Onkyo TX-SR600 worth it vs. SONY STR-DE885 (1 Viewer)

[JingX]

I'm new to the HT world and currently in the market for some entry level system. I'll be watching DVDs mostly, sometimes listening to music. I'm planning to route video through the receiver.

I've been swaying back and forth between the two receivers mentioned in the subject. I put the specs of these two side by side on my screen to compare them. The big difference (among the features that matter to me) seems to be that Onkyo supports 192k sampling rate, while Sony boasts its "Dual 32-bit DSP". Price wise Onkyo would cost about 100 bucks more. So my questions are:

1. Is the 192K sample rate support very important?
2. What is this "Dual 32-bit DSP"? Is it really something powerful or just Sony's sales pitch?
3. Is this particular SONY model a decent one, as far as sound quality is concerned?
4. Does either of these two receivers cause significant signal loss while passing video through?

BTW, I'm thinking about getting a JBL SCS150 package. Does a combo of this package with either of the receivers make sense?

Thanks a lot for any advice or suggestion on other choices.
-J.X.

 

[John Garcia]

Personally, I am quite jaded with Sony's DE line, having owned a number of them, and I would have to recommend going with the Onkyo in this case.

In the price range of these receivers, you are not going to see widely dramatic differences in overall sound quality or true power.

The question you might be better off asking is, with the money you have allocated for the receiver, how could that be best spent. You will find that other people have found good deals and can point you in the right direction to possibly get something better, that you might not have expected to be in your price range.

I would also recommend actually LISTENING to the receivers you are choosing from, as that will tell you quite a bit more than any specs will about how well they compare to eachother. There should be plenty of stores that carry both of these receivers side by side.

Also consider Marantz, Harman Kardon and Denon.

 

[KevinST]

I have had Onkyo's for many years, a friend has had Sony's for many years. He buys for the name, but is always jealous of my reciever. I just bought the SR 800 on ebay for $800, should be here in two days, I am sure I will like it.

From what I have heard, Onkyo is better all around, sony is more HT specific. Also, if you like bass, I have heard Onkyo is very good for that and normally the literature is underrating their bass capabilities.

 

[KevinST]

If you go to this link http://www.crutchfield.com/S-9ISa3iM...mp.asp?g=10420
it is a comparison i ran on crutchfield for the two items...
if you have questions about DSP etc, click on it on the left and they have brief descriptions of them
K