Onkyo TX-8050 vs NR609

[NonEntity]

Hello, like many other first time posters here I am an audio newbie. I *have* lurked these boards (and others) for a couple of months now, and I have managed to find answers to many of my questions. My goal is to set up a music only system. Due to budget, I can afford to start with a receiver and two floor standing speakers, which will be placed in a fairly large living/dining room. As my budget allows, I would like to later add two bookshelf speakers in the adjacent kitchen to listen to the same music source. I may or may not add a subwoofer later as well, depending on how satisfied I am with the tower speakers. I will also later add a CD player, but the receiver will primarily be used with MP3 files and internet radio; I have a home server on the network I will use as a DLNA server. If it matters, I am currently looking at either the Polk Monitor 70 or Pioneer FS51 speakers as the first set, though the Sony SS-F7000 are not completely out of the running. My budget is a max $600 and I plan to spend half that on the receiver.

I have narrowed my receiver choice down to Onkyo based on the internet radio options, generally good rep on the forums, and affordable wireless accessory. I am confused if the stereo TX-8050 receiver or an A/V receiver such as the NR609 or RC360 would serve my purposes better. Advice offered in other threads seems contradictory.

The TX-8050 offers bass/treble knobs on the front, which would seem to be important but I could be completely wrong. It offers attachment points on the back for a second set of speakers but I don't know if these will steal power from the first set or if they have their own amplifier. Some posts have claimed the amps in a dedicated stereo receiver are better than AVRs, and considering the prices are similar but the AVR has many more components, it seems logical the stereo receiver must offer something superior to justify its price.

The NR609/RC360 (same except for THX?) offer more watts per channel and I am pretty sure there are separate amplifiers available for the second set of speakers. Some threads have said the AVR will offer bass management and the TX-8050 will not (does this mean the AVR will allow me to set what frequencies go to the sub vs the towers?). Is this important for music only listening? There is no television in any of these rooms, am I giving up anything (such as ease of use?) if I choose the AVR?

As I write, both options are available for the same price. I am coming from a twelve year old Sony all-in-one shelf stereo system, so almost anything will sound better. If it matters, my music ranges from metal to classic rock to classical. Any advice on which option would best serve my immediate needs and work best as the system grows would be appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[Audiocd]

That's tough one

I recently had your delema. I wnted a receiver to replace my Denon AVR that died and I was drawn in by the internet radio options of the new Onkyos. I debated between these two receivers for a while and ended up with the 609 in the living room for 2 channel listening. I"m not that much into HT but was afraid I might change my mind later.

A couple weeks after buying the 609, I scored some nice speakers and peiced together a home theater system and moved the 609 into the tv room.

I bought the 8050 for two channel in the living room so now I have both.

Forget about the power rating difference as the AVRs are always inflated little in their output numbers. I honestly can't tell a difference in either as far as power goes.

The audessy feature is nice onthe 609 as well as the internal crossover for a sub. If you will likely be running a sub the 609 is better.

The 609 runs way hotter than the 8050 which makes me more confident in the longevity of the 8050.

The 8050 has A/B speakers plus a zone 2 and the 609 just has zone 2. I have yet to use zone 2 on either and I'm fuzzy on the details. I beleive on the 609 zone 2 has speaker connects essentially making it like speakers B. On the 8050 there are only A and B speaker connects and zone must be run to another amp.

Thats a tough call. The 8050 is simpler to set up and operate but the 609 has better EQ features.

Neither have a loudness control but both have music optimizer which to me is like a mild loudness boost.

If you are on a tight budget I might go for the 8050 on accessoriesfor less.com for 229.99 and that will allow more for speakers.

I really like them both and both sound great but I'd give the 609 a slight nod for the subwoofer internal crossover and the room EQ.

Hope I didn't confuse you even more.

 

[NonEntity]

Thank you for the quick reply and it does help me. If I may ask one more question, is the ability to control bass and treble on the 8050 useful to you or is it a set it and forget it kind of thing? I assume the 609 has similar functionality buried in a menu (though maybe I am wrong), if these settings tend to be tweaked with different music/sources, I would see the knobs being a big advantage. If not, I think I will go with the 609.

Thank you again.

 

[Audiocd]

The 609 has bass and treble controls that are actually very easy to use from the remote plus you can turn the EQ that audessy creates on/off. Overall the 609 has more sound mangement and tweaking tools.

I leave mine on because it sounds better but I mess with the bass and treble all the time and its convenient enough to use.

If I could only have one receiver for everything it would have to be the 609.

I believe accessoriesforless.com has it for $300.

 

[NonEntity]

Thank you for giving me your feedback. I did not expect to find someone who owned both receivers I was looking at and your advice was very helpful. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the RC360 from P.C. Richards for $300. I figured THX would not be a factor for a pure audio solution. I also threw the dice on Polk Monitor 70 speakers on the current NewEgg sale and that should cover the core of my system (and my entire budget). I did order some 16 gauge speaker wire as well; aside from that, is there anything I need to set this up Christmas morning? Thank you again for the answers and assistance.

 

[bikdav]

One thing that I noticed is that the TX8050 has more audio only inputs and outputs than the NR609. If you have recording devices, you may want to take that into consideration. I don't understand why the full blown AV receivers are being stripped of audio in/out loops and phono inputs.

 

[Audiocd]

Nice choice on the receiver. I don't use the THX on mine nor do I care. I initially purchased my 609 for 2 channel also. The nice thing is if you ever decide you need it for HT you can do so.

The USB port of will keep your ipod charged as you play it and you can control the ipod through the remote and the text displays on the receiver. No need for a dock.

You may want to get the little usb wireless adapter if you are wanting to wirelessly stream internet. It is pretty sensitive though and you will probably need to have your modem in the same room as your receiver.

Otherwise you may want an ethernet cable (straight from the wireless router) or hdmi to run your pc to your receiver. I'm not exactly sure which because I have only done the wireless usb method and all of this is new to me.

Nice score on the Polks. I can't beleive they are being sold so cheap.


Good luck and hope you enjoy your new gear.

 

[NonEntity]

Thank you again

I wanted to post a follow-up and an additional thank you, both to Audiocd for answering my specific question and all the other gurus sharing knowledge on this forum. I noticed when doing my research a lot of threads end when the buying decision is made, without the OP ever reporting on the purchase.

I unwrapped and set up the RC360 this morning. I had found the Onkyo wireless dongle uses the same Atheros chipset as some other options and selected a TP Link TL-WN722N for that purpose, it was both cheaper and offered higher gain, it works perfectly and connects to my router through a couple of walls and a floor/ceiling. The Monitor 70 speakers almost survived the trip from Newegg unscathed but one speaker has one broken foot. Hopefully Newegg can make that right without me shipping the speaker back.

Setup took much longer than it would for someone who knew what they were doing and the wireless setup was not very intuitive (hint for anyone going through the same thing, the ENTER button is on the receiver, the one on the remote did not work during the setup) but it is all together now and I am trying out different speaker placements.

I am quite happy with the improvement in sound quality over what we had. Even better, my wife, who also loves music but felt there was nothing wrong with the little Sony micro system, was equally impressed. We both do see why the Polk speakers were described as "bright" and the treble is somewhat accented, but I don't find them objectionable. They could use some stronger bass, though. The extra detail they have over our old stuff is perceptible; I just learned a song I have listened to hundreds of times opens with the sound of ocean surf behind the instruments; I have never heard it before. Even played as loud as I would care to listen to them, the speakers sound great.

I think the subwoofer will be added sooner rather than later (my wife even mentioned the idea and pointed out her birthday is in February) and I will definitely need to add speakers to the kitchen but all in all, I am an excited newbie audiophile. Thank you again and Merry Christmas!

 

[Audiocd]

Glad you like the Onkyo 360. Did you use the audessy eq? Its good to try even for 2 channel music. I definately noticed an improvement when I used it.

Nice to hear back from you.

Happy holidays!

 

[NonEntity]

I did use Audessy, and felt it improved the sound as well. I also played with different positions for the speakers and some of the other settings. I don't remember exactly what all I tweaked (I think I bumped bass +2 and set sound for direct) but I am very happy with how it sounds. The speakers are now on the half of the room that is carpeted, flanking on of the couches, and with the settings changes sound much less "bright." In fact, I wonder if I pulled the trigger on a subwoofer too early.

I am trying the different internet streaming services now. Thus far, I have found Last.fm the best for discovering new music but the worst for the interface on the receiver. If only there was some way to save custom stations with last.fm that I could choose from the Onkyo menu, rather than tediously typing in what genre or example band I want to listen to, I would be ecstatic. From a usability standpoint, Slacker seems like a contender as I can set things up on the computer and access my custom channels from the receiver. I would be interested in your thoughts as well.

Thanks again!

 

[Audiocd]

As far as computer related media goes I'm useless. I had Pandora going for a few weeks untill I shuffled the receivers around and haven't been streaming anything for a few weeks now.

Sorry.