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Onkyo SC5508 Surround processor [No Price Talk]

231K views 3K replies 218 participants last post by  GeorgeHolland 
#1 ·
#982 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by spike9876 /forum/post/20455982


Honestly I thought it didn't make much difference... but if it does... I'm willing to invest in buy 2 speakers to include wide speakers.


Due to my layout... what speakers are best for wide speakers ? Maybe I should post in speaker section... but I will need wall mounted speakers or in wall speakers for side walls...

Hi,


I am not familar with your layout. You might want to view the Audyssey guidelines for positioning the wide and height speakers to determine how difficult it would be to impliment.


As for speakers Audyssey recommends direct radiating speaker from the same manufacturer and series as the mains. In your case sets of CM1s would probably be fine with suitable mounting equipment.


Larry
 
#983 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by mal01
Anyone?
I believe that I read if the monitor out is set to "source" and the source you are using is set to "through" there is still some processing going on since you still get the OSD via hdmi. To completely bypass the video processing look on p. 23 in the manual. You hold down the VCR/DVR button and the Return button on the Processor simultaneously. The video processing menu comes up and while holding down the VCR/DVR button hit the Return button and toggle to "skip". This will completely bypass the video processor, however you lose the OSD.


p.s. it's page 23 in the Integra DHC 80.2 manual. May not be the same page in the 5508 manual.
 
#984 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by LarryChanin
Hi,


I am not familar with your layout. You might want to view the Audyssey guidelines for positioning the wide and height speakers to determine how difficult it would be to impliment.


As for speakers Audyssey recommends direct radiating speaker from the same manufacturer and series as the mains. In your case sets of CM1s would probably be fine with suitable mounting equipment.


Larry
I will start looking into this...
 
#985 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by bslep
I believe that I read if the monitor out is set to "source" and the source you are using is set to "through" there is still some processing going on since you still get the OSD via hdmi. To completely bypass the video processing look on p. 23 in the manual. You hold down the VCR/DVR button and the Return button on the Processor simultaneously. The video processing menu comes up and while holding down the VCR/DVR button hit the Return button and toggle to "skip". This will completely bypass the video processor, however you lose the OSD.


p.s. it's page 23 in the Integra DHC 80.2 manual. May not be the same page in the 5508 manual.
THANK YOU. I was in the advanced operations setup, i probably would have never found that, and yes, p. 23.
 
#986 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by spike9876
... but I will need wall mounted speakers or in wall speakers for side walls...
In addition to what Larry pointed out, it's really fairly simple. The wides are placed like fronts height-wise; tweeters at seated ear level. They can be at any distance from MLP, along a line 60 degrees off the midline (+/-10). They are toed-in, aimed at MLP. So if timbre-matched in-walls are used, they should be direct-firing and aimable (at least aimable tweeters).
 
#987 ·

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



I don't know how interested you are with regard to Audyssey technologies, but the Denon AVR-4311 is the only device, regardless of type or price, that offers Audyssey MultEQ XL32 and Audyssey DSX with both heights and wide channels. (The Onkyo offers heights or wides.)

This isn't 100% accurate. The Onkyo can do wides + heights but not when the surround backs are engaged.

One needs to choose only 2 of the 3 - wides, heights, surround backs.

There has been a lot of confusion in this area due to the manual not being very clear, but it is definitely possible to run wides + heights because I am doing it. The heights are awesome and I prefer the wides over the surround backs.
 
#988 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by penngray
How does it impact the results. None of my measurements shows this. Do you have documented proof?


An AVR as a pre/pro is as good as a pre/pro everything else so far is just subjective "Pre/pro has to be better because its called a Pre/pro".


Do not bother posting that I have never owned pre/pros to hear the difference. I currently own the NAD T-175, Marantz AV7005, Onkyo 885, Outlaw 970. I have owned many AVRs like the Denon 2809 and Yahama 2700.


My extensive testing and measurements have given me the conclusions that a quality AVR is a quality pre/pro.
They are pretty much the same except you have to take into consideration power supply sharing. The pre/pro does not have fight for its share of power with the amplifier section. I have also found power amps are not equal. They can be rated the same from manufacture to manufacture, but can sound totally different depending on what speakers they have to drive. The other benefit of a pre/pro vs. an AVR is if something goes wrong you don't loose your whole system. On the other hand if space is an issue, the AVR does double duty and uses one shelf instead of a separate amp needing more space (four separate amps in my case).
 
#989 ·
FYI,


If you are planning on upgrading AVR/processor... stop right there... Before upgrading any equipment... You should answer one question. "Have you treated your room ?" If your answer is "NO". Well, don't even bother upgrading ANY equipment until you treat your room !!


Yesterday, I had mentioned that I had received acostic art panels but I was in the process of installing them. When I got home last night, panels were crooked and did some more measuring to fix this. I was busy with other stuff but when I finally sat down... Turn on TV... watching cable TV... nah... no big deal... I wasn't going to turn to cable music chanel because I've listened to it before... and didn't think much of them... Always attributed that due compression in cable music didn't sound that good... Pandora always sounded better. When I switch to music channels in cable box... Music sounded sooo.. good... I was like... what ? Something is wrong because cable music is not supposed to sound this good... Then I went to my trusted Roku for Pandora... And I was at a loss for words... It's that good. I haven't had a chance to watch BluRay movies... but I can imagine how good it will sound.


Sometimes I see people saying how they buy a new equipment and they hear musical instruments never heard before and about changes that are night & day... Well, I can now relate to what they are talking about... I was hearing musical instruments that perplexed me... Really brought me back when I was auditioning for speakers at best buy. I remember getting that "WOW" feeling of how good it sounded but when you set it up in your home... It sounds good but not as good at best buy where their room is wall treated. I'm going to go on a limb and say that my setup sounded much better than when I was auditioning B&W speakers at BestBuy... and it's probably cause I have a 5.1 setup and I was only auditioning for front speakers at BB.



Bottom line... If you don't have acoustic panels and want to ugrade cause you think you going to get better sound... Don't even buy equipment until you treated your room with acoustic panels... Right now I have 3 2x4 panels on my back wall and a free standing bass trap in a corner nearest where my sub is located. Due to wife's decor I did not go with side panels... I just can't imagine better sound than what I'm already getting.... but there would probably be another wow factor if my wife permitted side panels
 
#990 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by spike9876 /forum/post/20453993


So it settled... 5508 is a better buy vs 4311



But the question is... Is the 5508 the best buy I can purchase under $2,500 ? Should I be considering any other pre/pro ? Maybe should open a new thread with title "Best processor under $2,500" ?


BTW, I'm in the process of setting up some bass traps. Just got some art bass traps panels yesterday... Got a pic across 3 2x4 panels... looks really good

I have read all the recent post and I recently purchased the 5808 and love it. I too have been doing this for a long time and been through many upgrades. Prior to my purchase I was using a B&K Ref 50. I did alot of research and talked with a sound recording engineer that pulled his Denon AVP-A1HDCI off the shelf for the 5808 because of overall better sound quality. When he told me about the 5808 and being made by Onkyo I laughed thinking Junkyo. Well I have to say I have been amazed what it does for the price and does it extremely well.


As far as the Denon and 11.2 it has been my experience the most material sounds great with 5.1 configurations. I went from 5.1 to 7.1 and yes there is a difference but the cost was not worth the results. Being curious since I have the 5808 I decided to change it from 7.1 to 9.1 adding height front speeakers. Again the return is not worth the cost, but I already had two spare power amps so it was a matter of adding the speakers. Another point is if you listen to SACD and DVD-A they won't even use the added speakers so don't let the numbers of channels make your final decision. Yes my system does sound great and impress eveyone that has listened so I do know what sound quality is all about. Can it be improved? Sure, any system can be improved but you can get to a point of diminishing return. It took me awhile to get use to the 5808 features and listening modes, but I am truly happy with it in all respects. Especilally, being able to use different video input connections and having one connection to my projector since they all get converted in the 5808.
 
#991 ·
Thanks for the info Maddmaster. It's good to know if its worth the investment doing a 7.1 or 9.1 setup.


I previously mentioned that I got acoustic panels... And since I'm so impressed with sound I'm getting with my current 5.1 setup... Really to me it's not even worth experimenting with 7.1 or 9.1 or don't even see the need at this time...
 
#992 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by spike9876 /forum/post/20459491


Thanks for the info Maddmaster. It's good to know if its worth the investment doing a 7.1 or 9.1 setup.


I previously mentioned that I got acoustic panels... And since I'm so impressed with sound I'm getting with my current 5.1 setup... Really to me it's not even worth experimenting with 7.1 or 9.1 or don't even see the need at this time...

Care to post pics of what those panels and the trap looks like?
 
#993 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by FoSheezy /forum/post/20458180


This isn't 100% accurate. The Onkyo can do wides + heights but not when the surround backs are engaged.

One needs to choose only 2 of the 3 - wides, heights, surround backs.

There has been a lot of confusion in this area due to the manual not being very clear, but it is definitely possible to run wides + heights because I am doing it. The heights are awesome and I prefer the wides over the surround backs.

Hi,


Thanks for the clarification.


I was aluding to the fact that only the Denon AVR-4311 can run 11.2 channels with both wides and heights and run MultEQ XT 32. This requires adding an additional two channels of external amplification.


Larry
 
#995 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by spike9876 /forum/post/20449804


I'm really leaning towards the 5508 but wanted to get some opinions...


When you say better movie performance... Are you referring to sound or picture quality ?


By the way, I would like to check out prices... can anyone point me to a online retailer that I can purchase online ?

I sent you a PM with info.


Ooops I posted 5808 in some of my post. 5508 is what I have.
 
#996 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by spike9876 /forum/post/20449804


I'm really leaning towards the 5508 but wanted to get some opinions...


When you say better movie performance... Are you referring to sound or picture quality ?


By the way, I would like to check out prices... can anyone point me to a online retailer that I can purchase online ?

Just to be clear I have not compared the 5508 to the 4311, rather it was a comparison between the 4311 and the Onkyo 886 pre-pro that I had on hand.


Musically they are very similar but for movies the SQ of the 886 was better than the 4311 in that it was more dynamic with a bigger soundstage. It was very easy to hear the difference and they were both connected via the same RCA cables and all other components were the same, the only difference was the 4311 vs the 886.


I do know that Chris from Audyssey mentioned that manufacturers are able to implement Audyssey into there products in regards to x-overs. This is why he has said to go back and change the x-over back to 80hz all around once the calibration is done. I do not know exactly what else the mfg. can control but I can tell you for sure that Audyssey in the Denon 4311 and Onkyo 886 are just different in regards to the EQ applied to the subs. My normal routine is to set my SMS-1 with all the EQ levels 0 and Polarity + and Phase at 0 so it is out of the equation. With the Denon 4311 I have to go back after XT32 does it's things and tweak it out with the SMS-1 after to get it flatter. With the Onkyo 886 it surprised me in that it hardly needed any additional EQ from the SMS-1, I really could have just removed the SMS-1.


Now before everyone asks I did follow the procedure for Audyssey calibration using the handy Audyssey guide here at the AVS. I used a mic boom arm and measured the maximum 8 locations at ear height and followed the same routine for both the 4311 and 886 which were both in my rack at the same time to facilitate comparison. I did go back after Audyssey calibration and set all my speakers to 80hz and the sub x-over to 80hz as well then used my Galaxy CM-140 to verify a 75db level for all my speakers and subs. I even went as far as using the Dayton Omnimic I had at the time to verify levels when I was going back and forth between the 4311 and 886. The dynamic impact of the 886 for movies was enough for me to even use the available test discs I had on hand to check levels coming out of my Oppo BDP-83 for all the channels to make sure the Onkyo was not boosting the HDMI signal.


After all that I just couldn't keep the 4311 even though it had the more advanced Audyssey XT32 and better ergonomics than the 886. I am not arrogant enough to say that the 4311 won't be better than the 886 or 5508 in someone else's system. I am just fortunate enough to be able to try what I want in my own system and make up my mind for my-self.


The only reason I have not bought the 5508 yet is because in my current system it would be close enough that any relay clicks would be too annoying. I had a Integra 80.1 for about a month that I had to get rid of because the relay clicks were too much to handle. I am in escrow on a new home that would have a dedicated space for a HT and a room next to it to hide the components. This is when I will get the 5508 as relay clicks won't be a problem in another room.


From all the comments I am really looking forward to getting the 5508. Just in case though, I am not selling my 886 until I know for certain that it has been replaced for good.


As far as video I didn't notice a difference besides the fact that the 4311 switch inputs faster than the 886. I am more of an audio guy though, video is secondary to me.
 
#997 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mjaudio /forum/post/20461154


From all the comments I am really looking forward to getting the 5508. Just in case though, I am not selling my 886 until I know for certain that it has been replaced for good.

Definitely a wise move to hold on to the 886 till you are sure the 5508 will work well for you. I will most likely get the 5508 in the future but the relay clicking concerns me as well.


Bill
 
#998 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Mac /forum/post/20461407


Definitely a wise move to hold on to the 886 till you are sure the 5508 will work well for you. I will most likely get the 5508 in the future but the relay clicking concerns me as well.


Bill

I have the 5508 and the relay clicking is something I prefer (it confirms that there was a change). I moved from a B&K Ref 50 that also had relay clicks that were twice as loud. I used it for years and the relays never caused a problem so I wouldn't think it is a big concern ( i actually never had a problem with the Ref 50 at all).
 
#1,005 ·
My 5508 has been working flawlessly for months... until today!


I turned it on today and it is completely locked up! Unresponsive to the remote, NONE of the buttons on the panel will respond, including standby.


I unplugged the unit, waited for several minutes and upon plugging it in, the unit powers on to the same locked state it was in before. The only way to turn it off is to unplug it.


I've tried some of the reset methods mentioned in the forum, but with the buttons unresponsive, a reset is impossible.


Anyone's help is greatly appreciated!!!
 
#1,006 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bghead8che /forum/post/20469492


Can some describe for me what the relay clicking issue is and when does it occur? I don't own an Onkyo yet.


Thanks!


-Brian

The relays click when the unit sensers a format change. Example is the previews on a DVD are not Digital Dolby. When the movie comes on that is in 5.1 you will here a click. This can happen often if formats change between tracks of music or previews on DVD. It also happens once the movie is finished and format is no longer 5.1 or whatever it was. They also clcik when you change input source (CD, DVD, Tape, etc). For me it is not an issue except when I start a CD. It seems to not change state (clip) until the first second of the song has played. I know something has changed without looking by the click.
 
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