Onkyo SR-TX806 vs. Harmon Kardon 354
kevhed72
Posts: 5,129
Folks,
There appears to be some decent deals on both of these AVR's. Here is my current speaker setup:
RTIa9 fronts, CSiA6 center, FXIa6 rears, sub to be named later.
These are used 50 / 50 for HT and 2-channel audio. My question is:
How much smoother/warmer do you all think the HK will sound over the Onkyo?
Right now Im running an older model Yamaha and it is bright-sounding with these speakers for 2-channel audio. Your feedback is appreciated...I am interested in the thoughts from owners of either receiver...
There appears to be some decent deals on both of these AVR's. Here is my current speaker setup:
RTIa9 fronts, CSiA6 center, FXIa6 rears, sub to be named later.
These are used 50 / 50 for HT and 2-channel audio. My question is:
How much smoother/warmer do you all think the HK will sound over the Onkyo?
Right now Im running an older model Yamaha and it is bright-sounding with these speakers for 2-channel audio. Your feedback is appreciated...I am interested in the thoughts from owners of either receiver...
Post edited by kevhed72 on
Comments
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We are on the same shoes polkie......
SOME say the HK is decent
SOME stay away from 806...the 805 is better...
SOME say DENON, PIO Elites, Sony, Yamaha.......duh the duh the duh......
I am still in the market just like yours....you may do a search under my name and see the other guys who gave their 2cents.Godspeed,
D0661E
AVR:Pioneer Elite SC-07
Surrounds: RTis
2channel:Rti100 (carver driven
Sub:SVS PB12-Plus/2
Dedicated AMPs:Adcom GFA535, 2xCarver 1.5t, Carver m1.0t
Wsrn:Hitachi ultra vision LCD60, 32XBR400
PowerConditioner: MonsterC HTS5100
PS3, Toshiba HD A2, etc: SonySACD/ Panasonic gears DIVX.
MR3LIGION: Polkaudio; GSXR; E46; Reeftank;
Odyclub; Xsimulator; Sony; Zune; Canon -
I have the 805 and love it.
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I just bought the 806 and couldn't be happier. I was going to get the 805, but by the time I got home from my last deployment the 806 was available so I figured what the hay.HT Rig
Receiver- Onkyo TX-SR806
Mains- Polk Audio Monitor 70
Center- Polk Audio CS2
Surrounds- Polk Audio TSi 500's
Sub- Polk Audio PSW125
Retired- Polk Audio Monitor 40's
T.V.- 60" Sony SXRD KDS-60A2000 LCoS
Blu-Ray- 80 GB PS3
2 CH rig (in progress)
Polk Audio Monitor 10A's :cool:
It's not that I'm insensitive, I just don't care.. -
I have the HK 635 and it sounds pretty good. I am going to be using it as a pre/pro as soon as I get my XPA-5 though. For now though, I believe that the warm sound out of the HK fits perfectly with the forward sound of the A9s.
JonCurrent setup:
Sony KDL-52W4100 LCD TV
HK AVR-635 receiver pre
Emotiva XPA-5 Amp
PS3
BFD
Oppo DV-983H
Panamax MAX 5400-PM Voltage Regulator
Polk RTi A9 mains
Polk CSi A6 center
Polk FXi A6 surrounds
SVS PB12-Ultra/2 sub
DishNetwork ViP 622 SAT RCVR -
I am deciding between those 2, as well. Here's the link to my post with some pretty thoughtful responses.
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72949
Good luck deciding.bms
Family Room:
Onkyo TX-RZ920
Outlaw 2200 monoblock amps x 3
Sony UBP-X700
Sony A80J 77” OLED
Polk LSiM 705’s
Polk LSiM 706
Polk LSiM 703’s
Polk RTi4's
Dual SVS PB13-Ultra’s
PC13-Ultra
Bonus Room:
Onkyo TX-SR806
PS3
Panasonic TC-P42G10
Polk RTi10's
Polk CSi5
Polk R50's
SVS PB10-ISD
For sale:
Onkyo TX-SR603X -
Right now, in my large not-so-acoustically friendly room, I am Very pleased with my Onk 805/Emo XPA-5 combination for HT.____________________
This post is a natural product. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects.
HT:Onkyo 805, Emotiva XPA-5, Mitsu 52" 1080p DLP / polkaudio RTi12, CSIa6, FXi3, uPro4K
2-chnl : Pio DV-46AV (SACD), Dodd ELP, Emotiva XPA-1s, XPA-2, Odyssey Khartago, LSi9, SDA-SRS 2 :cool:, SB Duet, MSB & Monarchy DACs, Yamaha PX3 TT, SAE Tuner...
Pool: Atrium 60's/45's -
I love my SR805. The 806 should be just as good, if not, firmware updates should solve that. (see AVSForum threads for more on that)
Pros for the Onkyo: More power, better room acoustic setup (Audyssey), more HDMI inputs, more solid build (50lbs!)
HK has a reputation for sounding better with music, but I can't say if that still holds true. I doubt you would be unhappy with the sound of the Onkyo. -
Folks, thanks for the feedback. After trolling the AVS forum, I see many posts describing potential "bugs" with the HK's HDMI switching and video capabilities. On the other hand, everyone says they love the sound of the HK. The more I research receivers, the more I question the whole HDMI switching process. But, all I plan to run through the receiver via HDMI is a Blue Ray player and someday DirecTV HD DVR. (My kids can plug their X-Mas present - Wii - into another TV...Baa Humbugg)
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Folks, thanks for the feedback. After trolling the AVS forum, I see many posts describing potential "bugs" with the HK's HDMI switching and video capabilities. On the other hand, everyone says they love the sound of the HK. The more I research receivers, the more I question the whole HDMI switching process. But, all I plan to run through the receiver via HDMI is a Blue Ray player and someday DirecTV HD DVR. (My kids can plug their X-Mas present - Wii - into another TV...Baa Humbugg)
The switching issue applies on the Onkyo brand (per Polk's input in some threads) and as far as issues in HKs....the latest firmware solved the problem (esp on PS3 issues....per AVSforum)Godspeed,
D0661E
AVR:Pioneer Elite SC-07
Surrounds: RTis
2channel:Rti100 (carver driven
Sub:SVS PB12-Plus/2
Dedicated AMPs:Adcom GFA535, 2xCarver 1.5t, Carver m1.0t
Wsrn:Hitachi ultra vision LCD60, 32XBR400
PowerConditioner: MonsterC HTS5100
PS3, Toshiba HD A2, etc: SonySACD/ Panasonic gears DIVX.
MR3LIGION: Polkaudio; GSXR; E46; Reeftank;
Odyclub; Xsimulator; Sony; Zune; Canon -
Really...that's good to hear. Overall, it seemed there were alot more gripes about the HK's switching than the Onkyo's, especially since there is an entire thread dedicated to HK 254 / 354 problems. But, I think you pushed me over the edge. My local BB carries them and I am going to pick one up for a 29 day trial run and see for myself. I am tired of researching and need to start listening...Thanks for the info.
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Just wanted to mention, I've had absolutely no issues with HDMI switching on my Onkyo. I've had my HD-DVR, Bluray, and HD-DVD players all hooked up to HDMI through the Onkyo, bitstreaming all the lossless codecs, 1080p, 1080p/24, etc. ZERO problems.
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Really...that's good to hear. Overall, it seemed there were alot more gripes about the HK's switching than the Onkyo's, especially since there is an entire thread dedicated to HK 254 / 354 problems. But, I think you pushed me over the edge. My local BB carries them and I am going to pick one up for a 29 day trial run and see for myself. I am tired of researching and need to start listening...Thanks for the info.
You should get the Onks and the HKs and BLIND test them both. I am eager to get your input once completed.Godspeed,
D0661E
AVR:Pioneer Elite SC-07
Surrounds: RTis
2channel:Rti100 (carver driven
Sub:SVS PB12-Plus/2
Dedicated AMPs:Adcom GFA535, 2xCarver 1.5t, Carver m1.0t
Wsrn:Hitachi ultra vision LCD60, 32XBR400
PowerConditioner: MonsterC HTS5100
PS3, Toshiba HD A2, etc: SonySACD/ Panasonic gears DIVX.
MR3LIGION: Polkaudio; GSXR; E46; Reeftank;
Odyclub; Xsimulator; Sony; Zune; Canon -
My local BB carries them and I am going to pick one up for a 29 day trial run and see for myself.
Have you gotten this far? I'm in the same boat and torn between the H/K and Pioneer Elite VSX-01TXH. I'm replacing an H/K, so the sound is what I'm familiar with, but I'm really curious about the quirkiness.
