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Review 3 of 21
Price Paid:
$749.00
from bestpriceaudiovideo. Summary:
Wow, this is an excellent reciever. I upgraded from an older Onkyo 575x mainly because I wanted a reciever that had Pro Logic II. But when I thought about it, I said I might as well buy me a reciever that is made for the future and will last me long enough for me to build around it. And that is exactly what I have now with my 800. It has plenty of power, solid build construction, pleasing visual appearance, every surround sound available to date, 7.1 output, THX certification with THX Surround EX, all for less than $1000. For the price, I don't think there is a reciever out there that can beat it. Trust me, I checked. I spent at least 2 months searching the internet everyday, looking at home theater forums, and shopping at different electronic stores spanning 3 different states to find out what is the best reciever for that price with all those features. Of course I was told about the usual top choices: the Denon 3803 and the HK 525. I also listened to the Marantz (not sure which one), the Yamaha 2300, and the Integra 7.3. Basically, I found out one major thing. All of these companies try to use several tactics just to get our (the consumers') money. Also, some stores favor certain brands over others. When it comes down to it, I recommend just going and listening in person to the reciever of your choice and not pay to much attention to what others may think and some stores may tell you. It's good to know what brands are good and it's good to use others' opinion as a guide. From my research I found that those were the best recievers in the $1000 class. Then I used my own judgment. I did not know much about the Marantz and I only found in 1 out of like 10 stores I searched. I personally wanted a well known product that is easliy accessible so that was a turn off. I also didn't like the way the reciever looked and while it sounded good, it didn't impress to the point where it blew away any of the other brands. The Integra is basically Onkyo and I only found that in a small local store as well. For the same reciever in the Integra brand is $200 more expensive than the 800 and I couldn't figure out why. Besides some new colors on the speaker terminals and some slightly more sturdy construction, I didn't think the "luxury" features were worth the extra money. The Yamaha is a favorite for some smaller chains, but others don't have much good to say about it. I found the display to be too simple and the remote control too complex. Also, the reciever was "too" customizable making it a hassle to use. But most importantly, for the same price, it was missing the 7th channel. That left the Denon, Onkyo, and HK, all which I heard great things about. The Denon may sound excellent, but I didn't like the way it looked at all. To me it is an ugly reciever and looks really dull. Also, it costs about $300 more than the 800. So, between the 525 and the 800, I asked around about a dozen stores and at least 10 of them recommended the Onkyo. They said the HK gets too hot and there have been a lot of problems with it's stabilty. I listened to the two side by side and did notice a slightly warmer sound from the HK. But again, the difference wasn't mind blowing. To a casual listener, it would take about 20-30 min of hard listening to notice it. So, the 800 had it all and I got it for $250 less than the retail price. I highly recommend this reciever. You can look it up and see the great reviews for it, but when it comes down to it, you be the judge. Listen for yourself. I was having a hard time deciding and was anxious for help, so I hope this helps someone out there with my same problem. Strengths:
- Powerful sound at 100wpc
- 7 discrete amplifiers for 7 channel sound
- Every surround mode available today including DTS 96/24 and THX surround EX
- Many great features exclusive to Onkyo such as Intellivolume and WRAT technology
- Easy to use, especially for the $1000 class recievers
- 192 khz/24 bit D/A converters for 6 channels
- Zone 2 capability
- Solid build construction and sleek design Weaknesses:
- If you have never been into home theater, you might not want to start out with a reciever of this class as it may be a little difficult to use.
- Needs a few days when first purchased to be "run in". Sound may not sound right initially.
- In terms of the actual performance of the reciever...NONE Similar Products Used:
Onkyo 577x
Denon 2803, 3803
HK 525
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