Denon vs. Onkyo Sound with Forte's

[daverphcvs]

Hey All, I currently run a Denon 4802 in my dedicated Home Theater which I use 50-50 between movies and music, I now have the upgrade itch.

I am looking at the new 4308 Denon or the Onkyo 905, the Denon is not THX nor does it have a torodial supply, the Onkyo has both. I was wondering if anyone out there has experience with matching Forte's with onkyo receivers and how is the sound?? I really like the warm sound of the Denon but the new Onkyo seems to have more bells and whistles while also being cheaper. Thanks...

[dtel's wife]

More bells and whistles doesn't always mean better sound. I don't which is better, but I would definitely consider sound quality over bells and whistles, unless the bells and whistles are critical to your overall sound.

[oldbuckster]

DENON over Onkyo .................. shop around, many choices to be had in Audio Goods........... www.outlawaudio.com ...for one !!!!!!!!!!!!

[theplummer]

I think you'll be fine with either choice, as the Forte is a pretty forgiving speaker. I have a pair and they sound fine with my ADCOM amp and this amp is so harsh on Chorus's that it's almost unlistenable.

[wuzzzer]

One nice thing I've found about Fortes is that they don't need a really high-end amp to make them sound really good. I used a few different amps/receivers with my old RF-7s and couldn't afford to keep trying to find the holy grail for them.

If you look at my signature you'll see that I'm running a Sonic Impact T-amp with my Fortes. I have my oppo DVD player going directly into it, no pre-amp at this time. I don't know exactly what dB number I'm hitting at times, but I can tell you that it is very loud and very clear. Having all the bass from 80Hz and down be handled by my SVS sub definitely helps the little amp have more juice for the rest of the frequency range however.

I think you'll do fine with whichever one you choose, both are good brands. Pick the one that has the features you want most.

[oldtimer]

I agree. The Forte and Forte II will sound good with just about anything. They will also sound even better as you climb the amp ladder in significant steps, like say double the money or more.

[dtel's wife]

The Forte and Forte IIs are probably the most forgiving of all the Heritage line. As most have indicated they will sound good with almost anything!

[gillis51]

I have the same problem but I have RF7's, RC64, R5800W's.

[Zen Traveler]

Fwiw, I don't know the differences between the Denon AVR 4802 or the AVR 4802R (which I owned and is thx ultra II rated) but I think the Denon 4308 is probably a step below in the Amp and preamp (if you have THX processing) section than your AVR 4802.

Over at the AVS forum there appear to be quite a few people making comments about the new Onkyos that would make me consider the Denon AVR 4308 if you need the video switching--If not, I would stick with your Denon.

Another option would be to consider the Denon AVR-4806 which does have some new "bells and whistles," is THX ultra II, and has modern video switching...