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Thread: Onkyo 805

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    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
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    Onkyo 805

    Well, I'm starting my search for an AVR and the Onkyo 805 is the first up. Here are my initial thoughts.

    A Few Specs: (Copied from an AVS thread, yes I'm lazy)

    *Full A/V Processing via HDMI 1.3a with Upconversion (3 in 1 out)
    *HDMI Deep Color Capable (36bit)
    *Component Video Upconversion and HDTV-Capable (100 MHZ) Video Switching (3 in 1 out)
    *WRAT/ Optimum Gain Volume Circuitry/ Non-Scaling Configuration/ A-Form Listening Mode Memory/ RI
    *Faroudja DCDi
    *Audyssey MultEQ XT Room Acoustics Correction
    *7.1 Multichannel Inputs for PCM Delivery of Hi-Def Audio Sources
    *DOLBY Decoder - PLIIx, DD, DD-EX, DD+, TrueHD
    *DTS Decoder - DTS, ES, NEO:6, 96/24, HD Master Audio
    *THX Ultra2 Certified
    *Burr-Brown 192/24-bit DAC on all Channels (TI Architecture (PCM1796))
    *S-Video (6 in 1 out)
    *Digital Audio IN (OPT/COAX) 3/3; OUT (OPT) 1
    *Composite (6 in 1 out)
    *7.1 Preouts
    *Power 130W/Ch
    *Powered Zone 2 with Balance Volume and tone control
    *Powered Zone 3
    *Bi-Amp Capable
    *XM and Sirius ports
    *XM HD Surround Sound through Neural Surround
    *RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI) communication protocol
    *Upconversion and Upscaling Information
    a. Analog transcoding
    Takes native composite & S-video streams and transcodes through Component Video Out
    b. Digital processing
    Takes a native composite, S-video, component video and outputs to HDMI Out @ 720p
    c. Deinterlacing & Up-Scaling
    Takes a 480i & 480p native video stream and outputs to HDMI Out @ 720p
    d. 720p, 1080i and 1080p capabilities
    Takes a 720p or 1080i or 1080p native digital video stream and passes these through to HDMI Out.

    First Look:

    Well first off, this unit is a monster coming in at about 51 pounds. A lot larger and heavier than my 2805 but loses in the looks dept. My wife thinks it looks OK so that's a good thing I guess. This unit has an individual button for each available input. I kinda like the source knob on my Denon but these are small things I can live with.



    Set Up:

    Set up was a breeze. Since my unit is sitting on top of my wall unit it was just a simple matter of popping in all the connections and facing the unit foward. The back of this unit is spaced out pretty well and the use of banana plugs made my life that much easier. Be warned, this unit only has 2 optical inputs in the back and the 3rd is in the front. Good news is it sports 3 coaxial to go along with them. Not a big deal for me.

    I'm running my PS3 via HDMI, my 2910 via HDMI/optical and my cable tv runs directly to my TV via HDMI/optical to AVR. Well after the connections were complete I gave Audyssey a run (I measured from 3 seating locations but I think you can do as many as 6) and was ready to go. More on Audyssey later.



    Testing/Settings:

    HDMI switching works like a charm and everything was fine. OSD is easy to navigate through and is output via HDMI. It only took a couple of minutes to make sure my video sources would pass thru untouched and everything was in sync. Played some tunes, a BR, a DVD, SACD......well you get it. Everything was hooked up correctly and was working properly with no problems.

    Audyssey:

    Ok back to Audyssey. After I ran my auto setup, Audyssey had all my speakers set to full band. I said what the heck and gave it try and it sounded like crap. Went back in and changed my xover to 80 for each speaker (you can run individual xover for each speaker), pulled out my SPL meter and gave my levels a check. If anyone remembers my 2805 had trouble running auto setup in my large room but Audyssey had my distances and levels right on. Not bad.

    I have to say that Audyssey does exactly as advertised. Changing seating position did not dramatically change the sound. It was very uniform.

    Sound:

    I noticed an immediate difference in sound compared to my 2805. The sound was smooth and fuller. I heard details in music I haven't heard before. There was definately an improvement in bass response as well. My wife noticed this also. Dialog comes in crystal clear and can be heard easily at low volumes. I turned Audyssey off and gave it try with no EQ engaged. The sound was still good, but lightened up a little and sounded similar to my 2805 (I ran my 2805 with no room EQ). I put the Audyssey back on and have left it that way. I will try to do some measurements this weekend because I'm very curious to see what's going on with my lower freq. I also wanna do some more tweaking.

    Uncompressed Audio:

    For my first uncompressed PCM experience I put on POTC 1. This was some of the best video I have seen from BR so far. Demo matl easily. Anyways, back to sound. The sound was freakin' amazing. It was just seamless throughout the room. Very deep and smooth. Too much detail to talk about, but it wasn't overwhelming. Bass filled my room nicely. This has been some of the best sound I've heard from my system.

    The Remote:

    The remote is almost identical to the remote that came with my Onkyo 603 so I was able to just pick it up and start using it no problem. It's large but has a nice button layout and fits in your hand nicely. It's also backlit and has 3 macro buttons. The only problem I have is that once you put in new batteries you loose all setting and have to reprogram it

    My wife was just getting use to the Denon remote and is completely lost again so I may be getting an 880 soon.

    The Bad:

    Well I had to come up with something. This unit takes about a second and a half longer to process incoming signals than my Denon. When flipping through HD channels and the signal changes from DD to DD stereo, you get a slight pause before sounds comes on.

    When going from HD to SD video on a BR disc (I guess the warnings and some previews are in SD) you get a similar pause, some clicking going on while the unit switches back and fourth and sometimes a slight popping sound from the speakers. This is mentioned by Onkyo in a paper packed with the unit and they state this is normal, not a malfunction.

    The unit get very hot.

    Not real problems but I had to list something.

    Final Thoughts:

    This unit is very solid and does everything it is advertised to do. For the price of $899 this one will be hard to beat considering the amount of features this baby comes packed with. I had also considered the Denon 3808 which comes out in about a month. But with a MSRP of $1599, the Onkyo is gonna be extremely hard to beat. This one may be keeper. I have 3 more weeks to decide.

  2. #2
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
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    Seems like a great unit at that price.
    WARNING! - The Surgeon General has determined that, time spent listening to music is not deducted from one's lifespan.

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    Thanks for taking the time to share all this useful info with us L.J.

    Would you mind too much sharing some money with me?

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    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    Thanks for taking the time to share all this useful info with us L.J.
    No problem


    Quote Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    Would you mind too much sharing some money with me?
    Umm you gotta talk to my wife about that one. I had a hard enough time explaining HDMI and uncompressed audio to her.

    On the plus side, she hates the remotes and is tired of asking me to turn things on for her. This opened up the door for a 880

  5. #5
    Man of the People Forums Moderator bobsticks's Avatar
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    What a unit (as it were). The processing abilities and the DACs alone make this a worthy contender for anybody's system. Hey, for those of us too lazy to look at the other thread, is this the unit with the lowest wattage and all the bells and whistles? Oviously, for me, the Mac isn't going anywhere and I might even get another one so amplification isn't really an issue. No need to pay for watts that I'll never use.

    Thanks for taking the time L.J.; as usual, you're the man.

  6. #6
    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bobsticks
    What a unit (as it were). The processing abilities and the DACs alone make this a worthy contender for anybody's system. Hey, for those of us too lazy to look at the other thread, is this the unit with the lowest wattage and all the bells and whistles? Oviously, for me, the Mac isn't going anywhere and I might even get another one so amplification isn't really an issue. No need to pay for watts that I'll never use.

    Thanks for taking the time L.J.; as usual, you're the man.
    Off the top of my head I would say that the 805 offers BB DACs, better build quality and more advanced room correction abilities over the 605/705. Maybe a higher THX certification and more control over the 2nd/3rd zone. Oops, I think an extra HDMI input as well. I'm sure I'm missing something else though.

    I don't think the 605 can apply DPIIx to MCPCM. The 705 has not been confirmed since it isn't out yet. Bass management of MCPCM may be an issue with the lower models as well as well.
    Last edited by L.J.; 06-15-2007 at 07:55 AM.

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    I'm proud of you L.J. Not only are you able to out smart your wife but even your kids can't match witts with you (ref: the previous hide-the-remote discussion). You're a man's man.

    I'm just blown away by that back panel! One thing I am curious about though is the speaker banana jack color-coding. Is that a standard, or is it just particular to Onkyo's AVR's?

  8. #8
    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    I'm proud of you L.J. Not only are you able to out smart your wife but even your kids can't match witts with you (ref: the previous hide-the-remote discussion). You're a man's man.
    I try

    Quote Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    I'm just blown away by that back panel! One thing I am curious about though is the speaker banana jack color-coding. Is that a standard, or is it just particular to Onkyo's AVR's?
    Onkyo provides color coded labels that match the speaker inputs. It makes for a very easy install, especially if your behind a cabinet or something.

  9. #9
    Forum Regular PAT.P's Avatar
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    Thanks for your review ,looks like a beast

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    Great review L.J. That back panel really looks well laid out You really get soup to nuts with that $899 price. Nice that everything worked well out of the box. It appears Onkyo has thought out the ergonomics well on this unit.

  11. #11
    His and Her Room! westcott's Avatar
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    Thanks for taking time to share your thoughts.

    I have been recommending the Onkyo's lately because they are HD Audio capable and support HDMI 1.3a but I am relieved to hear that they also sound good.

    I think you made a great decision and it sounds like you are one of the few that actually plans for the future. I can not tell you how many people have not even considered HD audio and are spending hundreds, if not thousands of dollars of new receivers without support for it.

    Good to see some people like you are doing their homework.

    You get five gold stars and go to the front of the line for recess!!!

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    great review L.J., I'm still waiting on my shipment with 3 units sold sight unseen! Onkyo claims I'll see them the end of this month. I shall assume you're on the west coast? Who did you get if from?

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    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
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    Thanks for your thoughts everyone. I think Onkyo really stepped it up this year and these units are gonna be very hard to beat for the price. I'm gonna have a hard time taking this baby back, IF I decide to go that route. CC has the 805 listed for $839. The 605 is going for only $399.

    AVMASTER,

    Yes I'm in Cali. I picked mine up at Circuit City. Although it showed "not in stock" on their website I gave them a call to ask when they would get some units in and they just had unloaded 2 off the truck.

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    More questions L.J.

    When you say:
    Quote Originally Posted by L.J.
    OSD is easy to navigate through and is output via HDMI.
    Does that mean On Screen Display, for which you can use an external high rez display to output the AVR's setup instructions and such? That would certainly be the answer to one of my "perfect AVR" prayers.

    This Audyssey feature sounds similar to Yamaha's YPAO sound field setup feature only 10 times better. I know you already have your acoustic treatments in place but at what level do you think Audyssey will tolerate room acoustics before it *gives up*? In other words, I wonder if you can run the setup, add a panel if the setup results don't sound right, run setup, add another panel, ... etc. Know what I mean?

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    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    When you say:

    Does that mean On Screen Display, for which you can use an external high rez display to output the AVR's setup instructions and such? That would certainly be the answer to one of my "perfect AVR" prayers.
    Yup.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    This Audyssey feature sounds similar to Yamaha's YPAO sound field setup feature only 10 times better. I know you already have your acoustic treatments in place but at what level do you think Audyssey will tolerate room acoustics before it *gives up*? In other words, I wonder if you can run the setup, add a panel if the setup results don't sound right, run setup, add another panel, ... etc. Know what I mean?
    I plan on doing some measurements because I'm curious just how good Audyssey is as well. My understanding is that most auto cal setups do a decent job with the higher freq but not so well with the low. The Audyssey does a very good job at smoothing things out and providing very seamless playback but I would assume the less work it has to do in your room the better. I plan on running it a few more times to see if the results are consistant. Not sure how accurate my results would be if I didn't have any room treatments because I had some really bad echo going on. I was suprised that Audyssey set all my speakers to "large" because this is the same behavior my Denon's auto setup was notorious for.

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    Quote Originally Posted by L.J.
    Yup.
    Either I'm living in the stone age or I don't have my sights set high enough.

    My current receiver is a b!tch to set up when I'm sitting in my listening position because of the viewing angle as well as the dim front panel. OTOH if I used Audyssey to set up, that would pretty much make that predicament a moot point huh?

    Quote Originally Posted by L.J.
    I plan on doing some measurements because I'm curious just how good Audyssey is as well.
    Thanks. I'm sure there are a LOT of people besides me interested to see how the tests go.

    Quote Originally Posted by L.J.
    My understanding is that most auto cal setups do a decent job with the higher freq but not so well with the low. The Audyssey does a very good job at smoothing things out and providing very seamless playback but I would assume the less work it has to do in your room the better. I plan on running it a few more times to see if the results are consistant. Not sure how accurate my results would be if I didn't have any room treatments because I had some really bad echo going on. I was suprised that Audyssey set all my speakers to "large" because this is the same behavior my Denon's auto setup was notorious for.
    Excellent idea professor! Thanks again.

  17. #17
    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
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    Well it seems I was too easy on this unit with my first impressions. Don't get me wrong, this is a nice unit with some very sweet features, but what I brushed off as "not real problems" are starting to get on my nerves.

    I highlighted the word "slight" because this was my first impression, but after spending some time with this unit, my thoughts have changed a little.


    My initial thoughts on the pause you get while changing channels:
    Quote Originally Posted by L.J.
    This unit takes about a second and a half longer to process incoming signals than my Denon. When flipping through HD channels and the signal changes from DD to DD stereo, you get a slight pause before sounds comes on.
    I was not too concerned about this at first because I run my cable tv directly to my display so much of our cable viewing is done using the tv's speakers. I also run a optical cable to my avr just in case I wanna turn my system on while viewng tv. I did some more viewing and sometimes that "slight" pause can take about 3 to 4 seconds before sound pops back on. This may not be a deal breaker but I could see this becoming very annoying if you run your cable directly to avr and used it for all tv viewing.


    My initial thoughts on the speaker popping issue:
    Quote Originally Posted by L.J.
    When going from HD to SD video on a BR disc (I guess the warnings and some previews are in SD) you get a similar pause, some clicking going on while the unit switches back and fourth and sometimes a slight popping sound from the speakers. This is mentioned by Onkyo in a paper packed with the unit and they state this is normal, not a malfunction.
    This is the deal breaker for me. The popping doesn't seem to be getting worse, but is happening more frequently. It has to be related to MCPCM because it only happens when using my PS3. Although Onkyo says this is not a malfunction I just don't like it. Onkyo says this will happen sometimes while watching some BR or HDDVD discs, but it has also happened occasionally while:
    1. Turning inputs on my display
    2. Turning my PS3 on
    3. Turning my PS3 off
    4. Playing PS3 games that support MCPCM
    5. Playing BR disc

    The popping sound is faint and comes from the front or rear speakers. It doesn't happen all the time, but it happens enough. There is a 605/805 popping thread over at AVS and some are saying they haven't experienced this so maybe I got a bad unit. I really like this unit and would consider keeping it but these issues are enough to make me keep looking. I'm hoping that the next model up (Onkyo 875) or it's cousin (Integra 7.8) will not have these issues. I may pick up a 2nd unit in hopes that I just happened to get a bad one.

    I would suggest that if your interested, give this model an audition. It's available at Circuit City and they have an excellent return policy. Many have decided these issues are not a big deal.

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    LJ; If you have the time and patience, you should pick up a 2nd unit. There is no reason for you to be stuck with a defective unit that is brand new.

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    Actually he's just auditioning this particular receiver, so he's not really *stuck* with it. For me it would more be a case of whether or not to be patient enough to try again with another of the same model.

  20. #20
    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    Actually he's just auditioning this particular receiver, so he's not really *stuck* with it. For me it would more be a case of whether or not to be patient enough to try again with another of the same model.
    Yeah I'll probably give it a 2nd chance.

    Before I purchased my 2910, I gave a Samsung universal player a try (can't remember the model #). I liked it alot but had major problems with it. I went through 3 units before I finally gave up.

    I'm glad it didn't work out though, because I would have never ended up going with the 2910

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    Hi, Forum Members

    A C-Net newsletter that I received Friday informed me that they will have a review of the Onkyo 605 next Friday. It should be interesting.

  22. #22
    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kelsci
    A C-Net newsletter that I received Friday informed me that they will have a review of the Onkyo 605 next Friday. It should be interesting.
    Thanks for the heads up. It should be very interesting. BTW I just picked up that 2nd 805 yesterday, hooked it up this morning and it has the exact same issues as the 1st one. Onkyo has dropped some very strong units but they just seem to be plagued with minor issues that some may not want to live with.

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    Hi L.J.; It would be interesting if C-Net picks up some of the things on their test of the 605 that you are having on the 805. At least you now know it was not just your first unit. It is a pain in the ass to perform trial and error quality control experements but in this case it is warranted since your unit is so fully equipped for now and the immediate future for high definition audio and video.

  24. #24
    Man of the People Forums Moderator bobsticks's Avatar
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    So what's next on the audition list, L.J.? The 875? I/we appreciate you being the guinea pig for us all

    Seriously, I do appreciate you taking the time to post your findings as, at some point, I will be looking to upgrade my processing power and probably would have gone with this unit based on previous experience with Onkyo. I guess I find this a truly revoltin' development.

    Lead on, McDuff.

  25. #25
    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kelsci
    Hi L.J.; It would be interesting if C-Net picks up some of the things on their test of the 605 that you are having on the 805. At least you now know it was not just your first unit. It is a pain in the ass to perform trial and error quality control experements but in this case it is warranted since your unit is so fully equipped for now and the immediate future for high definition audio and video.
    605 owners have noted the same issues. AVS has a 605/805 speaker popping poll going on and it does seem that there are some units out there that don't have this issue. I'd like to add again though that it is clearly stated by Onkyo that this may happen and it's not considered a defect (ya gotta love that).

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