The Latest Purchase - Onkyo TX-NR818

[rendu]

RS, I am also at work and we better stop being distracted because if we loose our jobs then, we will not be able to continue purchasing things that we can hate or love and argue about them in the forum.

I never said none of that was your problem, only sharing my experience and view point.

I had an Onkyo 702 some 5 years ago also THX certified and I have to admit that, it gave me some good times but it was not good in stereo. It seems they have taken some steps to move away from harasseness on the high frequencies. Maybe in a future seeing that they have "refined" the sound a bit I may give it another try.

Enjoy your purchase.

To the rest... I have no more energy today so sorry if I do not reply every single one of you.

Peace and Love to everybody (well, peace for the boys and love for the girls of course...).. By the way, why are there no girls in the hi-fi world, or only very few.... ?? This is a topic for another battle and if this is againt women then, I bet we will all loose for sure...

 

[Andrew Everard]

FWIW the TX-NR818 I am running at the moment for TV/home cinema duties plays a wide range of stereo music formats extremely well, and much better than the already impressive TX-SR875 it replaced.

True, it doesn't perform as well in stereo as the Naim SuperNait/HiCap DR I also run, and through which the front L/R preouts of the Onkyo are connected most of the time, but then the Onkyo does a lot the Naim doesn't in terms of surround, video switching and so forth, and is only a fraction of the price of the Naim set-up.

That the 818 is so good in stereo (and indeed for surround music) is hardly surprising, given that when I visited Onkyo last year the emphasis of the discussions was firmly on music rather than movie sound

 

[manicm]

altruistic.lemon - Fine, but as I said, surely he should have then learned from his own lessons??? Like I've been burned with iPods, sometimes one just needs to learn at some point. He cannot then just say 'oh RS your purchase is rubbish because of my experience'. RS has had a different experience which is entirely valid. Could it be so far-fetched that the this specific Onkyo could be better than Rendu's Yamaha?

And inform me if I'm wrong, but he hasn't heard the Onkyo has he? You clearly have your biases against AV amps and you're entitled to your own truth. But it may not hold for everybody else. RS is not shoving his opinions down people's throats. He's not trying to persuade the masses to buy expensive AV amps, he's just expressing satisfaction with his purchase.

 

[drummerman]

Agree, some good points made by Rendu and personally, I much prefer no or little censorship as these things tend to 'sort' themselves out, at least the personal aspect of it.

Many of the better AV receivers measure as good as dedicated stereo amplifiers. That means low distortion, good S/N figures etc., In case of some of the Onkyos in question, they are up there with some very decent amplifiers, not just price comparable ones.

Objectively, there are no reasons why an AV receiver can't do 'timing', 'musical' etc. . It is simply a question of finding one that appeals (and matches the speakers used) but technically many are adept and capable, the good ones that is.

regards

 

[DocG]

Hi RS,

Have you tried what the Audyssey can do to the music (for better or for worse)?

 

[chebby]

Chebby, I think RS is getting a taste of his own medicine, even though I'll side with him here Reminds me of my little arguments with him (and fr0g et al) when I had to stand my ground on my own rips and ears.

But I'm with him here, if he's happy with the Onkyo then so be it. Rendu may have valid points, but surely after his 3rd AV amp he should have known better? He can't blame RS for that! I would agree with him that sometimes dealers leave a bit to be desired though where service is concerned. Also Rendu ignores the possibility that AV amps may have made considerable strides in stereo playback in the last few years, at least at the price RS paid.

I'm trying to read Rendu's post in isolation as if the rest of this thread (especially the argumentative bits) hadn't been written.

Some good/interesting points do occasionally get made in threads like these. (In between the brickbats.)

 

[altruistic.lemon]

... He cannot then just say 'oh RS your purchase is rubbish because of my experience'. RS has had a different experience which is entirely valid. Could it be so far-fetched that the this specific Onkyo could be better than Rendu's Yamaha?

Well, I have the feeling that many, perhaps even the majority, of people on forums do exactly that.

He does raise good points, and should be taken seriously as he has rather more experience than many of us with AV receivers. However, each to his (or her) own.

 

[manicm]

altruistic lemon - He's bought several AV amps if I've gleaned correctly. I respect his opinions to but you seem to be overtly reverent. He may have more AV experience than anyone else but if he's repeating his own mistakes what should newbies like us take from that?? That all AV amps are rubbish and that is that?

In his mind and ears RS seems to have struck gold and Andrew Everard, who probably has just as much AV experience as Rendu, has just vindicated RS's purchase.

Rendu has good points, but for whatever reason (and it may be valid) you and him have your biases. Which is fine, but you're using too broad a brush to apply to everyone else.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

I'm suggesting you've been rather hard on the chap, and ignoring some of the things he points out, that's all.

As for the AE post, he does say his Supernait is better than the AV amp, thus, for argument's sake, justifying one of rendu's points.

I'm not interested in getting into an argument anyway, since I've no further interest in AV and would never consider owning one on aesthetic grounds alone

 

[manicm]

I'm suggesting you've been rather hard on the chap, and ignoring some of the things he points out.

As for the AE post, he does say his Supernait is better than the AV amp, thus, for argument's sake, justifying one of rendu's points.

I'm not interested in getting into an argument anyway, since I've no further interest in AV and would never consider owning one on aesthetic grounds alone .

I'm not being hard on anyone here, AE has also indeed stated that the Supernait costs nearly triple that of the Onkyo. So that would be par for the course.

I've been rewinding the posts here, and to be fair I think Paul's first reply to Rendu may have been a trigger. Paul's reply, and I'm just looking objectively from the outside in, seemed a bit too confrontational. I guess I'd have reacted the same.

People sometimes need to pay more attention to their tone.

 

[BigH]

Now that I see that you have replaced with an AVR, it really make me hessitant about the 8050, specially if you say that you like the AVR better than the 8050. This means that we definetly are not looking for the same type of stereo sound and have totally different level of expectations when it comes to pure musical performance. I will have to continue seeking for a solution. Hope you enjoy your new toy.

Maybe its a language problem but I can see why some got a bit miffed by his first post.

 

[rendu]

FWIW the TX-NR818 I am running at the moment for TV/home cinema duties plays a wide range of stereo music formats extremely well, and much better than the already impressive TX-SR875 it replaced.

True, it doesn't perform as well in stereo as the Naim SuperNait/HiCap DR I also run, and through which the front L/R preouts of the Onkyo are connected most of the time, but then the Onkyo does a lot the Naim doesn't in terms of surround, video switching and so forth, and is only a fraction of the price of the Naim set-up.

That the 818 is so good in stereo (and indeed for surround music) is hardly surprising, given that when I visited Onkyo last year the emphasis of the discussions was firmly on music rather than movie sound

Andrew, how come in the WHF review it has comments like "The Onkyo keeps decent time for a receiver and doesn’t embarrass itself", instead of something like..."for those of you looking for a real stereo and home cinema solution in one box, this is finally the way to go...."?

I saw similar comments about the Aventage line and my experience is bad. What is your view of this Onkyo vs the Aventage line in terms of music performance given that the Yamaha is even higher up in the price range?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Andrew, how come in the WHF review it has comments like "The Onkyo keeps decent time for a receiver and doesn’t embarrass itself", instead of something like..."for those of you looking for a real stereo and home cinema solution in one box, this is finally the way to go...."?

I guess, as people seem to have been saying throughout this thread, that it's a matter of personal opinion. I didn't write the WHFSV review of the 818, nor was I involved in the reviewing process; I did however, write the Gramophone one.

I saw similar comments about the Aventage line and my experience is bad. What is your view of this Onkyo vs the Aventage line in terms of music performance given that the Yamaha is even higher up in the price range?

I'm not sure that I have sufficient experience of the Aventage line to offer an opinion on that one – but then, as I explained, I tend to use the Naim-based system for the majority of my music listening, with the Onkyo 'plumbed in' for day-to-day TV viewing and the (relatvely rare) occasions when we actually have an evening free to watch a movie on Blu-ray.

Having said that, the Onkyo is none too shabby when it comes to playing music, though of course not a patch on the Naim set-up I run for the majority of my music playback, which is currently about 19x the price of the Onkyo. So you might hope it would be a bit better!

 

[rendu]

Thanks Andrew, it seems RS actually made a good pick. I am glad for him really, we deserve to enjoy what we purchase with our hard earned money.

I still do not know if I would dare to try yet another AVR specially on the same price range (and even lower)... After so many deceptions, I am at the point of "hearing to believe it" that AVRs can really give good stereo sound so, well, I may need to take the rest of my gear including my sofa to Supersonido next month in my next trip to Bilbao

 

[Andrew Everard]

whathifi.com – to our members we're the fifth emergency service

 

[Pistol Pete1]

whathifi.com – to our members we're the fifth emergency service

I'll give you a call when my wife starts her labour then.....lol. Could be any time in the next few weeks....night or day..... :rofl:

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Thanks Andrew, it seems RS actually made a good pick. I am glad for him really, we deserve to enjoy what we purchase with our hard earned money.

I still do not know if I would dare to try yet another AVR specially on the same price range (and even lower)... After so many deceptions, I am at the point of "hearing to believe it" that AVRs can really give good stereo sound so, well, I may need to take the rest of my gear including my sofa to Supersonido next month in my next trip to Bilbao

Pretty sure I've been there! Is it near the port?

 

[Andrew Everard]

I'll give you a call when my wife starts her labour then.....lol. Could be any time in the next few weeks....night or day..... :rofl:

Four to get through before you get to us – five if you include the coastguard – but good luck with the Pistolette

 

[plastic penguin]

I'll give you a call when my wife starts her labour then.....lol. Could be any time in the next few weeks....night or day..... :rofl:

but good luck with the Pistolette

Or water pistol. Get the nappies out!!

 

[Pistol Pete1]

I'll give you a call when my wife starts her labour then.....lol. Could be any time in the next few weeks....night or day..... :rofl:

but good luck with the Pistolette

Or water pistol. Get the nappies out!!

Nappies at the ready!!! Pink nursery done.....just a waiting game......thanks for the good luck wish....first child (and last!!), so may need it!! :help:

 

[plastic penguin]

I'll give you a call when my wife starts her labour then.....lol. Could be any time in the next few weeks....night or day..... :rofl:

but good luck with the Pistolette

Or water pistol. Get the nappies out!!

Nappies at the ready!!! Pink nursery done.....just a waiting game......thanks for the good luck wish....first child (and last!!), so may need it!! :help:

Hope it all goes well. This experience will live with you regardless of how many you'll end up with. Best wishes.

 

[Pistol Pete1]

Fingers crossed....thanks pp :cheers:

 

[rendu]

Thanks Andrew, it seems RS actually made a good pick. I am glad for him really, we deserve to enjoy what we purchase with our hard earned money.

I still do not know if I would dare to try yet another AVR specially on the same price range (and even lower)... After so many deceptions, I am at the point of "hearing to believe it" that AVRs can really give good stereo sound so, well, I may need to take the rest of my gear including my sofa to Supersonido next month in my next trip to Bilbao

Pretty sure I've been there! Is it near the port?

There are 2 Supersonido shops actually, one in Bilbao city center and the other in Pletzia near "puerto viejo". I would not say that either of them is in the port but one of them is closer. My wife is from Bilbao, this is why I go there every now and then. Nice city and nice "pinchos".

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Thanks Andrew, it seems RS actually made a good pick. I am glad for him really, we deserve to enjoy what we purchase with our hard earned money.

I still do not know if I would dare to try yet another AVR specially on the same price range (and even lower)... After so many deceptions, I am at the point of "hearing to believe it" that AVRs can really give good stereo sound so, well, I may need to take the rest of my gear including my sofa to Supersonido next month in my next trip to Bilbao

Pretty sure I've been there! Is it near the port?

There are 2 Supersonido shops actually, one in Bilbao city center and the other in Pletzia near "puerto viejo". I would not say that either of them is in the port but one of them is closer. My wife is from Bilbao, this is why I go there every now and then. Nice city and nice "pinchos".

I have stopped at the port, while I have been on a cruise two or three times now, and always quite liked it. I always check out the local TV and electronic shops. The one I was thinking of though was near the port and was a big electrical store. They seem to sell virtually everything! Massive shop!

 

[rendu]

Thanks Andrew, it seems RS actually made a good pick. I am glad for him really, we deserve to enjoy what we purchase with our hard earned money.

I still do not know if I would dare to try yet another AVR specially on the same price range (and even lower)... After so many deceptions, I am at the point of "hearing to believe it" that AVRs can really give good stereo sound so, well, I may need to take the rest of my gear including my sofa to Supersonido next month in my next trip to Bilbao

Pretty sure I've been there! Is it near the port?

There are 2 Supersonido shops actually, one in Bilbao city center and the other in Pletzia near "puerto viejo". I would not say that either of them is in the port but one of them is closer. My wife is from Bilbao, this is why I go there every now and then. Nice city and nice "pinchos".

I have stopped at the port, while I have been on a cruise two or three times now, and always quite liked it. I always check out the local TV and electronic shops. The one I was thinking of though was near the port and was a big electrical store. They seem to sell virtually everything! Massive shop!

The most famous cruise in/to Bilbao is called "pride of Bilbao" from Portsmouth to Bilbao (Santurze). This port is a bit far from Bilbao city center but the area is very nice anyway. I am glad you enjoy the place, people are very nice and I always feel very welcomed when I go there. If you go there again you may want to check the store that I have mentioned.