About to Buy a Onkyo 905 or 875 but a few questions first....

[admin_exported]

I am going to listen to it in a showroom and hopefully purchase it very soon.

 

My questions are:

 

1) If I buy one now, will it have the latest firmware update that resolves some of the audio synch issues? Will it also fix the DTS MA pop problem?

2)  Apart from the extra HDMI output and network capability does the 905 sound better than the 875?  I heard it has a Torroidial transformer - what is that and why is that good?

3)  When you use the scaler on the 905/875 I heard it changes the black and white levels on the TV - which needs further manual adjustment - is this still the case?  If it is, would I be better off having more than 1 output to the TV - 1 set to through and the other set to upscale?

4)  Should I wait for the 906 or 876?  Does anyone know when they will come out? 

 

(Btw, I am going to use this receiver in conjuction with the B&W 685 Theater in my 6m by 4m living room) 

Cheers. 

 

[Big Chris]

1. It should do. (Newer firmware updates can be done via CD, so no need to send it off)

2. Not heard the 905, but apparently it is better (as you would hope for an extra 400 quid)

3. Not encountered this on my 875 and the first I've heard of it.

4. You could wait (No. I don't know when they're out), the choice is yours. Personally, I have no regrets getting the 875, and you should be able to pick it up for a better price now too.

 

[Anonymous]

I bought an 875 a couple of weeks ago and the firmware version is 1.07, which I understand from looking at other threads here is the latest version. I am really happy with it. & (coupled with my Panasonic Plasma) keeps my living room nice and warm...

 

[Anonymous]

hahaha...,yeh tell me about it! No need for a rad anymore with the heat that baby kick out. And now i got a projector it wil be extra toasty in the winter. Oh yeh, the '875' is great by the way, get it.

 

[professorhat]

1) My 905 came with version 1.08 installed a few weeks back - I think this is the latest, but it definitely coves the DTS bomb fix.
2) 905 has a bit more power (220w per channel compared to 200w) and has some upgraded internal components including the power supply I believe (though I'm not technical enough to say what they are or what differences they make I'm afraid!). I'm very happy with the 905 though - easily worth the £1,000 it cost me considering it replaced a 5 year old Denon which cost £2,000 and it sounds substantially better.
3) Not heard of this either - haven't noticed anything which suggests it is doing this.
4) I think they come out in the autumn. Hard to tell if they're worth waiting for or not, but given the very low prices you can get the 875 and the 905 now compared to what the '6 versions will more than likely cost, and also given the 5 versions are a known quantity whereas the 6 versions are not, I went with the 905.
I use my 905 with the B&W 685 system and it sounds fabulous. Get some Blu-Rays running through it and you'll just have a big grin on your face!

 

[Anonymous]

I have to echo everything profhat just said. I bought a 905 about a month ago now, and I partner it with a B&W 683 Theatre setup (though currently without the ASW610XP).

1) came with the latest firmware.

2) 905 sounded clearly better to the 875 when I auditioned them.

3) haven't seen or noticed it, and I have every video input going through the 905. Generally speaking I've been a bit anal about how I keep my Sony 52X3500 set up, and I haven't noticed I need to reset or correct the video settings.

4) I elected not to wait for the 906, as the jump between the 5's and the 6's didn't seem a big enough reason to wait, for me.

Make sure you get decent cabling, is all I'll say. I had some temporary cabling in place whilst I installed my kit, and worked out required length, and then put the right cabling in later. OMG what a difference.

Chord Carnival Silverscreen all round (chunky, but awesome), more than a few Chord 1.3 Silver Plus HDMI, several QED Performance Optical Digital, matching Component Video, and RVR & TTV.

 

[Anonymous]

Proffessor hat! Looks like you have the exact same system i am likely to get - i.e Onkyo 905 + B&W 685 Theater. ÿWill have a PS3 and HD TV. ÿScreen will be the Pioneer 60" kuro. ÿHopefully I will enjoy the system (going to buy everything once my contractor finishes renovating my new place which will be in a few weeks ÿtime) - I can't wait.

ÿ

Thanks for your replies everyone - you have been very useful.ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Matt, how did the 905 stack up against the 875 musically?

Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

Well guys, I finally bit the bullet and put a deposit on my new Onkyo 905 (live in HK and its gold in colour - would have preferred black but in HK you can only get gold). ÿI tested it in pure audio mode with a decent set of speakers and was VERY impressed by their musical ability considering its a surround amp - and these speakers were not bi-amped and they were of lower spec compared to the speakers I am about to buy. ÿI was originally looking to get the B&W685 theater but after consultation with some experts - my room size is quite big - 6 meters by 4 meters (and its an open plan - so its more like 6m by 8m including adjacent dining area) - they suggested I get the B&W 684 fronts instead of the 685s. ÿI think the Onkyo 905 should be able to reasonably drive the 684s after being biamped in that room. ÿCan't wait for it to arrive once my renovations are finished.

 

[Anonymous]

exciting news mate! what sub did you go for?