The 8211 is excellent for basic stereo.

It would be nice to have more than three line level inputs.

I have purchased two of these receivers in the past couple of weeks. I got the other one at Circuit City yesterday on sale for $179. I love this receiver! I only care about stereo, and this stereo receiver fits my needs. The 8211 gives me all the low distortion volume I need or would want due to its high dynamic power and low impedance drive capabilities. The FM tuner section appears to be very good. It would be nice if it had more inputs, but a Radio Shack input selector box does just fine.

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I have two older Yamaha receivers.

clean powerful sound. deceptive regarding the 50 wpc output

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I purchased this for a secondary system. I guess I was quite a non-believer...that is ...if you have 20hz to 20khz response & less than 1% thm, you wouldn''t be able to tell the difference. It seems to outperform my Kenwood 100 wpc (with good specs) receiver (driving CSW Ensemble). I''m quite convinced the Onkyo is completely out of the Kenwoods league even remaining indifferent to the comparitive power ratings. I''m in a smaller soundstage driving CSW M80s - you couldn''t ask for a better, cleaner, more nuetral system. It''s a silly amount of overkill for a bedroom sized room. The power seems quite satisfactory...it will crank. And it sounds great playing demanding music. I''m primarily classical but also listen to jazz & rock. The classical often demands far greater output with accurate distortion free sound. Try it, you''ll be impressed.

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Kenwood kv1080

Simplicity, design, price

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I bought this receiver because of the reputation of Oynko products. This looks like a $500 machine, but I only payed $200 for it. It has been an excellent choice in both design and simplicity as well as producing a nice sound with a lot of low end if you need it.

very good bass, midrange and treble, focused and accurate sound for this price range

still noise in treble

In reply of my own review I am adding: I heard that with this receiver it is adviseable to use good speaker cable. I used AudioLab 2 pairs cable for JPW subwoofer and SoundLab for JPW monitor, I biwired the speakers and turned on the receiver. There has been a huge difference between biwired and not biwired system. Sound is now focused,very warm, accurate, and everything seem to be in place. For this price range very good sound, but there is still some noise in treble (because of price range) and hum from power transformer, but yet good product, advisable for all with low budget.

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Yamaha RX 396

very clean channels, with very little excess noise and hum. Also, because it is only a stereo receiver, you aren't paying extra for the pro-logic surround hardware.

Lack of digital input.

From Miles Davis to Vision of Disorder, this receiver keeps the music as clear as a bell. It is probably one of the best stereo receivers around as far as I have seen. It is easy to use, built to last and the 50 watts of power go a long way.

Build Quality, simplicity and sound quality

No coax or digital input for a cd player. No tv inputs

I was starting from scratch and i wanted a good quality reciever that i could have for a while. I also had a very small budget. At first i was sceptical about the 50 watt times 2 rating but it seems to push my speakers very well. I think that i would buy the surround sound one or the next step up with 100 watts x 2 if i could do it again. But for what its designed to do, it does very well.

A rarity today: a simple, solid stereo receiver. Solid construction, solid performance. Very nice sound together with my Paradigm Titans and NAD cd player. A bargain at USD 220-

I bought the 8211 to replace a defunct Fisher 400. My wife kept complaining about the sound. I recently bought an Onkyo TX-2500 on Ebay, vintage 1976. It only has 27w per chanel, but since I have moderatly efficient speakers, it generates a marvelous sound. I also pull in stations that I was not able to get on the 8211. The TX-2500 goes for much less than vintage Marantz units. I paid $61.00 plus shipping and my wife has stopped complaining.

Clean sound, handles clarity in lower range well, plenty of power.

A little flat at lower volumes unless "Selective Tone Control" is turned on. Increasing treble all the way introduces a noticeable hiss.

(Note: I'm using this receiver with a pair of Boston Acoustics CR08 bookshelf speakers)

I've read a review or two complaining that the Selective Tone Control is 1)no replacement for a loudness circuit (which this unit lacks), and 2) merely a bass/treble increase preset. Neither of these is true...turning STC on produces a very different, and must more pleasing, sound than turning the bass/treble all the way up.

This receiver in no way competes with the $300-500 HK or Marantz receivers some people seem to be comparing it to. If you want an amp that's absolutely perfect, then you should shell out the money for it. However, I'm a (very) poor graduate student who happens to love music. And I haven't been able to find a better deal than the Onkyo TX-8211. The sound is quite clean and crisp. Some receivers I've heard keep the lower end louder, but tend to muddy the sound. This is especially noticeable when listening to music that features a standup bass. The TX-8211 elegantly reprodouces the sound, so each note sounds very rich. Additionally, the TX-8211 handles the human voice exceptionally well. I discovered this on a spoken-word track by Godspeed You Black Emperor!. In one part violins, bells, and guitar overwhelmed and confused the recorded voice on a friend's receiver (using similar speakers). On the Onkyo unit, the words come out so crisp and clear that you can easily hear every nuance of inflection through the noise. A vocals-only track by Kari Bremnes also passed the test, and revealed subtleties I had not heard on previous listenings.

Finding a good stereo receiver below $300 is quite hard these days. Sony products abound, but I have yet to hear one that lives up to my expectations. The Onkyo TX-8211 was a pleasant surprise that fell well within my price range.

A final note: I've seen some stores trying to sell the unit for $250, but be warned that most stores ask $200, and it's often possible to find them on sale for $170 or so. At that price, the Onkyo TX-8211 is a bargain not to be missed.

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Harman Kardon, and an old Sony Str-6046A

I'm sorry, none.

disturbing noise and hum, no adequate tone control

In comparison to the previous model TX 8210 R, which I've used for several years and which still fills me with
enthusiasm, is this reciever a dissapointment.
The Selective Tone Control isn't more than an additional
button. In contrast to a real Loudness circuit this is a
deception, because of only setting the treble and bass
controlers to maximum level.
Furthermore there is a clear and loud disturbing noise and
even hum, chievly when using the treble control.
Consequently this model generation has not earned it anymore
to be called HiFi.

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TX 8210 R