I recently purchased this receiver a couple of weeks ago but don't have it yet. I paid $600.00(CDN)plus a trade in for my Onkyo TX-DS555, which I think is a good price. I was just wondering if anyone who own's this receiver or has heard it can tell what they think of it? It came down to this receiver or the Denon AVR-2803. The dealer I bought it off of recommended the Onkyo over the Denon thus my choice.
riches1
Posted on
Interesting choices. I have auditioned both of these receivers, as well as the HK325 and HK225, in my home. I chose the Onyko 701. The Denon 2803 was my least favorite of all. To me, it sounded very thin. Although the Denon was accurate and detailed, it just didn't have any "character".
I had the Denon 2803 hooked up to Klipsch RB25/RC25/RS25 and a KSW10 sub. I currently have my Onkyo 701 hooked up to Paradigm Mini Monitors/CC370/Atoms in the rear, and Def Tech 10" ProSub. I will admit that this was not a well controlled comparison between the 701 and 2803 since I used two different speaker systems. However, I had the HK's hooked up to the Klipsch as well, and the HK's sounded much better with those speakers than the Denon.
While there are no current hi-fi mag reveiws on the Onkyo 701, the professional reviewers comments are ALL positive regarding the 701's predecessors, the 700 and 696 series (the 700 was a 2003 Editor's Choice by the Absolute Sound - and the 696 has all favorable reviews as well.)
The reviews on the Denons, conversely, have been mixed. The 2803 was described as a good home theater receiver, but not very musical (ditto the 3803) by one of the British Hi-Fi magazines. However, many of the reviews of the Denon's have been quite impressive as well. Denon's are noted for their terrible owners manuals - the "engrish" is comically bad! Also, their remotes are not the greatest.
Finally, the Denon 2803 uses older 96kHz/24-bit DACs while Onkyo, HK, and Marantz use the newer, higher speed 192kHz/24-bit DACs. The difference in sound quality afforded by 192 vs 96 DACs is debateable, but it does give you some "future proofing" for formats down the road. (Denon includes 192kHz/24-bit DACs on the higher priced 3803)
I think the Onkyo 701 is a great sounding reciever. It is very detailed at the high end, warm through the midrange with great vocals, with tight, authoratative bass. It also has the best remote by a wide margin: big buttons. learning capability and backlighting. I purchased the Onkyo at HH Gregg for $729 (10% off sale with 0% financing for 12 months).
I don't mean to knock the Denon by any means. It is a great reciever and has a loyal fan base. For my particular situation, the Onkyo was the best choice. I don't think that you could go wrong with either reciever.
Darren
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Thanks riches1 for your comments. I just got the receiver today and can't wait to go through the manual to figure out all the features. One thing I did notice once I got it all hooked up was that I had to turn it up quite a bit compared to my TX-DS555(55 on volume), could you tell me if this is normal or am I missing something????
Hawk
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Darren:
Please take a few days to really listen to your new receiver and then post your thoughts here. I have not heard the 701 (I have heard the 700) and I would appreciate your thoughts on the product. Thanks in advance . . .
BTW, I wouldn't be concerned about the discrepancy in the volume settings--every model has its own volume control curve and they really don't relate to one another.
riches1
Posted on
Darren:
I agree with Hawk. Don't worry about the sound level setting difference between recievers. I set the volume level on my 701 around 50-55 absolute for DVD-A music, 60 or so for CD's and 65 for DVD movies. These were the identical levels used by the review in Audio Video Interiors. (The absolute volume settings range is 0-100 for the 701.) My speakers are rated 90dB for efficiency. At that volume setting, my Radio Shack sound level meter indicates that the actual listening room sound level is about 75dB. To give you an idea of how loud that is, 65dB is the level of average consversation, 75 is average level of factory and 80dB is the level for a loud orchestra. About the loudest setting on the receiver that I can tolerate is 75. That would indicate that I still have considerable power reserves for peaks. Also, like Hawk advises, give your 701 a few days break in time before you do any critical listening. I have auditioned 5 different receivers over the last 2 months and they all sounded different over a fews days time. Probably had more to do with adjusting my ears than anything else, although some audiophiles suggest that receivers need "break in" time just like speakers. Finally, I highly recommend spending $29 for the sound pressure meter. I found that my system sounded much better once I adjusted the speaker level output for my prime listening location. I had adjustments of +2dB for the front left,-2dB for the center,+3dB for the front, +4dB for the right rear and + 2dB for the right left.
I have been listening to Eagles "Hotel California", Steely Dan "Two Against Nature" and REM "Automatic for the People" on DVD-A, and Jack Johnson, The Jayhawks, Nick Drake, Chopin and Beethoven's 9th on CD. All sound great on the 701, especially the acoustic stuff. Try the Pure Audio mode on CD. Some of the reviewers thought it made a huge difference on vocals. I notice a slightly richer sound, but not the "head snapping" difference that one of the reviewers mentions in The Perfect Vision. Also, I think that the FM on this reciever is very good. Radio listening was something I used to reserve for the car, but I have about 11 stations programmed into my 701 (again, everything from Jazz to Rock to Classical). I hope that you will as happy with your 701 as I am with mine. Post back and let us know how it's going.
riches1
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RE; previous post.
Darren: At 55 volume level on my 701, the actual listening room volume is 75dB.
riches1
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Day 8 with the Onkyo TX-SR701. Will I keep it?
Read on to find out! This was day 8, only two more days to return it to hh gregg if I'm not satisfied. I've done my most critical listening yet. I'm listening now to see if I find something wrong, something to disqualify this unit and send to the ranks of the other rejects - (Harman Kardon 225, Harman Kardon 325, Denon 2803).
Those "paper auditions" (reading the spec sheets) have me little nervous. What about those "reports" of Onkyo's not making their power specs? That perception seems rampant on the discussion boards -- especially from those who DON'T own Onkyo. Didn't I see where the Onkyo power supply only provided 14 amps of power vs. the HK 225 and HK325's 28 and 31 amps respectively? Then there was the Denon 2803 test showed it hitting 80 + or - watts with 5 channels driven where the same magazine showed the Onkyo 701's predecessor (the 696) hitting only 50 of its 100 watt rating with five channels driven.
Oh the madness, the torment of being a perfectionist! Hundreds - yes hundreds- of hours of research, reading review after review, over and over again. The facts are all rolling around in my head like some feverish amp/watt/dB stew.
Then the real test though - comes down to listening. From my previous posts, recall that I found the HK's warm, but just a little lacking in detail at the high end, sometimes overly bright, with Harmonica (Dylan, Young and the Jay Hawks) sometimes being grating. The Bass on the HK's would definitely thud, but was not as well defined as the Onkyo's, either in tightness or tonal qualities. The Denon had greater detail at the high and low ends than the HK's, but just seemed thin and lacking in the mids. It also did not seem as dynamic.
Back to day 8. First audition is Steely Dan's "Two Against Nature" DVD-A in DTS mode. Everything is good. There's a subdued sibilance in the vocals, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I can still hear the "tuh" and "Kuh" sounds fine, and the "sssss" is well tamed. Great! Vocals are warm and the Sax sounds appropriately "reedy". The percussion is excellent. Snare drums are popping, brush strokes on are clearly defined, and cymbals and high hats have adequate sheen. Imaging is to the point that I feel as if I am in the audience, enveloped by the music
On to the Jay Hawks "Rainy Day Music" on CD. The vocals are so detailed that you can actually hear the moisture on the lead singers vocal chords vibrate as a slight rasp. No, its not static or distortion doing that, that's detail. The acoustic guitars have a satisfying ring to them. I know what a guitar sounds like .The reproduction is so accurate, it feels like I am sitting just a few rows back in a live performance. This particular CD sounds great played back in either Pure Audio Mode or in Dolby Pro-Logic II. The DPL-II really allows my Paradigm CC370 to shine!
The Final audition is the Black Crows "Shake Your Money Maker". I have never been a fan of DSP's but for some reason I decide to try the "Studio Mix" mode on this CD. Holy Moly! I crank it up to 67 on the volume and I am stunned at what I hear. This sounds likes I am in the recording studio. It's all clean, pristine and precise. Yet, my pants leg is vibrating from the sound. I can feel the music thumping on my chest and making my rear end tingle through the leather upholstered, sofa with each beat of the kick drum. All concerns about "specs" and power ratings vanish. My wife walks by and I ask, "Is this too loud"? "No" she says. HWAF! (High wife acceptance factor).
So, after two months of countless hours of research, numerous in store auditions, finally narrowing that down to 4 models and 3 different brands - I have a winner. And the margin is wide folks. The Onkyo 701 is my clear winner my personal Mid-range receiver contest
riches1
Posted on
Oh, I forgot to mention movies.
I watched "Tears of the Sun" - which has a THX soundtrack - and "Spygames" recently. Special effects were stunning and seamless. Dialogue was clear and lifelike. Subtle nuances were handled well. Piano on "The Pianinst" DVD sounded so real, that I bought a Chopin CD the next day.
The Onkyo TX-SR701 does a great job for Home Theater as well!
Darren
Posted on
riches1,
I haven't had much time to use my new Onkyo TX-SR701 because I've been away on holidays. I toyed around with it a little bit, trying several different movies such as Pearl Harbor, Gladiator, and Shrek and they all sounded incredible especially Pearl Harbor. I prefer the Dolby Digital mode over the THX Surround. I will be getting a sound pressure meter to properly calibrate the sound and then I can really test it. I am going to sample some CD's and I'll get back to you on what I think. Judging by what I've heard so far I think I picked a winner!!!!
Hawk
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riches1:
I heard the earlier model 700 and was disappointed in it. But your glowing review of the 701 has rekindled my interest in an Onkyo (alas, I have tired of my Denon!). In particular, the fact that the receiver was able to clearly ennunciate the dialogue sounds like a big improvement over the earlier model as I found the 700 often muffled some of the dialogue in certain films. I look forward to hearing this unit.
Hi there, could anyone tell me if one has a THX certified receiver, say the ONKYO TX-SR701 for example, does one need THX certified speakers only to get the desired result or will the THX certified receiver produce similar results with any good non-THX certified speakers, say the floor standing POLK AUDIO speakers,for example.. please advise.
Derek
Posted on
No you don't. THX is a minimum requirements program dealing with levels, ergonomics (mostly). You should be able to connect any speaker that you would connect to a non-THX product.
Wouldn't the THX mode only sound good if there is a THX soundtrack on the DVD?
Or should it be used for ANY dvd?
Ryan
Posted on
Hey, "riches1" (or Darren) I've just purchased a Def Tech Pro Cinema system, including the ProSub 100, ProCenter C2, 2 ProMonitors 100's, and 2 ProMonitor 200's. I want the best sound and picture quality possible to run through a 51" Sony widescreen (16:9) 1080i Hi-Scan and a Sony Progressive DVD player. As you can see I'm in the same sort of boat you were...and am looking for any suggestions as to a good receiver to run with this setup? I see your research took you to the Onkyo TX - SR701. My research has led me to the new Integra 5.4 (or possibly 6.4) and Denon AVR 2803... Could you give me some pros and cons in regard to these receivers (or other receiver suggestions), I'm game to listen...
Thanks!
riches1
Posted on
Ryan:
Don't know much about Integra and I haven't heard those units. My impression is that they are beefed up Onkyos.
Regarding the Denon 2803 and Onkyo 701, my research and personal experience led me to write this in a previous post:
While there are no current hi-fi mag reveiws on the Onkyo 701, the professional reviewers comments are ALL positive regarding the 701's predecessors, the 700 and 696 series (the 700 was a 2003 Editor's Choice by the Absolute Sound - and the 696 has all favorable reviews as well.)
The reviews on the Denons, conversely, have been mixed. The 2803 was described as a good home theater receiver, but not very musical (ditto the 3803) by one of the British Hi-Fi magazines. However, many of the reviews of the Denon's have been quite impressive as well. Denon's are noted for their terrible owners manuals - the "engrish" is comically bad! Also, their remotes are not the greatest.
The Denon 2803 uses older 96kHz/24-bit DACs while Onkyo, HK, and Marantz use the newer, higher speed 192kHz/24-bit DACs. The difference in sound quality afforded by 192 vs 96 DACs is debateable, but it does give you some "future proofing" for formats down the road. (Denon includes 192kHz/24-bit DACs on the higher priced 3803).
Finally, some reviews describe the Denon's as being "a tad bright" and "slightly forward" with their highs. That might not be the best match for Def Tech's since they too run nuetral to a shade bright. And I certainly don't mean that as a knock on the Def Techs. I thought they sounded fabulous when I heard them at a dealer showroom here in Atlanta. (A few reviews have described my Mini Monitors as being slightly bright and forward.) It's just that if I were trying to pair a receiver with Def Tech's, I would try to find something that the professional reviewers had described as warm. That's what I was looking for to match with my Paradigms. I am extremely pleased with the Onkyo 701.
Hope that helps.
BTW, I also have the Def Tech Pro-sub 100. What a jewel!
Hawk
Posted on
Ryan:
riches1 is giving good advice concerning the Denon. I have a Denon and it is dry and a bit forward. I don't think it is the best combo with the Def Techs that I have heard.
Ryan
Posted on
Riches/Hawk... Great advice guys! I truly appreciate it. I spoke with a Def Tech representative and he seemed to be leaning in the same direction. I'm going to go give a listen to this set-up with the recievers we have discussed. I'm definitely looking forward to feeling it out and I'll let ya know what I come up with.
Thanks again!
Aaron Harris
Posted on
I just bought a Velodyne subwoofer, how does that compare with others? Also, I love my 701. It hits all ranges of sound for movies and CD's.
Hawk
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Aaron:
It is hard to answer your question when we don't know which Velodyne you have. Velodyne makes a lot of different models at a lot of different price points. But it is a top maker of subs, there is no question about that. I would guess that your Velodyne would be one of the best units in its price class--they generally are.
Is the Onkyo 701 as good at stereo music as the 700 or is it a bit less, considering all the functions the 701 has?
Dawn Lai
Posted on
Hi, Aaron and Hawk,
I am going to buy a sub and would like to choose from Velodyne CHT-8 and Energy s8.2. My AV amp is Onkyo SR-701. Any idea?
Hawk
Posted on
I like both subwoofers quite a bit and I don't think you will go wrong with either one, but if it were my choice, I would lean toward the Velodyne. However, price would be a major consideration on the sub. If you can get one significantly less than the other one, I would go with the less expensive one.
Dawn Lai
Posted on
Hi, Hawk,
Thank you very much.
IK
Posted on
I have recently purchased an Integra 6.4 to replace my Denon 2800. Whilst Denon was good on music, Integra is much better. I now don't know if one can do much better. Will a dedicated power amp give me even more sonic purity???
Hawk
Posted on
What kind of speakers are you driving?
IK
Posted on
Main speakers are home made based on Scanspeak 6.5" mid/bass and Lineum Ribbon Tweeter, topped by a small car supertweeter. Sub-woofer is a Sub-Sonic 8" (made in Australia). Very musical. The amp installer said that this sound would cost amount $7000-$10000 US if bought as a commercial speaker. CD is a 10 year old Pioneer 801 but it goes thru a Music Fidelity X10-D valve interface device. This is "high-end" stuff at a budget cost!
Eric Caesar
Posted on
My local CC, to my astonishment, agreed to an even swap of my 6 month old Onkyo 700 for a brand new Onkyo 701 (after I pointed out that my 700 had the "ex phase" defect -- but I didn't reveal that I only have a 5.1, not a 6.1 set-up, so that in reality, the defect didn't really effect me at the time)
I did the exchange over Labor Day weekend, and thought that I would report my findings.
Set-up:
Unlike the 700, the 701 allows input of separate distances for your surround speakers (the 700 did the left/right surrounds as a unit for distances). This new feature was advantageous as my left/right surrounds are at different distances (right surround is 8 feet from my main listening position, the left surround is at 11 feet).
Another difference is that the 701 allows you to input your subwoofer distance. I'm pretty sure that there was no such setting at all on the 700.
In speaker calibration, the 701 automatically sets the volume of the receiver to 82 when you push the test-tone button (or 0 relative volume). Although you can then change the volume level for the test-tones, the manual suggests that you use this volume level (82) to set each speaker at 75 db (using an spl meter). In the 700, the volume remained at whatever you had already set on the receiver when you hit the test-tone button.
Also, the 701 uses "pink noise". I believe it was "white noise" in the 700. Not sure of the difference, but I did notice a difference in the sound produced.
I believe the test-tone functionality differences are a result of the "THX select" badge on the 701. The 700 is not a THX receiver.
When calibrating my speakers (Paradigm Atoms for fronts and surrounds, Paradgim CC-170 center, Paradigm PDR-10 sub), I found a slightly odd result for my surrounds. Despite the distance differential, my right and left surrounds turned out to be calibrated at the same setting (+2 db). I would have thought my right surround (closer to me) would be at a lower setting than my left surround. ??? Perhaps room acoustics explain the difference -- but the 700 calibration using the test-tones did not show these results.
Interestingly, in order to have the subwoofer output on the 701 to be about the same as the 700 (I like my sub to be about 5 db over my other speakers), I had to bump up the gain on my sub from about 11 o'clock to close to 12 o'clock (if you are looking at the dial like it is a clock). At my old setting with the 701, the spl meter reading was only about 2 db over my other speakers.
A notable change in input set-up, is that there is a new value called "last used". So you can set an input to remain at the last used value for a sound mode, rather than whatever you initially set-up the input to use.
There is a hardware preferences set-up option (not on the 700 at all). The most intersting aspect of this was the ability to change the volume read-out from Absolute value (0 -- 100), to relative value (-81 to +18).
Sound/performance:
I definitely notice a difference in sound with the 701 over the 700. There appears to be more clarity and a wider sound-field overall (better separation). I particularly notice this in dialouge (the center channel) and in the surrounds.
Dialogue is more easily understood. I think most of the improvement is in the high end. In fact, I noticed addditional sounds in some DVDs that I hadn't heard before. This was noticeable in the American sub explosion on U-571 (when it is torpedoed), where I could hear individual aspects in the explosion that I hadn't heard before. With the 700, it was more like just one big noise.
Also, in Lord of the Rings (Fellowship), shortly before Frodo gets stabbed by one of the Ring Wraiths, he pushes away with his feet from the approaching Ring Wraith. With the 701, I hear this push-off against the ground as a high-end type noise (almost a squeal). I did not hear this at all with the 700 --- at first I thought this indicated a problem with my center channel. However, I turned off my center channel and still heard the same sounds in my left/right speakers. So I think the sound is supposed to be there -- just not heard with the 700.
So I definitely think there is a clearer high-end, allowing me to hear things I hadn't hear before and/or a less muddy sound overall. (not that I ever thought the 700 was muddy though).
As far as the bass, although the sub gain is set for 5 db over the other speakers (as it was with the 700), for some reason the bass has more impact now. It feels more powerful than the 700 (although I had to turn the gain up higher in the 701, to get the same db output). I may set it back to 2 or 3 db now (relative to my other speakers).
I did try the THX processing. For the most part, I did not notice ANY difference going back and forth between plain DD 5.1 /DTS and THX added to it. This was whether re-eq was on or off for THX. (You can set re-eq separetly for THX and for non-THX). On one DVD, "The Last Waltz", I did some high end (mainly crowd noise from the live performance) chopped off with THX processing. I decided that I will rarely if ever use THX processing, as generally I noticed no difference, or I thought it cut-off too much high end on the one DVD. To me there didn't seem much of a reason to use THX on top of plain dd 5.1 or DTS.
One other aspect I noticed was "Dialog Normalization". When some DVDs are first spinning up, a "Dialog norm" message appears on the receiver indicating + or - a certain amount of db. I.e, dialog norm: +4 db.
This was not on the 700 -- but it is on the 701. Probably related to the THX Select status.
From what I understand, this dialog norm feature changes the db output of the decoder (internally) so that every DVD will have about the same volume level, assuming you use the same volume on the receiver.
For example, when I put in the Monsters Inc. DVD, the receiver flashes "dial norm: -7 " . I think this tells the internal decoder to RAISE the output (internally) by 7 db.
With the 700, I had noticed that I had to raise the volume on Monsters Inc. pretty far above most other DVDs. For example, I generally watched DVDs at a volume setting of 62 on the 700, but at about 68 for Monster's Inc. Now, with the dial norm feature on the 700, I did not need to raise the volume above my other DVDs. 62 or 63 seems right for just about every DVD (including Monster's Inc.). This seems to fit right in with the -7 db dial norm reading on Monster's Inc.
Also, I think, but have no way of verifying, that the 701 also automatically uses a +4 db dial norm setting for DTS soundtracks. This is to compensate for the +4 db loudness of DTS tracks over DD 5.1.
Although I do not see any dial norm reading when I start up a DTS soundtrack, I noticed that, where with the 700 I generally had to set the volume level a few ticks lower for DTS, with the 701, I did NOT need to do that. I believe this 4 db attenuation is standard with THX select receivers (but I'm not sure on that).
So basically the dial norm feature allows you to keep a pretty constant overall volume setting for any DVD (assuming the same volume setting for the receiver). Note however, there is no way to turn off dial norm with the 701. Basically the dial norm read-out is informational. There is nothing you can do to turn it on or off.
In general, I find the 701 to have some very nice improvements over the 700 -- in both sound/performance and general functionality. I don't know whether it is the newer chips in the 701 or the THX select hardware/tuning -- but there is definitely more clarity and a wider sound-field (particularly with the center and surround channels) then with the 700.
Although I wouldn't have ditched my 700 to purchase the 701 out-right, it certainly is worth a trade-in (or even swap if your lucky like I was).
Sam
Posted on
I just purchased the Onkyo TX SR-701. Does anybody have reccomendations on surround sound speakers to match this receiver. I currently have the Aura LSB-527M speakers with my Sony STR-DE925 receiver.
I just purchased the Onkyo 701( at a great price at onecall.com -$599 new) and would like to add a 6th speaker for 6.1 and overall sound effect. I presently have Mirage SM-3's( old but great!) for fronts,a Polk CSI 30 center, and Polk FXi30's as surround. The problem is the room is only 15 x 15( with a 15 foot ceiling) and the couch must be almost against the back wall. My thought is to mount the 6th speaker on the back wall.Any thoughts and recommendations?I have been advised to use another center.Looking to spend around $150. Charlie
We have just revamped our entire home theater system. We now have the Onkyo 701, Samsung 50" DLP TV, Panasonic 563A dvd player, an old Sony VCR and our current DirecTV system (no high-def just yet). We are planning on putting in a Microsoft Media center - but that is coming later. Our speaker choices are not yet finalized, but we will be having 5.1 surround.
When we chose our components we thought there would be no problems setting things up ourselves. I am now thoroughly confused with all the "new" (read digital) technology and am not sure how to connect everything for the best picture/sound. I have been looking on the monster cable web site for info, but this has confused me more!
I have several questions -
1) Our original plan was to connect all the video feeds from the various components directly to the TV and all the audio feeds directly to the receiver. Is this the best setup? Or should we route the video through the receiver as well? What do you gain by routing video through the receiver? Is picture quality lost?
2) The DVD player plays SACD and DVD-Audio formats. I have read that SACD requires analog connects (the 6 connectors). Is this true? Do I need to have BOTH digital and analog audio feeds from the dvd player to the receiver? Or can I just use the digital? I was planning on connecting via digital optical.
3) Do I really need to connect audio from the receiver to the TV? What good does this do?