upgrading from yamaha rx-v795 to onkyo (1 Viewer)

[Daniel TB]

have had it since february 1999 with no problems, but i'm interested in upgrading to a prologic II receiver like the onkyo txds595 or 696, to be matched with my polk rm6600 sat combo. first off, how much of a difference in sound will i immediately hear, and two, how much could i reasonably expect to get for my old yamaha (in perfect condition with original paperwork and possibly the box!). thanks in advance for all comments.

 

[ShaneH]

I have the same receiver and love it (795a), and from what i hear, I dont think DPL2 would be worth the upgrade. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[DaleV]

Daniel, I upgraded from the same Yamaha(RV1105) to the Onkyo 696. The difference between the two is the Yamaha has a remote that was a severe pain in the butt to use,seemed overly "bright" with my Polk audio speakers,R40's,R10's,CS245,PSW350. The Onkyo seems more powerful, is easier to setup and use. The remote is the best I've ever used.Backlighting,macros and am able to use on all my equipment. DPLII on the Onkyo to me was worth the upgrade. Sounds great on older VHS tapes,DVD's and CD's.Regular TV also sounds better. The 1105 is an awesome unit,but to me the onkyo is better. This is my first Onkyo product and in the beginning I was upset with the Sound & Vision test on the 696 power output. I got over that pretty quick after getting familiar with the unit.Try to get the dealer to let you bring one home and use it next to the 795A. It may not be worth the difference to you. Good luck and have fun shopping for an upgrade.

 

[Daniel TB]

thanks for the replies. yeah, the yamaha isn't exactly the most intuitively designed receiver in the world, but that never really bothered me. i want to upgrade more for three reasons -- binding posts for all speakers (spring clips for rears on the yamaha), hd component switching (for my one component input hd tv) and pro logic II for all the tv i watch. the ds696 seems to do this at the lowest price on the market. are there any competitors with this feature set at this price point? also, any thoughts on the resale value of my old yamaha?

 

[Page]

Another vote for Onkyo. I tried a 696 and then tried a Yamaha RX-1200. The Onkyo sounded better with my Polks and the remote is terrific. The Yammy remote was okay, but...

In the end I traded up to a 797 because I wanted the extra channel. It sounds like the 696 would be a good choice for you sound-wise and price-wise. And I humbly disagree about DPL2 not being worth an upgrade. It works great and adds a lot to the listening experience.

 

[DaleV]

Daniel, instead of selling the Yamaha and losing a lot of money why not hook it up to the Onkyo 696 and use it as a separate amp. You can use the the Yamaha to power the fronts or the rears and free up power to the 696. The 696 would be used as a pre/pro with the DPLII and you would have more power all around. I'm using this setup until I can afford the Anthem MCA5. It sounds great. I don't have any idea what the 795a is worth used.

 

[Jim_Stu]

Dan,

The following items were sold

recently on eBay:

01/03/02 - RX-V795 (good) = 250 USD

01/08/02 - RX-V795A (mint) = 300 USD

01/05/02 - RX-V795A (new) = 350 USD

01/03/02 - RV-1105 (works) = 175 USD

JRS

 

[Jim_Stu]

Dan,

I almost forgot, the following Onkyo

TX-DS696s were sold:

01/01/02 - refurb/Warranty = 499 USD

01/02/02 - refurb/warranty = 499 "

01/07/02 - refurb/Warrenty = 499 "

01/03/02 - New in Box = 588 "

01/03/02 - New in Box+ = 629 "

01/04/02 - New in box = 583 "

01/05/02 - New in box = 588 "

01/08/02 - New in box = 588 "

01/08/02 = New in box = 595 "

JRS

 

[Daniel TB]

dale, using the yamaha as a separate amp is a great idea but i simply don't have the requisite need/desire for that much power/volume. the yamaha alone has more power than i want -- the only practical reason for the upgrade is the component switching -- i have a prog scan player and am getting an hd tuner but only have one input on the tv, and it seems stupid for me to waste $100 or more on a standalone component switcher when i could spend six times that on a new receiver! i'm not sure i know all the advantages of added power though, especially any benefits at lower volumes (significantly clearer sound maybe?). if someone could explain, thanks.

jim, thanks for the ebay tip. if i can get $200 for my yamaha on ebay then I think I will be doing that. or maybe i'll post an ad in the classifieds here.

thanks again for the replies.

 

[Jim_Stu]

Dale,

With the current 'unsettled' condition of the technology

right now, getting another receiver is a tough call. We

don't really know the impact of DTV, or DVD-A vs Sony:

However, we do know component video is here now and

probably in the future. However, if it was me, I would get

a receiver, but I wouldn't rule out Yamaha unless you

don't like any of their DSPs.

In my HT room Yamaha's 'all stereo DSP' sounds better

to me than my older units DPL2 mode for cable TV and

VCR content. However, my HT room is only a big living space

with lots of furniture where the speakers should be.

JRS

 

[Daniel TB]

i don't use any of the dsps on my 795, either in prologic or dolby digital mode -- they all just sorta seem doctored and artificial. lots of other people seem to like it. i worry a little that i will have the same reaction to pro-logic II.

as far as other sound/video formats go, i am not too concerned. i'm not buying any more speakers, regardless of new formats -- i'm sure that dvds for years to come will work and sound great with my 5.1 setup. on video, i'm also comfortable that component connections will be around for awhile. i don't have a real good basis for this comfort though. i just want to buy something new!

 

[Jim_Stu]

Dan,

As far as the audio is concerned, as long as it

has pre-amps in and out for each channel you

should be OK. My first receiver did not have

the pre-amp outputs, big mistake. However, I

also use the Yamaha's built-in center channel

equalizer.

If I were buying today, I would get the DS696

or maybe an Outlaw 1050.

JRS

 

[Thomas_A]

I'm using the 795a with my Polks and love it. The remote is not bad once you get used to it. I have often thought of upgrading to 6.1 and dplII but cant justify it myslelf now. I guess the 795a is a bit diff....for it has all binding posts in the back...no clips!.... I'm more at looking at adding a 3 channel amp to the fronts and using my yammies surrounds... but am in no hurry... If you do go to the onkyo...let us know the diff. you experience..

thomas

 

[Daniel TB]

well i bought the onkyo 696 today and upgraded my sub from a polk psw250 to a polk psw 350. it's more complicated to set up and calibrate than i thought and too soon to say for sure how much better it is, but preliminary (and probably improperly calibrated) listen indicates a definite hell yes it's better!!!!

 

[DaleV]

Daniel,I'm sure if you have any questions about the 696 any of the other Onkyo owners will be glad to help you get it set up properly.

 

[Daniel TB]

ok, for the life of me i cannot figure out the video/audio switching on this unit! i have a prog scan player and an hd set top box that need to go through the two component inputs -- one uses an optical and the other a coaxial cable for sound (does it matter at all which i use for which?). my problem is i cannot figure out how to set it up so that when switching to, say, video 1 on the remote, the receiver switches to the specific component input and the specific digital audio connnection that i want. i'm sure that when someone explains this i will kick myself because it's so apparent, but right now it is really escaping me, and the manual is not helping much. thanks in advance to any onkyo 696 (or higher) owners willing to help!

 

[DaleV]

OK Daniel, I'll try. Hopefully you have the onscreen display setup. It's easier for me that way. On my setup the TV on screen display has to be on channel 00. From there press setup on the 696 remote. The menu should appear. Make sure your volume is turned down on the unit to about 10 on the readout. On the audio menu you will be able to scroll through each input. If the DVD is the one to setup make sure you have pressed that button on the remote. Now scroll with the ENTER button using the arrows to get the correct input. OPT1,OPT2,COAX1,COAX2. After getting sound press the center of the enter button to enter. Do the same thing on the Video menu. You have to setup each input the same way. After setting up the audio and video you can then setup preferences the same way also. After everything is up and running you can then use the remote to setup macros in order to make everything easier to turn on with one push of the buttons. Hope this helps.

 

[Daniel TB]

thanks dale! i figured it out on my own just before reading your reply. it didn't occur to me earlier to set the receiver to the specific video mode (i.e. vid1, vid2) that i wanted to customize before entering the setup menu and choosing which video and audio input to use. i'll admit, the onkyo setup makes some sense once you figure it out, but it would be more idiot-proof if you could choose the video mode within the setup menu itself.

pro logic II is slowing growing on me in music. it's the first time that anything other than stereo has sounded natural and organic, and not doctored up like the yamaha dsp's.

on tv, pro logic II has yet to do anything for me. at this point, i'm not sure i can tell the difference between it and old pro logic. very underwhelming so far, but i'll give it time. is there any way to use pro logic on this receiver so i could compare back and forth?

 

[DaleV]

To me the Prologic II seems to work much better on tv channels that are broadcast in stereo only. Very little change in regular broadcast.

 

[Joseph_M]

Page,

Was there much difference in sound between the 696 and the 797, for both HT and straight stereo? I've heard mixed comments about THX certification: better amp, better d/a converters; others say THX muddies up the sound (stereo?).