New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Onkyo 705 vs. 605

post #1 of 4
3/28/08 at 7:02am
Thread Starter 
I'm in the process of doing a basement home theater which will eventually have Samsung 1080 plasma, Blu Ray DVD, and a separate zone of speakers outside of the HT area. I'm considering the Onkyo 705 or 605 receiver and have heard differing opinions on whether the 705 is worth the extra $250.

Any thoughts/recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks
Reply
post #2 of 4
3/28/08 at 10:57am

Re: Onkyo 705 vs. 605

The main advantage of the 705 is the extra HDMI input. I chose to go with the 605 myself. I didn't think I would need three inputs at the time, but after buying both an HD-DVD player and PS3, and also having an HDMI cable box, I needed an extra input. I ended up buying an auto sensing HDMI switcher. They can be had for under $50 from monoprice.com. I went with a more expensive Oppo and I now have a total of 4 inputs.

I would stick with the 605 and pick up a switcher if needed. You'll have 4 inputs (or more) instead of three and you'll still be ahead $-wise.
Reply
post #3 of 4
3/28/08 at 12:16pm

Re: Onkyo 705 vs. 605

I concur with Patrick. The 705 has a few features some might find useful, like a phono input and a seven band eq vs. a five band and a couple of others, but for most users the 605 would suffice. And the 605 and 705 are built on the same chassis so the only real difference is those few features. There's a bigger difference in going from the 505 to the 605.
Reply
post #4 of 4
3/28/08 at 3:50pm

Re: Onkyo 705 vs. 605

The typical street price difference seems to be around $200 or less. Only you can really decide if the additional features are worth it to you.

There are a few key differences that have been glossed over.
1) The 705 has a more sophisticated version of Audyssey.
2) It has preamp outputs should you ever decide you want more power.
3) By achieving THX Select certification, it's amplifier section is most likely a little more robust than the 605s.
4) It has more processing power. The 605 cannot apply 7.1 expansion to 5.1 hi-def audio (MPCM/TrueHD/DD+/DTS-HD). The 705 can.

Another unit worth considering, IMO, would be the newly released Yamaha RX-V663. Only 2 HDMI inputs like the 605, but the processing power is the equal of the 705 and it has Burr-Brown DACs (considered an upgrade over the Crystal parts used in the 705, by most). I believe the 663 also does 1080 upconversion of analog to HDMI. I've seen posts that say you can get the 663 from J&R for $399 delivered when ordered by phone.

-Brent
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Receivers/Separates/Amps