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Unhappy with Onkyo quality - what's the next level up

post #1 of 13
9/5/10 at 7:57pm
Thread Starter 
I've been a happy Onkyo customer since the late 1980s, but have not had a good experience with my TX-SR606. First, I had the well-known "buzzing" issue, got that repaired barely within warranty. Now, I'm seeing the HDMI board issues documented in another thread, where the PS3 Slim no longer reliably connects.

Long story short, I am ready to spend a bit of money to address this issue, but want something more reliable this time. I'm getting the impression "they don't make them like they used to" (the HK I had before the Onkyo lasted exactly as long as the 2yr warranty).

Are there any brands that still make quality products? I can't be buying a $500 AV receiver every 2-3 years...

My requirements are:
  • Bulletproof reliability
  • Ability to drive my speaker setup (5.0 setup with two MB Quart tower fronts, big MB Quart center and two in-ceiling MB Quart rears)
  • 4 HDMI inputs
  • Accept all modern audio codecs used for BluRay and DVD
  • Below $1,000

What are some good brands to look at? I'd prefer reliability over feature-overkill at this point...
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post #2 of 13
9/6/10 at 3:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by weirdedhimself View Post

I've been a happy Onkyo customer since the late 1980s, but have not had a good experience with my TX-SR606. First, I had the well-known "buzzing" issue, got that repaired barely within warranty. Now, I'm seeing the HDMI board issues documented in another thread, where the PS3 Slim no longer reliably connects.

Long story short, I am ready to spend a bit of money to address this issue, but want something more reliable this time. I'm getting the impression "they don't make them like they used to" (the HK I had before the Onkyo lasted exactly as long as the 2yr warranty).

Are there any brands that still make quality products? I can't be buying a $500 AV receiver every 2-3 years...

My requirements are:
  • Bulletproof reliability
  • Ability to drive my speaker setup (5.0 setup with two MB Quart tower fronts, big MB Quart center and two in-ceiling MB Quart rears)
  • 4 HDMI inputs
  • Accept all modern audio codecs used for BluRay and DVD
  • Below $1,000

What are some good brands to look at? I'd prefer reliability over feature-overkill at this point...

Pioneer Elite VSX-33 or VSX-32. Both, I hear, are solid with awesome video processors.
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post #3 of 13
9/6/10 at 4:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bfocussvt View Post

Pioneer Elite VSX-33 or VSX-32. Both, I hear, are solid with awesome video processors.

Below $1000?
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post #4 of 13
9/6/10 at 4:01pm
$1000 dollars and your not even considering the Onkyo tx-nr3007?
Sorry but certain models have issues from many vendors, you sound like you know
how to do your research, at least your here. Good luck with whatever you choose.
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post #5 of 13
9/7/10 at 6:36am
Try looking into the Yamaha's. Known for quality build,reliability, and longevity. Find a model that fits your needs and go for it. Never had a Yamaha fail on me and have used many over the many years I've been in this hobby.
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post #6 of 13
9/7/10 at 7:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpotcheckBilly View Post

Below $1000?

I believe the MSRP on the VSX-33 is $999 and $799 for the VSX-32.
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post #7 of 13
9/7/10 at 8:18am
Yamaha A1000. Read about it in the dedicated thread.
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post #8 of 13
9/7/10 at 9:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by phantom52 View Post

try looking into the yamaha's. Known for quality build,reliability, and longevity. Find a model that fits your needs and go for it. Never had a yamaha fail on me and have used many over the many years i've been in this hobby.

+1
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post #9 of 13
9/7/10 at 9:28am
If you are having a high failure rate, you might also want to look at your setup and see if there is anything that you can do to help improve the lifespan of your electronics. Specifically, ensuring enough ventilation surrounding your reciever, making sure there is adequate airflow. Maybe even look into getting a fan to keep the reciever cooler.
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post #10 of 13
9/7/10 at 10:29am
As a former owner of Onkyo equipment, I second the Yamaha suggestion. The nice things about the Yamaha receiver I recently bought is that the build quality is excellent, it sounds great, there are enough features to keep me happy given my modest setup, it was the best $700 I spent on electronics gear (considering it initially retailed for $1300), and finally, everything on it works like it should.
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post #11 of 13
9/7/10 at 11:34am
I have owned four Onkyo receivers and all have been excellent performers with no problems. They all worked as they should.

OP, you had a bad egg. I am not married to Onkyo so if you feel a need to look elsewhere there are several manufacturers of high quality audio gear. Lots of excellent choices out there. I just wanted to comment so if someone new here came and made the wrong assumption that there was something amiss with Onkyo quality.
Onkyo, like Yamaha, is a quality manufacturer.
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post #12 of 13
9/7/10 at 12:19pm
Every manufacturer can (and has!) produced lemons. That said, stepping up from the $500 price point to the $1000 price point brings dramatic improvements in features, performance and build-quality for all brands. There are many serious design compromises in lower-end receivers which are mostly alleviated as you spend more money. I believe Yamaha, Pioneer, Denon and Onkyo all offer excellent products at that mark.
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post #13 of 13
9/7/10 at 12:35pm
^^^^^ Agreed 100%. I have used 2 AVR's from Onkyo and both are still in working condition. Using one of them now. Both worked as advertised and still are. Have used many more Yamaha's, still have several of them and all are still working as the day I got them. I do feel that the build quality of the Yamaha's is better than the Onkyo's though. Can't explain why other than they just "seem" more solid. Realize also that my Yamaha AVR's are the older units(newest being the 2600) and the build quality is "just" there. Can't give comments on the Denon's and Marantz's. Have never owned any of them.
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