Receiver dilemna (1 Viewer)

[saltinewarrior]

I know that there seems to be endless threads asking advice as to what receiver one should purchase. I'm sure it also gets a little old for those members who frequent the board on a regular basis. However, after reading all of the threads I could find on the topic (which as helpful), I'm still a little unsettled on my decision and hoping that some of you can offer some advice!

It has basically come down to the Onkyo SR707 and the Denon 1910. All along I thought I would most likely go with another Denon receiver because I already own two and like them very much. However, after all of my reading, I think I might make a switch. My home theater set up is basically not that impressive (now that I'm no longer a bachelor) so my demands for features aren't what they used to be. I would basically like to get a 7.1 (even though I only use 5.1 - who knows later what I might want to do) receiver and also one that can handle a lot of HDMI outputs. In an effort to save time, I'll get to the nitty gritty in terms of my questions:

1. Would anyone suggest going with the Denon over the Onkyo and if so, why? I should also state that neither receiver will be taxed that much as I am not able any longer to crank movies and music due to my family situation and new born son.

2. I like the idea of having an HDMI input on the front of the Onkyo receiver which seems quite unique among receivers. I see that being very useful on occasions when I have a device like my laptop that I don't intend to have hooked up very often. Instead of having to get to the back of my receiver which can be sort of a pain, just plugging in an HDMI cable in the front would be very easy! I'm not sure why I haven't heard or read more people talking about this feature - any reason? I want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

3. Any other receiver that I might be overlooking that might be better - in the $500-$600 range?

 

[vm8444]

marantz

 

[Ed Moxley]

I say the Onkyo. Can't be beat for the money. Just don't close it in, or sit anything on top of it. They're known to run kinda hot, if you do that. The 707 should be a fine receiver. It has pre-outs, if you should ever want to add an amp. It's 4 ohms certified, so you can drive higher end speakers. It even has a phono input, in case you have a turntable. What kind of speakers do you have?
Good luck with whatever you decide on.

 

[saltinewarrior]

I have polk audio book shelf speakers as fronts and rears and a very nice polk audio center speaker. I don't recall off hand what the model numbers are.

Part of my dilemma is that if the price of both receivers were the same I probably would have already bought the Onkyo. However, as of right now the best price I can find on the Onkyo SR707 is $599 at amazon. The Denon 1910 is $549 at Amazon or can be found around $460 or so on eBay. This is a pretty big price difference for two receivers that seem to be fairly comparable. I have read other posts which individuals have bought the SR707 at Amazon for $499. Therefore, it just may be a waiting game as Amazon prices can shift like the wind.

Does anyone have any opinions/comments/advice on what I listed for question #2? The reason I ask is that this feature is probably the reason I'm slightly favoring the Onkyo so I want to make sure I'm not missing anything in my logic.

 

[gene c]

Front hdmi inputs are going to start showing up in all receivers pretty soon. Just makes sence to start providing them there as comcorders, video games, etc. have hdmi now. Onkyo seems to be the first to start doing it.

I recently setup a Denon 1610 for my brother and the remote and manual are not the best I've seen and it seemed more difficult to setup. Maybe that's because it was my first Denon insallation. But once it was up and running the performance was quite impressive for a $329 receiver. It's paired up with a set of Boston Acoustics CS series speakers and a Dayton/HSU 10" sub and I can't believe how good it sounds.

The Onkyo 707 is more expensive because it's a step higher up the line than the 1910. A more direct comparison to the 707 would be the 2310 (MSRP $849). But Onkyo's are discounted much more than Denons are so you can find the 707 for a price closer to the 1910.

Others to consider are the Pioneer 1019, Yamaha 765/1065, H/K 1600/2600 and Marantz 5004. But Audyssey is the buzz-word right now so most people seem to opt for the Denons and Onkyos or the Pioneer Elites (like the vsx-23 but a bit out of your price range).

I'd get the 707 if you can find it for the right price but the 1910 would also be an excellent choice. Just buy them from an authorized dealer to protect your warranty.

 

[Ed Moxley]

Denon is very good equipment too. The worst thing about a Denon is their remote, and they have their own language for some things too. Onkyo is easier to setup and use. I've setup several older Denons for people, but haven't done a newer one yet.

If you don't mind the waiting game, Amazon may run a good sale sometime on the Onkyo. The thing about Amazon is the sales don't run long. It may run for one day, or it may even run just for one hour. You need to check them frequently, if you're looking for a particular item to go on sale. Amazon is an authorized dealer for Onkyo, so you'd get the full warranty. Not sure about Denon. You can check Denon's site to see if Amazon is an authorized dealer for them.

 

[saltinewarrior]

I appreciate the continued feedback as I am finding it quite helpful. As I mentioned earlier, I'm really on the fence with these two but a couple of things that could sway me are the pros listed below...

Onkyo 707 - Pros
6 HDMI inputs (with one on the front of the unit) versus only 4 for the Denon

Denon 1910 - Pros
Price (about $100 less although this will likely not be the case if I can be patient enough to wait for a good sale on the Onkyo unit)
Aesthetics (I like the way it looks over the Onkyo although this isn't as important as the other things I'm looking at)
Preset Buttons - not sure what they are called - but on the front there are three buttons that will remember your settings for various devices that are used. I see how this could be very useful and nice to have because with my current receiver when I switch from my cd source to my movie source, I have to manually change other things so that the speakers and other things are set up properly. I haven't found yet whether Onkyo has such a feature... I'm still looking.

As for the setup and remote controls I don't believe this should be much of an issue for me. I have a very nice universal logitech remote; therefore I won't be using the receiver remote. My setup is fairly straight forward and not complex so I wouldn't think setting up the receiver should be too much of an issue.

 

[vm8444]

again sounds like you like onkyo why ,
the issues with heat etc.

features is nice but doesn't best sound have anything to do with your set up.

onkyo is slightly not as good as denon

what speakers are you using that matters too

 

[saltinewarrior]

I didn't list sound quality as one of things I'm considering because based on what I've read, the receivers seem fairly comparable in this area. Sound quality is definitely the most important thing in my book but if they are relatively equal, then I'm looking at other things that separate them. Why do you state that Onkyo is slightly not as good as Denon? I'm very interested to get some comparisons and any you can offer would be appreciated!

 

[vm8444]

just solid installs 'v e done that depending on speakers sound amazing

onkyo Ive done too and they are close in sound but still not a denon

plenty of bite in sound with proper speaker matching and cables

i personally prefer marantz and nad

both are durable
whats speakers you using
i find denon sounds very good with many brands too

vince
theaudioguy.ca

I can't knock onkyo but they're lower lines don't use burr brown dac's
midfi denons do

 

[gene c]

I also feel there is a bit of a difference in sound quality between brands but it's not a make-or-break issue compared to price, features, etc. FWIW, I like Marantz, Pioneer Elite, and older H/K's. Denon is also very nice sounding. I used to think Onkyo's had a bit of a digital sound quality to them but the latest versions of Audyssey can really smooth things out. But this is probably all in my head.
As for Marantz, it appears they bypass Audyssey when sending audio via HDMI. A big no-no to me.

Rotel and NAD are way out of his (and most others around here) price range. The new NAD 785 is near the top of my wish list.

 

[saltinewarrior]

One thing that concerns me a little now about the Onkyo is based on some reviews I just read on Best Buy. Even though the owners of the Onkyo 707 all gave it 5 stars, a few of them commented on some annoying clicking sound that occurs whenever new audio is detected or changing of source. It doesn't sound like a big deal based on what I read, but just one more thing making this decision challenging.

I find myself now leaning a bit towards the Denon based on some comments above as well as doing some more reading. As I mentioned before, I've owned Denon receivers for the past 7-8 years and the two I have are still going strong. While I don't have anything to compare it to, I've just always thought of Denon a step above Onkyo, but that may not be accurate at all as that is simply a perception of I have had over the years.

I have to admit one of the things I really like about the Onkyo is the front HDMI input which would make hooking up my laptop very easy without having to haggle around with the inputs in the back of the Denon. I also like the total of 6 HDMI inputs of the Onkyo - I wish Denon had more than 4! However, right now I only use 3, but I'm buying this with the idea that I'll have it for several years and who knows what other devices I'll own in that time - 4 may be enough and I may never have a need for more than that but you never know. In any event, I guess I'll sleep on it and think more about it tomorrow.

 

[Ed Moxley]

As I said, Denon makes very good stuff. I like them. Until I bought my Onkyo 805, I really wanted a Denon 3808ci. Put a Denon and Onkyo side by side, with the same features, and the Denon will cost a good bit more, unless you've found it on a very good sale. I have a Denon 2803, but gave it to my stepfather to use. An older receiver, but great for his purposes.

The biggest difference in sound is going to come from changing speakers, not receivers. Receivers in the same price range will not have much difference in sound, if any at all. You compare a $2000 receiver with a $300 receiver, and you'll surely notice a difference. Compare a $2000 Denon and a $2000 Onkyo, using the same speakers, and you probably won't notice a difference. If you do, it's probably more in your head than anything. Kinda like those people that swear they hear a difference between $150 Monster cables, and $10 Monoprice cables. They want so bad to hear a difference, to justify spending that much, that they do (but not really).

If you like the Denon better, for whatever reasons, go for it. You are familiar with how they setup and operate, and don't need to worry about the POS remote, so you'll probably be happier in the long run. But, if you're not scared to try something new, and get more bang for the buck, then go for the Onkyo. I don't think you'll go wrong either way..........
Good luck!

BTW...........
When I turn everything on with my Harmony remote, I probably hear 5-6 clicks from everything turning on. I think it's the receiver's and tv's way of letting you know it's doing what you ask of it. If you hear less clicks than usual, you know something probably didn't do right in the sequence of things, and you may have to push the "Help" button on the remote, so it will finish. My wife is bad about setting the remote down on the table, behind something, as soon as she pushes the WATCH TV button, and then wonders why the tv or cable box didn't come on. I don't think the clicks are a concern, unless they're talking about different clicks.

 

[saltinewarrior]

Ed, I appreciate all of your feedback! One more question for you... why do you state that the Onkyo is more bang for my buck - other than more HDMI outputs? It's pretty clear that if it were you in my position, you would choose the Onkyo. As a person who is well versed in this area, I'm just wondering why you would go this direction being that the setup and the remote control of the Denon shouldn't be an issue.

 

[vm8444]

ok nick fine you don't like my feedback curious what speakers your using because they are Ed's right....

#1 when it comes to most important part of any system.






theaudioguy.ca

 

[jja4151]

Hi, My father has an Onkyo and it is okay. But, their customer service is the worse in the market. My father had the receiver for 1 and half year and he never set it up for HDMI connection. I got him a BD and a nice set of HDMI cable but the receiver HDMI connectors were dead. I do not have any experience with a Denon receiver, but I will go to a store and try to compare them before I buy any of them. Good luck. Juan

 

[vm8444]

he he

 

[Ed Moxley]

Originally Posted by saltinewarrior

Ed, I appreciate all of your feedback! One more question for you... why do you state that the Onkyo is more bang for my buck - other than more HDMI outputs? It's pretty clear that if it were you in my position, you would choose the Onkyo. As a person who is well versed in this area, I'm just wondering why you would go this direction being that the setup and the remote control of the Denon shouldn't be an issue.

I'm a slow typist. I just spent over 45 minutes typing line by line comparisons between the Onkyo 707 and the Denon 1910. The only advantage the Denon had over the Onkyo was Multi-Channel Analog Inputs. Before I could click on the "Submit" button, the page with all my typing disappeared! (it really pissed me off!) Sorry, but I'm not doing it again. Go here: http://www.us.onkyo.com/model.cfm?m=TX-SR707&class=Receiver&p=f and also open a new page to here: http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/4858.asp
and compare them line for line, and you'll see. You get way more for the money with the Onkyo.

BTW.........
On the Denon page I linked to, you'll need to click on "Detailed Specifications", to get to the page to compare features.

 

[jja4151]

http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers/denon-avr-1910-black/4505-6466_7-33650441.html

Here is the cnet review for Denon.

http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers/onkyo-tx-sr707/4505-6466_7-33747455.html

Here is the Onkyo.

According to Cnet Denon has better image, and Onkyo has a good sound.

Juan

 

[jja4151]

links