H/K 130 Vs. Onkyo 501 any thoughts? (1 Viewer)

[Luitz]

Let us know what u think
Looking forward to yer results

Also in reguards to build quality out of all you have seen. Please take note to the actually faceplate of the reciever and knobs such as volume and tone controls even the way the there action is and how pop open doors move. Is it plastic? Does it move nicley with weight???? Or does it feel cheap like a walmart ghetto blaster and look like one too.
Does it even look good??
Does it use push type speaker connecter or Banna plugs?
Stuff like this help represent the companys thought in manufacturing...

 

[Steven Sims]

If you haven't purchased yet, I have found the H/K 230 for $379 shipped at J&R, if you don't mind purchasing online. I'm thinking about getting it soon. The 130 is $299 there, but I'm still leaning toward the 230.

 

[Chris Sherman]

I wanted the AVR 230 but it is sold out at Jandr , One Call , and Vanns . They are all authorized dealers. I don't even see any 230's on ebay. I ended up buying an AVR 325 from One Call for $441.00 . I actually prefer the black to the new silver ones , the lettering on the new ones is very hard to make out. The AVR 630 is the top selling receiver at One Call and I don't think HK has been able to keep up with demand on the AVR 230. It really looks like the best value of their line and has a lot of upgrades over the AVR 130 after the 230 the features don't really go up as fast as the prices do.

 

[Dan DRC]

still thinking this one over guys, found a good deal on a Marantz 5400, it has the adj crossover I want. Feature wise it is comparable to the H/K 230. I decided to bump the budget up to $500 instead of $400. The main reason is this bump would give me on screen display. The H/K 130 is not totaly off my list yet. But I am not sure If I want to go with out OSD.

You guys are right about the H/K 230. It is probably the best value in their line up. Even at Cir City price of 499.
I can get the Marantz 5400 at a local dealer for 489.
I also dont care for the hard to see buttons on the H/K, I like the overall look of the new design but it is just not as functional as the Onkyo or Marantz. I have another local dealer that does Denon. The 1604, or 1804 is in the 400 to 500 range also.

I am lucky that I have local dealers within an 45 mins of me that have Denon, Marantz, Yamaha, Pioneer Elite, H/K and Onkyo and Integra. So I guess I need to hit the road more this weekend and just buy something.

 

[Rogozhin]

My New HK 225 (ecost refurb) just messed up-it's going in for repair this week (through the warranty from ecost)-so I purchased an Onkyo 601 (new) from ecost for $330-I'll let you know how it compares to the HK

rogo

 

[Shiu]

Dan, this review gives reasons why some people would prefer Sony. The model (Sony DB790) reviewed, beat not only the Onkyo 501 but also the more expensive Denon 1804 and a Marantz.

http://www.homecinemachoice.com/fram...?reviewid=3695

As you said, everyone has a different view, I do think the Onkyo SR-501 is an excellent receiver at its price point.

 

[Steven Sims]

Well, Onecall has the AVR230 back in stock for $379 plus shipping, if you are interested. By the way, I hate to hijack the thread, but I went ahead and ordered the 230 from J&R, even though it's out of stock at the moment. They accepted my order, but I'm wondering if it will probably be cancelled later. Anyone here ever ordered from them and run into a back-order/out of stock issue?

 

[Citizen87645]

J and R just got their stock in for the H/K 230.

 

[Dan DRC]

Well I ended up going with the H/K 130. I do have the system up and running and in place. I did only an intial calibration. I will not really have any time to do any final tweaking until Thursday. But here are my basic first impressions.

1. The unit is built pretty well, fit and finish is
good. Side and top panels do seem a little
flimsy though. Great cosmetics on the new H/K line
this year kind, of a retro look.

2. The remote is not so good but functional, I will
use a learning remote anyway instead of the H/K one.

3. The worlds worst owners manual period. I gota belive
a first time user of an audio video reciever would be
totaly lost. Those with experience will struggle
if they have'nt used an H/K product before.

4. User interface is alright once you learn how to navigate
the system. This unit does not have OSD but I was able
to get the unit set up in less than 30 min or so.

5. Sound quality? Pretty darn amazing! Eveything anyone
has said about the great SQ of these new H/K's is true.
They sound great.Very smooth and musical.

So far I am very happy with my new reciever. I will have more time later in the week to do some more listening.