Non onkyo reciever roughly equivlent to the onkyo 806?

[BLindsay]

So im pretty much done with onkyo after this and i was wondering what are some other recievers in the spec/feature range of the onkyo 806/805 and in a similar price range?


edit:
Pioneer VSX-03TXH
Pioneer VSX-01TXH
Yamaha RX-V863
Sony STR-DA2400ES

those seem to be comparable

[crackinhedz]

The Pioneer 03 would be a step up from the 806.

[Blu_balls]

Maybe the Denon AVR-889 or 2309? Denon would be my preference anyway!

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

The Pioneer 03 would be a step up from the 806.

cool and i can actually demo it at my local bestbuy, ill have to check it out

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by Blu_balls

Maybe the Denon AVR-889 or 2309? Denon would be my preference anyway!

i would want it to have pre-outs, it seems the 2309 doesnt, does the 889?

[Audiophile_At_Birth]

I would wait for the new pioneer at this point. The VSX-1019TXH I believe it is?? Due out April of May. $500 new.

I almost opted for the 1018, but found an 805

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by Audiophile_At_Birth

I would wait for the new pioneer at this point. The VSX-1019TXH I believe it is?? Due out April of May. $500 new.

I almost opted for the 1018, but found an 805

im to impacient to wait that long

[JasonR]

I would look at the Pioneer Elite line, the Sony ES line is pretty sick as well. Do a demo if you can and choose what sounds best to you.

[Audiophile_At_Birth]

Originally Posted by BLindsay

im to impacient to wait that long

I'm really sorry for all your troubles. I think you and I were looking for a reciever for about the same ammount of time. I hope everything works out for you.

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by JasonR

I would look at the Pioneer Elite line, the Sony ES line is pretty sick as well. Do a demo if you can and choose what sounds best to you.

yeah i can demo the pioneers at my best buy

also ill probably get a pioneer tv in the near future so it looks like i might be going to their camp altogether lol

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by Audiophile_At_Birth

I'm really sorry for all your troubles. I think you and I were looking for a reciever for about the same ammount of time. I hope everything works out for you.

part of me doesnt want to send the 806 back (obiously i will though) i hate being without a reciever and other then the center it works just fine

[wdhays]

Originally Posted by BLindsay

part of me doesnt want to send the 806 back (obiously i will though) i hate being without a reciever and other then the center it works just fine

Hey BLindsay,

Sorry to hear the 806 didn't work out for you. A few comments on your receiver short list:

I just upgraded from a Pioneer Elite, about 3 years old, when I got the 806. The pioneer had a much darker sound. The 806 seemed to open the sound up so much more. I guess that is called "resolution"? It had good power though, even running all channels.

I've read most of the professional reviews on all of the receivers, paying special attention to power output with all channels driven. The Sony ES line never seems to be able to output full rated power, or even close to it. For that reason, I've never tried one. One note though: It was a Sony ES that popped a tweeter in a local hifi shop on a Paradigm Reference Series speaker. In case you are not familiar, clipping is caused by lack of power & usually blows speakers.

Denon has never disappointed, but they are usually more expensive. I hooked up an old Denon 1801 in my current system & it sounds really good. Additionally, I am suddenly getting all of my local FM stations again. I only got 1 channel with the 806. If you don't need 4 HDMI's, last years Denon would be a great receiver.

BTW, I posted all of my "garage sale" stuff on Craigslist & came up with the extra $450.00 & the 876 is on it's way. If that one doesn't work out, it will be only Denon for me, from now on.

[Beta Man]

Crack.... where's that link for the Denon with the promo-code???


THAT is my vote!

[callas01]

Originally Posted by wdhays

The Sony ES line never seems to be able to output full rated power, or even close to it. For that reason, I've never tried one. One note though: It was a Sony ES that popped a tweeter in a local hifi shop on a Paradigm Reference Series speaker. In case you are not familiar, clipping is caused by lack of power & usually blows speakers.

I'm calling BS here for the fact that my Dad has a Sony ES5200 and powers 6 B&W speakers in his home theatre.

[wdhays]

Originally Posted by callas01

I'm calling BS here for the fact that my Dad has a Sony ES5200 and powers 6 B&W speakers in his home theatre.

I'm glad your dad likes his, callas01. If 43 to 66 watts is all you need, that's great. He obviously doesn't listen at reference levels or anywhere close to it.

Numbers don't lie, though. Here are a few reviews with bench testing:

http://hometheatermag.com/receivers/...rb/index3.html

http://www.hometheatermag.com/receiv...ck/index7.html

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

Non- ES Sony's are even worse. Try 32 watts. See link:

http://www.hometheatermag.com/receiv...ny/index2.html

Or, maybe your dad has blown his speakers already. The last time I went to my dad's house, he had blown his center channel tweeter with his mid-level Yamaha receiver. He didn't even know it. With a 5.1 system, a lot of people might not. His Yamaha tests out at 45 watts as well.

I have recommended that he (my dad) upgrade to an Emotiva 3 channel amp. Most of these sub- $500 receivers cannot reliably power a 5 or 7 channel system, without risking damage to the speakers. They are really only good for powering 2 speakers. If your dad values his B&W's, you might recommend the same to him.

[hagar852]

For the most part listening to movies at reference level is not realistic. It is usually way to loud in most people's home theater rooms. Just because it is loud doesn't mean it will sound good either no matter what amp you use. Your room will dictate whether or not you can play up to those levels.

I guess it is a status symbol to say you can play at reference levels.

I haven't had an issue with my ES even bringing it up to reference levels with my aperion speakers.

The other thing that is important to realize is that not all source material is equal. There could be clipping occuring in the recording already before you even turn up the volume. I found this in a few sources I have heard where the levels it was recorded at where already high and caused distortion at low level volumes. Other members I spoke with also verified these findings on their setups which ofcourse had different equipment.

Just remember that source material plays a huge roll in problems with playback.

[Beta Man]

I've had a LOT of different receivers over the years...... Onkyo and Sony ES line included...... people here seem to love to tear apart Sony for their poor clarity (not going into power output here), and Onkyo seems to get constant praise here.....

I don't have Sony or Onkyo very high on my list of receivers, but certainly don't understand why Sony gets all the hate, and Onkyo gets all the love.... I think both companies make products that sound too processed (unnatural) I'd go towards Yamaha or Pioneer at the entry price points

[wdhays]

It is not about listening at reference levels. -I usually listen at at -20 to -15, BTW. It is about having headroom. I am not trying to listen at unbearable levels. I actually appreciate my hearing.

What I am saying has more to do with the dynamics of the soundtracks. That's where much of the realism comes from. If the explosions were only as loud as the dialogue, it wouldn't be interesting enough for any of us to be here. The realism we expect here comes from dynamics & that requires headroom.

With a volume of -15, I figure I'm drawing about 4 watts. With 130 watt receiver, that gives me 15db headroom. That means, if the dialogue is @ 75db, then an explosion can hit 90db.

If I only had 60 watts, the same explosion would only be 87db. Keep in mind that a 3db difference is perceived as twice as loud & requires twice the power.

So, if 60 watt receiver were playing at 4 watts & the soundtrack delivered a 15 db peak, it would probably start clipping. The user would have to turn the receiver down to 2 watts to handle this peak without risking damage & to keep a comparable amount of dynamics as the 130 watt receiver, playing at 4 watts.

That would drop his dialogue to 72db. In a small, quiet room, this may be enough. In a large room with kids running around playing, you are going to need more power. That is why there are so many questions to answer when trying to choose a sound system.

In reality, an explosion may be 120db or more. That would require 130,000 watts and would in effect, be an actual explosion. Obviously we wouldn't want that, but the point is, the more power you have available, the more realistic your home theater can be.

It has taken years for me to learn all of this & I am only trying to help. I learned the hard way, one piece of electronics at a time. That is a very expensive way to go.

I am not trying to bash one brand & elevate another. You won't catch me defending a brand just because I own it. By now, I have owned just about all of them. I am only offering my experience as I would to my own son.

[callas01]

Looking at that list of receivers you put, and wether it was an $400 onkyo or a $900 Yamaha, there aren't any that put out the "stated" watts per channel. the Yamaha 863 was like 47 watts continuous, the sonys were about the same, the onkyos a little higher, the pioneers maybe just above that. Also, there were a few that said, 'it is hard to believe that the wattage output was a low as we found, the sound coming from the reciever felt much more powerful.' and then some tech gargin to explain their point. I think that was a Sony and a Yamaha. So for someone in the sub $1000 range there isn't much if any options. What would be recommended? I assume a receiver with a pre-pro so that you can add the additional 50-100 watts of continuous power?

[wdhays]

Originally Posted by callas01

Looking at that list of receivers you put, and wether it was an $400 onkyo or a $900 Yamaha, there aren't any that put out the "stated" watts per channel. the Yamaha 863 was like 47 watts continuous, the sonys were about the same, the onkyos a little higher, the pioneers maybe just above that. Also, there were a few that said, 'it is hard to believe that the wattage output was a low as we found, the sound coming from the reciever felt much more powerful.' and then some tech gargin to explain their point. I think that was a Sony and a Yamaha. So for someone in the sub $1000 range there isn't much if any options. What would be recommended? I assume a receiver with a pre-pro so that you can add the additional 50-100 watts of continuous power?

In most of the links, the advertised specs were on the previous page. They were all rated in the 100 to 120 watt range. - I made sure.

That is why I usually only recommend Denon or Onkyo in the sub-$1000 range. They usually test @ 90% or better of their rated power. Those measuring at around 50% of their advertised power, automatically get scratched off my list. I don't like being lied to.

And I would always go for the model with pre-outs, for the very reason you stated.

I would love to be able to recommend Marantz, but the only reviewed models I find, range from $2,000 to $5,000. And even those only did 120 & 110 watts, respectively. -Go figure.