Onkyo TX-SR605 vs TX-SR805

[gnn]

Hey,

I had the 605 in mind as my next receiver, but after comparing how it sounded against the 805, the 605 was very disappointing.

I went to a Fry's and was listening to Polk RTi 10's (the purpose for the visit was to see these speakers) with a Marantz receiver.
I happened to ask the salesman to swap to the 605, and there was a huge difference in the sound. Then asked to swap to the 805, much better.
I could not believe the difference between them. I thought the 605 was set differently from the 805, but the salesman said both had identical settings, and added that there is a BIG difference between these two Onkyos, something not so evident with Marantz's upper and lower lines ("Yamaha has big differences between their lines, just like Onkyo").

Has anyone listened to both the 605 and 805?

I'm still wondering if there was something wrong with the 605, or if that's the way it sounds.

Please, help!

Thanks!

 

[fmw]

What was wrong with the 605 was most likely that it was putting out a lower level of volume. Most people will interpret louder as better even if the difference is subtle.

 

[gnn]

Nope, same level of volume...

 

[MDS]

If both receivers show the same number on the volume scale that does not mean they are at identical volume. The 605 only uses the absolute volume scale and goes from 0 - 80 while the 805 is switchable between absolute and relative and goes from 0 - 100 (not sure of the relative scale but should be -80 - +20 or so to cover the same 100 steps as the absolute scale).

So first we have two different scales; secondly the channel levels may not be the same. One could be in the default of zero and the other receiver may not be at zero for all channels. I would also be highly suspect of any salesman's assurance that all other settings are the same.

The difference in power rating is negligible and would not explain why the 805 sounded great and the 605 not so - unless they were both calibrated identically and were being run at near full volume where the 805 would show it's mettle.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I've got a pair of RTi10 towers, and they are a load to drive. There's very little chance the 605 would do wonders with these pigs for towers. My Denon 3805 struggled with these speakers in a large room at reference levels, and that unit was far and above more powerful than any 6 series Onkyo. I would guess even at low volumes, the 805 would sail through bass sections while the 605 would need a little help with the volume control and trim settings.

All receivers are not created equal. Believe it or not, different units sound better at certain volume settings. Larger capacitors allow cleaner, quicker bursts of power during transients compared to smaller ones. That's why some AVR's sound great at low volume settings. You may be listening at a constant 2 watts rms, then a peak calls for 40-50 watts for a few milliseconds. The better AVR's and separates are where you'll hear this difference. You may also realize a lower sound floor between notes on higher end units. Class A amplifiers do a wonderful job at keeping the sound floor almost nill. Class D amplifiers do a horrible job, yet trump class A amps with efficient power. Class A/B units are a nice compromise between power and low thd.

I can go on and on, but just realize you normally get what you pay for in the metric AVR world. They are already priced low being mass produced in the far east. Buying near the top of the line really gets you stellar performance for your dollar compared to the entry level units.

 

[gnn]

Thanks for your feedback, everyone...

 

[Seth=L]

I've got a pair of RTi10 towers, and they are a load to drive. There's very little chance the 605 would do wonders with these pigs for towers. My Denon 3805 struggled with these speakers in a large room at reference levels, and that unit was far and above more powerful than any 6 series Onkyo. I would guess even at low volumes, the 805 would sail through bass sections while the 605 would need a little help with the volume control and trim settings.

All receivers are not created equal. Believe it or not, different units sound better at certain volume settings. Larger capacitors allow cleaner, quicker bursts of power during transients compared to smaller ones. That's why some AVR's sound great at low volume settings. You may be listening at a constant 2 watts rms, then a peak calls for 40-50 watts for a few milliseconds. The better AVR's and separates are where you'll hear this difference. You may also realize a lower sound floor between notes on higher end units. Class A amplifiers do a wonderful job at keeping the sound floor almost nill. Class D amplifiers do a horrible job, yet trump class A amps with efficient power. Class A/B units are a nice compromise between power and low thd.

I can go on and on, but just realize you normally get what you pay for in the metric AVR world. They are already priced low being mass produced in the far east. Buying near the top of the line really gets you stellar performance for your dollar compared to the entry level units.

I completely agree with everything you said.

If indeed the Polks are a harder load the TX-SR805 is going to be a superior performer, especially with transients. The TX-SR805 has two 15,000 uF caps (not sure of voltage) and a very capable power supply (pretty much assured to be near or above 1500 va). I read a customer review from a person who had 4 ohm nominal speakers and that customer said it handled them without a sweat (but keep in mind that it is a customer review, and subject to bias).

 

[edjamesx]

Want to know SP distance and Sudio adjust settingsin onkyo

Recently bought ONKYO a/v receiver.
I wanted to know about the SP Distance , and audio adjust setiings. I think these are the most common settings in all a/v receivers.

These are the settings i tried to set myself.

1.SP distance (user manual says it's distance from my listening position) But when i set more feets than my listening position it sounds good.
Is it the maximum distance the sound can travel?

2.I am not sure about the following settings , Audio adjust
Panorama ?
Dimension - i set to 4.
Center width- i set to 3.
center image: 4
SW Sense ; I set to +5B.

I would really appreciate the help.

 

[MDS]

edjamesx,
Answered in your other thread. No need to ask the same question in multiple threads. Most of us read and reply to pretty much all of the threads.

 

[gnn]

And how do you think the Boston Acoustics VR3 compare to the Polk RTi10, in terms of the "load"?
If it were VR3s (instead of RTi10s), would I have encountered such a difference between the Onkyos as well?

Thx in advance!

 

[jcPanny]

Entry level receiver

You might consider an Entry level receiver like the Yamaha RX-V661. It has a similar feature set to the Onkyo 605, but it also has pre-amp outputs. You could add a stereo amp to driving a difficult load like the RTi10's. You can't do this with the Onkyo 605.

If you are planning on upgrading your speakers in the near future, pick the speakers first, then get a receiver with the power and features you need.

 

[ucyimd1]

Yea...I currently have the 605 running some pos sony satellites....but just ordered the RTi10's, CSi5, RTi6's....and after reading on here i just ordered the 805 and returning the 605

 

[gnn]

Where did you order them?

 

[Seth=L]

The Boston Acoustics are likely to be more even as far as the load goes. They are kind of one of those "make everyone happy" kind of speakers.

 

[ucyimd1]

Where did you order them?

Directly from Polk (benefits of working at Circuit City)

 

[gotchaforce]

Hey,

I had the 605 in mind as my next receiver, but after comparing how it sounded against the 805, the 605 was very disappointing.

I went to a Fry's and was listening to Polk RTi 10's (the purpose for the visit was to see these speakers) with a Marantz receiver.
I happened to ask the salesman to swap to the 605, and there was a huge difference in the sound. Then asked to swap to the 805, much better.
I could not believe the difference between them. I thought the 605 was set differently from the 805, but the salesman said both had identical settings, and added that there is a BIG difference between these two Onkyos, something not so evident with Marantz's upper and lower lines ("Yamaha has big differences between their lines, just like Onkyo").

Has anyone listened to both the 605 and 805?

I'm still wondering if there was something wrong with the 605, or if that's the way it sounds.

Please, help!

Thanks!

onkyo 605 is from what i hear a receiver that puts features like hdmi 1.3/truehd/etc above sound quality and capabilities

it sucks because its hdmi 1.3 for $400, but it has no pre-outs, so you are stuck with sub par amps.

 

[gnn]

Thought I'd give an update.
I was able to listen to them again in plain Stereo -no salesmen at sight- and, to my surprise, the 805 had different settings than the 605 (treble, bass, etc). I felt something was wrong...
I fixed this, and now the quality was much more alike. However, the 805 did sound slightly better, and I'm no audiophile.

 

[ucyimd1]

onkyo 605 is from what i hear a receiver that puts features like hdmi 1.3/truehd/etc above sound quality and capabilities

it sucks because its hdmi 1.3 for $400, but it has no pre-outs, so you are stuck with sub par amps.

Don't you get the same stuff from the 805 with a better quality and more powerful amp...and the capabilities to run an external amp....of course not for $400 though...but the upgraded features of the 805 I think justifies the higher cost...especially if you are going to spend a decent amount on the speakers...why skimp out on the receiver??