Yamaha vs Onkyo

Hmmm, better is not a term I would use.

I can list some of the differences. Note that I owned the 3900 and own the Z7, but have never used the Onkyo.

* Audyssey vs YPAO; Audyssey is more sophisticated. Is it better? Maybe
* Network Audio; I don't know what the Onkyo supports; the Yamaha 3900 has Rhapsody which I like enough to pay them money; It's internet radio works well; It's ability to play music off your PC works, but is clunky
* Power; The Onkyo may have more, I don't know. The Yamaha has quite a bit, but sounds a bit harsh as you approach reference levels in my own system; I don't find it's power limiting for my own needs
* Sound quality; The 3900 sounds good to me. But that means nothing
* GUI; I really like the 3900's GUI; I know nothing about the Okyo
* Video; Both have sophisticated video processors; The 3900's options are a bit limited, you can't control the noise reduction settings as you can with the Z7; The 3900 had a perfect HQV score; In practice, I don't find the 3900's VP to be helpful even though it's really good, which just means you can only improve bad looking cable a little bit
* Analog to HDMI conversion; Nearly perfect on the 3900; You can hardly tell the difference between component direct, and component video converted to HDMI by the 3900
* Flexibility; The 3900 shines here; It's flexibility in input assignabilty really impresses me; There's a lot of options
* Ease of use; I find the 3900 to be pretty easy to use; The remote could be better in some ways; The interface to music stored on a media server sucks, IMO; If that's really important to you, and the Onkyo's is nice, that might drive you to the Onkyo
* Tuner; The 3900's tuner is very good, IMO
* Dolby Volume on the Onkyo; Yamaha does not seem to have anything comparable
* 9.2 on the Onkyo I think?; The 3900 only does 7 channels of amplification. It has height ambiance, but you have to use that or use the rear surrounds but not both; IIz and DSX are newer technologies compared to Yamaha's own presence processing (which I am not impressed by)

Onkyo seems to do very good with their price vs feature/power. Yamaha seems a bit more expensive. I think Yamaha may be slightly higher in quality based PURELY on anecdotal evidence in threads. In other words, I seem to see more problems reported with Onkyo than Yamaha. I would not take that too seriously if I were you, as there's no hard evidence. Yamaha has held up VERY well for me personally, and I think I have owned 6 of them (RX-570, RX-v795a, RX-V657, RX-V2700, RX-V3900 and the RX-Z7.)

I will never buy another Onkyo product after the miserable experience I have had with the 805. So many of these have had failures and issues. OTH my RX-V1700 has been flawless. Audyssey won't work for me. It mutes the speaker trims no matter how I tweak it. YPAO may not be the most sophisticated, but it works for me!

Yamaha wasn't even on the list when I bought my TX-NR1007.

Which means...what?

Yamaha didn't have anything comparable for the money. The closest thing was Denon but much more expensive.

As a fan and owner of both Yamaha's and Onkyo's I feel this one is a toss up. They each have their pro's and con's. You are comparing two of the best models each of these make. My take on the Yamaha is I feel their build quality is better, reliability a toss up also, as I have had neither of them fail to do what they were supposed to do. The last Yamaha I used was the 2600 and it used the older version of YPAO as compared to the 3900's newer version. It worked very well. The 876 I'm using now has Audyssey Multi-EQ XT and it also does quite well. I am not having the heat issues others have reported here with their Onkyo units. As a matter of fact the Yamaha 2600 ran hotter than my 876 is right now. Now when it comes down to features for cost this is where the Onkyo pulls away. That is if its features you will use. Amp sections goes to Onkyo. I have features on my 876 that I'm not using. Video processor mainly. When I bought my 876 I was seriously considering the Yamaha Z7, Denon 4308CI, 4310 and even considered the Marantz 8002. For the money in my opinion the 876 was just too hard to pass up. Realize that I also paid a lot less for the 876 than I could for any of the others at the time. That NR 3007 is a very nice AVR which no doubt would serve you well, especially if you feel you may use either the heights or wide feature for the front. Plenty of power and connectivity for now and in the near future. The 3900 is very nice because its a Yamaha and their reliability is second to none. Build quality is there and there is no doubt in my mind that you will replace it before you wear it out. That's why I feel you have a tough decision with these two going against each other. A toss up. Really no lose situation when it comes down to it. Good luck and enjoy whichever one you choose.

The 1900 is comparable to the NR 1007. The Denon 2310 or 3310 are very close, with the 3310 being just a little higher when on sale. Also for a little more you could have got the Denon 4308CI which is in another class as compared to the NR 1007. Not questioning your choice because you got what you wanted for the money you wanted to spend, but Yamaha and others had very competent AVR's for what you spent on your NR 1007. Now if you bought for the height and wides that the Nr 1007 offers that does trim the list down somewhat.

What will you be using your system for? DVD/Blu-ray? Broadcast material via Cable/Satellite? Stereo CD playback? Gaming on Xbox/PS3/Wii?

What are the other components you will be pairing the AVR with? Any other upgrades or changes planned in the near future?

I've had both although not those specific models. I do currently have the 1007. To me the biggest differences are the room compensation implementations - any specific difference that might have caught your eye and would meet your needs best. I'd research each room eq and choose from there.

For me personally I'll never by another receiver without MultEQ and Dynamic EQ as it's made more of a difference than anything in any receiver I've owned.

If reliability is key then Yamaha. I've installed all types of brands and never had a problem with Yamaha, I can't say the same for Onkyo. As far as HDMI problems go, hook up your system and if it works, great! If it doesn't buy a $200-$500 HDMI restorer (depending on brand and model) and be done with it. It has solved 99% of HDMI problems for us and it also helps diagnose other problems that it can't fix.

At this level of equipment the HDMI restorer is a no brainer if you need it to be able to use equipment that best suits your situation. You can chase your tail trying to find the right combination of equipment and cables to make HDMI work. No one likes spending extra money for something that should have been designed better to begin with but it is the reality of HDMI and we have to live with it. It is the new standard.

Bob

Key to having HDMI work properly is simple...
The products should be certified for HDMI and HDCP..
Unfortunately many of the major brands do not put their HDMI products through this process..
By the way Yamaha does..

Just my $0.01...

Onkyo amps are way better than the yamaha amps, not till you get to the 765 do you get full power. This only proves to me the yamaha is cutting corners, so you really need to look and listen to the new yamahas as they are changing for the worse. The difference between the 663 and the new 665 is not plus two

From what I've seen Onkyo has come a long ways from the early new gen versions that many people had issues with. I mention it as a consideration.

Also, why not consider Pioneer Elite? All are great choices. I love the SQ of the Pioneer Elite.

And what about Integra? Like an Onkyo but better.

I too will not be buying another Onkyo product. I have my TX-SR606 in for repair, going on 10 weeks now, locally, have called Onkyo, who in turned called their local repair center where my unit is being worked on. They again have had to order a part which I have been told was shipped today, With the way things are going, I may not get this back until after the first of the year. I guess a 4 month repair time is not much to ask!!!!!! RIGHT!! Thinking of selling after I get it back and replacing with a more reliable vendor.

Define full power? If you are implying the 765 can reach rated power with all channels driven, it can't.

Few receivers can.

Yamaha has been reducing power in their budget models, that I agree with. I have not seen benchmark tests, but I have seen the power consumption specs and seen the weights.

Did you send your receiver to Onkyo to be replaced? Or to a third party Onkyo authorized center? Was your receiver under warranty or out?

The reason I ask is because I am having an issue with my directv box with dolby digital and hdmi to my onkyo. The problem started after swapping an HR20 to HR22 directv receiver a few weeks ago.

I opened a ticket with Onkyo yesterday. I spoke with the tech for 20 minutes about the issue. I then did some testing last night and Onkyo had indicated they had been in touch with Directv.

Today the tech called ME to find out about my testing results and also to remind me to call Directv about the issue so all parties are involved.

Onkyo tech support called me back. Without me asking them to.

And the problem is most likely not even with the Onkyo...

Amazing.

I have my reciever at a local auth. Onkyo repair center. I guess it might have been better for me to have sent it to NJ to Onkyo. maybe the repair would have been faster. Yes it is still under warranty till next June + 3months(was told by consumers relations that they would extend warranty by the amount of down time. Wow, the more I think about this, it may take till June to get it back repaired, so I would have that additional time...LOL.

That depends on the model. The lower end stuff Yamaha has been pushing lately has been nothing short of anemic. The 3900 has a respectable power supply that is very clean.

Yamaha would stand to learn a lesson from GM vs Toyota on compacts from the early 80's. If your first introduction to a product line is "tarnished" then you are less likely to return.

I don't know about way better Here's some benchmarks for a $1000 Onkyo as given by HT mag.

Five channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads:
0.1% distortion at 105.5 watts
1% distortion at 122.0 watts

Seven channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads:
0.1% distortion at 29.9 watts
1% distortion at 33.0 watts

As you can see, it falls off a lot just like most receivers, with 7 channels driven.

The Yamaha RX-V863 was also reviewed by HT Magazine. It's MSRP is cheaper as I recall.

Five channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads:
0.1% distortion at 42.6 watts
1% distortion at 48.4 watts

All channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads:
0.1% distortion at 41.6 watts
1% distortion at 47.9 watts

Interestingly, while the 5 channel power of the Yamaha is much worse, the 7 channel power was better. Hard to say that's the 863 is much weaker overall from those numbers. You really have to compare specific receivers as generalizations don't really get you anywhere. At some price points and in some lines, Onkyo may put out more power, but can you say that's always true?

Michael, what model Onkyo receiver is that? I know the 876 which of course cost more did a lot better on test with all channels driven than that. But you are right the cost of the Onkyo as compared to the 863 is crazy. This is why people should wait for test reviews instead of reading a listening test(CNET as an example only) before spending their money on an investment they hope to keep for while. Of course this doesn't apply to those that change receivers annually, they are going to buy because it the newest and bestest to them.

^^^^
Phantom,
I believe the Onkyo tested here by HT mag was the 807.

Thank you. I'm going to have to read that one. I knew that there was a drop-off from the 805 to the 806, but did not realize they kept going with this type of perfromance drop to the X07 and maybe even the X007 series. It seems that maybe Onkyo is following Yamaha's decision to drop some wt. and performance due to cost. Amazing really that the performance drops like this and price still increases.

I'm replacing my 805 with an RX-V665. I only use it as a pre/pro so the lack of power is moot to me.

Here is the Home Theater Magazine power data for the 806. You decide.

HT Labs Measures

Five channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads:
0.1% distortion at 107.2 watts
1% distortion at 123.4 watts

Seven channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads:
0.1% distortion at 79.6 watts
1% distortion at 106.4 watts

And the 805 was better than that IIRC. See if you can grab that 806 or 876 at accessories4less while they last.

I have a Yamaha 863 and love the thing. Especially now that some people on here helped me get it calibrated right so that I am not over powering my speakers....

The one thing I can say that Onkyo has over the Yamaha is the room calibration. as the YPAO only does one seating position and had my speakers set at Large when it should have been small.

but I do not believe the Onkyo has the DSP settings that the yamaha does...which i actually use