Onkyo 3008 v. 5008

EndersShadow
EndersShadow Posts: 17,722
edited July 2011 in Electronics
So been doing some researching/reading just to keep up with Onkyo/Integra models and had a question.

WTF is the big difference between the 3008 & 5008? I cant see much besides the 5008 having "1 Toroidal + 3 transformers" v. the 3008's "4 Transformers" for a power supply. There is a 5 wpc difference (which is a wash), 1 additional Optical on the 5008, and the 5008 lists "192K/32bit, finest Burr-Brown" under its 192K/24 Bit DACs section where the 3008 lists "Burr-Brown x 6".

Are those differences worth the 600 dollar price difference?

Am I missing something major here (cause I hope so).

Thanks in advance...
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
Post edited by EndersShadow on
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  • BWilberg266
    BWilberg266 Posts: 191
    edited July 2011
    From everything I had read before I bought mine you would get an extra USB port on the back, different binding posts, a slight step up in Burr Brown DACS, five extra watts, and 1 Toroidal + 3 transformers instead of 4 transformers in the 3008.
    Main Setup
    Fronts - Energy RC-50's
    Center - Energy RC-LCR
    Rear - Energy RC-R's
    Subs - Gone...
    AVR - Pioneer SC-37
    Blu-Ray - Sony BDP-S360
    TV - Vizio E550I-B2
    Media Server - Mac Mini
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,722
    edited July 2011
    BWilberg266 wrote: »
    1 Toroidal + 3 transformers instead of 4 transformers in the 3008.

    So this is where my ignorance shows.....whats the diff?
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • BWilberg266
    BWilberg266 Posts: 191
    edited July 2011
    I had done some reading on it when I was trying to find the answer when I was considering the 3008 or 5008 and from what I could find, it is lighter, more efficient, can provide a larger surge of power faster, and creates less magnetic interference and less heat.

    All that to say, it is more efficient at doing it's job. They both provide power and I'd be darned if you could tell the difference in your audio unless you had them sitting side by side. (Even then I'd be impressed/amazed if you could hear the difference) One other nice side benefit of the toroidal transformer running cooler is that it could prolong the life of the rest of the parts in the receiver due to the lower heat. For me, I just put a couple CPU fans on the receiver and call it good.

    Some say you should get a blacker noise floor with a torroidal transformer because of its lower magnetic interference but at the same token it can also receive interference easier than a standard EI transformer. So IMO and for my dollar it's not worth it to spend the extra bucks to get 3+1 torroidal instead of 4 regular EI transformers.

    Then again, I'm not an expert, just a hobbyist.
    Main Setup
    Fronts - Energy RC-50's
    Center - Energy RC-LCR
    Rear - Energy RC-R's
    Subs - Gone...
    AVR - Pioneer SC-37
    Blu-Ray - Sony BDP-S360
    TV - Vizio E550I-B2
    Media Server - Mac Mini
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  • BWilberg266
    BWilberg266 Posts: 191
    edited July 2011
    After looking a bit further I found this article that gets a bit more technical, so it all depends on how much you wanna learn about transformers :wink:

    http://soundstage.com/maxdb/maxdb071998.htm
    Main Setup
    Fronts - Energy RC-50's
    Center - Energy RC-LCR
    Rear - Energy RC-R's
    Subs - Gone...
    AVR - Pioneer SC-37
    Blu-Ray - Sony BDP-S360
    TV - Vizio E550I-B2
    Media Server - Mac Mini
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  • matchan
    matchan Posts: 73
    edited July 2011
    3008 is very close to the 5008. 32 bit Burr Browns on the 5008 vs 24 on 3008.
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  • matchan
    matchan Posts: 73
    edited July 2011
    Also 3008 seems to be on sale more often :-)
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  • Joe08867
    Joe08867 Posts: 3,919
    edited July 2011
    If the toroidal is the same one that is in this pick the 5008 should have better dynamic ability into all channels than the 3008.

    Other than that they look like the specs are about the same.

    InnenlebenGesamt.jpg
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,722
    edited July 2011
    matchan wrote: »
    3008 is very close to the 5008. 32 bit Burr Browns on the 5008 vs 24 on 3008.

    How big a deal is that? Not totally up to speed on that one....
    Joe08867 wrote: »
    If the toroidal is the same one that is in this pick the 5008 should have better dynamic ability into all channels than the 3008.

    Gotcha. That wont be a big deal as I will probably always be running a seperate 5 channel amp, and am using the rear surrounds in my current 7.1 AVR anyway.

    So then between those the 3008 looks like the winner unless the 24 v 32 DAC thing is a big deal....
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • BWilberg266
    BWilberg266 Posts: 191
    edited July 2011
    That would be my vote. I don't think you'll be missing anything and you can put the few hundred bucks you saved towards your next purchase.
    Main Setup
    Fronts - Energy RC-50's
    Center - Energy RC-LCR
    Rear - Energy RC-R's
    Subs - Gone...
    AVR - Pioneer SC-37
    Blu-Ray - Sony BDP-S360
    TV - Vizio E550I-B2
    Media Server - Mac Mini
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,722
    edited July 2011
    BWilberg266 wrote: »
    That would be my vote. I don't think you'll be missing anything and you can put the few hundred bucks you saved towards your next purchase.

    Well a AVR purchase is actually the last one on my current list for the HT. I can keep squeaking by on 2EQ for a bit while I get a better 5 channel amplifier and then dual subs.

    By then XT32 might not even be the "newest" version out so I might be able to save even more :eek:.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited July 2011
    I agree. Though it would be nice to have the toroidal transformer in there. It won't be a night and day difference in power and sound between the two units and you can put the money saved into something else.

    Good Luck!

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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