Onkyo 806

nadavc1

Hi,

i have just received the onkyo 806 and want to buy speakers for it.
im interested in the RTI series.
can you suggest me a set of speakers that will suit this amp, and will be upgradable to a stronger amp in the future.

thanks,
Nadav

Eric W

RTiA9 You can use up to a 500 watt per channel amp in the future.

maximillian

From what I have read there are few receivers that are appropriate for the A9's compared to a generic receiver and external amp. I think an external amp and basic receiver will end up costing far less and sound better compared to getting a high powered receiver.

With an external amp you can also get one that can drive 4 Ohm speakers n case you want to go with LSi's. I don't know of any receivers that can handle 4 Ohm speakers reliably. I know Onkyo doesn't make any. Get a used amp such as an Adcom 555. I think there is one on the FM for $300. There are plenty of other amps out there with slightly different sound. An external amp offers a lot more power and flexibility.

silvrhand

nadavc1 wrote: »

Hi,

i have just received the onkyo 806 and want to buy speakers for it.
im interested in the RTI series.
can you suggest me a set of speakers that will suit this amp, and will be upgradable to a stronger amp in the future.

thanks,
Nadav

For what use? HT/music?? Can you give more specifics 5x1 setup, 7x1 setup, subwoofer? Layout?

- John

sandworms

maximillian wrote: »

From what I have read there are few receivers that are appropriate for the A9's compared to a generic receiver and external amp. I think an external amp and basic receiver will end up costing far less and sound better compared to getting a high powered receiver.

With an external amp you can also get one that can drive 4 Ohm speakers n case you want to go with LSi's. I don't know of any receivers that can handle 4 Ohm speakers reliably. I know Onkyo doesn't make any. Get a used amp such as an Adcom 555. I think there is one on the FM for $300. There are plenty of other amps out there with slightly different sound. An external amp offers a lot more power and flexibility.

ck onkyo.com or just ask me, several models are 4ohm capable. it may not be the prefered route but it is possible, i for 1 would not try to power the a9's with less than 200w. go with the a5 or a7 and a good sub, you'll love it

maximillian

sandworms wrote: »

ck onkyo.com or just ask me, several models are 4ohm capable. it may not be the prefered route but it is possible, i for 1 would not try to power the a9's with less than 200w. go with the a5 or a7 and a good sub, you'll love it

The 806 will power the A9's. However, if someday the OP wants to upgrade to LSi's then he will need an external amp. The LSi's go down to 2 Ohms at some frequencies. No Onkyo receiver will power them properly regardless if they claim it's 4 Ohm capable. Depending on the listening level of the user, the A9's may not be properly powered by the 806.

From what I have read (and I agree with them) it's better to buy a generic receiver (that has the features you want) and external amp with the power your speakers require. Buying a high powered receiver will be expensive and in the end will not be any better than a seperate amp.

Eric W

maximillian wrote: »

From what I have read there are few receivers that are appropriate for the A9's compared to a generic receiver and external amp. I think an external amp and basic receiver will end up costing far less and sound better compared to getting a high powered receiver.

With an external amp you can also get one that can drive 4 Ohm speakers n case you want to go with LSi's. I don't know of any receivers that can handle 4 Ohm speakers reliably. I know Onkyo doesn't make any. Get a used amp such as an Adcom 555. I think there is one on the FM for $300. There are plenty of other amps out there with slightly different sound. An external amp offers a lot more power and flexibility.

The A9's are not particularly difficult to drive so the Onkyo will be fine. They don't dip extremely low and are not power hungry. It won't play as loud as a high powered external amp but will satisfy most listeners.

sandworms wrote: »

ck onkyo.com or just ask me, several models are 4ohm capable. it may not be the prefered route but it is possible, i for 1 would not try to power the a9's with less than 200w. go with the a5 or a7 and a good sub, you'll love it

It depends on how loud he wants to play the system. You can power a A9 with a 20 watt receiver, just don't expect it to play too loud.

apphd

maximillian wrote: »

The 806 will power the A9's. However, if someday the OP wants to upgrade to LSi's then he will need an external amp. The LSi's go down to 2 Ohms at some frequencies. No Onkyo receiver will power them properly regardless if they claim it's 4 Ohm capable. Depending on the listening level of the user, the A9's may not be properly powered by the 806.

From what I have read (and I agree with them) it's better to buy a generic receiver (that has the features you want) and external amp with the power your speakers require. Buying a high powered receiver will be expensive and in the end will not be any better than a seperate amp.

I can't agree more with these statements. When someone is looking to buy an AVR I always say the same in regards to the second statement although I prefer to say entry level rather than generic.

But the OP already has the 806 which has pre outs so he already has an upgrade path open to him later if he chooses. For his question as to what speakers will give good results with this AVR with an amp maybe in the future I think the A9 is a great speaker for this. He will get some pretty good results with the 806, and be able to see (hear) an improvement when he makes the move to a good separate amp.

What remains is some suggestions for the remainder of the sys. Which an answer to silvrhand questions would be needed to do well on some suggestions. Not knowing budget, size of room, expectations etc. I will go conservative and suggest a CSiA4 center, and 4 RTiA1's and stop there. I think the Op should see what the results are with this before buying a sub. Especially if an amp is added depending on the room and personal tastes a sub may not be needed.

maximillian

Hello apphd,

+1 to your post. If the OP wants mainly HT then the A9's would be the best sounding.

Nadav realize that the A9's are rather large so make sure it fits the room aesthetics. If you want to go smaller, then work your way down the RTi (A) line. It's debatable whether or not the 7's are better than the 5's. It appears to be a personal preference and you should listen before you buy.

The only thing I slightly disagree with apphd about is the center. The CC is the most important speaker in a HT; get the best you can. The A6 (CSi 5) is better sounding than the A4. The only problem with it is that it's also rather large. However, the ability of the A6 to go deeper is noticed by many people. Personally I would only pick the A4 if I am using RTiA1's as mains. Any other speaker in the RTi line would be well suited with the A6.

nadavc1

thanks for the reply,

im thinking about the folowing set:
2x RTi A9
CSi A6
2x RTi A1
PSW 125 12 inch sub.

should my AMP have any problems with this set?

thank you for your time,
Nadav

Eric W

nadavc1 wrote: »

thanks for the reply,

im thinking about the folowing set:
2x RTi A9
CSi A6
2x RTi A1
PSW 125 12 inch sub.

should my AMP have any problems with this set?

thank you for your time,
Nadav

Nope, should be just fine.

Menasor

nadavc1 wrote: »

thanks for the reply,

im thinking about the folowing set:
2x RTi A9
CSi A6
2x RTi A1
PSW 125 12 inch sub.

should my AMP have any problems with this set?

thank you for your time,
Nadav

If you're going with A9's, don't go with a sub at all, unless it's a REALLY good one. the PSW125 is pretty underwhelming for that setup imo