Why Onkyo?

[Bokchoy]

Before I start, here's a history lesson:

Back when Blu-ray and HD-DVD were still doing battle, players that decoded both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA were rare and expensive. Meanwhile, Onkyo's x05 series was the first entry-level AVR line to be able to decode lossless audio codecs. No other AVR manufacturer could match this at under $1000, and Onkyo was the champ at this price range. Onkyo was particularly popular with HD DVD early adopters, because the cheapest player + receiver combination to bestow lossless audio always included the Onkyo 605. This was a truly compelling reason to purchase Onkyo over any other brand.

Fast-forward to the present. HD DVD is long gone. The PS3 finally decodes Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, as does just about every other $500+ player. Most notably, just about every $500+ MSRP AVR features lossless audio, 3+ HDMI inputs, and (at least) a Faroudja chip. Having these features at this price is no longer special. On top of that, Onkyo receivers have developed a reputation for overheating and questionable build quality. Not many receiver manufacturers have 300+ post threads about build quality issues on AVS.

So, under these circumstances, Onkyo, while still a power player in AVRs, is no longer the king of sub-$1,000 receivers, yet its fifteen minutes of fame still echo through these forums while AVR experts have moved on. This doesn't bother me at all except for the fact that just about everyone looking for recommendations on these forums is quickly pointed in the direction of Onkyo with little to no justification on why this particular brand is favorable to the many other brands out there.

I don't claim to be someone who can judge-by-ear the quality between equal-caliber receivers of different manufactuers. I don't think anyone can. However, surely someone here can explain why the Onkyo 606 is a better choice than: Pioneer 1018, Marantz 5001, Denon 789, Yamaha 663, Sony 920, H/K 254, etc... (or any other comparison of receivers competing in the same caliber).

This isn't a criticism against Onkyo receivers. I bet that anyone in the market for an AVR could buy any of the aforementioned receivers and be completely satisfied with their purchase. This post is more of a criticism behind the "Buy this brand and this model. Don't ask why. Just do it." mentality.