Please note that the NAD high end power amp (M25) is 2.5 times more expensive than the Onkyo TX-SR805. Its power output into 4 ohms beat the 805 by less than 1 dB. I know it is not fair to compare a separate power amp to a low price receiver but it does show Seth made a valid point, in terms of $/W at least, in a compelling way.
Those tests were done at 1Khz signal only which is industry standard. I would like to see these test resuts run either full spectrum or at lower frequencies, sort what these guys did;
That Onkyo has a beast of an amp though from what I've read so far.
Yeah. I own both the 805 as well as a NAD mch amp. I am a bit of a regular contributor to the 805 owner's thread at AVS, and these are my impressions: Many users are
quite surprised at the power the 805 can muster. However, there are still a few who have sent their unit into protection mode. A couple of these folks simply are more careful with their volume settings, or what they can expect. Some others intend to add outboard amps.
Of those who responded to a query about the volumes obtained at said thread, I'm pretty sure I require the most power. I obtain volumes closer to reference than nearly all other 805 users, and I do so with significant distances from speakers in a big room. While my speakers do drop in impedance, they do have good sensitivity.
805 offers plenty for
most folks. Definitely not all though. While my NAD now has issue with one channel, I've never once put it in protection mode, and I don't even remember the last time I triggered its fans. Probably last year at some point. My anecdotal offering leads me to believe the NAD has more of it where it counts, and enough to make a real difference. As BS as that sounds.
