Topic: ONKYO AVR

[hilario dvd]

Hey guys, just need some inputs (as to TRUE wattage in RMS, speaker impedance required, just anything about it) before sprinting to buy an Onkyo 494 receiver this week.  Also, how you would rate in a scale of 1-10.  Tnx.

[onedown]

hello,

have yet to hear from anyone who owns this model. but as for the specs, you might want to take a look at the manual of this unit. you can find the manual in onkyo's website. here's the address: <http://www.onkyousa.com/redirect_own_manual.cfm?file=TX-DS494(E)0102.pdf>

hope this helps.

[junquera]

Thats my receiver.

Its the European Home Theater Amplifier of the year 2001 - 20002.

Amplifier Features:
100W/ch (front), 100W (center), 100W/ch (surround), at 6&#937;, JEITA

THD: 0.08% at rated power (all channels)

Full bandwidth power to all channels

Wide Range Amplifier Technology (WRAT)

Extended frequency response: 20Hz-100kHz (+1, -3dB)

High-current, low-impedance drive

Discrete power amplifier circuitry for all channels

Optimum gain volume circuitry

Massive isolated power transformer

2 High-quality aluminum-extruded heat sinks

A/B speaker selector

Bass and Treble tone control


--Audio/Video Features  
DTS®, Dolby® Digital (AC-3), Dolby® Pro Logic&#8482; II

DVD-Audio capability

5.1 Multichannel input

Digital domain processing

7 DSP modes

Advanced 96kHz/24-bit audio D/A converters (all channels)

High definition DSP

"Easy-set" speaker configuration

3 Audio (including phono) and 3 A/V inputs

3 S-video inputs and 1 S-video output

3 Assignable digital inputs for DTS®, Dolby® Digital (AC-3) and PCM (1 optical/2 coaxial)

Heavy-duty, multiway, dual banana-plug compatible binding posts

Dedicated line-level subwoofer pre out

Full input/output cassette and VCR loops

Late night mode  


http://www.onkyo-intl.com/onkyo/products/productdetail/5013

[JhunDV]

I own a 494 paired with Mission M72 fronts. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate it 8. It's a very capable AVR. The sound it gives is warm and sweet, which is good for my taste, considering that I only use generic interconnects and speaker cables. The only weakness I have found so far is POWER, but it's more than enough for a modest room.  

[levi]

I edited the title, Thanks.

[joeyhomey]

in buying an AVR, before going to the details of specs (which sometimes incorrect) set your preference ist.  Are you going to use the AVR more on audio or movies?  Onkyo is well known for its audio sound rather than movies.  If you prefer movies, go for yamaha, but if you prefer audio, go for onkyo.  Onkyo gives fat sound, warm and sweet, but underpower.  the 100W is for 6ohms, if you use 8ohms speakers it wil drop to about 55W only, and if you are a bass man, 55w is manipis.  you have to use a highly efficient speakers for an Onkyo AVR, say  speakers with sensitivity of 88 up.  But personally I prefer a sensitivity of 91 for all speakers.  The channel separation in movies of Onkyo AVR are not as astonishing as its rival models in Denon and Yamaha.  Its THD is too high for a digital receiver, remember, the lower the THD the better.  Try to audition feature per feature against Denon and Yamaha, remember, you are going to spend a hard-earned money to an equipment you are going to use for a long period.  

[Sen.Almondski]

I also owned Onkyo 494 matching with Jamo speakers. A setup that i have finalized after scouting, researching ( magazines & internet esp. PinoyDVD ) and auditioning for months. My first option was 595 because of more power but landed to 494 because of financial crisis. After using 494 in couple months, i found that its power is sufficient enough and very happy for the performace of this baby. Check this interesting comparison and recent reviews of Onkyo 494.

http://www.cheaphometheater.com/Denon%201602.htm


http://www.epinions.com/597421_Onkyo_TX_DS494_Home_Theater_Receiver


almondski

[hyperaudio]

correction mr. joeyhomey, its 70w at 8 ohms; all the power you'll need for a small to medium sized room.
actually, the 494 is my baby. i love its midrange esp. when playing any of diana krall's cd's. i love its dynamics
and grunt when watching "fast and the furious". the euro's would not choose it as home theater receiver of the year for nothing. don't get me wrong; it's not because i'm an onkyo dealer that i praise this receiver
to high heavens. it's really something. mr. hilariodvd, if you have time, visit my shop and i'll give you a free
demo sir.  i have made one unit as my mainstay (use it to demo speakers(and dvd's) i sell) and i'm keeping it.
btw, you'll be hearing a fully broken-in unit driving mission cinema 72 speakers (another best buy!).

[lexmil]

Hats off to any ONKYO model.  Can't remember the model but believe an earlier model was chosen in the US sometime in 93 or 94 as the best buy AVR.  You may want to check-out www.epinions.com for reviews on the specific Onkyo model you want or any HT equipment.

As soon as I can save enough cash and free-up some of my credit cards I'd like to upgrade to another more modern ONKYO.  But on second look, I just hate those hard rubber footings that look like the ones under an electric stove.  (Also, the dealers here seem to have only gold panels, though the brochures say the models also come in black.)  It just wouldnt sit well with my other components that have anodized silver foortings under black panels.  Looks nice.  So maybe I'll just get a Haram/Kardon.

[levi]

Reposting,

Guys, is this model (tx-sr500) now available here in manila??
How much is it? and where can i see it?

How about txds494? how much is it now? and where is it available too??

[tonedeaf]

hi mdman,

you can pm hyperaudio, he is an authorized dealer of onkyo and a big fan of the Onkyo 494.

stuazon of home theater also sells onkyo.

[hyperaudio]

just arrived: onkyo tx-sr500 & tx-sr600 (6.1). for details , text me at 0917-9761009.

[Pep]

Hilario DVD,

Just in case you wanted to know I have an Onkyo 696 for sale here.  Thanks for your time.

-Pep

[hilario dvd]

Hilario DVD,

Just in case you wanted to know I have an Onkyo 696 for sale here.  Thanks for your time.

-Pep

Tnx for the info, Pep.

Can u give me the specs of the Onkyo 696 including the price.

[Pep]

The 696 is basically like the current 600 without the 6th amp channel for DTS-ES or DD-EX.

Here is a link to specifications on the onkyo website.  If you have trouble finding it just go to www.onkyousa.com then go to product line... archive... TX-DS696.

Click this link to go to the my For Sale posting.  Thanks.

-Pep

[madrigal]

Hi,  I'm new here,
 Just heard the tx-s600 today   at bose Sm city.  A guy there just bought it together
with a  complete bose system with the powered front speaker .
 It has a 140watts rated x 6.1 channel with the new dolby pro logic 2, digital ex  etc.
Sounds OK but not that great.  Maybe because the Bose speakers suck.  
  The New Onkyo cost P28,000 but can go for as low as P23,800 of you buy any bose speaker.
 I guess for that price, OK na ito.  

[tonedeaf]

I've had the Onkyo 494 receiver for about 3 weeks now and I'd like to post my early comments about it.

The good:  
It's very user friendly.  I'm a novice in home theater and I've never even used a receiver before buying the Onkyo but I've not had any problem so far.  Kudos also to Mr. Sonny of Home Theater, who helped me set things up, with the cables and interconnects, so any set-up problems were minimized.  

It sounds great.  I was very concerned about my receiver's capability to play music as well as movies and I'm very happy with the Onkyo.  I use it probably 60-40 for music.  I read that there are some concerns about its power, but I've a fairly small room and a lot of neighbors so I don't really use jack up the sound.  The highest I've gone is probably in the early 60's range (in the volume) before proceeding to turn it down for fear of damaging my eardrums   (I have the Mission M73 as fronts, btw).

The bad:

The remote.  It always feels like you're holding it backwards or something, such that if its dark, you'll end up pointing the back portion of the remote to the receiver.  No backlight.  I think that for a receiver-remote, the volume button should be prominent (large and easy to find), as well as the buttons to change the sound settings (from stereo to dts, or to use the dsp's).  Not the case here.  Then again, this is an entry level receiver so maybe i should just get a universal remote.  

As you can see, this is by no means a technical review.  Aside from the fact that I'm no techie, I'm still exploring the receiver, see how each element works.  Feel free to  give me tips on how to further improve my system and to tweak the receiver, especially  from Onkyo users out there.  

I didn't realize how bad the urge to upgrade is, for equipments such as this where it seems like every week, a new product comes out with what seems like better features.  Kakabili ko lang and I've had to urge to call my dealer to ask if I could "upgrade" my receiver ata least thrice.  I haven't called though, so it's a good sign.  I've no plans of calling, still, except to buy the surround and the subwoofer for my system.  Malapit na.

[Pep]

Hilario DVD and anybody else interested in the Onkyo 696,

I realized that I made a pricing error on my 696, it is now only at P19,500.  It's up for grabs here

-Pep

[Sen.Almondski]

The bad:

The remote.  It always feels like you're holding it backwards or something, such that if its dark, you'll end up pointing the back portion of the remote to the receiver.  

Fair review!, tonedeaf, likewise i have the same difficulty with remote control but it's overwhelmed by the good performance of the receiver itself.

almondski

[Sen.Almondski]

I've no plans of calling, still, except to buy the surround and the subwoofer for my system.  Malapit na.

Hi tonedeaf,

You mean you still didn't expereince the full blast of 5.1 sorround and subwoofer with your onkyo 494 right there at your own living room?? but i can see already your great satisfaction as written in your review,
Im sure you'll completely rule out the thoughts of upgrading your receiver once you experienced the output of complete 5 speakers and subwoofer with your 494 especially you have the mission speakers. You're right, its better to complete your speaker setup and experience it with 494 before thinking of upgrading it.
Like you, i have months of comparing yamaha and onkyo side by side but landed to onkyo. As entry level, i  considered 595 because of power but i got 494 instead because this model that fits the money in my hand that time and im really eager to buy. i found that 55watt x 5 power is no hindrance since i have medium size of room and its sufficient enough. Im using the reciever 50/50 in music & movies. During my purchase, the good thing is the vendor allows me to bring it home and try for couple of days and then i can finally decide to buy afterwards. I tried all formats of movies from VHS to DVD's, i listened to audio cd's from instrumental piano to heavy metal. Most of other known recievers matching with high powered subwoofer that i auditioned really good and rocks with movies but i was not satisified when playing music. Me and my wife have the same level of appreciation in music but not in movies, so i really need to get a great receiver that delivers equal and i found it with onkyo.  

  almondski

 

[tonedeaf]

hi almondski!

yup, no 5.1 for me yet.  3 channels pa lang (fronts and center) kaya limited pa ang options ko sa sound:  stereo, 3 ch music and 3 ch movie lang.  

Mr. Sonny has been egging me to buy the sub and surrounds since he installed my system because without it daw, di pa digital and experience ko.  however, my financial limitations prevent me from doing so now.  sana sa 3rd quarter bonus.  i'm planning to get the M70s as surround.  i can't remember though what he was offering as a subwoofer basta medyo ang laki (hahaha! nahahalata ang pagiging newbie ko sa home theater).  anyway, i trust sonny's judgment though i will of course research on it muna.

with your good reviews as to the 494's performance in a 5.1 setting, i hope my upgrade urge will be minimized.  when i do get my surrounds and sub, sana you can give me tips on how to maximize the onkyo's performance.  

[levi]

Reposting

to anyone who owns onkyo 797.
do you experience popping sound on front center in DTS?  Thanks!

[levi]

Reposting

warpzone18,

has your problem (re popping sound) been fixed?  this seems to be a common problem for this particular Onkyo model.

[tonedeaf]

fyi

the onkyo 494 now being sold at P17+++ at Sights and Sound, and  the tsx sr 500 at P18T-19T.  

should have waited a while, and could have gotten my 494 at 700-800 less  

[nerveblocker]

tonedeaf-  Don't get dishearted that what you bought is cheaper now than before.  If a new model comes up, the old ones get cheaper.  It is an unending system when it comes to technology...but it has to stop one way or the other.  Technology really drains your pockets.

[hyperaudio]

tonedeaf,
don't despair. at that price range, the 494 is still the receiver to beat. the tx-sr500 still has to earn that coveted EISA award. i'm still breaking in the new onkyo receivers but no definite conclusion yet if they're better than the models they replaced (although they're more feature-laden). but definitely the onkyo tradition (of  superb sound in both ht and music) lives on. for good deals on onkyo receivers text me at 0917-9761009 or landline 8325710. look for rene.

[Sen.Almondski]

tonedeaf,
don't despair. at that price range, the 494 is still the receiver to beat. the tx-sr500 still has to earn that coveted EISA award. i'm still breaking in the new onkyo receivers but no definite conclusion yet if they're better than the models they replaced (although they're more feature-laden). but definitely the onkyo tradition (of  superb sound in both ht and music) lives on.

Amen to that!  

[foxyyy]

just wondering...dba may powered zone 2 yong 696? does it mean i can have a seperate stereo at another room while using the 5.1 or stereo in the main room?  

[Marsman]

i have a TX-DS 494 with the JM Lab Ligne Chorus and still loving it

[pro3]

Hyperaudio --- thanks for the new toy  will definitely tinker around with it.  thanks na rin for the call in help line... hehehe