Is the Onkyo 705 worth $250 more than the 605 for Matrix Sound?

[krizzz]

Hey all - I am in the market for a 7.1 HDMI receiver to mate with my PS3. I am torn between the Onkyo 605 and 705. I'm not concerned with the additional inputs or the THX2 certification.

The only factor leading me towards the 705 at ($250 more) is that it will matrix 5.1 into a 7.1 sound-field. I figure that if I am going the 7.1 route, it would be nice to have those speakers popping for every movie.

So my questions are these:

1. Does anyone have the 705/805 and use the matrix on 5.1 signals?

2. Does it improve the movie experience or just sound hokie?

3. Does it only work with certain audio outputs (eg only PCM, or only bistream, etc.) If so, would I be using an inferior quality audio track to enable the Matrix effect?

Sorry if these are dumb questions, but the new audio formats are still a bit confusing to me.

TIA.

[un4gvn94538]

theres plenty of differences. ill post a link where you can check the boxes of receiver your looking at then at the top click compare. this will give you side by side comparison

here you go http://www.us.onkyo.com/prod_class.cfm?class=Receiver

605 can give you 7.1 too ( i was told), just not thx select 2 like the 705.

[krizzz]

Originally Posted by un4gvn94538

theres plenty of differences. ill post a link where you can check the boxes of receiver your looking at then at the top click compare. this will give you side by side comparison

here you go http://www.us.onkyo.com/prod_class.cfm?class=Receiver

605 can give you 7.1 too, just not thx select 2 like the 705.

Thanks much for your reply, but I wasn't looking for a feature comparison (although that link is very useful). I was looking for more detailed "in use" information about Matrix surround processing. Not just "this receiver has it, this one does not". I hope that makes sense.

[kotton247]

When I get enough cash, I'm getting the 705. The 805 still sounds really buggy and too hot (literally) for me to deal with.

[un4gvn94538]

Originally Posted by krizzz

Thanks much for your reply, but I wasn't looking for a feature comparison (although that link is very useful). I was looking for more detailed "in use" information about Matrix surround processing. Not just "this receiver has it, this one does not". I hope that makes sense.

well i can only talk about the 705 which i have. and yes i use the matrix for 5.1. i use a ps3 for blu ray (for now) via hdmi. in order for me to use the matrix 7.1 for games and videos on the hard drive i have to uncheck the 7.1 and 5.1 pcm selections. dont know what your using for blu.

for me the extra cash that it costs is well worth it. kinda hard not to talk about features though, but the 7.1 analog outs make it more future proof, optical out, phono....theres more but i use all the extra connectivity that the 605 doesnt have.

i have used the 7.1 matrix for pcm sound from blu and bitstreamed audio.
i believe it does enhance the sound.

if your usinig the tru hd track and dts ma tracks, i dont believe youll be using inferior sound for the 7.1 matrix

[krizzz]

Thanks un4gvn.