The "official" The Onkyo TX-SR706 Owners Thread - Page 54

Originally Posted by Behold81

Zone 2 is one of the features i bought this for. From what i have read and will be testing shortly is Zone 2 is audio only and will play any alternative input to Zone 1 OR will play the same. I have just got to sort a minor wiring issue and i will be set to testing this fully. Once done i will post the full functionality.

Originally Posted by Shurik13

Problem solved. Thanks, lvtdude.

Originally Posted by Behold81

My Wiring is already there and is a just copper wiring. Thanks

Originally Posted by primetimeguy

What he means is the only source you can play out to zone2 has to be fed to the receiver via an analog input. typically your STB, DVD player, etc are all fed into the receiver with a digital (coax or optical) for audio. You will not get sound from those devices if that is the case. You would also need to connect the red/white audio cable from the device to the receiver.

Originally Posted by cdm57_2001

Anyone have this problem? I searched, but did not find the same issue:

Audio is present, but video flashes between black screen to static screen when playing a BD or DVD. It lasts for variable lengths of time, but usually resolves within a few minutes.

My set up is as follows:

Panasonic TC-P50G10
Onkyo 706
PS3 (issue also occurrs when I hooked up a Samsung BD-P3600)
Motorola Cable HD-DVR (can't recall the model, but it is immaterial, since the issue occurred before and after it was hooked up)
Wii

Everything (except the Wii) is connected via HDMI.

Any ideas?

Originally Posted by Tybee

Hmm...I finally settle on my new speakers (Energy Take Classic 5.1) and now I see that my receiver of choice is back up to MSRP ($799) seemingly everywhere. It was $200 less not too long ago. Any chance it'll come down again or is it pointless to wait? Seems like the new line of Onkyos will be coming soon, no?

Originally Posted by BMuldoon

Hey Everyone,
I'm new to the site - as of 2 minutes ago. I am a musician so I will mainly be using my 706 to listen to blues, jazz and classical artists. To my question, I have ordered the Polk rti a7 fronts and only plan to use a 2 speaker setup for now. Clearly these speakers would be underpowered with only 100W to each as the 706 is rated. Because I am not utilizing the other 5 channels is there any way to adjust settings that would result in more power to the fronts?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Originally Posted by lvtdude

100 watts is plenty of power. 100 watts is 20 dB louder than 1 watt and only 3 dB less than 200 watts. Take your speakers' efficiency and add 20 dB, and that is how loud it can get. Most speakers are in the 87-90 dB range. This means you will get about 107-110 dB.

I'm not saying that there's no benefit to more power, but 100 W is plenty in most cases.

Originally Posted by BMuldoon

Okay, I've read a lot about people having to use an amp to get the speakers to actually produce what they are capable of but it is very reassuring to hear the opposite argument. Thanks for your help!

Originally Posted by lvtdude

I do use a Hafler XL 280 power amp (145 W) for the front channels in my setup. Separate amps will always be a better option than a receiver, but definitely not necessary. I've had my Hafler amp for almost 20 years and I've only had to replace power switches on it, so it looks like I'll be using it for a long, long time.

Your Polks should be an easy load to drive, so I would expect you will get great results with your receiver. The extra current and power reserves you'd get from a separate amp would probably give you slightly better dynamics and heft in the bass, but I'm at risk of opening a debate about how amps do or don't sound different.

I'm curious, did you buy the Polks online, and if so, had you listened to them first? I haven't heard a pair of Polks in several years, so I can't make a judgment on them. I buy lots of things on line, based upon reviews, but speakers wouldn't be one of those things.

Originally Posted by BMuldoon

I don't plan on cranking the volume too high and eventually plan to ad a decent sub so increased bass from an amp isn't exactly a priority for me. I did buy the polk directly from the Polk website. While I know I can get better deals out there they threw in a free pair of Polk outdoor speakers which I will gladly use on my deck. I figure straight from the manufacturer is always safest too. I actually listened to the speakers at a friend of a friends. He was pushing them through an Onkyo 876 and they sounded great. The cherry wood and overall fit and finish was much better than those i looked at within the price range.

Originally Posted by lvtdude

Well, I'm glad you heard them before. For music, I'd try them with and without a sub. Integrating a sub for home theater is one thing, but getting a seamless blend with music can be difficult. Regardless, I hope you have some great sound soon. Enjoy!

Originally Posted by monomer

Yeah, I've noticed this too. My guess is its a prelude to the new 707's debut... its 'caused by the supply drying up (dwindling inventories) and this is also having an additional supplier benefit of conditioning consumers to a higher price expectation making the 707's price upon release appear quite acceptable. And the poor economy has most 706 owner's holding on to what they have and resisting any upgrading purchases thus making used ones also harder to come by. So supply is being choked off on both new and used units driving the asking prices up. It sorta sucks right now but if you do a diligent search I believe you can still find used and refurbs out there for under $500 and new for under $650... however my best guess is if you can hold out for another 3 months (after the release of the 707 and hopefully coupled with a slightly improving economy), more used 706's will enter the marketplace driving the prices to the sub-$400 level. Sigh... FYI, I just snagged a demo model 706 for $470... I guess it was a fair deal, nothing to brag about for sure, just last month I saw quite a few of these used units being purchased for ~$400... some of those right here on the AVSforum too.

Originally Posted by Tybee

Discovered Accessories4Less.com, which is an authorized seller of Onkyo refurbs, and it was $499 there. That's a good enough price for me. Comes with a 1-year warranty, and I believe (since they are an authorized reseller) I may be able to extend that out to three years through shoponkyo.com.

I'm sure the 707 will come along in two or three months and make me feel somewhat silly, but if the 606 is any indication, I won't need the kind of upgrades it'll offer. Plus, the aesthetics and finance committees have given the go-ahead now, and who knows if that might be rescinded in three months.

UPS reports Energy Take Classic speakers (aesthetics committee very excited about the size) are out for delivery as we speak, and FedEx should bring the 706 in a day or two. Should be a nice upgrade from my 10-year-old Kenwood HTiB receiver, sub, center and surrounds and 20-year-old Kenwood floor-standing L & R's. Went ahead and got this to keep it running cool in my semi-enclosed cabinet. Any tips for installing/setting up the receiver?

Originally Posted by lvtdude

If you purchase with VISA you can most likely get a reasonably priced warranty through them. I extended my HDTV's (paid $1499) warranty until 2012 and it only cost me $137.

Originally Posted by lvtdude

I do use a Hafler XL 280 power amp (145 W) for the front channels in my setup. Separate amps will always be a better option than a receiver, but definitely not necessary. I've had my Hafler amp for almost 20 years and I've only had to replace power switches on it, so it looks like I'll be using it for a long, long time.

Your Polks should be an easy load to drive, so I would expect you will get great results with your receiver. The extra current and power reserves you'd get from a separate amp would probably give you slightly better dynamics and heft in the bass, but I'm at risk of opening a debate about how amps do or don't sound different.

I'm curious, did you buy the Polks online, and if so, had you listened to them first? I haven't heard a pair of Polks in several years, so I can't make a judgment on them. I buy lots of things on line, based upon reviews, but speakers wouldn't be one of those things.

Originally Posted by WhskyTangoFoxtrt

Does the 12V trigger on the 706 engage the Hafler?

Originally Posted by BMuldoon

Hey Everyone,
I'm new to the site - as of 2 minutes ago. I am a musician so I will mainly be using my 706 to listen to blues, jazz and classical artists. To my question, I have ordered the Polk rti a7 fronts and only plan to use a 2 speaker setup for now. Clearly these speakers would be underpowered with only 100W to each as the 706 is rated. Because I am not utilizing the other 5 channels is there any way to adjust settings that would result in more power to the fronts?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Originally Posted by bluesky636

I am surprised no one mentioned this:

Bi-amp the Polks.

See page 19 of the Onkyo owner's manual for instructions on bi-amping the front speakers. On the Polks all you do is remove the gold plated bridge between the high and low frequency sections of the speakers. You now will have separate 100 watt amps to each section of the speaker. It won't necessarily play any louder, but they will play cleaner.

I have a pair of older Polk RT 16s for my front L/Rs and love them. I have mine bi-wired to the front channels of the 706. Even that makes a noticable difference in clarity.

I would love to have a pair of RTi A9s for the front with their matching center. I currently have the RT 16s, a CL350S center, RTiA1s for the back surround, and Definitive Technology BP2Xs for the side surrounds. I also have an Audiosource sub.

I would love to have an all Polk system. I find them very sweet and easy to listen to even before applying Audyssey processing.

Originally Posted by lvtdude

I didn't realize the Polks were bi-ampable. This utilizes Zone 2 as the second amp, correct? As long as he isn't planning on using Zone 2/ Back Surrounds, this is an excellent solution.

Originally Posted by BMuldoon

Hey Guys,
Just a hypothetical here... What level of benefit would I hear if I used the Emotiva XPA-2 Amp with a Onkyo 706 and two Polk Rti a7's? The Emotiva pushes out 250W per channel with 8ohm speakers - which these are. The polks are rated at 20-300 Watts. Just wondering people's thoughts on this?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by bluesky636

Considering that 250 watts is slightly more than 3 db greater than 100 watts, that means the Polks will play slightly more than 3 db louder with the Emotiva than with the Onkyo. Is that a significant difference? No. Playing 10 db louder (twice as loud, requiring about 800 to 900 watts) would be significant.

Your earlier posts indicated that you were using the Onkyo in 2-channel mode to drive the Polks for music (Jazz I thought you said). Polk speakers are typically very easy loads to drive, requiring nothing fancy in the way of amps. Considering that there are some "audiophiles" out there who insist on running 20 watt (or less) tube amps with fancy speakers, I doubt you will see any earth shattering difference in the Polks being driven with either amp.

If you already have the Emotiva (I've never heard of that brand, by the way) on hand, the only way to tell would be to hook it up and give it a listen. If you are considering buying it just for this purpose, I wouldn't waste my money.

Originally Posted by BMuldoon

Thanks for the response. I have not purchased the Emotiva. The link below is to a review for the Amp and seems to rant and rave about its capabilities. At any rate, I just wanted an opinion on this considering that the review just can't stop saying how great it is and how even your 8 ohm speakers will come alive etc. If you have the time, read the review below. I'd like to get a better understanding/reasoning as to why it is being talked up if the sound difference is minimal as you say. Thanks again for the help.


http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/a...a-2-conclusion

Originally Posted by bluesky636

And I can show you reviews for a dozen other amps where the reviewer "rants and raves" about how great they are. The only hard facts in any review of amplifier, tv, speakers, etc. are the measurements. Everything else is just opinion. And you know what they say about opinions.

You may be an excellent musician, I have no way of knowing, but you seem to be easily swayed by enthusiastic reviews of equipment used in a system that bears no resemblance to yours. Will the amp sound better or worse? You have no way of knowing until you try it in YOUR system. So it is up to you if you want to spend another $800.00 on an amp that MIGHT sound better. If it doesn't, hopefully you will be allowed to return it.

Of course, all this is just MY opinion.

Originally Posted by BMuldoon

I wouldn't say I am a "classically trained" musician in that i have a vast theory background but I have been playing blues guitar for roughly 20 years. My influences are SRV, Clapton, BB King etc. I am new to home audio - I have owned a few bookshelf speakers here and there but nothing substantial. Did you happen to check out the other pages of that review? A page or two back are the sound reviews with measurements. Not trying to argue here, just curious as it is all greek to me. I won't be adding an amp any time soon but I figured I'd learn more by asking and getting real feedback rather than tutorial sites that don't quite educate as much as they promote x,y and z. So - based on your earlier responses regarding power... Because the 806 provides a supposed 130w/ch and the 706 100w/ch I shouldn't be worried that the 806 would have sounded a lot better than my 706 while using the rti a7s?