Onkyo -- Still Crazy After All of These Years?

rsbeck

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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A few years ago, I searched this topic for a few friends. Really, I swear, it was not for me. Really.

What's the best home theater receiver? You know, that's the thing with a surround processor and multi-channel amplifier in the same box.

These days, they come with just about any feature you could want; Video processing, plenty of HDMI ports, room correction...and they've worked on keeping the syrup from the eggs so the sound quality on these things has gotten better and better.

Okay, at that time, the usual suspects for any audition of the best receivers had to include;

Denon
Pioneer
Onkyo

At the time I was researching, Onkyo had really leapfrogged the market with a line of receivers that offered all of the desired feathers for such a reasonable price and owners reporting such happiness that it was sort of a no-brainer recommendation.

Still the case?

If you have experience in this segment, what would you recommend to a friend today?

Don't hold back, tell us which one you would recommend most highly if someone were shopping right now and asked you?
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
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Seattle, WA
Onkyo (which is part of the same family as Integra by the way) has great price/performance. In Audio department, it is pretty good. In video though, the processing is just awful. If you don't need to upscale or otherwise process video through it, then you are good to go. Otherwise, you do miss something at this lower cost point.
 

rsbeck

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
848
11
0
Onkyo (which is part of the same family as Integra by the way) has great price/performance. In Audio department, it is pretty good. In video though, the processing is just awful. If you don't need to upscale or otherwise process video through it, then you are good to go. Otherwise, you do miss something at this lower cost point.


Which brand/model receiver has the best video processing?
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
Which brand/model receiver has the best video processing?
Before I answer that, let me state that you really shouldn't care much about video processing in the AVR if you are only playing BD content and the AVR has a proper 24fps pass through mode. Your display is 1080p, and so is the source. No format conversion is necessary.

For DVDs, you do need upscaling capability. Here players such as Oppo BD-83 have excellent scaling so you again, don't need anything in the AVR.

If you don't have such DVD player, then there are AVRs such as Anthem D2 have excellent scaling.
 

rsbeck

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
848
11
0
I'm a big fan of Anthem products, the D2 in particular and I agree with you with regard to its video processing, but the D2 is pre-amp/surround processor -- it has no internal multi-channel amp and is in a different market segment from Onkyo Receivers.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
Sorry, missed that part of your question :). My experience has only been with the Onkyo and lower-end 2-year old Denon/Yamaha and they all had awful scalars. If there is interest, I am happy to go and research who has the better scalars these days.
 

rsbeck

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
848
11
0
It'd be great to develop a sorting list of which receiver has the best room correction, audio processing, video processing, etc.

See if we can develop a short list of receivers that nail all of the most coveted features.

From there, sub it into different price points. Entry level, bang for the buck, and all out assault.

Know what I mean?
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
I do. How about this approach. We create a thread with specific models and links to reviews with quoted sections stating what is good about them. I can help interpret their findings but otherwise, everyone can pitch in to create this one-of-a-kind but super useful directory. Most other review aggregators appear to be machine generated and of little value in this space.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I do. How about this approach. We create a thread with specific models and links to reviews with quoted sections stating what is good about them. I can help interpret their findings but otherwise, everyone can pitch in to create this one-of-a-kind but super useful directory. Most other review aggregators appear to be machine generated and of little value in this space.

great idea
 

rsbeck

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
848
11
0
Just off the top of my head, I would guess the likely suspects among manufacturers are going to be Denon, Pioneer, Onkyo/Integra, and Marantz. If there are others, please chime in. I will chip away at this as I get time. A different thread for each manufacturer or one master thread?
 

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