Need Help on Sony STR-DE875 vs Kenwood VR-509 vs Onkyo TX-DS595 (1 Viewer)

[parin_patel]

Hi,

I am thinking of putting together a Home Theater system in the next couple of weeks and came across this great forum yesterday. I had initially thought of going with the Sony STR-DE875 receiver, since I've been listening to a STR-DE845 which my friend has for the last year. It seems to be a good receiver (audioreview.com users gave it a pretty good review), has everything I'd want, and seems to go well with the JBL Studio Series (my friend has the Northridege series with the N-center) speakers that I plan to buy.

Then while browsing through this forum, I found that a lot of people seemed to like the Kenwood VR-509 and the Onkyo TX-DS595 receivers. This is what I've been able to figure out so far:

The Kenwood VR-509 (~$299) is 100x5 W/channel, has ProLogic II and component switching with a THD of 0.7%.

The Onkyo TX-DS595 (~$399) is 75x5 W/channel, has Prologic II and high-current amplification with a THD of 0.08%.

Finally, the Sony STR-DE875 (~$299) is 100x5 W/channel and has a dual 32bit DSP (lots of effects) with a THD of 0.09%.

The rest of the features are pretty similar and all 3 receivers fit into my budget. I plan on getting the JBL S312's for the fronts, the JBL S36's for the rear, and the JBL S-Center. I also have a Toshiba 32-inch TV and DVD Player ready to go...

As I said earlier, I have listened to the Sony before with the JBL's and I thought it sounded quite nice. Then again, I am quite a novice with audio and home theater stuff. So do you guys think that the Kenwood and the Onkyo receivers are better then the Sony? Is the Onkyo worth the extra $100? Whatever I get will be a huge improvement to listening to DVD's through the TV Speakers.

Anyway, I would appreciate any help towards making this decision. Hopefully I'll be able to set everything up by the New Year.

Thanks,

Parin

 

[Vasanth B]

I'll be the first to post that out of those three, I would consider the Onkyo to be far superior in terms of sounds quality. Forget about all the stats...they are meaningless. In real-world performance, the Onkyo will blow those other two away.

A more fair comparison would be the Onkyo 595 vs. the Denon AVR-1802. I have the Denon...great receiver for the price. Awesome sound when paired with my PSB 1B bookshelfs and a WM-40 sub.

 

[Alex Prosak]

I have to agree that the Onkyo is by far the best of the three. Not only will it sound much better but it will also be far more reliable. I worked at a stereo shop for three years in college and I can't tell you how many Sony units went back for repairs in that time, especially the non ES units. I still wouldn't touch them either. During that same time, I don't remember any Onkyo receivers needing repair and only one Denon. The Denon wasn't a defective unit, the owner fried it.

 

[Albert M]

I would go with the Kenwood VR509 for $300, it is a steal of a deal for that price. The VR509 has SRS Circle Surround. The Onkyo TXDS595 has All Channel Stereo. They both sound solid, I would not say the Onkyo is better in sound at all.

 

[Vin]

Parin, the Kenwood VR-509/507 for around $300 is unbeatable for the money IMO and will not be "blown away" by the Onkyo 595, which is also highly regarded. As Albert mentioned, only Kenwood offers 5.1 Circle Surround (in addition to DD, DTS and DPL II).
The Sony DE line is considered by many to be of lesser quality than the other two receivers that you're considering.
Hope this helps.

 

[David Cohn]

I concur with the above posts: the Sony should go at the bottom of the list.

Sony makes excellent receivers in the 'ES' line but I would steer clear of the 'DE' models.

Personally, the Onkyo vs. Denon AVR-1802 debate is the one I would be considering. Search the archives for these models and you'll probably get more opinions than you could imagine. I had an AVR-1801 and loved it; the AVR-1802 adds more power and DPL-II.

Either way, you'll get a high quality receiver for a reasonable price.

 

[Jerry AZ]

You can get the Onkyo 595 at JandR for $360 if you call and order by phone.

 

[parin_patel]

Good suggestions guys... I guess its comes down to a decision between the Kenwood 509 and the Onkyo 595. I did come across a point of concern about the Onkyo 595 though... some of the review sites on the web seem to indicate that the onkyo might have a problem with putting out enough bass. Here's an example:

"Bass lines and sound effects reach down as low as any other in this test, but there is a distinct lack of power, leaving explosions and crescendos sounding rather underwhelming."

I live in an apartment and for now don't plan on getting a subwoofer. I'm hoping that the 12 inch woofers on the JBL S312 that I'm getting for the front speakers is going to be enough for the bass. So do you guys think that the Onkyo would be good enough for these speakers as far as bass goes? Anyway, I'm going to go to Circuit City tomorrow to get a demonstration between these two receivers, and see if the Onkyo is worth spending an extra $100. If anyone else has compared these receiver's before, let me know what you think.

Again, thanks for all the help. This is a great forum.

Parin

 

[ReggieW]

Parin,

There are some good choices here, but please don't sell yourself short. Look into the Denon 1802 ($350.00-$400.00) and Outlaw 1050 ($450.00-$500.00) as well. I have the Denon 1802 and it has lots of clean power and a nice virtual mode for 2 channel stereo as well, and the construction of the Outlaw 1050 literally ranks with receivers costing FOUR times as much. also, Outlaw's customers service is reported to be among the best. Denon's can be tested at any Goodguys.

Reg

 

[parin_patel]

Thanks for the tip Reg. The Outlaw is somewhat out of my price range (around $300) but I'll check out the Denon at GoodGuys.

 

[ReggieW]

Good Parin.
As a few other posters have stated, it usually comes down to the Denon 1802(80 wpc) or Onkyo 595 (75 wpc) which are pretty much the same price. If you do a search, there are many threads comparing them, and what makes it so difficult is there really is no clear winner between the two! I agonized over both for months, before settling with the Denon because of the pre-amp outs, eventhough the Onkyo had a better remote.
decisions decisions,
Reg

 

[parin_patel]

I was browsing through uBid.com and found this receiver. What do you think of getting the Kenwood Sovereign VR-4090? At around $400 it could stretch my budget a bit, is it worth it?
Edit: Nevermind, the auction is over...

 

[parin_patel]

Hi guys,

Well I tried out the Sony DE875, Kenwood 509 and the Onkyo 595 at Circuit City and then went over to the GoodGuys to try out the Denon 1802. As most of you have said, the Onkyo and the Denon did sound better and it was really hard to decide between the two of them. In the end I went with the Onkyo 595 because I could get it at a good price (374.99 from J&R) from an authorised retailer, and the fact that it had a 2/2 (coaxial/optical) digital sound inputs versus the Denon which had a 1/3 (coaxial/optical) configuration. Both my sound card on my computer and the DVD player use digital coaxial connections. I also liked the Onkyo's remote better. Anyway, here's what my home theater system is going to look like:

Onkyo TX-DS595 receiver

JBL S312's front speakers

JBL S36's rear speakers

JBL S-Center speaker

I ordered everything from J&R (except for the S312's which I won from uBid for 400). The only bad thing now is the long wait until Dec 31 when everything arrives...

Anyway, thanks for all the help guys. I'l let you know how everything sounds when I get it set up.

 

[Albert M]

Parin,
Do you remember what speakers were hooked up to the Sony, Kenwood and Onkyo?
That set up you picked should sound sweet.

 

[parin_patel]

They had a pair of Infinity Bookshelf speakers hooked up. While listening to all the receivers you could definately tell that the Onkyo and the Denon ones had much better sound clarity.

 

[ReggieW]

Congratulations Parin!!!!!

I knew from the start it would come down to either the Denon or Onkyo (It usually always does). Just as I said...It was definitely tough between the Denon and Onkyo, and I'm glad you chose the one which suited your needs. The Kenwoods are good for the cash, but I too noticed the difference between the Denon/Onkyo and The Kenwood sound. Many 509 owners claim that there is very little sound difference between them, but I disagree (Its obvious since you noticed the difference yourself as well....using the same speakers). Let us know how you enjoy the Onkyo, and yes, J & R's customer service is OUTSTANDING, as I bought my JBL N-series there as well.

Reg

 

[Bill Cowmeadow]

Take a look at etronics.com

You can get a Kenwood 510 for $399

Or the VR-4080 for $409 - They may not be able to get the 4080 as it is out of stock.

 

[Vasanth B]

Great choice parin! I personally went for the Denon since I preferred the sound of it's 5 channel Stereo. Got mine for just under $400 at Ecost.com

Keep in mind that you can always get a better programmable/universal remote that will control ALL your gear. I'd suggest the Sony VL-900 which can be had for ~$45.00

 

[parin_patel]

Well, I finally got every thing set up about 10 days ago, and it sounds great. I really like the JBL speakers and Onkyo receiver combo and everything worked out as I had planned. The 2 Digital coaxial audio-inputs on the Onkyo did come in handy too, since I now have my DVD Player and the sound card on my computer hooked up to the receiver that way. Hearing DVD's, MP3's and other music has been great. Again, thanks for all the help guys.

PS. I also played the JP3 DVD last night, and I also got the audio dropouts on the DD 5.1 audio track (DTS works fine) that everyone was talking about. I called Onkyo but they weren't very forthcoming about any solution to this problem in the near future. I've been very satisfied and happy with the receiver but its hard for me to ignore this one problem (even though I know that it isn't really Onkyo's fault). Anyway, I've been thinking of switching the Onkyo 595 for the Harmon Kardon AVR-320 and was wondering if you guys had any experience with the new x20 series by H/K?

Edit: Well Circuit City (where I had bought the receiver from) took care of the DD5.1 problem for me. I went there intending to return the Onkyo and then go for a H/K 320, but the sales guy arranged a pretty good deal for me in the end. They reduced the price for the 595 from $499 to $449, and arranged for an upgrade/exchange to the new model for free when it comes out (because I complained about the DD5.1 problems with JP3/PH/Atlantis DVD's). In all I got pretty lucky, and the sales guy who arranged it for me was great.