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Onkyo receivers - help me to choose


lel

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I am going to upgrade my old Denon and looking at different Onkyo models. The choice is between 3 of them: HT-RC370, TX-NR709 and TX-NR809. I looked at the specifications on Onkyo site and back panel pictures of all these models, but still can't decide.

HT-RC370 vs TX-NR709. The 709 has 10 extra watts of power per channel, which I probably will not need or notice with my speakers, 1 more HDMI in and out and zone 2 trigger. Other then that they look the same. For some reason HT-RC370 has less complains about failures and negative reviews. The difference in price is not significant.

TX-NR809 on the other hand has different (better?) video chip HQV Vida and push-pull design. Are these 2 improvements worth spending extra $200? Will I hear the difference in sound or notice better picture quality? It also has more power, but again even my 70 watt Denon has more power than I need.

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cornfedksboy , they all have pre-outs and 7 channel analog input. Can you really hear the difference your 125 wpc Marantz makes vs 110 wpc Onkyo?

Yes, the Marantz made a big difference in the bass output of the RF-82s. It also added bass and musical seperation to my WF-35s when I A/B'd them against my RF-82s. I didn't notice a ton of difference in the mids or highs with the Marantz/RF-82 combo in 2-channel, but this did allow for a MUCH more substantial surround experience when I removed some of the burden from the Onkyo and just let it run the the rear 4 speakers. I don't think it's the amount of watts I went to (rated at 125 but tested at 180), but the quality it put out with the various loads that helped speed up the bass. That said, I don't know that you'll get a ton of benefit from 125 Onkyo watts versus 110 Onkyo watts vs 100 Onkyo watts, however, there may be something to the push-pull set-up. I'll let someone with a little more knowlege on the subject chime in.

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you could always look at a umc + upa5/7 (used) or xpa 5 (youll have a more profound upgrade with these)

otherwise id grab the least expensive one, likely very little differences unless you really need a certain feature or instead of 7 hdmis you want 8...

and the marantz units definitely help lift the burden off the avrs

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In just looking at the logo list below the receiver pictures on Onkyo's site, here are the things the 809 has that are not in the 370:

isf
Utilizing industry-leading ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) video calibration allows you to dramatically improve your home theater by enabling sharper-focused, fuller resolution images and a more accurate color balance. ISF Calibration turns your A/V receiver into a true video hub, this function ensures that every video source is independently calibrated for your connected high-definition display. ISF video calibration has also been shown to improve energy savings in displays and projectors by up to 50%
Last.FM
Last.fm is a music recommendation service. You use Last.fm by signing up and downloading The Scrobbler, which helps you discover more music based on the songs you play.
MediaFly
Mediafly, Inc. powers a global Internet-based service for the consumption of podcasts via mobile devices, tablet computers, portable media players, Internet radios, and Internet-connected TV devices. The free Mediafly application enables users to consume an aggregated library of video and audio podcasts on a variety of subjects such as: news, music, sports, autos, and technology.

Perhaps this will help you decide...

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TX-NR809 on the other hand has different (better?) video chip HQV Vida and push-pull design. Are these 2 improvements worth spending extra $200? Will I hear the difference in sound or notice better picture quality? It also has more power, but again even my 70 watt Denon has more power than I need.

I say get the Onkyo TX-NR709 and just add this.

image 0 image 1
image 2 image 3

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/ele/2603470679.html

Sorry to be a little biased for outboard amps but my experience over just a mid level receiver alone has been overwhelmingly positive. I have the four generations ago Onkyo TX-SR705 and it fine by itself with a smaller system but really came into it's own when I added an outboard amp to the mix.

Bill

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Fortunately for us, your system does have some comprehensive measurements to give us an idea of how much amplification you need:

http://www.hometheater.com/content/klipsch-reference-rb-75-ht-labs-measures

The first thing to note is that all of the speakers dip down below the 4 ohm mark. Even the 809 is only THX Select 2 (versus Ultra 2) rated, meaning it is only certified to be stable down to 4 ohms on the main channels and 8 ohms on the rest. Because of this, I would recommend outboard amplification.

In terms of how much outboard amplification, you obviously need something that will drive the loads presented. However, the actual amount of power you need depends upon the sensitivity of your speakers, all of them rated by home theater's reckoning as being 92dB sensitive or greater on average under quasi-anechoic conditions, although notably the RB-75 does have a dip in the upper midrange down to 87dB. The other factors include how loud you like to listen, and how far you sit from your speakers. Using that information, a simple SPL calculator can give you a fair idea of how much juice you need per channel. FWIW, "Reference Level" calls for average levels of 85dB and peaks of 105dB from each channel except LFE, which is 10dB higher. That may be a useful starting point for you, although I personally never approach reference level or even -10dB from reference under normal circumstances.

http://myhometheater.homestead.com/splcalculator.html

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I say get the Onkyo TX-NR709 and just add this.

image 0 image 1
image 2 image 3

I had this amp for a few years, it's a really good amp.After being on for about 20 minutes the thing just made magic, it operates as class A up to a few watts.The downside is they are very vulnerable to groud issues, so much so they put a lift swith on later models.Still one of the best multi channel amps I ever owned.I had this with a few Denon 38xx models and although Denon was rather polite it was a good combo.I'm not really commenting on the avr choice, it's best to audition every time, just loved that amp.It also bech tested better than published specs and into 7's low ohms dips it rocked.

I also noticed the guy that has it for sale said it run hot but it's normal, that's true, could fry eggs but worked great.

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I am going to upgrade my old Denon and looking at different Onkyo models. The choice is between 3 of them: HT-RC370, TX-NR709 and TX-NR809. I looked at the specifications on Onkyo site and back panel pictures of all these models, but still can't decide.



HT-RC370 vs TX-NR709. The 709 has 10 extra watts of power per channel, which I probably will not need or notice with my speakers, 1 more HDMI in and out and zone 2 trigger. Other then that they look the same. For some reason HT-RC370 has less complains about failures and negative reviews. The difference in price is not significant.



TX-NR809 on the other hand has different (better?) video chip HQV Vida and push-pull design. Are these 2 improvements worth spending extra $200? Will I hear the difference in sound or notice better picture quality? It also has more power, but again even my 70 watt Denon has more power than I need.

http://www.joerodhometheater.com/untitled5.html

Go toward the bottom of this link there are reviews of all 3 you mentioned plus the reviews on the 1009 and 3009.

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