Advice on buying a 606,805 or 1800?

[BrainDrain]

Hi All!!!
I am new to posting on this forum, but am an active reader of the posts.

I need some advice on buying a receiver. I have been looking at the following, Onkyo 606,805 & Yamaha 1800. I have currently an old Pioneer 1015 but want to upgrade because of the lack of HDMI so I can have lossless audio through my PS3. Which one do you think I should get? I know the price difference on the 606 but is it worth dropping the extra for an 805 or the 1800 . I currently have a Kef 2005 speaker setup.

Thanks in advance

[allstar780]

why did you omit the onkyo 705 as a possibility? just curious

[BrainDrain]

Originally Posted by allstar780

why did you omit the onkyo 705 as a possibility? just curious

I was just being fussy. I don't really like the look of the 705 or as a matter of fact the 606. I prefer the amps with a drop down front hence the 805 and 1800. But if I wont hear any difference in audio performance between the 606, 805 and 1800 then I would just settle for 606
.

[allstar780]

the only real difference is going to be the output wattage... without knowing the efficiency rating of your speakers i cant even tell you if the 805 would benefit you at all... but if it would it would basically just drive your speakers louder

[BrainDrain]

Originally Posted by allstar780

the only real difference is going to be the output wattage... without knowing the efficiency rating of your speakers i cant even tell you if the 805 would benefit you at all... but if it would it would basically just drive your speakers louder

I had a quick look on google and I believe they are 8OHM - 100watt

[jd213]

The Onkyo 805 has better DACs and is an overall better deal in regards to audio quality. I upgraded from the 605 to 805 and couldn't be happier.

Although the 706 will be coming out, it might be better than the 805 but it's going to be a bit more expensive I think.

[BrainDrain]

Ok thanks for the help gents.

I might wait a little longer to see what Onkyo comes up with

[ILLSQUAD2G]

In regards to your question 605,805 or the Yamaha 1800.

First of all forget the sound issue. I think ONKYO did a PISS POOR job on the above average priced 805 , considering that its 3rd from the top-line model its does not upscale to 1080P. It will only do 720P/1080I upscaling. Which in my opinion was a very poor decision as every unit and brand in that price range and even lower for that fact will all do 1080P upscaling.

As far as audio processing goes. The Yamaha and the ONKYO 805 are very similar in regards to their sound (Burr-Brown DAC's) Very similar power output and very low THD % at rated power output.

I currently own the ONKYO 875 (upgraded from a Yamaha rx-v750) although I believe the 875 does sound cleaner than my old Yammy I really miss Yamaha's surround modes and full control over almost every adjustable parameter in almost every sound field.

Since the new 1800 is far better than the old Yammy I had and is very similar to the 875 , if i wasn't so impatient about "upgrading to HDMI 1.3" so I could get all the Hd audio formats i would definitely had bought the Yamaha 3800 over the 875. Although if I didn't have the extra money I would still choose the 1800 over the 805.

Although I am sure many users will disagree with me I personally believe that Yamaha's based "YPAO" provided a better "speaker calibration" than the Audyssey MultEQ XT provided on the ONKYO

1 major difference between the 1800 and the 805 is the "HIGH CURRENT CAPABILITIES" which is significantly better in the ONKYO @60Amps and the Yamaha's being closer to 30-35Amps ( or so I have read on line as with Yamaha its an un-stated spec and just stated as "high current" but this will really only be noticeable to a user who has "REAL LOUDSPEAKERS" rated
@4ohms impedance and that really need High current power to perform to there best. Also noticeable when watching movies at a pretty high volume for wide dynamic ranged movies (explosions , gunfights and such) where the high current peaks are really needed.

I can honestly say that if you are looking at the 805 or the 1800 I would buy the 1800 since the only real advantage the ONKYO units have is in the 875 and 905 with the use of the REON-VX video processor.

I would actually sell my 875 and switch to the 1800 or 3800 from Yamaha except I am just not willing to take that kind of $ loss selling my almost brand new but not new 875 that since I bought it from an "authorized" dealer here in Canada cost me around the 2K CAD mark.

But one more thing for you to look at is , well if its very important to you is the units actual "bench tested" power output at full power all 7 channels driven at full 20-20 frequency range and not the very inefficient inflated power output that the unit will actually never really accomplish. In fact the Yamaha unit in the test (links provided below) fell way short when driving all 7 channels it only hit about half of its "rated power" (RMS as Bench tested) well the ONKYO unit fell only I think 5 watts short which is in reality nothing.

ONKYO 875
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/rec...-receiver.html

Yamaha 1800 http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/rec...-receiver.html

These are just for your reference to show actual power output from each company. Very useful site full of real world TESTING and not the overinflated highly distorted specs at usually @8ohms 1kHz for Companies posted unit specs. But have a look at the links and decide for yourself. Hope this has helped you out

[allstar780]

Originally Posted by BrainDrain

I had a quick look on google and I believe they are 8OHM - 100watt

that is the impedance and RMS wattage

efficiency is stated as something like (using my RF-35s as example)

98dB @ 2.83 volts(1 watt)/1 meter

What this tells you is that at 1 watt of power input, my speakers will output an SPL of 98dB. I have a chart that shows further up (higher volumes) and to get it to 117 dB @ 1 meter it requires only 64 watts

[BrainDrain]

Excellent post ILLSQUAD2G!!!!
Thank you for taking the time to write it!! I was hoping someone would say the 1800 is the one to go for as I also think it is the better looking and i doubt i would ever use the THX modes on the Onkyo.

Another question now. Where can I pick up a 1800? I am currently in Sydney Australia and have seen them for $2k I do believe they can be picked up for about $1500 has anyone had any luck with that?

[Deciazulado]

I thnk the 1900 would be coming in a couple of months too, no?
I think the 1800 is from the generation that has the 16-235 only levels.

[ILLSQUAD2G]

Originally Posted by BrainDrain

Excellent post ILLSQUAD2G!!!!
Thank you for taking the time to write it!! I was hoping someone would say the 1800 is the one to go for as I also think it is the better looking and i doubt i would ever use the THX modes on the Onkyo.

Another question now. Where can I pick up a 1800? I am currently in Sydney Australia and have seen them for $2k I do believe they can be picked up for about $1500 has anyone had any luck with that?

Hello again,

I dont honestly know to much about what things cost over there , but I do know my local store has the 1800 for I believe 1200CAD plus taxes and they are an authorized Yamaha dealer. As far as 2K thats outrageous the same store sells the 3800 for I think 1600CAD.

I dont know if they would ship an item to you but I do know that it would be cheaper even after paying S&H. I would also suggest looking on Ebay as I think they go for as low as 1K plus S&H but may not include a Factory Authorized Warranty. Although I dont think that would be a problem as for the thousand or so dollars you would save its probably worth it. Since personally I have owned numerous Yamaha Receivers and I have never once had even 1 issue (thats also including a 70's era receiver and it still works great although it could use a professional cleaning as the sound distorts when adjusting levels / and the speaker terminals are pretty dirty on the inside) So overall I dont think when buying a Yamaha that I would even worry about it breaking ,especially in the 1 or 2 year warranty period. As long as you take care of the unit and keep it clean and as dust free as possible and well ventilated you could probably end up using the unit for 10 years easy without any issues whatsoever.

I dont know if you would be interested but if you are (and probably need a credit card though) I will contact my local store and see if they would be willing/able to sell you a 1800 (or even a 3800 since its still lest than what you would be paying for the 1800 locally) The business here is a local business for over 20 years now I think and I have bought from them myself (PSB Image series speakers) and they have always been great. Never needed a receipt for any warranty work on anything I bought from them. They are that kind of local store that will always go the extra mile unlike the "big box stores" to satisfy a customer.

So I am sure if you wanted to buy it from them and have it shipped that they would be willing (so long as they can and are allowed to buy Yamaha to sell outside Canada to be able to include the factory warranty) They are a great place and I am sure if they can they would work something out for you to make a payment if you dont have a credit card, such as maybe wire transfer or mailing them a certified cheque. So let me know if you "really" want me to look into it for you as I have had friends tell me they want something and I work out a great price for them from the store and then they change their mind, so I try not to waste the store owners time. But if you are seriously interested and want me to see what I can get done for you or put you in contact with them, I would be willing to help. I love audio and everything to do with home theatre and I always enjoy helping the people I know and even people I dont (such as you LOL) get into a good home theatre product.

Send me a Private Message or reply to this post and I will check back , and if you want me to look into it for you I will. (Actually I dont know about your actual wall outlet power and if its the same as North America or if its like Europe so if its the same as Canada I guess thats also important)

P.S. I also sell on Ebay under the same name ILLSQUAD2G with 100% feedback just so you know I am an honest guy. Even though i wouldn't be the seller anyways and it would be between you and the store , I only mention it as there are some "CROOKED ASS INDIVIDUALS" out there as we are all aware LOL.

the 1800 or the 3800 would be a great choice for your home theatre and I am willing to help you anyway I can (within reason) so just let me know. Also if you wish to go the "Ebay way" I am sure I could recommend a seller that I have used in the past to help you out. Either way GOOD LUCK WITH THE SEARCH AND YOU WILL VERY SATISFIED WITH A YAMAHA NO MATTER WHERE IT COMES FROM.

[BrainDrain]

Thanks for all your help ILLSQUAD2G!!!

I will have a look round Sydney over the next few weeks to see what I can get for it. Very kind of you to help me out but I think once I have paid import tax on the 1800 it will come out about the same price.
I will let you know how I get on.


Thanks again for your help ILLSQUAD2G!