Denon 4308 vs Onkyo TX-NR5007

[G9logitech]

Hi Guys -

I am sort of new to this forums. So first off would like to say hi. Next love this forums. The best!

Question: I have an option of getting the Denon 4308 or the Onkyo TX-NR5007. Which one would you prefer and which one is better for movies PLUS music? I heard the onkyo has a 32 bit Dac (not sure if its burr brown) and the denon 4308 only has a 24 bit Dac. Am I going to really hear a difference in music playback quality with 24 and 32 bit DACS. Could someone give a list of pros and cons with these two A/V Recievers? This would be much appreciated.

I have a Denon 3800, must say, LOVE it. Some people say its slow, but its not as slow as some people say. Its rather fast, to me at least. Its heats up like a beast though

I have two fronts rated at 6 ohms, and the rears and center rated at 8 ohms.

I am so confused right now.

[sokrman14]

I have always been more of a fan of Denon. I find Onkyo to be good, but I feel their Integra line more matches up with Denon. Denon is coming out with the 4310 really soon, and it is cheaper than the 4308,and if you think the Denon 3800 is hot, wait until you get an Onkyo, you can cook an egg on those things.

[patelking]

What are the prices you are getting? that can play a role especially with the new ones coming out.

[twoboyz]

Originally Posted by sokrman14

I have always been more of a fan of Denon. I find Onkyo to be good, but I feel their Integra line more matches up with Denon. Denon is coming out with the 4310 really soon, and it is cheaper than the 4308,and if you think the Denon 3800 is hot, wait until you get an Onkyo, you can cook an egg on those things.

I have had both the Denon 4308ci and now an Onkyo TX-NR906. If you are looking for pure sound quality the 906 wins hands down. It has a much better lower end sound than the Denon. Connectivity is a piece of cake with the 906 and very easy to program as is the Denon. The 906 I have is a tank which in my opinion is a representation of a quality build. I

I thought I might be making a mistake switching to the Onkyo but was very surprised with my decision. The Onkyo blew me away with everything it does.

I however, can not comment on the 5007 that you are refering to. I can only give my opinion on the 906 vs. the 4308ci. As far as the heat issue it is non-existant in the 906. I have had no issues what so ever. The 806 models and lower do tend to get hot but which good quality reciever dosen't.

[MacDaddyOJack]

The power supply on that Onkyo is HUGE. I believe it's very nearly (if not exactly) the same one that was on the 805 and 905. I wasn't all that impressed with the 4308ci either. It was good, but I felt like I was paying extra for the name, not the features.

[sterryo]

I've owned many Denon's they are very good at what they do. I have also owned Onkyo's starting with an 805, I bought the 805 the week they first hit the stores so I was straddled with the firmware upgrade problem. I got tired of waiting for a jig to come my way so I went to a Denon 3808ci. The Denon was my first network receiver and I found that to be irreplaceable. I also upgraded the 3808 with the Audyssey upgrades and until something better is available I will not own a receiver without the full complement of Audyssey. That said I would definitely go with the 5007 over any current Denon except for the soon to be released 4810. I bought an 807 last month to check out Heights and wides speaker configutations, loved them. I also am completely enamoured with Pandora found on the Onkyo's, After fine tuning several custom radio stations I would not listen to any other internet radio stations, this feature takes the iRadio found on Denon's to a completely higher level. I was so impressed with the 807 that I placed an order for the 1007 last night, this will give me 9.2 (only drawback is the inability to run DSX wides and heights simultaneously). I would like to be able to run all 11.2 speakers, but budget does not allow the purchase of the much more expensive 4810. Also in Onkyo's favor is that the xxx7's series allows for separate calibration and equalization of each sub, a feature many were dismayed that the 4810 ommitted, as I haven't received my 1007 I have no way of knowing how big of an improvement that will offer, however in reading the various multiple subwoofer forums it does appear the the ability to EQ subs seperately profers very good results. As for Denon's new 4310 what a major feature disappointment. What was Denon thinking???, in order to switch from the available heights modes to wide mode or 7.1 mode one needs to rewire the speakers in back and then re-run Audyssey(huh?) where-as the Onkyo's including the meager 807 allows you to connect all 11 speakers calibrate once and then you can switch between the various speaker configurations using the remote.
Given your choices the 5007 would to me be by far the superior choice, however my priorities may not be your priorities, but it is nice to have the features even if immediately you didn't plan on using them.
sound wise I would be hard pressed to declare a SQ advantage between my Onkyo vrs. the Denon 3808ci, but as you noted the 5007 moves you up to 32bit Burr-Brown DACS and that should account for better sound resolution!

Again just my 2 cents....

[sathron]

Great post sterryo...I too am considering either the 4810ci and the Onkyo 5007....thanks for the in-depth opinion.