Difficult to choose: Denon or Onkyo

[mcavl]

Hello,

I am not sure what receiver to buy for my HT setup. I am pretty new to this and just need a decent receiver to get my stuff up to date. All i have now is a new tv and that's it, no speakers, no receiver no nothing.

Planning on buying either the Denon AVR-591 or the Onkyo SR608. Which one should i get or is there maybe another option? The Onkyo is at the max of the money i can spend on a receiver.

Also planning on getting a Klipsch speaker setup.
I am no audiophile so i don't care much about the best stereo output, i just need a good future proof receiver with speakers.

Perhaps i am not giving out enough info so feel free to ask. For now all help and advise is welcome.

Thnx

 

[sholling]

I suggest doing a feature comparison between the two receivers and make sure that you pick the one that does everything that you need. Both are good companies and it just boils down to features. But before laying down the plastic I'd pick out speakers.

As far speakers go things get a lot more complicated. Klipsch are a love'em or not speaker company. Not really my taste because they can be a bit fatiguing but some people won't own anything else. Only you know the quirks in your hearing and tastes. And frankly without a budget and room size it's pretty hard to help to much. Just keep in mind that the subwoofer has to be matched to the size of the space and not just chosen at random. Just to toss out some ideas - for a non-audiophile in search of good sound in a medium sized room I'd consider a package deal from SVSound, or in a larger room perhaps a package deal from Hsu Research might be something to consider. Just food for thought. You may love one or neither may be to your taste. I'd also spend some time reading the Pro Reviews on the main Audioholics site. They are some of the few professional reviews that I trust.

 

[GlocksRock]

I'd take a denon over an onkyo any day.

 

[ufokillerz]

I have 4 onkyo products, a tx-sr605, tx-nr807, tx-nr3007, pr-sc5507

Onkyo offers great bang for the buck usually.

With onkyo, the QC is hit or miss at times, i have not had any issues yet, but there are a lot of people with issues. Keep that in mind, onkyo is not known for great qc.

another thing to consider is that onkyos usually produce a good deal of heat and should not be in tight spaces.

 

[mcavl]

Thnx for the answers.
My room is about 5 meters wide (16ft) and i am about 4 meters (13ft) away from my 46" screen.

I guess the best thing to do is first listen to a speaker setup. I listend to Paradigm speakers a while ago and those i really loved but were above my budget. My budget for speakers is about 1.000 Euro (1.200 dollars).

Budget for a receiver is about half of that of the speakers.
I would like to go for a 5.1 setup.

When i do a feature comparison Onkyo wins... but my gut feeling sais denon. I like the quality and sound of a denon but the feature set of the Onkyo matches more with what i am looking for.

The plan is to hook up a HTPC to the receiver as well... but that's a whole different subject.. just mentioning it to be complete about my setup.

Hope this helps.. and i'll go read some of the expert reviews. thnx for that tip.
If you have any other insights to share with me pls feel free

 

[rnatalli]

I'd go with the Denon myself. You get MultEQ instead of 2EQ and Denon is known to be more reliable than Onkyo in general.

 

[sholling]

I like the quality and sound of a denon

They sound exactly the same.

 

[rnatalli]

They sound exactly the same.

Agreed assuming levels are matched and no processing is engaged.

 

[dapack69]

I don't think you can go wrong with either one. I've never owned Denon so I can't say anything about them. ]

Onkyo to me has been flawless.

 

[pongaselo]

Denon

I would try to find an AVR 1610or 1910 on special as there is a model change. Denon is much more reliable in my experience, and i do this for a living. Audyssey is awesome for setup and i would look at PSB for speakers. For a really nice sound and they have a reputation for quality at rediculously low prices. try to avoid packages as corners are always cut or prices will reflect that your are paying for an uncomprised speaker setup. Don't blow off the speaker choice because thats where personal taste comes in and will ultimately affect your enjoyment longer than that amp choice by far.

 

[dapack69]

Speakers by far make or break the system.

 

[Patrukas777]

You can get the Denon 2310ci for the same price as that onkyo

 

[dapack69]

You can get the Denon 2310ci for the same price as that onkyo

Which Onkyo your referring to?

 

[njedpx3]

+ 1

I'd take a denon over an onkyo any day.

I agree with GlocksRock. I would also look strongly at Marantz.


Good Luck!

Forest Man

 

[njedpx3]

Speakers by far make or break the system.

Absolutely agree! Speakers are the key. The only time a AVR really comes into play is when it is severely underpowered and you don't have the proper headroom for your desired loudness and you begin to clip.


Peace and Good Sound!

Forest Man

 

[dapack69]

Two people have now stated they would take an Onkyo over Denon any day of the week.

Could you please post reasons as to why?

 

[GlocksRock]

The Denon puts out its rated power, runs cooler, and looks better (to me at least).

 

[dapack69]

Please don't take this personal, but why don't you own anything by Denon yet recommend them?

 

[GlocksRock]

I do own a Denon AVR-1910, it's in a third system of mine, I don't have room in my sig to list all that gear too. I also own an 22 year old Onkyo amp that works great, but I wouldn't want one of their newer receivers. If I were to replace my yamaha receivers and I didn't go with a pre/pro, I would likely get Denon this time instead of Yamaha or anything else.

 

[dapack69]

Why would you not take an Onkyo though.

Great subs by the way. Would love to see pics of your setup.