Is this good for the money?

[gill08]

I've made the decision to start building my home theater piece by piece. Probably start first with a 2.1 system. Starting off looking at receivers. Saw that this was on sale and wanted to know if it was good for $799. Looking to pay around that for a receiver. Also what is the brand of receiver consistently getting high praise from forum members? I know Onkyo tends to have a heat issue. I have a 3D Panasonic Plasma and would like 3D capabilities and 4k capabilities for future use when 4k tvs drop in price.

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SC-122.../dp/B00D4MQ06E

Thanks in advance. Everyone has been helpful on here. Trying to learn more about theater setups.

[sonic_debauchery]

Follow this link if you are interested in seeing the "guts" or build quality of the
receivers available.

avland.uk

I had a similar decision to make earlier this summer. I looked at all of the receivers on avland.uk and read tonnes of reviews and issues. So many that it took me 2 years to decide as i watched the various brands. I was going with Denon for so long, but felt the build quality isn't very good on them anymore.

I decided on the Onkyo because the build quality is there in comparison. Even praised by the reviewer.

With the Onkyo 8,9,10 series the heat issue has been tackled with dual fans inside. I ran my 818 at reference watching World War Z, and yes it was warm as you would expect pushing a 2h35min movie at high volume. The fans never kicked on.

All receivers need proper venting. I heard all of the same issues with Onkyo. At the end of the day, as i said before, i felt the Denons had cheaped out with plastic tops, unless your looking at the 4520.

Pioneer was a no go for me because mcaac doesn't analyze below 50hz for the sub channel; so a lot is being missed. Audyssey XT 32 was a must for me.

All receivers have issues. For instance i was told by my dealer that that the Anthem MRX700 had issues where the 300 and 500 did not. If you look on websites such as accessories4less, there are refurbs from Denon Marantz, Onkyo etc.

The Onkyo for me was the right choice. It had the features i wanted and XT32 woke my sub up, and my system has never sounded this great.It has been flawless. Other family members have had Onkyo's going on 4+yrs without problem.

I think the new Anthem line is looking really great with a new iteration of ARC.
Which is said to be as comparable to XT32.

Hope this helps.

[Johnny Vinyl]

In addition to what sonic d said about visiting the avland.uk site, you could also just type in the name and model # + the word "reviews" in your search bar and you'll get a list of mags that have done them. I like doing this as I get to read different reviews of the same item.

Also, regarding the Onkyo 818....a friend of mine just picked this one up and loves it. It seems to be a very good AVR from what I've read.

[gill08]

There is a newer version of the 818:

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-NR828.../dp/B00CILJB0E

Is DTS Neo:X worth trying to get the 818?

[Almadacr]

Originally Posted by gill08

There is a newer version of the 818:

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-NR828.../dp/B00CILJB0E

Is DTS Neo:X worth trying to get the 818?

The closest version of the 818 is the 929

Onkyo TX-NR929

[gill08]

Originally Posted by Almadacr

The closest version of the 818 is the 929

Onkyo TX-NR929

How much of an upgrade is the 929 compared to the 818. Is it $500 worth?

[gill08]

Also what would you recommend more?

Onkyo 818 or 929 and the Denon X4000?

[Almadacr]

Originally Posted by gill08

How much of an upgrade is the 929 compared to the 818. Is it $500 worth?

I say no , the only advantage that i would be interested would be wireless connectivity since it's built in on the 929 it has 1 more HDMI and it's a 9.2 but is this worted more $500 ... not for me .
Between the 2 if you find the 818 at a decent price that's what i would take it

[gill08]

Originally Posted by Almadacr

I say no , the only advantage that i would be interested would be wireless connectivity since it's built in on the 929 it has 1 more HDMI and it's a 9.2 but is this worted more $500 ... not for me .
Between the 2 if you find the 818 at a decent price that's what i would take it

Thanks for your help I'll consider it. Amazon has it for 799 now.

[Almadacr]

Originally Posted by gill08

Also what would you recommend more?

Onkyo 818 or 929 and the Denon X4000?

The Denon has some interesting features and it's about the same price range as the 929 regarding comparing this 2 different brands i would try first to listen both models if i could since they will sound differently between the 929 and the 818 they sound the same .

[gill08]

Originally Posted by Almadacr

The Denon has some interesting features and it's about the same price range as the 929 regarding comparing this 2 different brands i would try first to listen both models if i could since they will sound differently between the 929 and the 818 they sound the same .

I think I might pursue the 818 and invest the difference in money towards good speakers after thinking about it.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by gill08

I think I might pursue the 818 and invest the difference in money towards good speakers after thinking about it.

Makes sense to me!

[Almadacr]

Originally Posted by gill08

I think I might pursue the 818 and invest the difference in money towards good speakers after thinking about it.

+1

[sonic_debauchery]

Originally Posted by gill08

There is a newer version of the 818:

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-NR828.../dp/B00CILJB0E

Is DTS Neo:X worth trying to get the 818?

Stay away from the 828, it has downgraded features. This years 818 is actually the 929.

[sonic_debauchery]

Originally Posted by Almadacr

I say no , the only advantage that i would be interested would be wireless connectivity since it's built in on the 929 it has 1 more HDMI and it's a 9.2 but is this worted more $500 ... not for me .
Between the 2 if you find the 818 at a decent price that's what i would take it

+1, that is the same rationale i used.
The Denon stuff this year seems to have cheaped out.

[sonic_debauchery]

Originally Posted by gill08

I think I might pursue the 818 and invest the difference in money towards good speakers after thinking about it.

That is a wise move.

[Vracer111]

I realize it's a few months but it doesn't seem you've quite finalized anything yet. I tend to like clean simple look and a focus on the actual audio quality output of the receiver, which for the money is why I've been drawn to NAD. For $700 you can get a factory refurbished NAD T-757 ($1,600 retail), with NAD's modular swapable architecture (ability swap boards with newer ones to keep up with changes in technology/newer standards), 7.1 pre-outs, 7.1 analog inputs, and Audyssey setup ability.

7.1 analog inputs let you connect either a standalone CD/SACD player with a great analog out section or Blu-Ray player with high quality analog section (like an Oppo) to bring the audio quality coming from your speakers to a higher level.

7.1 preouts will let you upgrade to separate power amps in the future where you can then use the Receiver as processor/preamp and decrease the noise floor of the system while also increasing the sensitivity of your system (though NAD Receivers do tend to have a very low idle noise floor, you practically have to be right next to the drivers [a couple inches] with the gain set at reference to hear noise from the system at idle).

Why do receivers need to worry about 4k and 3D video abilities? The best way to handle everything video is connect directly from a 3D capable Blu-Ray player to your display with HDMI and using either analog out or the second HDMI connection, connect the audio from the BD player to the receiver. Keep the receiver out of the video path, there's no need for it to do the BD players job - it won't do a better job than the BD player.