Onkyo PR-SC886P Pre/Pro Official thread - Page 104

Is anyone using a standard DirecTV remote and have been able to get the power on and off to work with your Onkyo PR-SC886P Pre/Pro? I have gone through all the codes listed by DirecTV and although I can control volume, I haven't found one that allows me to turn the 886 on and off.
thanks,
Murray

Changing the speaker settings has nothing to do with Audyssey. Audyssey sets them but if you turn Audyssey off the speaker levels remain the same. Just turn up the sub a few db and let us know if that gives you the bass you are looking for.

Right but the volume and punch at 30+ hz is fine. It just seems to taper off unlike it did before. I got it a little better but still not like it used to be, I'll keep playing with it, thanks for the help.

Never was a big fan of the analog inputs on the 886. The 5.1 inputs from my Sony SACD finally broke in enough to be listenable but never as good as the Sony ES receiver it replaced. Listened to almost everything through the HDMI or optical inputs, even on direct without the Audyssey.

Just decided to get back into vinyl and I had really low expectations about the quality of the Phono section in the 886. Figured I would hook it up to start and buy a separate phono preamp as soon as I could decide which one, Jolida jd9 was the frontrunner.

After I finally got all the pieces assembled and hooked up; YOU COULD HAVE KNOCKED ME OVER WITH A FEATHER! There is absolutely nothing wrong with the 886 Phono section, actually it's quite good. Yes, I have a pretty good table, Empire 398 and a really good cartridge, Empire 4000D/III. However a badly designed Phono stage with a poor RIAA curve can make the best equipment sound terrible.

I may still buy the Jolida in case I want to try a MC cartridge or play around with different impedance and loading but there's no hurry. The 886 Phono section is way better than the barely adequate I expected. If anyone has been hesitant, as I was, to hook up a turntable to this pre/pro; just do it!

What the fair value for a used 886 in a pristine condition? I have one that I want to sell. Thanks.

I think you should be able to get between $650-800 for it. I would try Audiogon/Videogon.com. You will probably do better there than Ebay but you never know.


www.audiogon.com www.videogon.com


I have thought about upgrading from my 886 but I haven't found a reason to. It has worked perfectly since day one and I hate to try someting new that may not be as reliable. The only reason I am thinking about it is because of upgraditis. I wish they had a cure for that terrible disease!

I'm in the same boat as I'm always looking to upgrade but nothing remotely affordable is available. I feel that the 5508 has more features and possibly better SQ but the issues recent owners have been having is cause for concern. The 885 I had and the 886 I have now have had no issues at all (knock on wood). I have the same issue with upgraditis as well which I know of no cure.

I was very pleasantly surprised today when I did some comparisons of my 886 to my Parasound 2100 preamp. I always felt that for 2CH music the 886 was not as good as the 2100 when using the CD, balanced or HDMI inputs. Well today I decided to try a few 2CH SACD/CDs using the 5.1 analog input. For CD, SACD and DVD-As I use my Oppo 83SE with the R&L stereo output to the 2100 and the 5.1 analog output to the 886.

Today I thought I had never tried using the 5.1 analog input of the 886 for just 2CH SACD/CDs. I was listening to Patricia Barber's Verse SACD (83SE set to DSD) and did a direct comparison of the 886 and the 2100 after a quick volume level match. What I found was that when I cycled between Input 1 (2100) and the HT Bypass input (886) I could not tell the difference between the two. When I did comparisons before using the CD, balanced or HDMI inputs (using the Pure or Direct mode) the 2100 had overall better SQ. I found that with the 886 the soundstage lost depth and width as well as the vocals were not as focused between the R&L speakers.

I found this to be quite interesting as it shows to me that the 5/7.1 analog input of the 886 does have very good SQ when compared to the other inputs. I am aware that there is no processing when using the 5/7.1 analog input. But I always thought that the input/output analog stage of the 886 was said to be a weakness effecting overall SQ. I know the 2100 isn't a high-end preamp but my comparison today showed that the SQ of the 886 is quite good IMO. So at this point my upgraditis will be kept at bay until the Outlaw 978 is released.

Bill

Thanks. Posted my ad at both places.

Good luck!

What did you "upgrade" to?

I will be getting a receiver instead to save some rack space. That is why i am selling my NAD M25 amp as well.

I just purchased a used 886 and rather than read 3100 posts I'd as for the quick review of any issues or "need to know" things about the 886 that might help me as I set it up this weekend.

I'll probably end up reading through the whole thread in the end, always good info here, but it will probably be this winter when we slow down and I'm bored at work.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give me!

Here are some basics. Check to make sure the firmware and DSPs are up to date. You will have to search in this thread to learn about that procedure.

I recommend getting a fan like this: http://www.coolerguys.com/comcool.html
and place it over the back right corner over the HDMI/video board with it sucking air out. Onkyo's have a reputation for faulty HDMI boards. That area gets very warm/hot without a fan. The fan I linked to is inaudbile and keeps the area cool to the touch.

Besides that read the manual and try out the different surround sound formats. Also, when you run Audyssey run the maximum number of seating positions.

Onkyo receivers do get hot but the processor does NOT have that issue.

I agree that the 886 doesn't get as hot as say the 876 receiver but the area above the HDMI board does get warm/hot on my 886. I installed the fan the week I installed the 886 in my rack and haven't thought about it since. Before I installed the fan that area would get very warm/hot after a few hours. With the fan the entire 886 stays cool to the touch. I only have about 3 inches of clearance in my rack above the 886. It is open on all sides but the small amount of clearance above it I'm sure doesn't help. I feel like the fan is cheap insurance for a fairly common failure point on Onkyo products.

Couldn't agree more, I have only 3/4" clearance above the 886. Read my post # 2712. However, this cheap little fan has kept it cool and worked perfectly for almost two years. I mounted it in the middle of the back so as to blow across both sides. If I remember correctly it brought the temperature down over 20 degrees.

http://www.xoxide.com/evercool-hardd...ler-black.html

Did you just placed it on top of the 886 ? Any mounting hardware required ? I am going back to an Onkyo receiver and I need a cooling fan that is ultra quite and can simply be placed on top of the receiver. Suggestion? Thanks.

I just used a few dabs of Blu-Tack to hold it in place. Don't hear it at all when seated 8 to 10 feet away. I put my hand next to it to feel the air when checking for operation, it's that quiet. Great for the 886, you might need more cooling for a receiver but it's cheap enough to be worth a try.

I have some blu-tack. I didn't know it could stand even a moderate amount of heat. I will try that, thanks.

anyone know if onkyo has any new av pre/pros scheduled for release in 2012

The one I linked to earlier comes with 4 double sided tape pads to hold it in place.

Onkyo is coming out with the 5509 but it might not be available in the US. Integra has the 80.3 that I believe is now available in the US.

Bill

Thanks for the reply. I've ordered a fan, I agree that its cheap insurance. What little time I've used my 886 it does run hotter than any pre/pro or receiver I've owned before. Surpising since it doesn't have amps built in like a receiver.

I checked my firmware and its 1.01. I've done a little reading about the firmware update and this link was giving here in the 886 forum:

http://rapidshare.com/files/43338052...04_105_DSP.zip

Is there a reason that both version 1.04 and 1.05 are both provided? Do I need to upgrade to 1.04 before I go to 1.05 or are there problems with 1.05 so some people prefer to stay at 1.04?

FYI, there were no DSP updates for the 886.

When you perform the update the read only memory is entirely overwritten so there is no order to the updates.

Updating my 886 to either 1.04 or 1.05 created video freezing problems when switching between HDMI inputs (others also found the same thing). There is not any way to go back to 1.01 if you have problems after the update.

The significant correction made by to doing the firmware update was to enable Audyssey Pro calibration. The kit and license for Audyssey Pro is $700. So unless you are $$serious$$ about Audyssey Pro I would recommend leaving the firmware alone.

I just picked up my Integra dhc-80.3 preamp yesterday...

Some of my expereince with firmware updates has been with the Samsung BD-P1600 blu ray player and the Emotiva UMC-1 pre/pro. Both not the best expereinces at times so if leaving well enough alone only loses me the ability to do Audyssey Pro calibration I'm fine with that as I never intended to do it.

Are there any other gain from 1.04 or 1.05? Seems like I read it would help speed up the HDMI handshake times, is that true?

I also seem to remember reading that some of the newer updates allow for some more direct command codes to work with Harmony remotes.

cs,

You are correct. I upgraded to 1.04 so I could use the direct codes for my 886. I have my 688 setup with the additional codes and it is great to access many functions of the 886 without going into the menu. I never had any HDMI issues but I only have my Oppo 83SE on the one HDMI input.

Bill

Curious how many people prefer to calibrate the system on their own with a SPL meter and measuring the speaker distance on their own as opposed to using Audessy on this machine.

After running Audessy, Movies sound great but the soundfield does not in 2 channel mode listening in stereo mode.

My Klipsch RF7s sound good being driven by an Outlaw 200 WPC amp and the 886, but my Klipsch Kg4s sound better with a CD and a Denon AV Reciever in a different room (I know different rooms sound different).

Looking for some thoughts.

I called Onkyo today and was told by the customer support guy that the only thing the updates change is stuff relating to Audyssey Pro and if I wasn't going to get a professional set up there was no point in updating, I would gain nothing.

I asked about the remote codes and he said no, nothing to gain. So I get on here and read that yes I will gain remote codes. What is it about customer service people? Why can't they say "I don't know, let me check that out..." instead of just saying yes and no and hanging up. I asked a few different times, a few different ways and was always told there was nothing gained other than stuff for Audyssey Pro.

I'll call again tomorrow and see what the next guy says just out of curiosity!

Hi Bill,
I have no doubts you're correct. Could you give me a few examples of codes that won't work from my Harmony remote with my current firmware?

I know from owning the UMC-1 that there were different Harmony codes at different times and maybe now the Harmony database has something that will work with firmware 1.01 to save me risking making things worse doing the update since you can't go back to 1.01