HK vs Onkyo (1 Viewer)

[John Roger]

Between Onkyo and HK which is the better one?

Like i heard someone telling HK is warmer etc.But HK is rated is very low in watts.For the same price i found a 75W onkyo vs a 45W HK,so which is better.

 

[Zeeshan T]

Both are very good receivers in their own respect. I ended up going with the H/K 430 b/c i liked the way it looked. As far as watt ratings go, from what i have read H/K receivers tend to be well underrated. Bottom line both are very good receivers with their advantages and disadvantages. My advice, listen to them both and make the choice yourself.

Zeeshan T.

 

[EricRWem]

I like HK a lot. Onkyo is very good as well. I know you can get refurbed HK's direct from them via www.harmanaudio.com or Ebay seller harmanaudio. I got my 630 for a steal that way and it's got the same warranty as a new product and everything.

 

[John Roger]

AVR 430 does not fit in my budget.I want low - medium priced ones.6.1 channel.

Which model of HK compares to Onkyo's 502?

 

[David G Greene]

The HK 230 or the 130 compares better with the Onkyo 502.

 

[Shiu]

John, HK specifies their output ratings based on all channels driven simultaneously so they will always appear to be lower than other manufacturer's products within the same price range. In reality, they are most likely as powerful as others within the same price point. In fact, HK will likely have slightly higher "real" all channel driven numbers while others may have slightly better 1 & 2 channels driven numbers.

 

[StephenHa]

I have sold and installed both, and to tell the truth I really like both I currently have an hk, but it really depnds on the individual they do have different sounds

 

[David James]

Could you describe the differences, thanks.

 

[StephenHa]

not really they just sounded different, it was hard to put a finger on exactly what it was, but both sounded good

 

[gene c]

I currently own an H/K 520 and an Onkyo HTR-500 from the 650 HTIB. They are both about 2 years old and keep in mind that the 520 retailed for around 3 times what the 500 would sell for if sold separately so this isn't a fair comparison. To me the H/K does sound a little better. "Warm" is often used to describe an H/K. The vocals are real smooth, the bass pretty deep and the highs make you think your tweeters are better than they are. The Onkyo seems to accentuate the mid-bass and upper vocals a bit more almost sounding "harsh" but not so it's a distraction. The stereo separation on the H/K seems a little wider as well. Where the vocals on the H/K seem to come from the left and right filling the room, with the Onkyo, they seem to be coming from a single point in the middle. Keep in mind, I'm no auditioning expert. Also, find out as much as you can about the way they work. As an example, I just found out that the H/K, when using the 6/8 channel input (like for DVD-A and SACD) the bass and treble controls are by-passed. What the dvd player sends is what you get. The Onkyo allows for these adjustments. The H/K is also short on DSP modes. 2 "halls" and 2 "v-maxs" are it and they aren't that good. The Onkyo has many DSP modes which are some of the best I've heard. It also allows me to switch between optical and multi channel input at the touch of a button when playing a DVD-A or SACD where the H/K seems to disable the optical input when 6/8 channel is connected. So, to make a short story long, the H/K is better sounding, better looking and has many more features (more than I can list here), the Onkyo, while rather plain looking, is very easy to use, has most of the features you would normally use and is great bang for the buck. If I were chosing between the H/K 630 and Onkyo 801 I would go H/K. Between the 130 and 502? The 502, at about $100 cheaper retail, would be my pick. And remember, this is all my own opinion but I hope it's helpful .