Onkyo TX-SR875 vs Yamaha RX-V3800

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I've used Yamaha stereo amps/receivers my whole life, and when I was a kid my dad used Yamahas at home as well. So there's some history in this decision which is biasing my choice, I think. Now the time has come to choose a home AV setup, and I'm torn between the Onkyo TX-SR875 based on ratings in the What? buying guide (I haven't yet managed to get hold of a the What? edition with the review in it) and the Yamaha RX-V3800. Online reviews of the Yamaha are almost non-existent, and those that I can find of the Onkyo are less than professional. I don't know any dealers well enough to be assured that the opinion I get is not coloured by their own brand support. So I'm throwing myself on the mercy of the forum readers. I'd appreciate any input. In addition to the usual expectations from a home cinema AV receiver, these are my main goals: - Good digital video handling; - Good stereo capability (does the Onkyo have an analogue to Yamaha's Pure Direct?) - Future-proofing (will I be able to apply a firmware upgrade when HDMI 1.3a gets its next iteration?) TIA

 

[Anonymous]

hi
the home cinema choice gave yamaha rxv3800 best buy in this months magazine described the yamaha as best £1300 receiver ever,worth reading,the onkyo has good reviews but i have not heard it.yammy uses anchor bay abt1010, which is excellent upscaler ,in a test in germany they described the picture as good as denon 3930 dvd player,and also fantastic stereo sound ,hope this helps,it also has ethernet connection so i presume you can download firmware upgrades.the yammy is better looking the onkyo is a ugly duck,if you fashion conscious.

 

[Anonymous]

I bought the Yamaha few weeks ago to replace my 2600 and I have to admit it is really good.
The sound and picture are better than the 2600 and the HD sound on my BW MT 30 is very detailled and loud.

There is no setup issue or overheating issue like the Onkyo so my advice is stick to what you know and you will not regret it.

 

[nads]

set up issues and over heating issues with the Onkyos! Not had any issues with mine. and it does not runn any hotter than my stereo amps. but then i only have the 805. Did not need the upscaling.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Have to reiterate that I have run an 875 for some time, and have never had any hint of an overheating issue, despite using it hard.

And it's been set-up repeatedly with different speaker systems, and checked with external measurements to verify its settings, without any kind of 'issues'