Onkyo 806, or something newer/better?

jflail2

Hi all. I've got a friend from work that has heard the goodness of my Polk set up, and decided to grab a set of the def tech bp 7006's. He's looking at picking up a receiver today, and has had his eye set on the Onkyo 806. We'll be stopping by Crutchfield to pick it up, as they have a store in town and you can get these open box most of the time. That being said, would anyone have a recommendation (mostly based on Crutchfield's stock) for a receiver with pre-amp outs and less than a grand? Is there something we're overlooking that might perform better than the 806 in that price range?

Thanks all!

Sherardp

What's the price range of the 806?

jflail2

Crutchfield has it as discontinued at $679. Could possibly get it for around $600 if there's an open box there.

billbillw

In general, Onkyo AVRs are hard to beat for the price, especially if they are discounted due to closeout. At $600-$700, it would be hard to beat, unless he/you could find a used Onkyo SR805, which is actually better than the 806. The 805 has more power, better build, better DACs, and a better Audyssey version. The 806 has more HDMI inputs and possibly better video processing, but that's about it.

leroyjr1

For under $1000?


You'd get a better deal buying online. Check out Videogon.

Onkyo 807 ($750) brand new
Onkyo 1007 ($1000) brand new
Pioneer elite SC-25 ($949) brand new
Pioneer elite 23 ($499) brand new
Pioneer elite 21 ($449) brand new

All of these can be found on videogon from a authorized dealer and would be great receivers for your friend.

leroyjr1

Edited....

jflail2

Interesting. So 1 vote for the 805 (if stil around) and 1 for Videogon.

Do the Pioneer elite 21 and 23 have pre-amp outs? That's a heck of deal for $500 or under!

domflane

Both of the Pioneer Elites have 7.1 preouts. I really like the looks and fit and finish of the Elites, and they have some really nice options, but for that budget I would most likely get an Onkyo. I really like the Def Tech BP's and have heard the 7002's on an Onkyo 807 and a 1007 and it was a really nice combo. I even prefered it to the same speakers on the SC series Elites with the ICE amps. They have most of these AVR's in the Magnolia room in my Best Buy and I've spent a lot of time switching speakers and AVR's around and listening. They don't have any high end Polk's, so my favorites are without a doubt the big Onk's powering the Def Techs.
Don't forget about Harman Kardon too, for under $1000 you can get one of their really high end models and all but the most basic HK's have preouts. They make really nice pre amps too.
Hope this helps . .

Dominic