Onkyo TX NR709 Owners' Thread - Page 69

How lucky are you! All I can find is some open box Denons and Yamahas at my local Best Buy, online factory refurbished for $450 (which I may just go for) or Amazon new at $529. I'm still waiting to hear from anyone that knows if its better to focus on the 709 with the MultEQ XT vs the 717 which has more power, one additional USB but only the 2EQ self calibrator.

Also, my old Onkyo receiver has a 110v outlet in the back where I would connect a cool fan. How come these new receivers don't bring such an outlet?

Check out this USB fan, I've got 3 of them going, my cable box had a USB plug in the back and I got a $1 splitter on ebay. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5260792&CatId=802 nearly silent and provides plenty of air flow.

Looks good. So you used your DVR or Cable box to power the fan via USB? That makes sence sine the 709 doesn't have a USB in the back and most likely the cable box will be ON when the receiver is ON too.

I've been killing myself doing research on both the 709 vs the 717 and today (no idea about tomorrow) I'm leaning towards the 717. It has the USB in the back, a couple of other upgrades BUT the basic Audyssy 2EQ. Still Not sure if going for the 709 just for the MultEQ XT is worth it. Some reviews say it's not that noticeble to the average guy who just watches movies/TV/music during some gatherings on an open family room setting.

Actually the USB power is always on whether the DVR is on or not, so the fans just stay on all the time for me. I think if you can find a good deal on 709 get that, most people said 717 is a downgrade, but for the same price I'd go with the newer model. Since you're in Miami call that Boynton store, they might still have the one brand new 709 left for $399

Thanks Roman. I'm not living MIA anymore but thats where I was back in 2006 when I got into AVS. So some consider the 717 a downgrade from the 709, really? Other than the MultEQ setting on the 709 I cant see why the 709 would be better than the 717. Also, is there an Onkyo store in Boyton Beach, FL?

Currently the best I can find is Accessories4less.com where they have factory refurbished models: TX-NR709 $429 plus shipping and the TX-NR717 for $499 with free shipping. I'm inclined to pay the extra money for the 717. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

Frys.com has the Onkyo TX NR709 on sale right now for $249.00. Looks like an increadable deal but I'm going to have to wait till next year to get a new receiver.
Guess I am stuck with my Sony STR-DG510 for now. You will need to have a Fry's near you to get it though. It is listed as in store pickup only.

Wow, that is a killer deal on a 709. I paid a little over $600 for mine. Too bad I don't have a Fry's near me, I could use a second one for my room downstairs.

That is a great price but I'm on the same boat, no store near me. Man even if they charges shipping plus $25 extra for shipping it I would buy it. Too good to be true.

**. Called Them and it seems like they only have the 709 in very few stores, definitely no store near anyone I know.
Edited by Miami Guy - 1/17/13 at 3:23pm

I just noticed this price on frys.com and nearly fell out of my chair. unfortunately, there are only eight stores in TX and none have stock. i already planned on going this Saturday, so i'll hope it's wrong and i find one!

RPGMasta, you find an addional one and you PM me!

Hi everyone, before I contact Onkyo support, I thought I'd see if I can get an answer to this problem here first. I just bought my 709 (had a Sony STR-DH720) and when I hooked it up and tried to run the speaker calibration I ran into a problem. As its going through the motions and it gets to the back right rear speaker, it runs it's test, sits there, then you hear the back left speaker run its test but the software never moves off the back right speaker. It then says speaker error and asks if I want to try again or cancel. I thought it might be a problem with the speaker so for fun I swapped out the wiring from right to left rear and visa versa. The software played the back left rear (showing on screen it to be the right rear since I had swapped wiring) and then played the other rear speaker but again did not move off the other speaker on my tv screen. Again I then got the error message. So I'm guessing it's not a problem with the speakers.
I did check and yes, needed a firmware upgrade and did that but still same results.
Any way around this problem and still calibrate or anyone know of a fix? Or is this a call to support and possibly a return?

No guarantees but you can try this http://www.manualowl.com/m/Onkyo/TX-NR709/Manual/220697?page=74

Thanks for the suggestion but nope, that didn't work. Same results when I run the speaker calibration.

I am having a senior moment & forgot I had the same problem with my 709. I also have a 3009 so I used the mic from that & it worked. I dont know if that is the right mic to use for a 709. What I am trying to say is that it might be the mic.

Hi all - very new here so my apologies for not earning my stripes before posing a question.

I've had my NR709 for a little over a year - no issues and love it. Last weekend, I lost all my HDMI ports on the back of the unit. I tried all the tricks online to potentially clear up an HDMI handshake issue to no avail. The front AUX HDMI works - so I'm using that with at least my DTV receiver.

I called Onkyo CS last weekend and they ran me through the standard battery of tests (reset receiver, validate firmware, replace cables, etc). Unfortunately, their "ticket" system was down and I was told that they would be sending me a pre-paid box within 3-5 business days and it would be shipped to their service center in NJ. I called back today and of course, no record of my call. I was told they do not send out pre-paid boxes (even those under warranty - which I am) and that I needed to contact their regional service center directly (All Tech Electronics in NJ).

Questions:

1) I find it odd I was told two different things... but do you recommend mailing it to the Service Center? I see their BBB rating is an F.
2) Local service center in Charlotte, NC has horrible online reviews - some of which are downright scary. What other options do I have?
3) Should I push back on Onkyo, or is this what I get for the price point I bought at?

Thanks all.

Scary. Tdabbott, you bought a mid level unit and that happens? Plus the bad CS! I'm still a fan of Onkyo, but now I wonder if a 5 year extended warranty is a must?!

Contact their customer support center directly at (800) 229-1687 http://www.us.onkyo.com. I had a 5 year TX-705 which had a defective HDMI board and they offered a reasonable IMO exchange for a refurb'd Onkyo. I chose the 709 over the newer 717 because the exchange price was only $300 vs. $420 and I read reports that many felt the 709 superior because of the superior Audyssey plus I didn't have any need for what the 717 offered that the 709 did not.

I'm also hopeful that by getting a refurb'd unit that they've replaced the components that have been subsequently discovered to be defective so I can avoid issues that purchasers of new 709 have experienced in the last year or so. While the unit only carries a 1 year warranty, I do have the option to purchase another 2 years at a reasonable price. You will have the option to purchase other refurb'd models so you do have that option. I'd be happy to hear from other members who've taken this option to see what their experience has been.

BR,

Jack

Thanks jwhart, although I called Onkyo before and the CS was NOT very helpful, because of your message I called again and this time they offered me the replacement program. The 709 seems to be $300 and the 717 $420 (Leaning towards that one), but I have to ship them mine. I have to see how much the shipping on something like this is vs getting it fixed locally and using it for the kids play room.

Hey everyone, I'm thinking about buying the 709 for my new home theater setup. Everything about it looks perfect with one exception: I've seen a lot of posts about HDMI handshake or HDMI board failure issues at various sites. I was just wondering how widespread of an issue this is and if I should be worried. The fact that someone just a few hours ago posted here about having this exact problem worries me even more. Should I bite the bullet, buy one, and hope it works fine for the next few years, or go for something else?

Hey Gun, what convinced you to get the 709 vs the 717?

Mainly Audyssey MultiEQ XT. It's also cheaper by about $100 on Amazon. Do you think the 717 is worth a look despite the price difference and lack of MultiEQ?

Well I'm torn between both for the same reasons you are but I'm leaning towards the 717 for these reasons:
-Its newer
-More watts per speaker
-USB in front and back (practical)
-Zone 3 (not sure I'll use it often but I do have the deck as Zone 2 and I could have the dinning room/sun room/second level speakers as Zone 3)
And not that it matters much but my Infinity Modulus II woofer has a calibration setting so the 2EQ self calibration system seems fine with me. Its more expensive but I really use it, loud and hard, so I dont want to be cheap about it.

If I were going to pay $420 for the 717, I'd pay a few bucks more and get the 809!

I'm having a problem successfully running Audyssey on my 709. I continue to encounter speaker detection errors. I noticed that it's looking for L&R high & wide and Surround L&R despite the fact that I have a 5.1 setup? Any suggestions?

On the first round of chirps that's normal. After that it should only chirp the speakers that it found.

Unfortunately I got the error message after it competed the 1st round.

It cost me $36 to ship ground from Louisiana to NJ. Weight is the same for the 709 as it was for the 705 - 33 lbs. as I recall.

For more money I don't think I would get the 809 over the 717. It does have more watts per channel (more than my speakers can safely take) and the MultEQ XT system, but for a couple of reasons I don't like the 809 better:

-No connections in the front panel
-No Zone 3 (which I could use)
-My original budget was $400 and as is with the remanufactured 717 I'm looking to spend more than that. Spending even more for the 809 is not in my plans.

The Onkyo TX-NR809 does have front connections.

The front panel flips down.