Onkyo TX-SR876 VS Denon AVR-989/2809

[mike_wassell]

Do the TST3s have a LEF input? I could not tell from the info I found on the net. If they do have a LEF input I would definitely use it.

One feature I would keep in mind is the Audyssey processing. It is a great feature. I believe both the Onkyo and Denon have this feature.

As far as power goes I would get the most power I could for the money. There are a lot of reasons to get more power besides volume. The more power you have the less likely you are to damage your speakers and your speakers will have better dynamics.

I would go for the Onkyo if you have adequate ventilation. From the owner’s manual:
“If you install the apparatus in a built-in installation, such as a bookcase or rack, ensure that there is adequate ventilation. Leave 20 cm (8") of free space at the top and sides and 10 cm (4") at the rear. The rear edge of the shelf or board above the apparatus shall be set 10 cm (4") away from the rear panel or wall, creating a fluelike gap for warm air to escape.”

Mike

 

[billy p]

Excellent thread!

I'm in the midst of trying to replacing my 3805. The problem though is I'm not shelling out $1500-1800 + Cdn to buy 3808/09. I'll be nonest I never really pushed my 3805 to extreme listening levels because that would be insane IMO. Therefore, I started to look at capable receiver with HDMI 1.3 and independant crossover points for BM and the Onkyo TX SR-706 or SR-806 come to mind. I'm leaning towards Onkyo instead of the Denon 2808 because they seem to give you better bang for your buck. My main concern is how reliable are they compared to the Denon, because that is why I bought the 3805 in the first place.

Or should I just get the Denon.
Thanks, Bill

 

[Chopin_Guy]

Bill...I would not pick the Onkyo 806 over the Denon. The 806 was a down-grade from the 805 in nearly all the places where it counts....the amp and DACs. If you want an Onkyo, get a 805....otherwise the 2808 is superior to the 806 in my opinion....but you still have the slight reliability issue with the Onyo as oppsed to Denon which you hear much less about in terms of having problems...

 

[Seth=L]

The Pioneer SC-05 is probably very comparable in amplifier performance to the TX-SR876, however the TX-SR876 can be had for much less. The SC-05 is a beautiful piece of equipment I might add, and wouldn't dispute your selection in the least.

 

[billy p]

Bill...I would not pick the Onkyo 806 over the Denon. The 806 was a down-grade from the 805 in nearly all the places where it counts....the amp and DACs. If you want an Onkyo, get a 805....otherwise the 2808 is superior to the 806 in my opinion....but you still have the slight reliability issue with the Onyo as oppsed to Denon which you hear much less about in terms of having problems...

I'll see if the local dealer still has the 805 in stock. Heh.. maybe I'll do some research and/or reading before I set out to replace my receiver in the new year.
Thanks, Bill

 

[mike_wassell]

I agree the 805 would be a great bang for the buck. You can find these at discounted prices since they are discontinued.

Mike

 

[-Kevin-]

The Pioneer SC-05 is probably very comparable in amplifier performance to the TX-SR876, however the TX-SR876 can be had for much less. The SC-05 is a beautiful piece of equipment I might add, and wouldn't dispute your selection in the least.

Seth, if I use Nextag.com Is can find relatively cheap prices on both the 876 and Sc-05. Are any of those companies that come up on Nextag reliable? Would the manufacturers warrientys still be honored?

Thanks

 

[Seth=L]

Seth, if I use Nextag.com Is can find relatively cheap prices on both the 876 and Sc-05. Are any of those companies that come up on Nextag reliable? Would the manufacturers warrientys still be honored?

Thanks

I've never ordered from them personally, maybe some other kind soul will chime in about that.

 

[Chopin_Guy]

Kevin,

Just be sure whomever you buy from is an authorized dealer....that is most important for warranty purposes--you don't want to get burned. That aside, look on E-bay (this goes for Billy P too on the 805) as I know you can find the Onkyo's new and refurbished from dealers on there. The Pioneers I know less about cannot help you there....But Crutchfield has the 876 on sale right now for $400 off which makes it $1199....

 

[strube]

Newegg has had the best price on the 876 for quite a while. I almost bought it for $899 on Black Friday but wasn't permitted to do so by a certain significant other. It is still $999 and Newegg is second in good reputation for online dealers to Amazon only IMHO:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882120118&Tpk=onkyo txsr876

 

[Seth=L]

Onkyo is selling refurbs of the TX-SR876 on their own site for $800.

 

[-Kevin-]

Kevin,

Just be sure whomever you buy from is an authorized dealer....that is most important for warranty purposes--you don't want to get burned. That aside, look on E-bay (this goes for Billy P too on the 805) as I know you can find the Onkyo's new and refurbished from dealers on there. The Pioneers I know less about cannot help you there....But Crutchfield has the 876 on sale right now for $400 off which makes it $1199....

Okay, so im assuming Amazon, Crutchfield and Newegg are Authorized dealer? What are some other popular authorized dealers?

 

[Biggiesized]

Newegg had a crazy sale on new Onkyo TX-SR876s on Black Friday. They were $899 with free shipping. They are probably back up to $999 now (it was a one day -$100 off coupon).

 

[dssmith999]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882120119
the silver is still 899 free shipping

 

[strube]

Now Amazon has the black one for $915.

You can also get 2.75% cashback from Microsoft Live Search for newegg, putting the silver one at 876ish (it will probably be a good omen if you pay $876 for the 876 )

They are both authorized dealers and have the best price of any of the authorized dealers. Amazon has the best return policy (they pay shipping in most cases) if you have a problem.

Check onkyo.com for all of the authorized dealers if you want.


http://www.onkyousa.com/locations_intdealer.cfm

 

[esqueejy]

Beating the Dead Horse

So glad I found this post. I'm going to try to reactivate this discussion because I'm facing the same decision (876 or 2809?). I've been all over the net reading reviews of these two as well as the Marantz 6003 and 7002, Yamahas and Pioneers, but I'm pretty sure it's down to these two.

Now, I'll be the first to adimt I'm entry-level in terms of my gear. I play my PS3 thru my 46"XBR5 (calibrated of course), listen to a lot of live audience recordings (yep, Phish/Deadhead bootleg collector here), have a 500GB Buffalo network drive for which the PS3 loves to display everything out of order (a post for another time) and I just bought Cambridge Soundworks' MC305 system with the dipole/bipole speakers (yeah yeah, CS is supposedly a sin from what I've recently read, but it was 40% off so I couldn't resist...doesn't seem that bad so far though).

So here's the thing, that's about all I need to do with a new receiver, but I LOVE new toys with bells and whistles and want to at least attempt some future-proofing and get the best wrap-around sound field and clarity...and perhaps some processing that makes the bootlegs shine and doesn't crap all over a good video signal. I read specs and can't help but want the toy with the longer list, but I also recognize I could be just going overboard. What would you recommend? Are the 876 and 2809 excessive in terms of what I'd really need? Can I go with the 806 or perhaps the Marantz 7002 (altho it only does 720p, so do I just fiber optic the PS3 audio to the receiver and hard-wire HDMI video to the XBR5)? THX Cert sounds dandy but do I really need it? Am I going to find myself grinning ear to ear with just the 706? I almost feel like reading all the reviews only confused things more and added questions. Please help...I learn fast, but I'm on overload.

 

[strube]

So glad I found this post. I'm going to try to reactivate this discussion because I'm facing the same decision (876 or 2809?). I've been all over the net reading reviews of these two as well as the Marantz 6003 and 7002, Yamahas and Pioneers, but I'm pretty sure it's down to these two.

Now, I'll be the first to adimt I'm entry-level in terms of my gear. I play my PS3 thru my 46"XBR5 (calibrated of course), listen to a lot of live audience recordings (yep, Phish/Deadhead bootleg collector here), have a 500GB Buffalo network drive for which the PS3 loves to display everything out of order (a post for another time) and I just bought Cambridge Soundworks' MC305 system with the dipole/bipole speakers (yeah yeah, CS is supposedly a sin from what I've recently read, but it was 40% off so I couldn't resist...doesn't seem that bad so far though).

So here's the thing, that's about all I need to do with a new receiver, but I LOVE new toys with bells and whistles and want to at least attempt some future-proofing and get the best wrap-around sound field and clarity...and perhaps some processing that makes the bootlegs shine and doesn't crap all over a good video signal. I read specs and can't help but want the toy with the longer list, but I also recognize I could be just going overboard. What would you recommend? Are the 876 and 2809 excessive in terms of what I'd really need? Can I go with the 806 or perhaps the Marantz 7002 (altho it only does 720p, so do I just fiber optic the PS3 audio to the receiver and hard-wire HDMI video to the XBR5)? THX Cert sounds dandy but do I really need it? Am I going to find myself grinning ear to ear with just the 706? I almost feel like reading all the reviews only confused things more and added questions. Please help...I learn fast, but I'm on overload.

Well, most of your questions have been answered already in the thread. Onkyo will hands down give you the most features for your money. Others could recommend things to you better than I, but if it is bang for the buck/most features possible that you are after, you should just get the Onkyo from Amazon or Newegg (see my posts above). It will work fine (excessive in fact) for your speakers, but you will be future proof for a little while. That's just my opinion, of course.

 

[esqueejy]

Thanks man. I did read eveything and probably just didn't get to the point. The underlying question I'm really getting at is whether there's any reason to go lower...like the 806 or the 706 (or, phrased in the opposite, any reason, given my proclivity towards loving the toys, to stick with my inclination towards the 876). Honestly, the price isn't the motivator for the question, because the 876 is a crazy deal, just a feeling that I might be going overboard and am wondering if I'd be satisfied having spent less. Techy spec blabber aside, would I notice a perceptible difference if I sat down for my usual uses with my listed equipiment and did a double- or triple-blind with the 876, 806 and 706?

 

[strube]

Thanks man. I did read eveything and probably just didn't get to the point. The underlying question I'm really getting at is whether there's any reason to go lower...like the 806 or the 706 (or, phrased in the opposite, any reason, given my proclivity towards loving the toys, to stick with my inclination towards the 876). Honestly, the price isn't the motivator for the question, because the 876 is a crazy deal, just a feeling that I might be going overboard and am wondering if I'd be satisfied having spent less. Techy spec blabber aside, would I notice a perceptible difference if I sat down for my usual uses with my listed equipiment and did a double- or triple-blind with the 876, 806 and 706?

Yes you would be satisfied spending less. The difference between the 876 and the 805 is just that the 876 has a great 1080p upscaler, and I would probably buy the 876 for that reason, but if I didn't need/want the upscaler, I would get the 805, but probably not the 705 unless I just wanted to use it as a Pre/Pro. The 806 is a substantial downgrade in many ways from the 805, same goes for the 705 vs. 706.

 

[esqueejy]

I see...yeah...someone previously mentioned something about an amp downgrade for the xx6's. Ok, so I suppose this question (hopefully) makes the decision: I was told that if I simply plan to watch HD cable, play PS3 and use the PS3 as my dvd/blu-ray player (until the school loans are off my back hehe), I can connect to the XBR5 via HDMI for the video as it's been calibrated, and then just worry about the receiver handling only the sound. Is there any reason to think that's sillytalk? If not, what would you buy in my shoes?