Onkyo txds595 (1 Viewer)

[Albert M]

Does the Onkyo txds595 have sub options within the DPL2 music mode(such as Panorama, Center Width or Dimension) like the Kenwood vr507?

 

[Jeremy Anderson]

Nope... Onkyo uses the defaults that Fosgate came up with for DPL2's Movie and Music modes, and that's it. That being said, the defaults are pretty damned nice-sounding. I almost bought the Kenwood because of this, but after hearing it at a friend's house I'm glad I stuck with the 595.

 

[Albert M]

Jeremy, can you tell me more about the difference in sound quality between the two receivers? I am looking at the Kenwood htb504 or the Onkyo txds595 with the Harman Kardon hkts-2 speaker set.

 

[Jeremy Anderson]

The Kenwood sounds muddier in the midrange to me, and the Onkyo just has an overall warmer sound to it. Some have complained about a lack of bass in the Onkyo's crossover range, but I find that this is mostly due to people being used to exaggerated bass levels at that frequency range due to loudness controls, crossovers with shorter slopes, etc.
When I was receiver-shopping, I avoided Kenwood because of their past track record on budget gear (their high-end stuff is pretty spiffy though), and I'm glad I did. I've toyed with my friend's Kenwood and the DPL2 adjustments, and frankly I'm glad I don't have those adjustments because I'd just sit there and tweak them all the damn time. The Onkyo's default settings work very well and create a very natural soundstage without being showy, and that's what I was looking for in a receiver.
I recommend going to your local B&M and listening to both receivers before you decide. You may not be looking for the same sound that I look for in a receiver (since all of this shit is subjective).