receiver options for me

[mike c]

my receiver requirements:
at least 3 HDMI inputs
separate crossover for the LR, C, SLSR, SB's
silver (optional)

my dream receiver is the Denon 3808
it costs 1675USD 220v. its perfect except for the cost.

i'm seeing the Onkyo 805S at around 700 bucks and the 875S for around 1060USD. both have the features i want, BUT are 110v.

any time i get a brain fart, i get a toasted receiver.

i've pretty much not paid attention to the previous Onkyo threads simply because i wasn't interested... but what are the cons/negatives to these Onkyos?

i've read the 805 review by Audioholics btw.

also, does the audioholics store still have some coupons, price matching? because at the same price, i'd prefer to support AH.

one more thing, reading the amazon.com user reviews, it seems that Onkyo reliability is not that good.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

also, does the audioholics store still have some coupons, price matching? because at the same price, i'd prefer to support AH.

one more thing, reading the amazon.com user reviews, it seems that Onkyo reliability is not that good.

Audioholics will not price-match because AH believes in 100% customer support & great services -- like Crutchfield, expcept a lot better KNOWLEDGE than Crutchfield.

I get the same impression about the reliablity of the Onkyos talking to previous owners: not as good as Denon or Marantz.

I guess sometimes you get what you pay for.

 

[ParkerAudio]

Mike, I have a 875 at home, love it no problems. However, I am aware of all the issues concerning the Onkyos. I think some of them are legit and some of them are users not taking care of their equipment. The number one issue, is the heat the unit produces. A lot of complaints pointing to equipment failure due to heat, but a lot of people seem to put these in small spaces, ignoring the specs for leaving 4 inches of space at the top of the receiver. To make sure I didn't have that problem a put a Antec fan on the top of my unit, and it keeps it way cool.
The second largest complaint is the AV sync, but this is easily solved by adjusting the sync time within the easy to navigate menus. Tons of posts on this, read the manual people! I didn't have a problem, but some people did.

As far as the strengthens of this unit, they are too many to list. I am not sure how Onkyo packed so much into a such a low priced unit, with a THX Ultra certification. Not that THX Ultra certification means a lot to many people, but they still had to pay for the certification. With the money you save you could buy a warranty is you believe the reliablity of the unit is in question. The other option, buy the Integra version of the 805, they don't seem to have the heat issue, nor does the 905 if you want to really spend some bucks, with that Torodial power supply.

If you want to support Audioholics, they now sell the 805. In order to top the 805 you will have to spend much more money.

 

[mike c]

im afraid extended warranties won't help as i'm located in the Philippines

my rack is an open rack, and if i do decide on Onkyo, i can put PC fans on top of it no problem.

i'm worried about the non-heat related reliability some people seem to be complaining about.

 

[GlocksRock]

I have to cast my vote for the Yamahas, they Denons and Marantz units are very nice, but seem overpriced for the features you get. I would say either the RX-V863 or the RX-V1800, with preference to the 1800.

 

[ParkerAudio]

I like the Yamaha RX V1800, but you can almost buy 2 onkyos for the price of one. If you are checking out the reviews at Amazon for the rating of the 805, 4.5 stars out of 5 is phenomenal, with over 100 reviewers posting.
Frankly, the only receiver that I ever had a problem with was a Yamaha, but I don't hold that against them. They make a great product, but everyone gets a dud once in awhile.
I am not aware of many legitiment complaints against the 805 that are not heat related. Some people talk about a HDMI handshake problem, but this doesn't seem to be widespread, and may be more related to the cables they are using or the age/technology of their TV. As stated before the sync issue can be adjusted.
I think if you take a hard look at the problems, and weigh it against the AV magazines accolades/reviews, I think you will still find it is the best value. I don't think anyone can argue that this is not the best deal at this price point.

 

[mike c]

unfortunately, none of the yamahas have separate crossovers for the LR, C, Surround channels.

otherwise, i would have bought a locally available 1800

 

[PENG]

Mike, bite the bullet and get the Denon. When I bought the 3805 a few years ago I found it expensive too but I also found that it might have the quietest transformer and amps among receivers in that price range. I have since bought one of their cheapest model, the 1705. It seemed underpower but it still managed to perform beyond my expectation in terms of sound quality and reliability. That little thing seems indestructable. I leave it on almost all the time in a closed cabinet. Several years later now I know they are highly reliable. If you search for reviews on the web you will find that they are reportedly reliable, powerful, and neutral sounding. Its preamp section is of top quality. I know so because I compared it to my separate preamp many times. So based on my experience with the 3805 and reviews I read on the 3806 and 3808, I don't think you can go wrong with your dream machine.

 

[mike c]

yeah, i have a 2307 that i love (but it only has 2 HDMI inputs and no separate crossover and no 12v trigger) if i hadn't skimped before on the receiver, i would have probably gotten the 2807.

it's just that i have a hard time plunking down that much cash on a receiver.

i mean, its not even moving

but yeah, i realize its the heart of an HT.

 

[PENG]

yeah, i have a 2307 that i love (but it only has 2 HDMI inputs and no separate crossover and no 12v trigger) if i hadn't skimped before on the receiver, i would have probably gotten the 2807.

it's just that i have a hard time plunking down that much cash on a receiver.

i mean, its not even moving

but yeah, i realize its the heart of an HT.

Read the review:

http://www.homecinemachoice.com/pdfs/HCC/151/HCC_151_056.pdf

Pay attention to their "Tech Lab" numbers:

175W, 2 channels driven,
8 , 0.5% THD
267W (2 channels driven, 4 ,
0.5% THD
140W (5 channels driven, 8 ,
0.5% THD
165W (5 channels driven, 4 ,
0.5% THD
Fidelity firewall: 176W (0.51%
THD, 8 ohms, 1kHz)
THD @ 50W: 0.003% THD
(1kHz, 8 , good)
Frequency response: 20Hz-
20kHz +/- 0.1dB (good)

Then start saving up for the machine you want and be done with it! In fact, if you wait until the 3809 is out you may be able to get the 3808 for less than $1K.

 

[mike c]

that's a beautiful receiver!

btw, are there rumors of an 09 release already?

also, i wonder if the 3808 can handle all 6 ohm speakers in a 4k treated room

 

[TheFactor]

Not all of them are reliable, not to throw wood in the fire but I had 3 bad ones in a roll and now they've been out of stock for at least a couple of months in my area and havnt been getting anymore in. Im wondering if they had problems with some and I was unlucky enough to get 3 of them back to back The 3808 did sound good though .

 

[PENG]

Not all of them are reliable, not to throw wood in the fire but I had 3 bad ones in a roll

Just curious, would you tell us where those bad ones are from? It is rather unusual to get 3 bad ones in a roll regardless of the make, this shouldn't even happen with any cheap $99 HT products from Walmart.

 

[PENG]

that's a beautiful receiver!

btw, are there rumors of an 09 release already?

also, i wonder if the 3808 can handle all 6 ohm speakers in a 4k treated room

If you look at the tech lab numbers, I would say they can, depend on the SPL you need in that room. If you like listening loud, say 90+ dB all the time then no it will get too hot even if it doesn't shutdown. You should use your RS SPL meter to find out what kind of SPL you need from your listening position and the volume setting of you Yamaha and then do the calculations. You can also find some sort of vague answer from the Denon site (FAQ).

 

[tn001d]

btw, are there rumors of an 09 release already?

Hold out for the new denon's... they are coming soon (end of summer?)

 

[TheFactor]

Hold out for the new denon's... they are coming soon (end of summer?)

That might be why there not getting anymore 3808's in my area from my local dealer , they could be going to get the 09's soon .

 

[TheFactor]

Just curious, would you tell us where those bad ones are from? It is rather unusual to get 3 bad ones in a roll regardless of the make, this shouldn't even happen with any cheap $99 HT products from Walmart.

I got all 3 from Magnolia home Theater which is a pretty big franchise thats now merged with best buy . My first bad one I had was the Denon 2808, I got up one morning and the front and left channels went out, tried switching to a different mode cable tv and it worked went back to tuner and nothing then turned power off and on a few times and it started working so I got scared took it back and got the 3808 got home hooked it up and no sound or display but you could hear it click coming on and off stand by. Took it back and they tested and determined it was another bad one and then the 3 rd and last one would get a blue screen after watching cable tv or DVD/BLUE-RAYS sometimes in a few minutes and sometimes it took a few hours but it was annoying to be in a middle of a move when it did it, it was acting Like it was trying to switch tuning modes . The last two the serial #s were only off by a couple of digits so dont know if that had anything to do with it or not. Also all three seem to run pretty hot compared to the receiver I have now barely gets warm with no blue screen . Hope this helps .

 

[mike c]

what month is summer over there?

 

[TheFactor]

what month is summer over there?

Was that question addressed to me ? If so its spring now and summer is around the corner, June 20th I believe but dont quote me on it