Onkyo TX-NR609 - an amp for all seasons?

[Frank Harvey]

Generally I'd have said about a £300-400 amplifier, but it'll depend on the speakers too. If you're using a budget pair of speakers, there'll be less difference. It'll also depend on how good that £300-400 amplifier is too.....
But like I said, having demo'd the Onkyo 808 in 2 channel mode, I'm quite surprised at how good it was, and seemed as though it would give £500, maybe even some £600 amplifiers a scare.

 

[Anonymous]

We're just putting the finishing touches to our review.... Subscribers will be able to read it from May 5th; readers who buy their copies in shops will be able to peruse it by 10th May.

As well as testing its many features (AV and musical), we've also compared it with last year's '608....

Funnily enough an AV receiver with good music ability, iPod connection and Internet Radio is also what I am considering (read as giving me a headache). A comparison to the qualities of the 608 would be useful but more so maybe (for me at least) the cheaper Pioneer vsx920 and the more expensive Yamaha rxv1067 or other similar ability ethernet/internet units? Looking forward to the 5th and the 10th ;-)

 

[Anonymous]

couldnt resists posting as you may see from my thread i bought the onkyo and was incredibly disappointed with the sound , you have to put it at high volume levels to get any oomph warmth and presence attack out of it and the thx approval is set at those kind of sound levels turn it down to normal sound levels and it totally fails to deliver , i have an old yamaha amp not hdmi and it beats this amp in every way apart from the onkyo ticks all boxes on paper for spec and spotify and all the trimmings if its sound you want i suggest you listen to this amp before buying to me it is detached and even at higher volumes does not have the finesse and detail warmth and natural ability of others , I am appalled that considering my amp is over 6 yrs old and since then the market has become so much bigger you got more for your money back then sound wise and lets face it its the sound we are after not all the trimmings. I have little faith in anything other than my own ears now and lost faith in whats written in glossy magazines and sales pitch in stores .

POST EDITED BY MODS for inappropriate language.

 

[the record spot]

That's rather strong given as both of the magazine reviews I've read (WHF & Hi Fi World) both commented on the brightness/glare and this latest range from Onkyo seems to differ from the previous one in this respect. Not sure why they've gone down this road, though the spec looked good. I've discounted this amp on the basis of these two reviews now (I'd prefer not to spend £500 only to have to take it back) as it's plainly not what I'm looking for and it probably wouldn't be a good fit with the rest of my system.

That doesn't make it a bad product though and I'm sure it will be a good fit for other users where it complements other components.