Which of these three receivers would you buy? (1 Viewer)

First post here so I hope all you veteran audiophiles will chime and voice your opinion.

I have $550 to spend on a HT receiver and I'm torn between three models. Don't have my front, center or surrounds selected yet, but will be going relatively best bang for the buck on those. I'm looking at an SVS HB10 for my sub right now and will be viewing on the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U plasma. I'm not as concerned with maxing out bells and whistles I probably won't use as much as I'm looking for a nice balance of power, and audio/video clarity. Which would you go with?

Denon 2308
Yamaha 663
Onkyo 606

None of those, at least not while Amazon still has the Onkyo 705 for less than $500.

+1

I would jump on the Onkyo 705 in a heartbeat, but my preliminary research indicated that the 705 while loaded with features, seems to pose some potentially unwanted issues.

I've read setup is an absolute nightmare for even experienced HT enthusiasts and the owners manual is extremely confusing. Additionally, the 705 seems to have a track record of running extremely hot and the cooling fan can be heard from upwards of eight feet away. Finally, several owners cited concerns of syncing issues with audio and video as well as underachieving upconversion capabilities when watching standard DVDs.

Definitely, a lot of folks in favor of the unit out there, but even for the money it doesn't seem like a hands down winner compared to other units in the same price category. I know a $500 investment is peanuts in the world of AVRs, but I don't have tens of thousands of dollars to throw around. I just want a solid unit that will deliver as much power and clarity as possible for the money. As with all HT equipment, everything is subjective, but I just don't want to have to second-guess the heart of my future system.

For what it's worth, Home Theater Magazine's review of the Onkyo TX-SR606 dubbed it "far and away the best AVR under under $1,000 that I have had the pleasure to review." That's why it was one of the three I was considering before the 705 was suggested.

Can anyone shed any additional light to help me out? I'm ready to pull the trigger, I just don't know where to point the gun.

I would suggest the Denon personally. Instead of the Denon AVR-2308ci I would suggest getting the Denon AVR-2309ci for the same price. The 2309 decodes Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Pro Logic IIx decoding, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS 5.1, DTS ES 6.1.

Denon AVR-2309ci MSRP $849

• 100 watts per channel x 7 channels
• Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Pro Logic IIx decoding
• DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS ES 6.1 Discrete, DTS ES 6.1 Matrix, DTS Neo:6 decoding
• HDMI v1.3a processing and switching (4 inputs, 1 output), supports 1080p, Deep Color, xvYCC, CEC functions
• Faroudja DCDi video processing and up-conversion up to 1080p
• Audyssey MultEQ in-room acoustic correction system
• Audyssey Dynamic Volume automatic volume-leveling system
• Audyssey Dynamic EQ automatic tonal balance adjustment system
• Enhanced On Screen Display with icon-menu system and screen saver

The Denon IMHO also has a better component path of 100MHz that should handle full 1080p bandwidth. I would suggest the Denon first because of the features, build quality and good performance along with it having 4 HDMI inputs and 1 out. Then the Onkyo 606 (MSRP $599), not because of its amplifier section that does not put out 105 watts. More like 90 watts per channel from 20Hz - 20KHz. But the Onkyo does decode Dolby True HD, DTS-HD MA and has 4 HDMI inputs just like the Denon. The Yamaha RX-V663 only has 2 HDMI inputs and supports the new lossless codex just like the other two receivers. The Onkyo 606 gets another nod for using the Audyssey 2EQ which I like better than Yamaha's version of room correction. The Onkyo does have 50 MHz component video which may or may not be a problem for you. It is supposed to be good enough for 1080i video so you can decide for yourself. I currently own a Yamaha RX-V995 that is about 11 years old and I have had no problems with it. So I do not have a problem with Yamaha itself. I feel you would get a better receiver top to bottom getting the Denon. I am planning on getting a Denon AVR-3808ci to replace my Yamaha. The Yamaha will end up pulling audio duty with my PC after it is replaced with the Denon.


Not sure that the Onkyo 606 is as good as the Denon AVR-2309ci but then again that is not to say that the Onkyo can not get the job done or doesn't sound good.

Great insight, Dave. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Take what you read with a grain of salt. For every bad review, there are 100 good ones. I've read many more 'horror' stories about the 606.

From my own personal experience, the 705 is no harder to setup than any other AVR I've used. Audessy MultEQ XT ROCKS!!! It does not overheat (fan has never kicked on) and I don't have lipsync issues. Most of what you read was before firmware 1.06.

That's great to know. Thanks for the post.

Madmax, I just picked up a Denon 2309CI at ABT.com for $625 with free shipping. Arrives tomorrow.

Contact their sales department by phone or by online chat and they will discount the price significantly off what it lists for on their website.

Denon 7.1 Channel A/V Home Theater Surround Receiver In Black - AVR2309CI

Any thoughts on the Onkyo 806? $649 thru Amazon.

Sounds like a nice unit, but I'm really trying to keep my receiver under $500. I don't qualify as a true audiophile. I just have an appreciation and demand for better than average video and sound for my TV and movie watching experiences. Given the responses, I'm probably going to test the waters with the Onkyo-705. I figure I can always return it if I'm not happy with it.