Onkyo TX-SR876 vs Yamaha RX-V1900/RX-V3900

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Are both Yamaha's RX-V1900 and RX-V3900 better than the Onkyo TX-SR876 in Stereo?

Would I be missing anything in terms of surround sound by getting the Onkyo. I like the fact that the Onkyo is more powerful and has THX.

HQV Reon-VX video processing is better than Anchor Bay VRS, No?

 

[Anonymous]

The 3900 whoops either of the other two for movies and music, by some margin. HQV and VRS offer similar performance for deinterlacing and scaling, which is to say that they're both very, very good. But VRS also includes a clever feature call Progressive Reprocessing (PReP for short) which fixes problems with poorly deinterlaced material. Nobody else has anything like this technology. Most budget (and many expensive) DVD / Blu Ray players and set top boxes (notably Sky HD) won't output 576i over HDMI. Instead they deinterlace internally and output 576p, but they don't usually do a very good job of it. PReP fixes this by reconstructing the original interlaced signal from the poorly deinterlaced one, then deinterlacing it again using the VRSÿalgorithms. It sounds implausible, but it really works. I don't think PReP is implemented on the 1900, but it's definitely available on the 3900.ÿ

If money isn't a major concern, go with the 3900. I can't imagine you'd ever regret it.ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

A interesting question.
I would say all things being equal (out of the box, plugged in using the supplied kettle lead) the Yamaha RX-V3900 does have the edge with music and is neck and neck with Movies.

However if you put a decent mains lead on the Onkyo the Amp becomes much more musical, plus you will get it at a better price!

 

[Anonymous]

I too am thinking of the Yamaha RX-V3900 (I've got the RX-V1900 on order but may upgrade before they ever arrive in the country!). I also like the look of the Sony STR-DA5400... anyone seen/heard it?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies. I think I've decided that Yamaha RX-V3900 is a little expensive for me. Which would you guys choose between the Onkyo TX-SR876 and the Yamaha RX-V1900? I just can't decide..Argh!! Overall surround sound and stereo which is better? More comments would be appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmmm. That's a much tougher call. Personally between those two I'd still pick the Yammy. But that's got as much to do with my dislike of the Onk's looks as anything else (which I admit is not a good basis on which to pick a new receiver).ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

jamesperfecto:
Thanks for the replies. I think I've decided that Yamaha RX-V3900 is a little expensive for me. Which would you guys choose between the Onkyo TX-SR876 and the Yamaha RX-V1900? I just can't decide..Argh!! Overall surround sound and stereo which is better? More comments would be appreciated.

That's an easy one, the Onkyo 876 is a clear step up from the Yamaha 1900.

It's unfortunate that so few people understand (and have heard) how excellent a pure class A amplifier is.
Onkyo have done the ground breaking thing of putting this design into an AV amp at such a cheap price!

It's main stumbling block has been (despite winning all the awards world wide last year) is the negative interaction of the 'massive' power supply on the DAC's which without addressing the Mains feed does mask the clarity and tunefulness of its sound.

Yamaha has, I suspect upped the stakes by putting into its Amps (they don't mention the design class) a cleaner filtration of the Mains before it feeds through into its bridge rectifiers. The fact that it outputs significantly less watts per channel is a great help as well.

Simple tweaks by the manufactures that tip the balance as reviewed out of the box.

That's marketing.

 

[Anonymous]

James,

Based on the WHF Reviews, the best would be the Yamaha 3900 followed by the Yamaha 1900 and lastly the Onkyo 876.

If I were you, I'll get the Yamaha 3900 as it has additional features like networking/internet radio, GUI and if I'm not mistaken, a better video processing chip.

Between the Yamaha 1900 and Onkyo 876, the Yamaha 1900 is the current best buy in that price class based on the WHF Reviews.

However, I believe that the Onkyo 876 is available at a much cheaper price than the Yamaha 1900 so it all depends as to whether price is a major consideration for you.

If I were you, I'll get the Yamaha. But the only way for you to decide is to test them and see which one you prefer.

 

[Anonymous]

BTW, I've also asked the same questions on THX and power. At the end of the day, power doesn't really matter unless you have some monster speakers.

As for THX, again it doesn't really matter unless you're going to get a full set of THX certified speakers, etc... and would sleep well knowing that your system is THX certified.

My question was featured in the latest issue of WHF magazine so you can read the official answer from WHF there.

Good luck in deciding! I had the same question as you a couple of months back and considered the same amps but finally decided on the Yamaha!

 

[Anonymous]

trevor79:jamesperfecto:
Thanks for the replies. I think I've decided that Yamaha RX-V3900 is a little expensive for me. Which would you guys choose between the Onkyo TX-SR876 and the Yamaha RX-V1900?ÿI just can't decide..Argh!!ÿOverall surround sound and stereo which is better? More comments would be appreciated.

That's an easy one, the Onkyo 876 is a clear step up from the Yamaha 1900. It's unfortunate that so few people understand (and have heard) how excellent a pure class A amplifier is. Onkyo have done the ground breaking thing of putting this design into an AV amp at such a cheap price!It's main stumbling block has been (despite winning all the awards world wide last year) is the negative interaction of the 'massive' power supply on the DAC's which without addressing the Mains feed does mask the clarity and tunefulness of its sound.Yamaha has, I suspect upped the stakes by putting into its Amps (they don't mention the design class) a cleaner filtration of the Mains before it feeds through into its bridge rectifiers. The fact that it outputs significantly less watts per channel is a great help as well.Simple tweaks by the manufactures that tip the balance as reviewed out of the box. That's marketing.

That sounds like more than marketing to me. It sounds like intelligent, thoughtful design and attention to detail. ÿ