Opinions on Onkyo 806

Vdr1973

Hi There ive been in the market for a new AVR for a while now and wanted
a pio sc-05 but just cant quite justify spending that kind of cash on one.
Newegg.com has the 806 on sale ridht now for $599 and was wondering what overall opinions were on this unit? Is the pio worth the $400-500 more?

Serendipity

Go for it. I think the Onkyo is a better value.

NewHTguy

If you're mostly a HT person, then I would not hesitate to go with the Onk. That is a pretty darn good price for NEW. However, a lot of people here seem to prefer the Pio sound for music and you may have the same taste. But, if you don't like the Onk's sound for music, you could always buy a nice preamp for two channel listening and have the best of both worlds. Or you can buy a dedicated CDP for $3-400 and the use the pure-audio feature. Either way I think the Onk is the better deal.

wutadumsn23

I would have to agree on the Onk. I have an 806, and have been very pleased with it's overall performance. I use mine for pretty much all HT, not much music listening and it is a great unit. Very underrated IMO for the price, only wish it had a better amp section, but it still performs very well with the one it has. They have worked out the "blue dot issue" both in manufacturing and with a hardware fix if you were unfortunate enough to get a bum unit back in the day. For $600 you can't beat the 806 IMHO.

cnh

It's better to buy new of course...but if the Egg runs out....Onkyo is selling some 806s direct for about the same price....but they ARE refurbs with 1 year warranty. They also had some silver 876...for a bit over a 1000.

599 is a decent price on the 806. It will get lower, though, when and if the 807 appears. Pre-Orders for the 807 are already on in the U.K.!

cnh

wutadumsn23

cnh wrote: »

It's better to buy new of course...but if the Egg runs out....Onkyo is selling some 806s direct for about the same price....but they ARE refurbs with 1 year warranty. They also had some silver 876...for a bit over a 1000.

599 is a decent price on the 806. It will get lower, though, when and if the 807 appears. Pre-Orders for the 807 are already on in the U.K.!

cnh

Yeah that 807 looks nice. Just saw a "review" online and it claims 180W per channel x7 , it is 7.2, and it looks like they put the Burr Brown DAC's back in it........grrrrrrr

wutadumsn23

Addition to above post. The 807 is rated at 180W @ 6 ohms with one channel driven. Still looks like another good unit from Onk, too bad only in Europe for now.

jdwmap

Looks like a NR807, so they will have a version with networked features. Google up Onkyo Europe, they have specs etc on the units, I would imagine identical featureset when it makes it over here.

The TX-NR807 brings together the very latest mid-range home-theatre functionality and adds one major upgrade: networking capability. An Ethernet port on the TX-NR807 allows it to receive and output audio files playing in real-time on your PC. Alternatively, you can bypass your PC and enjoy a direct connection to streaming internet radio stations such as Last.fm* and vTuner. Naturally, the TX-NR807 also handles all of your high-definition audio and video sources - courtesy of six HDMI™ 1.3a

cnh

Those are great features...but my PS3 media server does almost all that now to the PS3 and from it to the Onkyo.....no need for the 807 here! Unless I want to hear helicopters above my ears??? Or upconvert stuff I NO LONGER WATCH!!

cnh

Vdr1973

maybe off topic but can the PS3 stream Pandora? and if not what sites or programs do you use? Sorry for all the questions but im fairly new to this and just bearly got my PS3 online.

wutadumsn23

cnh wrote: »

Those are great features...but my PS3 media server does almost all that now to the PS3 and from it to the Onkyo.....no need for the 807 here! Unless I want to hear helicopters above my ears??? Or upconvert stuff I NO LONGER WATCH!!

cnh

+1 I am keeping my 806, no plans to "upgrade" to the 807. Just happy to see Onk put out another quality unit.

chemical

grab the 806 and run........for the price you can't beat it

woodsart

Just joining here and always interested about the 806, since I own one...:D

I do think that is an awesome receiver and the only one I can compare it with are it two predecessors one with HDMI, and also a new H/K 254, which is a great receiver.

The main difference is THX, Audyssey (806), and Ezeq (on the 254), and, of course, wattage. Just to mention some of my requirements. Sorry, but I have to say The Onkyo wins in my opinion, because of the Ultra2 and DynamicEQ/Loudness Plus along with the Pure audio.

And, with the volume up on pure audio, it is simply excellent listening pleasure. Of course, I am driving an Infinity line of speakers (7.1), not polk, which I almost purchased, by the way.

I will know more tonight, when I switch the 806 back into place. I think the THX ultra cinema is fabulous and I have missed it while using the H/K 254. The sound was exceptable, though the volume had to be higher on the H/K.

H/K receivers are suppose to be true to the output, but, in my opinion more is better when driving the Infinities. So, if I chose a H/K I would like all of the above, with more wattage and THX Ultra2 certified and pure audio for music. 806 also has THX Ultra2 Music, but have not been able to get it to work. Would love it with Pandora, however, I think it is only for 5.1 source or higher. Any opinions????

The quality of sound of the 806 while listening to pandora was more than enough for me. I am not an audiophile in specs knowledge, but only in listening. I purchase the 254, because it was a steal and the incredible reviews on the ones with the new firmware. It was for the office and probably will be great there.

Hope this helps in your decision. Just my $.02!

unclepauly

I've been wondering if I should get a used 805 or a new 806. The 805 had burr-brown dacs and a bigger amp section, so the decision is hard. Get a technically better receiver used and $100 cheaper, or a brand new one with a warranty and probably more life left in it. I'll probably get the 805

woodsart

unclepauly wrote: »

I've been wondering if I should get a used 805 or a new 806. The 805 had burr-brown dacs and a bigger amp section, so the decision is hard. Get a technically better receiver used and $100 cheaper, or a brand new one with a warranty and probably more life left in it. I'll probably get the 805

What everyone says about the burr-brown, i think I would, it seems to run side by side with the 806. As I said, I couldn't be happier with the 806-the 805 would keep me satisfied as well.

Thinking back I could even have saved a few bucks and had the BB DAC had I gotten the 805. Either way you will be happy....Good luck!

ls7z06

I have the Onk 806 and love it. Prior to that had lower end Yamaha, 2 Sony's and a Denon. I use the Onk primarily for HT with RTiA7's, CSiA6, FXiA6's and DSW Pro 500 in a 20X15 dedicated HT room. I also use it to power a couple of old Monitor 50's in zone 2 which are on a balcony overlooking my downstairs family room. Even though I mostly use for movies, I also do a fair amount of music listening. I think it does a fantastic job for both. The price you mentioned is a bargain. The Onk websight lists them for $1100. Get it.

Dawgfish

I own an 806 and it is a good HT reciever, especially if you can get it at $600 like you suggested. If music is a priority for you, there are definitely better recievers out there. The Pioneers you suggested and the Denon 2800 series and up recievers are much better for music IMHO. I replaced my 806 in my main system with a Denon 2809 and moved the 806 to my bedroom system. I'm much happier with the performance of the Denon, however I spent a lot more cash than $600 for the Denon. If HT is your priority, than it will be hard to beat the 806 for that price.

I'm curious to here how the 807 performs. It sounds like Onkyo may have a winner on their hands with this one if the early info is correct. The beefier amplifier section and Burr-Brown DACS are both features I really wish the 806 would have had.