Is ONKYO producing JUNK these days?

LAB3

LAB3

Senior Audioholic
My only Onkyo product was TX-SR805 HD AVR. Back in 2008 it was hyped The AVR in the $1,500.00 price range. I loved the HD audio and all the functions and the sound was great......when it worked. Two different times parts have failed. Onkyo's Customer Service is a joke to try to explain on the phone to some kid that has no clue what the product was. It and all my AVR have never been stacked on and have 6" open air vent space above the unit,but it always ran much hotter then any of my other amps or AVR that I have ever had. I opened up the rear of my cabinet that the AVR sets alone on and installed a 6" fan blowing on it the first time it fried a part. One month after the warranty ran out. I paid to have it repaired(front display) then it started to pour out black smoke and made a "Crack" sound :eek:and a flash of light at the right rear of the unit 4 months later. I am sure there are a lot of Onkyo products that play for years..... the 805 is not one of them. I know that all the brands have some problems but Onkyo Customer Service is about as bad as Samsung is. My 2003 Yamaha RX-V2400 7.1 AVR still plays great just no HD or HDMI, the reason I got the 805. I now have a Yamaha RX-V1900 HD 7.1 AVR with best Buys extended warranty:D if it smokes the room out I will get a store credit and pick something else.;)
 
B

bikdav

Senior Audioholic
Good question. I'm on my second one and it has developed switching problems. Not all the channels come on when I need them to. I have to switch between surround and stereo vigorously a few times to get them to click on. Now, I think this problem is creeping into the subwoofer channel. It will probably be the last one that I own.
 
3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
My only Onkyo product was TX-SR805 HD AVR. Back in 2008 it was hyped The AVR in the $1,500.00 price range. I loved the HD audio and all the functions and the sound was great......when it worked. Two different times parts have failed. Onkyo's Customer Service is a joke to try to explain on the phone to some kid that has no clue what the product was. It and all my AVR have never been stacked on and have 6" open air vent space above the unit,but it always ran much hotter then any of my other amps or AVR that I have ever had. I opened up the rear of my cabinet that the AVR sets alone on and installed a 6" fan blowing on it the first time it fried a part. One month after the warranty ran out. I paid to have it repaired(front display) then it started to pour out black smoke and made a "Crack" sound :eek:and a flash of light at the right rear of the unit 4 months later. I am sure there are a lot of Onkyo products that play for years..... the 805 is not one of them. I know that all the brands have some problems but Onkyo Customer Service is about as bad as Samsung is. My 2003 Yamaha RX-V2400 7.1 AVR still plays great just no HD or HDMI, the reason I got the 805. I now have a Yamaha RX-V1900 HD 7.1 AVR with best Buys extended warranty:D if it smokes the room out I will get a store credit and pick something else.;)
Yamahas are IHO the envy of the industry in terms of reliability. They also have one the best customer support reputations at least here in NA.
 
surveyor

surveyor

Audioholic Chief
Yamahas are IHO the envy of the industry in terms of reliability. They also have one the best customer support reputations at least here in NA.
Yamaha is number uno as far as I'm concerned!
 
B

bikdav

Senior Audioholic
It is interesting the two of mentioned this. I just may look at Yamaha this time around.
 
LAB3

LAB3

Senior Audioholic
It is interesting the two of mentioned this. I just may look at Yamaha this time around.
There are some Great deals on the auction site new "A" stock RX-V1900 and 3900
if you need to go online. Last years models at 1/2 the retail price.
 
1

1hagop

Audioholic Intern
I have a 5007 and two 607's. The two 607's I do not run hard, they sit on the top of entertainment centers and never had a problem. The 5007 is in my main room and my cable box sits on top of it. But wait, I purchased a laptop cooler, plugged the usb into the cable box and located it in between the bottom of the cable box and the top of the 5007. It pulls out some major heat and I run the 5007 VERY HARD. I have never had any issues with any of them and have owned them for two years. I will upgrade to the 5009 if they go 11 channels. I like Onkyo and I like the Denon 4311, but I am comfortable with and have had excellent luck with my Onkyo's. I know a lot if AVR snobs and if it is not Denon, Marantz, or Yamaha then is it junk. To each his own, I do not like Sony, only because of personal bad luck! Did I also mention that all three were purchased at accessories4less and refurbs!
 
S

sharkman

Full Audioholic
The problem with Yamaha is that they do not have Audyssey. Other than that, they make a decent AVR, about as good as all the rest.

I've Owned an Onkyo 504 AVR for about 4 years and an Onkyo 876 for 2 1/2. I haven't had a single issue with either one and I moved from Denon to Onkyo because I got tired of paying more for less. Also, I found that I didn't like the Denon 'warm' sound characteristics.

These days, though, and for 1200+ I would step up to separates. Outlaw audio has a combo deal for 1300 that has me drooling!
 
LAB3

LAB3

Senior Audioholic
The problem with Yamaha is that they do not have Audyssey. Other than that, they make a decent AVR, about as good as all the rest.

I've Owned an Onkyo 504 AVR for about 4 years and an Onkyo 876 for 2 1/2. I haven't had a single issue with either one and I moved from Denon to Onkyo because I got tired of paying more for less. Also, I found that I didn't like the Denon 'warm' sound characteristics.

These days, though, and for 1200+ I would step up to separates. Outlaw audio has a combo deal for 1300 that has me drooling!
I was worried about the Yamaha YPAO too but it works as good as the Audessey I had on my Onkyo HD AVR TX-SR 805 I have used for 3 years before it fried someting one time too many. I wished I had waited on another HD AVR after looking at the Outlaw seperates. But so far the Yamaha 1900 has been a plug and play like my old 2003 Yamaha 2400 was and still is. 3 years of use by me is like 9 on a person with a Real job lol Retired and shaking the house when the wife goes to work. :)
 
S

sharkman

Full Audioholic
Yamaha's approach to room correction is not for everyone. Neither is ARC, or Audyssey, or Pioneer's version. To each their own, I suppose. But I love my Onkyo 876 and would never go back. I read about how some of the Onkyos run hot and those that stuff their receiver into a tight spot can get into trouble, so I bought a cheap computer fan that lays on the top rear where the receiver gets warmest. I've never had any issues, and the display temp never reads above 38c.

With Audyssey, my theater system actually sounds better in some ways than my $7500 2 channel system!
 
B

bikdav

Senior Audioholic
Im glad that you spoke up your good experiences with Onkyo. I had no plans on completely turning away from them, but I do want to leave options open.
 
3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
Thats understandable and a wise thing to do. If you choose Onkyo make sure you have plenty of ventilation in and around teh receiver. When it comes down to Auddesy verses YPAO, I would do a DBT test to see if you can detect the differences between the two implementations. If you can't tell, then your still stuck with 2 choices, Yamaha or Onkyo. :p
 
O

ohm786

Audiophyte
I have always purchased Onkyo for my HT needs, although I usually stick with the Onkyo Integra line of products. The new Pioneer Elite receivers are a bit tempting though ...
 
cpp

cpp

Audioholic Ninja
Quote:
Originally Posted by 3db View Post
Yamahas are IHO the envy of the industry in terms of reliability. They also have one the best customer support reputations at least here in NA.
Yamaha is number uno as far as I'm concerned!
I have had a Yamaha (Rx-V657) in my office since the day it came out and I have never had an issue with it of any kind.
 
Z

ZoFo

Audioholic
Just purchased the DHC-80.2

I pick it up tomorrow. I have had only one other Onkyo/Integra product and that's an over 16 year old Onkyo receiver that is still going strong to this day at a friends house. In fact one side of the front end has a huge dent in it where a peice of "rock art" fell on it, a couple of the push buttons are hard to work now but it still work perfectly. I forget the model number but it was not a high end model, speaker connectors are spring-clips and it has the very first version of Dolby ProLogic and that's it.
 
B

bikdav

Senior Audioholic
Good Point

What, we can't abuse you here?? you just took all the fun out of it (kidding).

Sounds to me like you got stuck with a lemon, unless it failed after 2 years or so- It happens, especially with low-to-mid-end electronics. Overall Onkyo is a very good brand and as you said, a heck of a bang for the buck in the sound quality department. Keep in mind, these larger companies all have their good models and their 'disposable' models. I think you'll be hard pressed to find complaints on their upper end Onkyo line or their flagship Integra line. I have owned 3 Thetas, 2 Anthems, 2 Arcams, 2 Pioneers (1 Elite), 1 Sherwood (first pre-pro ever), 1 Onkyo, 1 Meridian, and as of now, my 3rd Integra. Overall, the Integra never disappoints and usually they are on backorder. The Theta, which by the way cost $13k fully loaded and is hand built, gave me fits to no end quite regularly- Plus I couldn't even get it upgraded to HDMI since they kept dropping the ball on getting the add-in board produced. However it was quite an emotional experience when it was working, amazing sound like no other. I've stuck with the Integra as it sounds almost as good as the Theta, it is rock solid, and at such a ridiculous low price hard to pass up and not be very happy with it. I've had issues with all of the above brands at one time or another, and read about similar issues with the above brands at one time or another. I have had zero issues with any of the Integra processors beginning with the 9.8, 80.1 and latest 80.2. Great care is put into the manufacture of their high end line.

In the bedroom, I have an Onkyo 508 receiver which cost me $250 from Amazon. I have read numerous stories about the 50x and the 60x line having issues. But, this line of receivers are really considered 'inexpensive' entry-level products and if I get a year or two out of it then that's all I expect. They are not built for the long haul and you should not expect them to be.

My humble opinion, invest your next purchase in a top of the line Onkyo or preferably the Integra 80.2. You can pick one of them up for about $1800 pre-owned and $2300 new. Is it a lot of money? Well, not for what you get considering they sound as good or better, and have more features than, pre/pro's costing 3x as much. Plus, you won't be buying a new receiver every two years unless you want to. And if you call Integra for help you'll get to talk to a USA sr. tech.

Point being, no matter what brand, you'll get exactly what you pay for when it comes to receivers, amps, DVD/BD players and speakers and your expectations should be set accordingly. Of course, getting a turkey right out of the box or a few weeks after is a different story, and the return policy or mfr warranty should take care of that. Again, I'll stress that spending more on a higher line of product will pay for itself in the long run by avoiding much of these typical consumer-level issues. I've found this to ring true with every manufacturer that makes both high-end lines and consumer lines of products.

Hope this helps and my post is not meant to be harsh in any way- Just sharing my 10+ years of experiences with buying AV gear.
I had to rethink my initial response to this, because their upper line models are better in quite a few areas. I have a 503 and finally figured out what my problem was and fixed it. Things more than likely would have been easier with one of the top end models.
 
LAB3

LAB3

Senior Audioholic
Not in the market for a Onyko receiver but I would consider something like this? http://www.onkyo.ca/model.cfm?m=A-9555&class=Amplifier&p=s

Any advice or input would be appreicated...:)
Killer amps............ I would love to own it for music, I have a 5.2 HT.........now some of their HD AVR have cheep HDMI componets. Pass on them if used 14 hours a day HD Tv etc hard on HDMI parts after 3 years I wear them out... Maybe their Pre/Pro and Interga are better. Never owned them. I have Klipsch heritage Speakers.don't so much power :) + small den = Great HT sound room :D just got lucky with the old and new combo of gear I have collected thru the years from upgrades and new designs come along in AVR's........... Love my HD audio on Blurays.
 
newsletter

  • RBHsound.com
  • BlueJeansCable.com
  • SVS Sound Subwoofers
  • Experience the Martin Logan Montis
Top