whereas the Yamaha didn't.

My ulterior motive for posting is to say: I'm your Huckleberry.

 

[PENG]

They all have similar audio specs and are within more or less the same price range. As such, I would expect them to sound much different, and how good each of them will sound to you will depend mostly on the source/player and speakers. The 3808 is expected to be reliable and long lasting. The 906 offers the best value for the money.

 

[strube]

My ulterior motive for posting is to say: I'm your Huckleberry.

I wish that movie would come out on Blu-Ray...

 

[Lordoftherings]

Up & Higher

The 906 is ahead of the 3808 and 8002.

THX Ultra2, Audyssey MultiEQ XT, REON video processor with ISF + separate video calibration with multiple adjustments for each individual HDMI input sources, huge power supply, better parts (Dacs "PCM-1796", toroidal transformer, 3 separate transformers for audio and video, excellent pre/amp section, etc...).

The 906 cannot be touch by the two other AVRs that you mentioned.
If you want to go a notch higher, you'll have to go with the Denon AVR-5308ci or their separates for $15,000 list price! As for the Marantz, you'll also have to go with their separates 8003 series for $5,000 list!

Hope that helps,

_________ Bob

 

[PENG]

The consensus seems to be that the 906 is way ahead of the other two. This may be one of those cases where you get more than what you pay for. The street prices of the Onkyo are typically much less than those for the comparable Denon and Marantz models. (Example: 906 vs 4308 and the 906 still beats the 4308 in video and power). I opted for the 4308 instead of the 905 at the time, mainly for peace of mind, its wifi, and that I knew in terms of sound quality I wouldn't be able to tell the difference and I didn't need any video upscaling. If you can take advantage of the Reon and the extra power outputs, then it is a no brainer, but just keep it well ventilated in case the running hot hearsay thing is factual.

 

[DocHolliday]

I've been very happy with my 1015, but I also experienced some "distortion" at louder volumes. So, I might know what you're talking about. What speakers are you using? I added an amp, and that made a really nice difference. My Pioneer is actually less bright than my older Yamaha because the 1015 has auto eq whereas the Yamaha didn't.

My ulterior motive for posting is to say: I'm your Huckleberry.

Lol...what a great movie.

Thanks for your help guys. The 906 is about 200 more than the Denon but the 876 is the same price.

Last question then...between those two if you had to...which one would you pick?

ps my speakers are...you might hate me...JBL Studio towers (10 inch) and bookshelves for the surrounds. I would upgrade all at once but seeing as this is initially a kid proofing situation, I can upgrade those later to whatever you would recommend.

Thanks again.

 

[MatthewB.]

I have the Onkyo 805, the Denon 3808 and the 4802. Last year I bought the Onkyo 805 and the 3808 and if I had to do it over again, I would get the Denon instead of the Onkyo every day of the week and twice on Sundays. My Onkyo just tsopped working two months ago for no reason, and it cose me 75.00 to ship it toa repair facility,m finally got it back, but I use my Denon on average 5 hours a night and I use my Onkyo about 2-4 hours per week (yes per week) and it stopped working after about 250 hours of use.

The onkyo also had many other issues such as lip synch (the Onkyo only goes from -200 to zero, while the 3808 goes from -200 to zero to +200 (which I have had to use the positive on certain satallite channels. It would also click on my speakers as it was transferreing audio codecs from say dolby digital to two channel stereo for commercials, very annoying.

Now the sound quality on the Onkyo is just a hair better than the Denon, but just a hair. It runs painfully hot and I had to buy a special fan to pull hot air out and push cool air in (very poor design IMO) Don't get me wrong when the 805 is working it's very good. The 875 (and 876) are bulit off the same platform as the 805/806.

Having the issues of the 805 I am now eary of when it will blow again (bet it happens two days after my two yuear warranty expries. Mt Denon 4802 gets used every day in my office and I have had not one issue very similar to my 3808, just more reliable and runs very cool. The Denon also havee far better GUI on screen features.

 

[PENG]

I would still take the Denon and save $200. That is because I do not need video upscaling and the extra power, otherwise I would go for the Onkyo.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Go ahead. Go ahead, skin it. Skin that smoke wagon....

I've been very happy with my 1015, but I also experienced some "distortion" at louder volumes. So, I might know what you're talking about. What speakers are you using? I added an amp, and that made a really nice difference. My Pioneer is actually less bright than my older Yamaha because the 1015 has auto eq whereas the Yamaha didn't.

My ulterior motive for posting is to say: I'm your Huckleberry.

 

[DocHolliday]

Thanks for your help. I decided to go with the Denon as I really think that heat could get to be an issue in my AV closet. The 906 was only a couple hundred more but I also got a little gun shy about non-certified dealers after an experience a couple years ago.

Hopefully you'll be hearing from me about some speakers in the near future!