Lots of power.Plenty of inputs. Sounds great even at low levels.

Remote control needs to be re-designed for more capability and appearence.No DTS.

This is my third Onkyo Receiver and so far the best, although the 777 comes close.I bought my 939 at a close out for well below the discount prices. With the money I saved I had the 939 upgraded with an in-board DTS modification by MSB and it sounds great, especially DTS CD's.DTS DVD's perform well but not as dramatic.

Great number of inputs/outputs. Awesome sound and power.

complex set-up, but great once you get used to it.

I purchased mine on clearance for $900. I had wanted one for a long time, but didn't want to spend $2500. Now that I own one - I would say it is worth $2500. With seven S-Video input/outputs I am able to control all of my video sources and maintain great quality (Cable, DSS, DVD, S-VHS VCR, HI-8mm camcorder). While the initial set-up can be a little tricky to get exactly right, I love the detailed controls that are available in this unit. The included analyzer was within 1db of an analog SPL meter. I highly recommend this unit to anyone that is serious about sound, but does not want to purchase individual components.

Great Dolby Digital decoding and THX mode

DSP modes. Not very believable.DSP-A1(YAMAHA) much better in this regard

Great sound in DOLBY DIGITAL if fathfully decoding soundtracks is your only criteria.
I wish ONKYO gave a DTS option too.
If DSP enhanced music is your liking I would suggest The DSP-A1.
But if DOLBY DIGITAL decoding via THX enhancement is your cup of tea, nothing comes near it.

Similar Products Used:

YAMAHA DSP-A1
DENON AVC-1530(only pro logic)

OVERPRICED

(follow up to my earlier review below)

Gawd I cant beleive I paid 2K for this frickin thing!!

Well designed & Build quality, Lots of power with no more then 0.05% THD, Great sound , Dynamic range , Ease of use , THX , Look .

I had some hiss & hum problems that were solved. Remote , No DTS ( but you can add the MSB card for 500$) ,
Only 3 digital inputs ( no digital outputs )Gets a little warm while the fan will work only in extreme conditions . No component video inputs . Price .

Well , my story with this receiver is quit complex but first I must say that I had this unit for a year and a half . Got it from authorized dealer in Israel .
At first I had no problem at all . It is a great unit,( the only receiver Onkyo has beside the 989 that runs more then 100W under 0.05% THD)This is very impressive .
Compared to the 838 I had before , this unit has more dynamic range and a better damping factor which will give you more accurate sound and a great punch.
THX processing is great but do your self a favor and turn off the dialogue normalization feature .
This feature is somehow,compress the dynamic range and lower all channel volume to compare to the center volume.
On screen display is very clear. even my mom can set up this unit .
Fan is quiet and will work only under heavy load .
A great feature is the 2 subwoofer outputs .when connecting them both to my subwoofer,I get more powerfull sound,
(I checked with one output and a Y cable – it’s not the same )
The remote however,like other said,is very disappointing, Yes it’s a learning remote , but an ugly one and does not have a backlight. I got a touch screen learning remote instead for only 100$ .
I noticed that when using the composite video connection
(not that you need to),there is a slight interference in the picture when the On screen Display is turned on and off.
(never happened in SVHS).
Strange thing about the 5.1 Inputs , where is the sub input ? do I need to connect the sub
Directly to an external decoder when using one ?
So how can I change the level ? I don’t get it .
The lack of digital inputs is another thing you need to consider.Only 3 input ( one coax 2 optical).
The price in Israel is an outrage , but there is nothing we can do about it .
actually , there is nothing else bad you can really say about this unit.
My problems began ( and I don’t blame Onkyo for that) when I upgraded the unit to include the MSB internal DTS Card).
From that moment and on , things started to go wrong .
Strange noises when using analog inputs , test tone cuts off , inability to run the Analyzer setup ,
Hum and hiss from center speaker when connecting SVSH cable from DVD ( never happened in composite ), and more then 2 seconds of detecting time when using a digital signal .
Most of the problems were solved after a couple of visits at the store , but this is not a unit that you want to carry more then once ( accept the one time when you buy it ) .
The ground connections inside the unit where change , also some changes in the DTS card were made .
Any how , DTS works fine now , great sound , but to tell the truth , If I had the ability to make the DTS upgrade decision again , I would not done it again .
Buy an external decoder if you want to upgrade , don’t mess with the unit, it’s not worth it .

Setup consist of :
Receiver Onkyo TX-DS 939 + DTS MSB internal card
2109 Toshiba DVD
34` Toshiba Flat screen TV (model 34N9)
B&W 603S3 main speakers
B&W CC3 Center Speakers
B&W 303 Surrounds speakers
A custom made subwoofer . (with 2 membrane) 100W class A Amp.
All connections made with Monster cable .

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo Tx-Ds 838

Many Power, very easy operation, clear tone, varied timbre.....and so one!!!

teh remote is not so clear. i bought the new one (381), it´s much better to use and it shines if you like.

i wouldn´t change the onkyo with any other a/v-amp or -receiver, NEVER!!!

Similar Products Used:

pioneer, sony, kenwood, yamaha, denon.

Dont know yet still trying to figure out Manual and Remote.

The remote aND MANUAL ARE VERY HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND gOOD gUYS SAID IM NOT ALONE.

Dont know yet still hooking it up,very hard to understand the book .the remote is quite baD ,May never understand it .

Similar Products Used:

Pionier

the best there was, the best there is and the best there will ever been.

no dts-decoder otherwise NONE!!!

you´ll never find a better a/v-amp for this price!
sorry phil, but you can´t compare a sony with an onkyo maybe an yamaha.

Similar Products Used:

yamaha dsp-a1, sony str-777es, pioneer vsa-e08, denon avc-a1, kennwod kvr-9992. no one ist better than the onkyo!!!

Leistung satt. Undlich viele Einstellmöglichkeiten. Bester Surround- und 1-A Stereoklang. Und rein optisch ist der der schönste Receiver überhaupt. Allein das Gerät anzuschauen erfreut jedesmal mein Herz.

Er könnte vielleicht etwas tiefere Bässe darstellen und man müsste einstellen können, wenn man den Aktiv-Sub einstellt, ob dann den Front-Lautsprechern alle tiefen Töne entzogen werden, oder ob weiterhin auch über die Fronts der Bass läuft, sowohl im Stereo- als auch im Surroundbetrieb. Aber dies ist wirklich ein verkraftbare Schwäche. Sonst gibt nicht den geringsten Mangel zu beklagen.

Ich kann den Onkyo TX-DS 939 wirklich nur empfehlen. Er ist einer der besten Receiver der Welt und kann es trotz seine "Alters" noch mit den neu auf dem Markt erscheinenden Geräten in seiner Preisklasse aufnehmen. Obwohl er nicht die aktuellsten Surround-Format unterstützt bietet er mit dem Dolby Digital und THX ein unvergleichliches Hörerlebnis, das seines gleichen sucht. Deswegen gibt es auch von mir in jeder Hinsicht die volle Punktzahl!

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer VSX-908; Denon AVC-A1D. Beide Geräte können dem Onkyo bei weitem nicht das Wasser reichen. (Siehe auch Audio-Bestenliste: http://www.netedition.de/audio_best/27.php3)

Lots of goodies to play with including a multitude of DSP settings.

Overpriced.

I could go on and on. Both good and bad. But the primary point behind my listing is that I want to inform future buyers to shop for a good price for receivers of this calibre. This receiver then and now, is not worth 2 grand.
I know that may upset a lot of die hards who own this model, but face it, there are many Yamahas and Sony ES out there who can give this thing a run for its money...for less money. I have put this thing thru the ringer and overall am satisfied, just dissapointed in the value.

My Sys:
Paradigm 1200 Sub
Paradigm ADP Surrounds
Paradigm Center
Def Tech BP6 fronts