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102K views 985 replies 136 participants last post by  Zaxdad 
#1 ·
Hi folks! I read AVS quite often but do not post all that much. However, since I took delivery of a TX-NR3009 on Friday of last week I figured I would start an owners discussion thread. I saw a few posts here and there on other threads as these units started to come in so let's consolidate the discussion.


My first impressions are very positive! I am upgrading from a B&K Ref50 Pre/Pro unit. In it's day that was (and still is) an impressive pre-amp. My Ref50 was starting to show it's age while processing the latest full bit-rate compressed streams.


I have distant cousin of the 3009 (a HT-RC160) which I use to drive my den system and I've long since been sold on the advantages of Audyssey. One of my main reasons for choosing the 3009 (over a 709/809) was the MultiEQ XT32. The dual sub pre-outs with individual processing appealed to my room concerns. With my old Ref50 no matter what notch filters I set or level setting I messed with my bass was just messy.


Out of the box the unit is big, heavy and beautifully finished. No rack mounting options are available in this line. I set in on an installed 5RU shelf and did the basic connections. To compare as closely to my previous system I used the pre-outs to hook to my existing Marantz MA150 monoblock amps. The monoblocks in turn drive a set of B&W 605 S2 fronts, 603 rears, and CCM center. I have a HSU sub in front and M&K in the rear. This version of Audyssey has a quick setup mode where it will do a single position reading and calculate basic curves. Even with that initial setup I could start to hear a difference. After some working through the menus and learning I went back and did a 3 position XT32 Audyssey run.


One test I love to run on the bass is the opening scene to Transformers 2. What a huge difference that XT32 processing makes!!! Then I went to an old standby. I watched re-mastered BluRay version of "The Fifth Element." It was like watching a movie I've never seen before! The room correction software made it so much more immersive.


I have more setup and testing to do and will be posting back with my results. I plan to compare (subjective only) the built in Onkyo amps to the Marantz monoblocks. I am going to test bi-amp and single amp mode both internal and external.


Nits, complaints and problems:


1. Still runs pretty hot. Not as bad as older units but not even using the power amps it still gets quite toasty. Glad I have good ventilation.

2. It has 12V triggers, but only tied to Zone 2 and Zone 3. I wish it had a main zone trigger as well, or a way to select which zone the trigger was driven by.

3. The Net Radio source seems to be stuck at outputting 1080p and not respecting the output resolution set for the Main HDMI out.


I'm looking forward to other peoples comments, impressions, rants and raves!
 
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#4 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by kertofer /forum/post/21159534


I have a question about this unit. If one buys this unit and then eventually puts separate amps behind it, doesn't that make it essentially the same as the PR-5509?

Hello,

The 5509 does offer XLR Outputs and 32/192 DAC's. That being said, with no Source Material being 32 Bit, the upgraded DAC's are of questionable merit. Also, using Balanced Connections in HT is not that popular or needed like in Professional Audio where long Cable Distances are the norm.


I have been using a TX-NR3008 strictly as an SSP and cannot be more pleased. I am sure the 3009 offers everything the 3008 offers and more.

Cheers,

AD
 
#5 ·
Thanks AD. I currently have an NAD T762 that I love, but in order to get into an NAD that has the current features and such I would have to spend well beyond my budget. That said, I really do like the NAD amps, so my plan is to get an Onkyo 3009 and use it until I have set aside enough cash to get into a nice NAD amp, then use the 3009 as a dedicated pre for it. Amplifiers change very little, so getting a solid 7 - 11 channels of amplifier power would let me just change my pre on occasion, and I have heard really good things about the Onkyo.
 
#6 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by kertofer /forum/post/21160333


Thanks AD. I currently have an NAD T762 that I love, but in order to get into an NAD that has the current features and such I would have to spend well beyond my budget. That said, I really do like the NAD amps, so my plan is to get an Onkyo 3009 and use it until I have set aside enough cash to get into a nice NAD amp, then use the 3009 as a dedicated pre for it. Amplifiers change very little, so getting a solid 7 - 11 channels of amplifier power would let me just change my pre on occasion, and I have heard really good things about the Onkyo.

Hello,

I have been really happy with the Onkyo's I have been using as SSP's for the past 5 years. I also think that QC has gotten even better with the current x09 Series. My 3008 has been rock solid and I sold 2 HDMI 1.3 Onkyo AVR's I had used previously to close friends and both are going strong strong 5 years later.

Cheers.

AD
 
#7 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by kertofer /forum/post/21159534


I have a question about this unit. If one buys this unit and then eventually puts separate amps behind it, doesn't that make it essentially the same as the PR-5509?

I thought about this for myself and ended up with the AVR for several reasons. One of the main ones being $$$. There are a few features shaved off (which I didn't need) the AVR compared to the Pre but you lose the amps from the AVR. I love my Marantz MA-500 monoblocks, BUT I'm not sure [yet] that the Onkyo can't do as good. I didn't want to -have- to buy more amps should I run into problems.


Speaking of problems and my particular setup, I've already hit a small issue that my old B&K hid from me. Since my monoblocks are aging, now I'm hearing some crackling and noise on a few of them when there is no input signal. My B&K Ref50 apparently always held unused outputs with an active low. The Onkyo will "float" the unused pre-outs, which in my system immediately causes this noise problem. A good example is switching to Net Radio on the 3009, which defaults to "Direct Stereo" mode. This mode does not use the C, RR, RL channels so they start to buzz a bit. I hear that many modern AVR's are disconnecting/floating unused pre-outs maybe for power saving reasons. I should be clear that I'm not complaining on the Onkyo here. My monoblocks are not dealing well with having no input signal. Some are worse than others so I know this is a sign of age on my amps.


On another note, I found a very easy workaround for my Zone2 trigger complaint. I use a Harmony One remote to drive my HT system. I set up the power options for the Onkyo to include a toggle to the Z2 power. Now the main comes up and Z2 comes up to trigger my 12V remote all at once. Nice.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the feedback! I think I am pretty much sold on this unit. My only real concern, and I an not sure how to make myself feel better about this, is how well the 3009's amp is going to handle my Linn speakers which are all 4 Ohm. Reading on the unit I think the way I want to wire it is to bi-amp my Ninkas, which would have me using all 9 channels, but if the amp is working too hard like that I would be OK with just single amping them until I can save up a little cash and move them, along with my center, to a separate amp that won't sweat the load.


Anyone using a full complement of 4 Ohm speakers on this guy? Or the predecessors for that matter, I am sure that they would not have made the amp worse...:)
 
#9 ·
I bought this receiver a couple weeks ago. I thought that Joerods thread would be the official, but this is cool. I'm glad more and more people are starting to own this AVR. So far I've been mightily impressed by it. My old receiver was an 805 and it sounded phenomenal and definitely wasn't lacking any power, however it didn't have any of the newer tech such as Dynamic Eq/Dynamic Volume and I wanted to be able to hook up my ipod digitally in order to bypass its internal DAC. Plus I really wanted to try XT32.


While the 805 sounded phenomenal, the 3009 takes it to another level. The low end probably benefited the most, there is definitely more slam and bass response was smoother. The one other big difference is the surrounds seem more active. The is a greater sense of ambiance and you actually feel transported into the scene.


Music also sounds better. I'm glad that Onkyo has finally graced our AVRs with the ability to select the Music curve for Audyssey, music to me seems warmer and with added depth.


One of the reasons that I upgraded as well was due to the video processing the 3009 has on board. The 805 only had Faroudja DCDI processing and that tech has really passed it's prime and it offered no scaling of HDMI sources. At first I was encountering some intermittent video stuttering watching HD cable, especially prevalent watching sports, in my case UEFA Champions league football. I noticed changing my video mode to direct eliminated the stutter, but that meant no scaling which pissed me off as the video processing was one of the reasons I got this thing. I was able to find out that the problem was that the Cinemotion (reverse 3:2 pulldown) on my Sony display was on auto and by defeating it it eliminated the stuttering.


Apart from the stuttering the only other quirk I have found is that DTS sources when asking for a straight decode, meaning no post processing (Pllx or Neo-X) in my 7.1 system will only output to 7.1 even though the DTS source is

Picture of my new receiver


link to my HT gallery
http://www.blu-ray.com/community/gal...ember=nismo604
 
#10 ·
I bought this receiver from Amazon on 10/17. It's been working like a charm until two days ago. I began watching a DVD in 5.1 and the sound cut out totally after about fifteen seconds. I tried switching through sources but the only thing that fixed it was unplugging the receiver for several seconds. I started the movie over, and it did it again. After unplugging again, I tried watching the film in stereo and that worked. It's unacceptable, but it worked.


Last night, I popped in a Blu-Ray in a separate, dedicated Blu-Ray player. It happened again. Unplugging for a few seconds worked this time, but I don't think there's any way that this is a freak coincidence. I bought this as a replacement for my 3007 because the HDMI board burned out, so this is troubling.


Amazon is balking slightly at allowing me a return/exchange. They are requesting that I contact Onkyo first to see if there's anything they can do. There is no way I'm sending in a three week old receiver for repair. If this is something that's widespread and fixable with a firmware update, I can probably deal with that. I contacted support, but from what I've read on AVS, Onkyo's support is not top-tier.


Has anyone heard of this happening on this receiver or any other? I've got until 11/17 to resolve this and petition the return to Amazon. Amazon has never hesitated to accept returns before, and this is making me a bit antsy. I bought such a high ticket item from the specifically for their return policy, and this burns me just a bit.


I'd appreciate any help you guys could give me. Thanks.
 
#11 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by kertofer /forum/post/21173381


Thanks for the feedback! I think I am pretty much sold on this unit. My only real concern, and I an not sure how to make myself feel better about this, is how well the 3009's amp is going to handle my Linn speakers which are all 4 Ohm. Reading on the unit I think the way I want to wire it is to bi-amp my Ninkas, which would have me using all 9 channels, but if the amp is working too hard like that I would be OK with just single amping them until I can save up a little cash and move them, along with my center, to a separate amp that won't sweat the load.


Anyone using a full complement of 4 Ohm speakers on this guy? Or the predecessors for that matter, I am sure that they would not have made the amp worse...:)


I am using it with Swans RM600F and RM600C all reated at 4 Ohm.

The back of the reciver gets hot.


Other than that it is ok.
 
#12 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ShakeMan /forum/post/21179321


I bought this receiver from Amazon on 10/17. It's been working like a charm until two days ago. I began watching a DVD in 5.1 and the sound cut out totally after about fifteen seconds. I tried switching through sources but the only thing that fixed it was unplugging the receiver for several seconds. I started the movie over, and it did it again. After unplugging again, I tried watching the film in stereo and that worked. It's unacceptable, but it worked.


Last night, I popped in a Blu-Ray in a separate, dedicated Blu-Ray player. It happened again. Unplugging for a few seconds worked this time, but I don't think there's any way that this is a freak coincidence. I bought this as a replacement for my 3007 because the HDMI board burned out, so this is troubling.


Amazon is balking slightly at allowing me a return/exchange. They are requesting that I contact Onkyo first to see if there's anything they can do. There is no way I'm sending in a three week old receiver for repair. If this is something that's widespread and fixable with a firmware update, I can probably deal with that. I contacted support, but from what I've read on AVS, Onkyo's support is not top-tier.


Has anyone heard of this happening on this receiver or any other? I've got until 11/17 to resolve this and petition the return to Amazon. Amazon has never hesitated to accept returns before, and this is making me a bit antsy. I bought such a high ticket item from the specifically for their return policy, and this burns me just a bit.


I'd appreciate any help you guys could give me. Thanks.

There might not be enough units out and installed [and reading this board] to have a good sample set. Sounds like a return to me. I'd just push on Amazon and get an exchange/refund. I'm in no position to say what probability of what you experienced. No problems with mine so far FWIW.


It's a really nice unit when working.
 
#13 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by pjneder /forum/post/21180671


There might not be enough units out and installed [and reading this board] to have a good sample set. Sounds like a return to me. I'd just push on Amazon and get an exchange/refund. I'm in no position to say what probability of what you experienced. No problems with mine so far FWIW.


It's a really nice unit when working.

I contacted Onkyo, and they were very responsive. The rep suggested that I update firmware, swap HDMI cables, and do a system reset. He said that if that didn't fix it to get a replacement as it could be something bad with the Dolby chip. It's still intermittent so I sent in a request for an exchange with Amazon today. Thanks for the reply. I'm hoping this is just an isolated occurrence. And I agree, this thing is sweet.
 
#14 ·
Wow I just got this receiver two days ago based on joerods review . I upgraded from a integra 50.3 was going fot a 70.3 but dollar wise this is a great value. So far i am loving it. Not two impressed with the dts neo x yet still prefer dolby IIx +audessey dsx the best so far. The video chips are amazing and the only neg to me so far is no on screen display whatsoever on the sub hdmi outputs i believe my 5008 had it on both. Was going to try the elite 57 but prefer the onlyo power better.
 
#15 ·
Hey guys, just an update on my situation. I got the replacement, but I haven't had time yet to switch the units out. The problem still continues on the original unit. It did it today, and I checked the top of the unit. It was extremely hot, even compared to my 3007 which felt like a furnace at times. I'm wondering if the audio dropout isn't somehow heat related. That worries me since Onkyo receivers have had well documented heat related issues in recent years.
 
#16 ·
Hmm...I suppose if these units get as hot as I keep hearing then before I break down and get one I need to put a couple of PC fans in the back of the cabinet to make sure it is well ventilated. It is a sort of tight space I have my existing NAD in and I never have problems with heat, but that could just be the NAD's efficiency versus the Onkyo's every feature in the world. Based on my readings that is kind of what I have boiled down the differences too. NAD = high end amp, very efficient, somewhat minimal feature set Onkyo = Every feature in the book, good amps, not as efficient
 
#17 ·
I have the 3009 sitting on top open all around and it does get quite hot over the back but i have a pair of usb fans connected in back that turn on when the unit fires up and they work very well and keep the unit reasonably warm not hot. I do believe it is a cause of all the processors etc.
 
#18 ·
My 3007 had to be replaced with this model because of what is suspected to be a heat-damaged HDMI board, which was a $2000 investment I didn't really need to make right now. With this model already showing signs of a heat problem I'm being proactive by ordering an Antec notebook cooling pad to sit on top of the replacement unit. I'm hoping that will ward off any potential heat-related failure.
 
#19 ·
well friends.. i love what you all share on this forum.. i would like to introduce myself to you all... i am Akhil and i am from India.. well i have been using onkyo 3007 for the last 1year or so... but all of a sudden , the volume was gone.. i could see just the pic and no sound... i sent to to the service station.. and meanwhile i bought another onkyo 3009 this time... i thought good decision because i was satisfied with the last av till the time it worked... i got a news from the service centre that HDMI board on the amp got damaged... and to my surprise they asked me for a price of $1000 for replacing the same... man what the hell... i regretted my decision of buying another onkyo before this news.. if their service is this bad...... but it was done and my amp was on its way...

today is the first day i am using my new amp.. meanwhile i also bought emotiva XPA -5 . as my past experience with onkyo made me thing it wasnt giving proper treatment to the front channels... all the power was seemingly given to the centre channel... anyways.. my 1st day with new onkyo 3009 with XPA-5 is good to be true... real life in fronts ... and an overall good quality of depth in sound... i am loving it.. and hoping not to see the same problem with this amp also.. i ordered belkin pureav p60 also... power line conditioner.. i hope it will add years to my av live.. meanwhile


i would like to say.. the video processing of 3007 was seemingly better than this 3009 as it had more sharpness and an easy control over the settings.. with NR and mosquito NR. edge enhancement.. i couldnt see the same in this 3009 so far.. maybe i am missing something which you people could highlight for me... also if anyone could help me with the settings on this AV other than audessy xt32 .. i could see settings on other av on this forum also.. but none on this... also if anyone could tell me.. i didnt see the video output on 4k resolution.. it simply showed a blank screen.. want to know this happen with only me or it happens with everybody.. i have a sony 1080p capable screen.. also where can i find the edge enhancement and sharpness settings on this aV. also what could be the best sound settings for this AV..

would like to mention.. i am using a 5.1 channel setup at the moment.. and its sounding good with multi channel.. but in direct channel or 2 channel.. its sounding too boomy and not very good... would like to mention i am using emotiva XPA-5 only to drive the front 2 channel.. and rest three channels with this av only... is it because the audessy set the front channels on 40 khz only.. other than it being full band.. would like to mention my front three speakers are from Focal family focal chorus 836V and focal 800v centre channel... and for the surrounds i am using mission dht.. they are too good for the value they are.. very cheap and too good i must say.. ..

so someone please help me with my queries .. and also if you people could suggest me some update in my setup.. advises are welcome... thanks
 
#21 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by akhil2725 /forum/post/0


well friends.. i love what you all share on this forum.. i would like to introduce myself to you all... i am Akhil and i am from India.. well i have been using onkyo 3007 for the last 1year or so... but all of a sudden , the volume was gone.. i could see just the pic and no sound... i sent to to the service station.. and meanwhile i bought another onkyo 3009 this time... i thought good decision because i was satisfied with the last av till the time it worked... i got a news from the service centre that HDMI board on the amp got damaged... and to my surprise they asked me for a price of $1000 for replacing the same... man what the hell... i regretted my decision of buying another onkyo before this news.. if their service is this bad...... but it was done and my amp was on its way...

today is the first day i am using my new amp.. meanwhile i also bought emotiva XPA -5 . as my past experience with onkyo made me thing it wasnt giving proper treatment to the front channels... all the power was seemingly given to the centre channel... anyways.. my 1st day with new onkyo 3009 with XPA-5 is good to be true... real life in fronts ... and an overall good quality of depth in sound... i am loving it.. and hoping not to see the same problem with this amp also.. i ordered belkin pureav p60 also... power line conditioner.. i hope it will add years to my av live.. meanwhile


i would like to say.. the video processing of 3007 was seemingly better than this 3009 as it had more sharpness and an easy control over the settings.. with NR and mosquito NR. edge enhancement.. i couldnt see the same in this 3009 so far.. maybe i am missing something which you people could highlight for me... also if anyone could help me with the settings on this AV other than audessy xt32 .. i could see settings on other av on this forum also.. but none on this... also if anyone could tell me.. i didnt see the video output on 4k resolution.. it simply showed a blank screen.. want to know this happen with only me or it happens with everybody.. i have a sony 1080p capable screen.. also where can i find the edge enhancement and sharpness settings on this aV. also what could be the best sound settings for this AV..

would like to mention.. i am using a 5.1 channel setup at the moment.. and its sounding good with multi channel.. but in direct channel or 2 channel.. its sounding too boomy and not very good... would like to mention i am using emotiva XPA-5 only to drive the front 2 channel.. and rest three channels with this av only... is it because the audessy set the front channels on 40 khz only.. other than it being full band.. would like to mention my front three speakers are from Focal family focal chorus 836V and focal 800v centre channel... and for the surrounds i am using mission dht.. they are too good for the value they are.. very cheap and too good i must say.. ..

so someone please help me with my queries .. and also if you people could suggest me some update in my setup.. advises are welcome... thanks

First since your Sony TV is only capable of a max resolution of 1080p it will only display a blank screen if you set the resolution to 4k as it isn't capable of displaying 4k resolution.


In regards to the video processing features such as edge enhancement and mosquito NR they are available in the 3009. But first let me help you set up your avr. In the setup menu under input/output assign select monitor out. Set resolution to source, this way you individually tweak your video for each source. This is a global setting meaning if anything other than source is selected any changes here will apply to all sources bd/DVD cbl/sat etc.


Now you can tweak the video for each individual source by going into the source setup (4) and selecting picture adjust. You should see picture mode, change this to custom mode as this is the only mode where you are allowed to make the changes that you want to tweak video. You can do this for each source, to switch sources just press the desired source on your remote such as BD/DVD to make changes for that source and so forth. Remember this will only work if you set resolution to source under the monitor out menu.


I hope this helps you with this wonderful AVR.
 
#24 ·

ok.. update from my last post... man the av sounds terrific.. its the best sound i have heard so far much better than 3007.. specially dolby D and neo X.. surround sound effect is terrific.. mind you currectly i am using only 5.1 channel setup.. and front two channels are being driven by Emotiva. XPA-5 .. but i am also thinking about attaching the front speakers with the receiver only to try.. as the sound separation between channels is terrific..
i love the sound.. its sounding just like my SHURE S535 ear phones .. man best piece of earphones you can get i guess.. also for the picture.. its nice.. i didnt see any noise in the picture.. no matter how high the contrast and sharpness is... this is good also .. but i am still missing the sharpness of my 3007.. it may not but good but i liked it anyways... and for the 4k upscaling... i found it finally.. but couldnt use it effectively with the movies or tv viewing as the picture gets a little sharp than 1080p but the motion flow gets sticky... i little freeze after every 5 sec.. it was annoying.. also the motion flow in movies was not jitter free... also the still pictures are upscaled but as motion comes.. it forms a little picture distraction.. which was annoying... maybe the hardware isnt actually capable of 4k resolution yet.. or maybe it will get corrected after firmware upgrade..... but so far when sound is concerned.. its terrific piece of equipment...

the x 32 audissy is also excellent... very spot on and very sweet sound after the setup.. also i faced a little problem i guess.. the subwoofer.. i am using velodyne optimum 12.. 12' powered subwoofer,,, its a nice piece of equipment.. at such low cost it can literally shake your room.. the effect you can feel in your body.. it nice.. but there the problem with the setup.. i dont understand... actually when i was configuring it.. it showed me on screen to adjust the subwoofer at 75db level.. and to achieve that i had to turn the volume on the sub at just 20 level.. which is very very low when taken into account that it can go upto 99.. ok that was done.. but after that.. when the setup was configured.. it lowered the level of subwoofer in the receiver at -15 out of -20.. i dont think the subwoofer can work at such low volumes.. and it actually didnt show any effect till i raised it to level35 on sub and -7 on the receiver... means i had to change the audissey settings... also my front floor standing speakers were set to 40htz level.. which i dont think is justified for my speakers.. so i had to raise it to full band... to get better effects.. now i want your people suggestions regarding the settings on the amp to have more deapth... i love 3009 overall..
 
#25 ·
Thought I would see if anyone knows if and how to set the volume level via a specific db value on the 3009? I am trying to program the remote to certain levels and not have to use the volume up / down to manipulate.


any help is appreciated.



Also, anyone seen the latency between main zone and zone2/3 when using NET as input? All my other analog sources seem to sync fine but the NET is awful.
 
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