Onkyo PR-SC886 Pre/pro Controller

rtart

Victim of upgraditis. This unit is my second Onkyo Prepro - had a 885 as well. In fact, I'm upgrading to another one to play with height/width channels.

Mounted in a forced-air cooled rack. Never a hiccup of any kind. I'm persnickety about my gear, as many on this forum can attest. 9/10 at least. Check me out on ebay. My ID is rtinatl. Member over ten years, 264 transactions, never a negative.

Great video processing, Audyssey volume, Audyssey XT, HDMI, and no bugs (like many other prepros requiring multiple firmware updates, etc.) You can see my setup below and see which components I have working with it.

I bought it from a local Polkie who bought it new. I have the box, manuals, microphone, everything that came with it.

Last one sold on ebay for $612 plus $50 shipping. Polkie price $625 including shipping within the CONUS. PP gift would be nice, but I'll eat the fees if necessary.

It is currently in my rack, so not much is visible, but I can take pix if you like. Please reply via PM.

rtart

Looks like my price may be a little high. Let's try $575 shipped in CONUS.

halo71

Damn I want that!!!

rtart

Could be yours. I can discount shipping to zero if we do a local deal.....

polkfarmboy

A good pre has nice clean power and should smoke nearly every receiver

halo71

polkfarmboy wrote: »

A good pre has nice clean power and should smoke nearly every receiver

erm......? Posted in the wrong thread? You have a pre with "nice clean power"???

polkfarmboy

I have 2 Anthems? Not the wrong thread

When you have a HT preamp then the power supply is dedicated to the audio more so than a receiver so you dont have all that noise from power amps built in, get what I mean?

rtart

Make me a reasonable offer. I might take it.

dhart86

pm sent

rtart

PM replied

Toxis

If it would do 9.1, I'd snag it.

rtart

I upgraded from the 886 to a prepro that does 9.1, using height channels. I added a pair of height speakers (right where Dolby and Audyssey say to put them). I already had the speakers and the amp, so the new prepro was the only expense.

I can tell you that I would not do it again if I had to buy the extra gear to make it happen. There is a little extra benefit I can hear in the front soundstage, but not enough to justify the expense, IMO. It actually seems to me to make the front sound stage kind of 'mushy', since the directionality of each point source is muddied. Instead of being able to identify the exact location of a sound in space, it kind of comes from everywhere.

I've tried Dolby IIz and Audyssey's version as well. I prefer the Dolby version over the Auyssey DSX, but again, would not spend a lot to do it if I had to do it over. I figure I'm in for an extra $550 for the prepro after selling the 886, plus an estimated $400 for the extra speakers and 2 channel amp. Not a great value, IMO, and I wouldn't recommend it for those who don't already own some or all of the gear required.

I noticed a LOT more benefit when I went from 5.1 to 7.1, and would recommend that add if the room is large enough.

Just my $0.02 worth.

polkfarmboy

There is no 9.1, nearly all blurays still only have 5.1 encoded in the sound track

zane77

There are a lot more 7.1 blu-rays coming out and using the wides for 9.2 is pretty awesome.

rtart

polkfarmboy wrote: »

There is no 9.1, nearly all blurays still only have 5.1 encoded in the sound track

Dolby labs, Audyssey and others would disagree. While there are no discs (yet) natively encoded with 9.1, Dolby and Audyssey have created DSP algorithms that do indeed use 10 discrete channels. My prepro outputs in 9.2 and sounds great.

BTW, here's a list of 7.1 natively encoded BDs. There's 646 of them. http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/search.php?keyword=&studioid=&videocodec=&disc=&yearfrom=&yearto=&regioncoding=&audio=7.1&subtitles=&submit=Search&action=search

jimbo1421

Hello rtart,

Your SC-886 might be close to what I need to replace my Outlaw 1050, but I have some questions.

1) My turntable and preamp are located across the room from my AVR and connected to it with 20 foot RCA cables. My NAD 116 has balanced outputs and the SC-886 has stereo balanced inputs. My understanding is that the XLR cables would be a big improvement over these long RCAs. Is this correct? My power amplifier (NAD T955) does not have balanced inputs so I would be feeding it from the SC-886 RCA preouts. Does this in any way negate the improvement of the balanced connection to the NAD preamp?

2) From reading the manual I see there is a Direct listening mode. From the manual:

In this mode, audio from the input source is output directly with minimal processing, providing high-fidelity reproduction. All of the source?s audio channels are output as they are.

Does this mean that NO digital processing or bass management is applied to an analog input? What does "minimal processing" mean, just volume control?

3) Does the analog signal pass directly through to the RCA preouts? I think some Parasound controllers don't do this.

Jim

rtart

Hi Jimbo,

Balanced connections are helpful for long cable runs, which you have. The intent is to reduce noise picked up by the cables over a long distance. (That's why xlr cables were invented - for pro sound applications with very long field connections.) In your situation I would expect an improvement in the noise floor from the TT/amp. As far as the connections to the amp, the distances are not nearly as great (I'm assuming) so noise should not be an issue here. I've used both 3 meter RCA cables and xlrs between my prepro and amp and can tell no difference. However, I have a similar setup for my TT (32 feet) and tried both as well. XLR cables worked better for me than RCA.

As I recall, "Direct" mode sends out whatever comes in to the 886. If a signal comes in as dolby digital, 'Direct' mode sends it out as dolby digital. (You can use a 7.1 DSP mode to add the extra 2 channels if there are speakers for 7.1). Seems like Audyssey is defeated in this mode, but I'd have to check to be sure. I know there is a mode that defeats Audyssey, though, just not sure of the name. There is another mode called 'Pure Audio' were video is also defeated and the signal passes directly to the RCA preouts.

Don't quote me on the exact names of the modes, but there are modes that will do what you are asking, as I recall.

BTW, there is a thread on AVSForum on the 886 that goes on for over a hundred pages, here: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1083392/onkyo-pr-sc886p-pre-pro-official-thread. LOTS of info about this unit, in more detail than I can imagine anyone needing. :-)

Please let me know if I did not answer your question.

jimbo1421

Thanks for your quick reply.

What you say about balanced inputs and outputs is encouraging. My power amp sits right next to the AVR so no real noise problem there, just on the long run from the phono preamp. While studying the Parasound Halo C2 manual I discovered that it would not pass a signal from its balanced input to the unbalanced (RCA) preouts. It does balanced input to balanced output; RCA input to RCA output. No crossing over from one to the other. (The Halo P7 doesn't have this limitation but it's a $2,000 item.)

I've used both 3 meter RCA cables and xlrs between my prepro and amp and can tell no difference. However, I have a similar setup for my TT (32 feet) and tried both as well. XLR cables worked better for me than RCA.

So just to clarify, have you passed a signal from the balanced inputs to the RCA preouts?

After I bought my Outlaw 1050 I realized to my chagrin that all signals sent to the stereo analog inputs (CD, tape, aux, etc.) were digitized, put through DSP and bass management, then analogized again. It didn't sound good. Only the 5 channel inputs pass an analog signal directly through. These are shared by the phono preamp and Blu-ray front analog outputs by means of a Niles switch. This is a situation I would like to clean up. So what I am asking is that analog signals stay analog all the way through. The manual's description of the "Direct" and "Pure Audio" listening modes don't make this explicit.

How is the FM section and HD radio? My favorite station has an HD signal that I have never heard.

How old is this unit.

Regards,

Jim

rtart

Hi again. I searched a little and found a copy of the Outlaw Guide to the PR-SC886. (I can send you a copy if you PM me your email address.) Here's what it says about Pure Audio and Direct modes:

Pure Audio
There is a tremendous amount of processing power available in the PR-SC886, but in some cases it is more desirable to preserve clean a signal path as possible. With this in mind, the Pure Audio listening mode disables the front panel display and the analog video circuitry (only the HDMI output will provide a video signal). Audio processing is also kept to a minimum. Each incoming channel is sent directly to its output, untouched by the DSP circuits. Bass management, channel trim, speaker delay, and equalization are all disabled. Analog inputs thus remain pure analog when in this listening mode, with only volume control touching the signal.

Direct
The Direct listening mode shares a similar minimalist goal with the Pure Audio listening mode, although the video circuits and front panel display are not turned off. The source?s audio channels are output exactly as they are input, with no surround processing or dowmixing applied. As with Pure Audio, this means that no bass management, channel trim, speaker delay, or equalization is applied and analog inputs remain analog.

As far as FM and HD goes, I've used both and have been very pleased. I live on the NE side of the ATL metro area, so there are LOTS of HD Radio stations. I also have a Sangean HD Radio tuner that I use for my whole house audio system. Reception for the 886 seems to be at least as good as the Sangean. One caveat, though. I have a huge Channel Master antenna in my attic that I use for FM, HDR and OTA HDTV video channels. Seems like its a Channel Master 4223. Its about three feet square.

As far as age of the unit, I was the second owner. I bought it about 14 months ago from the original owner. He swapped it for a newly introduced Marantz prepro, seems like a 7005, then asked if I would sell it back to him a few weeks later. I just looked and the box has a shipping sticker from Onkyo to him dated May 2009.

jimbo1421

I've used both 3 meter RCA cables and xlrs between my prepro and amp and can tell no difference. However, I have a similar setup for my TT (32 feet) and tried both as well. XLR cables worked better for me than RCA.

Have you ever connected your phono preamp to the balanced inputs and output unbalanced (RCA preouts) to your amp? Have you done this in Pure Audio or Direct listening mode? I have not read anything in either manual or the AVS thread that excludes this configuration but I have not seen it confirmed either.

Jim

rtart

Yes. I ran RCA connections to my amp for a few days right after I bought it. I used the TT with it, so Yes is the answer. I also certainly used Direct and Pure Audio modes in that configuration while playing around with it.

jimbo1421

PM sent

Jim

rtart

This unit is sold.

jimbo1421

It arrived here at lunchtime. There was one slightly crunched corner where the Audyssey mic is stored but nothing seems damaged inside and all the parts are there. Well done, Randall.

Now for the learning curve and the 132 page manual.

Jim

rtart

What??? Reading the manual????!!???

Sacrilege!!




Actually there is a lot of good stuff in the manual. Also in the Outlaw Guide.

Enjoy!

jimbo1421

TIL from the manual that I have to hook up the Onkyo to a TV and get batteries for the remote before I can set up anything. I was trying to put it in place of the NAD 116 preamp just to see how the phono and FM worked. I am going to have to tear down my whole HT to move a shelf up to fit this beastie. This will have to wait till next week.

Jim