Onkyo pr-sc5508 vs emotiva XMC-1

[Scrappydue]

I think the op was asking about the top of the line pre pro from onkyo. The 5508.

I have this unit. I bought it brand new from 6th ave for $1500 shipped. I'm not really seeing how a Emotiva product would sound better than a onkyo with audyssey xt32. Tia was the reason I bought it. Also most of us on this forum like the certain sound we are accustomed to. Audyssey is made to make the system flat. Most people dont like flat and never will. They like the shrill of highs.

To the op, no I would not pay 1600 for it refurbed.

Nezff, the cheapest I have found it new was 1900. The refurb is 1549. Comes with 1 year warranty. New comes with 2 year warranty. For an additional 65 you can extend the warranty through the company. So around 1640 shipped "should" be basically the same as new. Unless refurb is not the same on these products. Only refurb stuff I have ever dealt with is from apple and if its cosmetically flawed its guts are put in an entirely new casing to appear new. But I would think if it still had the new warranty, it would be just fine. Let me know your opinion nezff.

[dtel]

I would never buy any receiver at $1500 or more, no matter what room correction it has.

Better components with a plain old db meter to balance the volumes would be my choice at those prices or higher, there is nothing special because it's a receiver, if anything it's lower grade than separates, if not in components in the construction, there not just sticking it all in one box because they like you, there making a killing.

And if you think there is no difference in sound, your either more deaf than I am, never heard them side by side or just in love a certain brand, but it's all good if your ears are happy with the standard Onkyo, Yamaha, Denon, Sony................there I think I ticked off most people...............my job is done here.............

Just another oponion..........

[nezff]

I would never buy any receiver at $1500 or more, no matter what room correction it has.

Better components with a plain old db meter to balance the volumes would be my choice at those prices or higher, there is nothing special because it's a receiver, if anything it's lower grade than separates, if not in components in the construction, there not just sticking it all in one box because they like you, there making a killing.

And if you think there is no difference in sound, your either more deaf than I am, never heard them side by side or just in love a certain brand, but it's all good if your ears are happy with the standard Onkyo, Yamaha, Denon, Sony................there I think I ticked off most people...............my job is done here.............

Just another oponion..........

First off, the 5508 is a pre pro and not a receiver. An spl meter to set everything in the room? Lol. And if you think that there isn't a difference in sound, you are deaf.

[Fish]

I think the op was asking about the top of the line pre pro from onkyo. The 5508.

I have this unit. I bought it brand new from 6th ave for $1500 shipped. I'm not really seeing how a Emotiva product would sound better than a onkyo with audyssey xt32. Tia was the reason I bought it. Also most of us on this forum like the certain sound we are accustomed to. Audyssey is made to make the system flat. Most people dont like flat and never will. They like the shrill of highs.

To the op, no I would not pay 1600 for it refurbed.

Good point about XT32. Like it or not, Audyssey is the standard for EQ and this one does sub EQ to fix in-room response (something I have to do with REW and a miniDSP). Unless Emotiva licenses Audyssey, they will likely always be behind the curve in that department.

(One HDMI output? What are they thinking! I guess the monoprice splitter will be still required when you drop a screen in front of a TV.)

Do videophiles really drop a screen in front of their TV? I didn't know a drop screen could meet that spec. I must confess though I don't know much about drop screens.Trinniov is better than Audyssey to me so I suppose for some Audyssey is not the end all in rc.What do you know about Tact rc?

[Beechnut]

I don't think it's a videophile issue, it's 110"'s!!!!!!!!!!

TV for mundain use, 110" for movies and sports. Saves bulb hours.

[psg]

I don't think it's a videophile issue, it's 110"'s!!!!!!!!!!

TV for mundain use, 110" for movies and sports. Saves bulb hours.

Right, for me it's 120" versus 50 to 65"... a huge difference. I don't want to watch TV programming on 120" for two reasons: first, if you get used to it, you won't go "wow" when you watch a movie. Second, HDTV is way too compressed from my provider for that big of a screen sitting 10 feet away.

So, I don't care if videophile would drop a screen of not, I do it (You didn't know drop screens could meet that spec? What spec is that? There's a spec?). Therefore I would not buy an expensive pre/pro with only one HDMI output and no component input.

[dtel]

And if you think there is no difference in sound, your either more deaf than I am

You read it wrong, I guess, I was saying the same thing, they DO sound different, and not just a little, and I am somewhat a little deaf . [:S]

And yes a DB meter, I didn't go into details, I was thinking......a Mic and a free program and a few fairly cheap room treatments will go further than or at least the same place but treating the real problem. Like you did in your room, that goes a long way especially if you have the patience to test make changes, retest.....

Isn't that all any of these programs can do, try to fix room problems, but they can change some things possibly not wanted to make up for the room, where the real problem is.

Really, your right, I had just read a long thread about different receivers just before this and must have confused the two ? I was thinking it was a receiver for some reason, but now everyone know how I feel about higher priced receivers. []

[Scrappydue]

And if you think there is no difference in sound, your either more deaf than I am

You read it wrong, I guess, I was saying the same thing, they DO sound different, and not just a little, and I am somewhat a little deaf .

And yes a DB meter, I didn't go into details, I was thinking......a Mic and a free program and a few fairly cheap room treatments will go further than or at least the same place but treating the real problem. Like you did in your room, that goes a long way especially if you have the patience to test make changes, retest.....

Isn't that all any of these programs can do, try to fix room problems, but they can change some things possibly not wanted to make up for the room, where the real problem is.

Really, your right, I had just read a long thread about different receivers just before this and must have confused the two ? I was thinking it was a receiver for some reason, but now everyone know how I feel about higher priced receivers.

Dtel, I'm glad you cleared that up cause you totally demotivated me for most of today! But I'm all better now and back on to my hope of choosing one of these. But it sounds like the onkyo is gonna be the way to go. Which will

Probably be best since I already know how to navigate them really well already.

[dtel]

Sorry about that, I didn't do it on purpose, just got it mixed up with something I read earlier.

Made me think I need to be more careful, I had no idea anyone would take me serious. Most here know more about HT than me, that's why I read here alot. I rarely use multi channel, we probably don't watch a movie once a month, I even listen to music DVD's in 2 Ch most of the time. Need to update it some and it may get used more ?

One thing I don't get is how something can sound good for HT but not so good on music ? If music is harder to get to sound good, I would guess that would make a better HT if it does music well ?

[willland]

One thing I don't get is how something can sound good for HT but not so good on music ?

The objective of HT is channel seperation, effects, and impact. The objective of music is instrument seperation, soundstage, imaging. A BOSE Lifestyle system can give pretty darn good HT quality(in tiny spaces) but for music, well........you know.

Bill

[Youthman]

The objective of HT is channel seperation, effects, and impact. The objective of music is instrument seperation, soundstage, imaging. A BOSE Lifestyle system can give pretty darn good HT quality(in tiny spaces) but for music, well........you know.

Bill

I agree...dejavu?

[Youthman]

The objective of HT is channel seperation, effects, and impact. The objective of music is instrument seperation, soundstage, imaging. A BOSE Lifestyle system can give pretty darn good HT quality(in tiny spaces) but for music, well........you know.

Bill

I agree...dejavu?

[willland]

I agree...dejavu?

A little plagiarism.

Bill

[Mrtie]

I use both onkyo and emotiva products in my set up, so I have a few thoughts to add.

First while I have an older 886, I'm sure the newer unit is simply more of a good thing, but the unit is not without it's issues. The biggest issue with my 886 is any analog input sounds like pure garbage, hollow, dead sounding, and thin. This is not to say the unit does not sound good, on a pure digital chain it sounds amazing, and I am a firm believer in audessey. However I love vinyl, so I was left in the cold when I sold off my 2 channel gear, that's where emotiva came to the rescue, I picked up a USP-1 with HT bypass, and a tube phono stage, now I can enjoy all of the benefits of the onkyo when in the digital realm, and not hate to play my records. I cannot comment on emotiva's HT pre-pro or it's replacement as I haven't heard either of them, but I can say for digital music the onkyo was a game changer in my system, and I am very happy with it. I am also using emotiva amps.

[tmassey]

Have you considered a UMC-1? The SQ is amazing. And with the money you saved, you could upgrade to the XMC-1 when it does come out, treat your room (which is actually fixing the problem of room correction instead of putting the Audyssey band-aid on it), and probably have enough left over to buy an Apple TV to make up for the lack of all the extra features if that is what you are looking for in the Onkyo. That is assuming you are able to sell the UMC-1 once you get the XMC-1 as well though.

[psg]

(One HDMI output? What are they thinking! I guess the monoprice splitter will be still required when you drop a screen in front of a TV.)

Do videophiles really drop a screen in front of their TV? I didn't know a drop screen could meet that spec.

Really OT, but if you meant a drop screen not being of decent enough quality for a videophile (which is a bit condescending), my screen manufacturer puts the same screen material on fixed screen as they do on tab-tensioned electric drop screens.

[dtel]

One thing I don't get is how something can sound good for HT but not so good on music ?

The objective of HT is channel separation, effects, and impact. The objective of music is instrument separation, soundstage, imaging. A BOSE Lifestyle system can give pretty darn good HT quality(in tiny spaces) but for music, well........you know.

Bill

Thanks, that makes a little more sense, I could somewhat get when someone says "more musical" when describing things but never understood the differences for Ht.

What you describe is similar in what you want from 2 Ch also.

I guess the big difference is for HT it can more easily sound different because your also dealing with how it sounds from 5 or more speakers which adds more problems than dealing with just 2 speakers as far as having it all integrate as one seamless sound.

[Fish]

(One HDMI output? What are they thinking! I guess the monoprice splitter will be still required when you drop a screen in front of a TV.)

Do videophiles really drop a screen in front of their TV? I didn't know a drop screen could meet that spec.

Really OT, but if you meant a drop screen not being of decent enough quality for a videophile (which is a bit condescending), my screen manufacturer puts the same screen material on fixed screen as they do on tab-tensioned electric drop screens.

I noted I don't know much about drop downs, you omitted that.I actually thought about that exact same thing, dropping in front of my TV.On the forums I was reading it was agreed that a fixed screen would offer overall better picture that did not move from fans etc....I don't know if that's true or not but those guys talked as if they were well informed(videophiles).I'm not making any call on it, I don't know.

Back to the program.

[Scrappydue]

I use both onkyo and emotiva products in my set up, so I have a few thoughts to add.

First while I have an older 886, I'm sure the newer unit is simply more of a good thing, but the unit is not without it's issues. The biggest issue with my 886 is any analog input sounds like pure garbage, hollow, dead sounding, and thin. This is not to say the unit does not sound good, on a pure digital chain it sounds amazing, and I am a firm believer in audessey. However I love vinyl, so I was left in the cold when I sold off my 2 channel gear, that's where emotiva came to the rescue, I picked up a USP-1 with HT bypass, and a tube phono stage, now I can enjoy all of the benefits of the onkyo when in the digital realm, and not hate to play my records. I cannot comment on emotiva's HT pre-pro or it's replacement as I haven't heard either of them, but I can say for digital music the onkyo was a game changer in my system, and I am very happy with it. I am also using emotiva amps.

i can't seem to find much info on the USP-1 as far as the bypass goes. i am not really understanding how that portion works of that. can you ellaborate a little on that. i plan to eventually have a 2 channel setup on its own having nothing to do with my theater room. so i dont even know that i would need the USP-1. not sure though

[psg]

(One HDMI output? What are they thinking! I guess the monoprice splitter will be still required when you drop a screen in front of a TV.)

Do videophiles really drop a screen in front of their TV? I didn't know a drop screen could meet that spec.

Really OT, but if you meant a drop screen not being of decent enough quality for a videophile (which is a bit condescending), my screen manufacturer puts the same screen material on fixed screen as they do on tab-tensioned electric drop screens.

I noted I don't know much about drop downs, you omitted that.I actually thought about that exact same thing, dropping in front of my TV.On the forums I was reading it was agreed that a fixed screen would offer overall better picture that did not move from fans etc....I don't know if that's true or not but those guys talked as if they were well informed(videophiles).I'm not making any call on it, I don't know.

Back to the program.

Yeah, a drop screen will likely move if you have a fan in the room. Otherwise I would expect the same image quality if the material is the same. A fixed screen is less susceptible of developing waves over time, but a tensioned drop screen isn't bad in that department either.