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Slosh
10-19-2007, 06:51 AM
Well, my ten years old Sony ES A/V receiver decided last Thursday would be the ideal time for its power transformer to die. I only used it as a center/surround amp, with all of my stereo sources connected directly to my even older Marantz stereo integrated amp since the Marantz's amp and pre-amp and (especially) phono stage were better.

After a little research I decided to go with one of these:http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2007/580/x580TXS805B-f.jpeg

I intended to use it the same way I was using the Sony ES but figured I ought to give it a shot on its own first. Glad I did as this thing sounds great! Its amp sounds fantastic and the big surprise for me was the phono stage is actually quite good, and not just an after-thought as found on most A/V receivers. Then I gave the Audyssey room correction software a go and WOW! What an improvement. I always thought my room sounded pretty good. I was wrong.

Alright, so now I can move my Marantz amp into another room and not have to worry about controlling two pre-amps in my livingroom system. Should make life a bunch easier for the females in my life. :)

Surprise #2: This thing has onboard DSD decoding via HDMI. Of course my SACD/DVD-A player is five years old and HDMI didn't exist then but at least when I do buy a Blue-Ray/HD-DVD player down the road I should also get better SACD sound. Nice. As for other connections I think it has got most users covered. See: http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2007/580/x580TXS805B-b.jpeg

Only a couple of complaints so far. The biggest is there are no dedicated remote buttons to toggle from digital/analog/multi-channel analog in. This can be done via remote with the OSD but who wants their TV on when listening to music? I can live with it and just use the front panel to switch but still. Also the Zone 2 and 3 outputs only work with analog inputs. Luckily for me my CD and DVD players have good DACs of their own but the Onkyo's are definitely better. I never used my Roku SoundBridge M500's analog outs before and they are good enough for the casual listening we do in Zone 2 (dining room), but still it would be nice to get the benefits of the Onkyo's superior DACs with all of my speakers. And lastly this thing does run hot, even when it's just on with nothing playing. Don't even think about putting this in an enclosed cabinet (not that it would fit in many).

I'm sure the step-down model (TX-SR705) is very good too but that extra $250 to get another 20 lbs. of amp for the 805 seemed like too good a deal to pass up.

Mr MidFi
10-19-2007, 10:07 AM
Welcome to the world of Onkyo, Slosh. I've been pretty happy with my 575X for about 7 years now. But yeah, they run a little hot. Comes in handy for toasting marshmallows on a cold winter's night.

What was the first thing you cranked up after set-up?

Slosh
10-19-2007, 12:41 PM
Welcome to the world of Onkyo, Slosh. I've been pretty happy with my 575X for about 7 years now. But yeah, they run a little hot. Comes in handy for toasting marshmallows on a cold winter's night.My friend also has a 575X (paired with Energy speakers) and I have always been impressed with its sound quality. I originally demoed the Integra version of my 805 (DTR 9.8, or something) and it was great but the difference between it and the standard Onkyo line wasn't worth $400 to these ears.
What was the first thing you cranked up after set-up?The DVD-A version of Automatic For The People. Of course that's using my DVD player's 5.1 analog outputs so I switched to the DTS track to hear the difference Audyssey makes. The results are it's almost worth using the lossy DTS format over the hi-rez DVD-A track for the room correction EQ. Even without the EQ it sounds superb. Also spun the Ryan Adams Heartbreaker SACD (2 channel only) and was equally impressed. Then I went on a little vinyl spree and as I mentioned above the phono stage in this thing is pretty damn impressive. MY GF and daughter are happy they can operate the system now without my help. Oh, and the remote is pretty nice too but I already have a Marantz RC2000 mk. II so I probably won't be using it for long.

-Jar-
10-23-2007, 04:53 PM
Good, it has a phono input.

bobsticks
10-23-2007, 06:16 PM
Top notch stuff Sloshy. I already have one Onkyo utilized in my computer setup and am eyeing this very model for my HT setup. I like hearin' your perspective and the advantages that you list seem to make this a no-brainer.

Congrats.

PeruvianSkies
10-23-2007, 06:21 PM
So why is this under Rave Recordings again?

-Jar-
10-23-2007, 07:43 PM
Because he's Slosh and we love him.

PeruvianSkies
10-23-2007, 08:01 PM
Because he's Slosh and we love him.

Maybe so, but there is a common trend that seems to happen here at AR, that is that those who post in the RR section seem to post EVERYTHING there and rarely go outside this realm. This seems to be OK with everyone, until someone posts a rave review outside that section or brings up Off-Topic material in the audio/video areas, which is usually a way to get your thread noticed since few people travel to the Off-Topic area.

It just seems that there are some double standards taking place, that's all. I am not pointing fingers either, just bringing up something I noticed.

Slosh
10-23-2007, 11:47 PM
Top notch stuff Sloshy. I already have one Onkyo utilized in my computer setup and am eyeing this very model for my HT setup. I like hearin' your perspective and the advantages that you list seem to make this a no-brainer.
Actually I was wrong, there is a digital/analog/multi-channel input on the remote called "Audio Sel." A clear case of RTFM :) Also the upconversion of 480i to 480p via HDMI or component video is definitely superior to the upconversion built in to my TV (Sony 34" XBR CRT). As for sending all of your video sources to your TV via a single HDMI cable, well, I kinda of question its value. Yeah, it's convenient and all but my TV allows for different user adjusted picture memory settings per input. The optimal settings for HDTV, progressive scan DVD, and standard def satellite are all different enough from each other for me to nix that idea.

The amp section doesn't really get hotter than any other amps I have scattered about my house (Marantz, Pioneer Elite, H/K) but its processor does. The processor section alone has a bigger heat-sink than say a Pentium 4 or high-end video card.
So why is this under Rave Recordings again?Because I don't give a f<a>uck about the rest of this site.

audio amateur
10-24-2007, 07:12 AM
Because I don't give a f<a>uck about the rest of this site.

?? that isn't making any sense..

SlumpBuster
10-24-2007, 07:22 AM
Because I don't give a f<a>uck about the rest of this site.


How do you get "f<a>uck" past the bot censor? I always want to say f<a>uck, but can never seem to get it though. :nonod:


See what I did there?:ihih:

SlumpBuster
10-24-2007, 07:27 AM
The amp section doesn't really get hotter than any other amps I have scattered about my house (Marantz, Pioneer Elite, H/K) but its processor does. The processor section alone has a bigger heat-sink than say a Pentium 4 or high-end video card.

I only got my first DD/DTS receiver a couple years ago after a lifetime of good old fashioned two channel. I was both not surprised and surprised (if that make sense) to quickly realize that AVRs are really nothing more than AV computers with a big amp section strapped on. I had to install an exhaust fan on my AV rack b/c of the heat comming of the processor, not the amp.

GMichael
10-24-2007, 07:33 AM
Because I don't give a f<a>uck about the rest of this site.

That's not entirely true. You care. Just not so much.

Edit: Oh, nice toy by the way. I LIKE it.

Slosh
10-24-2007, 01:55 PM
For bobsticks or anyone else interested, here is a "Secrets" review I just came across (confirming what, as an owner, I already knew)
Onkyo TX-SR805 review (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_14_3/onkyo-tx-sr805-receiver-9-2006-part-1.html)