Help me upgrade my Onkyo 605

[fmw]

You are not a true audioholic until you have at least one external amp.

Enjoy the Pioneer, it is a fine machine.

Thanks. I used to have a pre/pro (Marantz) and 3 stereo amps (QSC USA 400) driving my system. The center channel was driven with one of the amps bridged. I replaced all of that with the Onkyo 605 just last year. I did it for the convenience and was glad I did except for choosing a receiver with a lousy processor. Ah well. I think that problem is now resolved.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Ok then...you qualify as an audioholic...

Thanks. I used to have a pre/pro (Marantz) and 3 stereo amps (QSC USA 400) driving my system. The center channel was driven with one of the amps bridged. I replaced all of that with the Onkyo 605 just last year. I did it for the convenience and was glad I did except for choosing a receiver with a lousy processor. Ah well. I think that problem is now resolved.

 

[fmw]

Good, I feel better now. I hope audioholicism isn't too painful.

I dug into the installation. Everything is working except for the sub. I'll get the Harmony programmed this evening and leave the rest of the setup for tomorrow. My wife is watching the news. She doesn't really need a sub this evening. I'll do some reading and get it working tomorrow.

Initial impression is Coooooooool. You can't imagine how hot the cheap receivers run until you work with something like this. It is as cool as a cucumber. It doesn't even begin to work up a sweat driving my system. It is almost scary.

Take care.

 

[Rico]

Is this the "ONE" ?

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=88026

If so, Jesus Christ, poor 605 against this heavy weight champ .....

Should be more like 805/905 vs. VSX-92
I'm looking something on the cheap side, 500 bucks or less if possible, but, if I find some 805 or so on crazy sale I'll get for sure.

Anyway, congratulations on you new toy and keep us posted

 

[fmw]

Yes, that's the one. It is a pretty large step up from the Onkyo. I didn't want to regret another receiver purchase. I've almost finished the setup. I got the sub working and just need to straighten out one input assignment that will need me to read the manual.

I tried out the SACD-HDMI bridge and listened pretty closely to some jazz through the Squeezebox. I also put on an HD-DVD to check out its performance with DTS. It seems to do everything very well and it runs cool as a cucumber - barely warm to the touch. So far so good. Very clean processor. Strong and capable amplifiers. It looks like it will get the job done pretty nicely for me. I'll put a review together after I've had a couple of weeks with it.

 

[fmw]

It didn't take long at all to get the unit tweaked and tested. It's all done. For those interested I wrote a brief review that you can find here http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?p=352905#post352905

 

[kitchen]

I have an onkyo 605 and have not heard any pop. I purchased my receiver in july 2007. Onkyo has a firmware upgrade for this issue. The receiver is excellent. I paid $400 for this unit.

 

[Addy]

right off the bat to now i continue saying that onkyo is CRAP

 

[MDS]

right off the bat to now i continue saying that onkyo is CRAP

Obviously you have no long term experience with Onkyo.

You know what causes pops? It's when the processor doesn't mute the sound when switching to a different decoder. Think about it - the processor is momentarily 'decoding' nonsense data.

Lots of brands and different models have had the problem over the years. It shouldn't happen but it occasionally does and they all get it fixed in no time.

 

[gus6464]

Obviously you have no long term experience with Onkyo.

You know what causes pops? It's when the processor doesn't mute the sound when switching to a different decoder. Think about it - the processor is momentarily 'decoding' nonsense data.

Lots of brands and different models have had the problem over the years. It shouldn't happen but it occasionally does and they all get it fixed in no time.

How will it get fixed in no time when Onkyo themselves are saying that this is normal operation so suck it up and deal with it.

 

[Zetram]

805 or 705

I hate to thread jack, but I've been battling w/ this choice for a while now. I pretty sure I want the 705 over 605, but then there is the 805 for a few hundred more. However I just can't bring myself to justify yet another step up. Keep in mind I'm more interested in video than audio.

First off I've heard the 705 runs the coolest of the three. Plus I really only want to get it for the extra hdmi. The only thing that really seems to attract me to the 805 is the fact that it has burr/brown DAC, but I'm not sure a audio-newb such as myself could tell the difference. I suppose I should just go and audition and see I can.

Basically I need someone to try and sell me on the 805.

 

[Gimpy Ric]

I've got a new 605 in the box...How do you upgrade the firmware? Should I send it back and buy a 661?

This unit is for a friend, and I don't want them getting something that pops and ticks when the processor farts.

 

[fmw]

I've got a new 605 in the box...How do you upgrade the firmware? Should I send it back and buy a 661?

This unit is for a friend, and I don't want them getting something that pops and ticks when the processor farts.

There is no firmware to fix this problem. Firmware is upgraded by replacing the chip. My approach was to sell it on ebay and replace it with a better receiver. If you can do that by simply returning it, I would recommend that.

 

[Gimpy Ric]

What would you replace it with? It just came UPS yesterday...

 

[gus6464]

If you check out AVS people are also having popping and processor problems with the 905, 805, 875, and even the Integra 9.8. Their whole entire line is just crap and no wonder Onkyo sells them a lot cheaper than the competition.

 

[Sesquipedalian]

Zetram says Keep in mind I'm more interested in video than audio.


In terms of video performance, we weren't too impressed. The most disappointing aspect of the TX-SR605's video performance is that it either lacks or has poor 2:3 pull-down processing.

we found film-based movies were filled with jaggies when the TX-SR605 was responsible for deinterlacing.

with artifacts that would be noticeable to even those who aren't picky about video quality.

We also noticed that the TX-SR605 was softening the resolution of images that it deinterlaced; In areas where there should have been detail, there was just a solid color.

While the video performance of the TX-SR605 was disappointing, in our experience subpar video processing by AV receivers is common. We've mentioned it in reviews of the Sony STR-DA5200ES, the Yamaha RX-V1700, and the Pioneer VSX-82TXS.

The irony is that the more receivers take advantage of the single-cable HDMI convenience, the more important proper video processing becomes. For example, you can bypass much of the processing in the TX-SR605 by running a separate cable for component video and changing the input on the TV when using analog sources. In our tests, this often produced better image quality (it depends on the ability of your HDTV), but you need to fumble with remotes when you change sources or program some macros into a universal remote. So while we were disappointed by the video performance, the criticisms should be weighed against the fact that receivers in general struggle with video processing and that it's possible, albeit inconvenient, to bypass it altogether.

For serious improvements, you'll need to go toward the top of Onkyo's line, where the receivers such as the TX-SR875 and the TX-NR905 offer superior HQV video processing, but those models cost $1,700 and $2,100, respectively.

This is a limitation of the Faroudja DCDi chip used in the Onkyo receivers. Incoming 1080i signals via component connection can only be transmitted via HDMI in 720p. Incoming 1080i signals via an HDMI connection will be transmitted in 1080i.

 

[MDS]

While the video performance of the TX-SR605 was disappointing, in our experience subpar video processing by AV receivers is common.

Which begs the question: 'Why is everyone so hung up on video processing in the receiver?' It is a fairly useless feature for a receiver considering that the TV itself will deinterlace/scale and there are other source devices that do as well.

As I see it, the problem is that people seem to think a $500 receiver should have the performance of $1K+ dedicated video processor when even the slightest reflection would tell you that it is just not possible. So you evaluate a receiver based on a useless feature and conclude the whole thing is junk. That is absurd, not to mention entirely unfair.

 

[Zetram]

Right. I was under the impression the processor only takes affect when you go from analog-in to hdmi-out. But if you switching hdmi to hdmi it should passthrough. Or did I get it wrong... yet again.

 

[captiankirk28]

My Onkyo 604 just fried 1 of my tweeters do to amp clipping on my SVS MCS center, so i upgraded so it hopefully will never happen sgsan.

 

[fmw]

Which begs the question: 'Why is everyone so hung up on video processing in the receiver?' It is a fairly useless feature for a receiver considering that the TV itself will deinterlace/scale and there are other source devices that do as well.

As I see it, the problem is that people seem to think a $500 receiver should have the performance of $1K+ dedicated video processor when even the slightest reflection would tell you that it is just not possible. So you evaluate a receiver based on a useless feature and conclude the whole thing is junk. That is absurd, not to mention entirely unfair.

It can matter a lot. My TV deinterlaces just fine but it doesn't scale very well. When I watch compressed SD satellite programming on my LCD TV with the TV doing the scaling, I get a splotchy rendering that reminds me of pain-by-number. When I have the Pioneer 92 receiver do the scaling I get SD video that is as good as it is on an SD TV set. For me it is as important as the audio processing. Strangely, I did't even know this would be true until I upgraded the receiver. I thought paint-by-number was the way it was.