Onkyo TX NR709 Owners' Thread - Page 8

hi guys -
having an issue with Dolby all of a sudden. I was playing Gears of War 3 last night and I switched the Listening mode to Dolby Digital (which is what Gears supports). Tonight when i tried to switch to Dolby Digital it wouldn't show up in the list. Only the Dolby PLII Game and its variations are showing up. When I hit the Display button all the way on top, it shows Input as HDMI PCM 2ch, while last night it showed Dolby Digital. What am I missing? I'm sure I havent changed anything between now and last night... really confused!

thanks!

check your bitstream/pcm modes

Not sure how to do that on the xbox.
But i figured out how to fix it. I had to set the listening mode preset for dolby to "straight decode" for xbox, and dolby was available again.
Thanks anyway!

Does the 709 support Dolby Headphone? I am thinking about getting this receiver and want to use my Sennheiser HD598s with it to play some FPS's. If the 709 doesn't have Dolby Headhphone do any of Onkyo's receivers have it?

In the past Onkyos were notorious for running hot. I read a few people saying the 709 runs cooler, and some who still say it is hot.

So is there a definite conclusion if it runs cool or hot? This is an important consideration for me since my rack does not have much ventilation space.

I replaced my 606 with a 709. Just like the 606 before it, the 709 is installed in my completely open (no front, back or side walls) equipment rack with a shelf approx 4" above the top of the receiver. No fans are installed on the rack or near the receiver, so all airflow is passive.

When doing absolutely anything, including watching a movie at low volumes, the 606 would start heating up immediately, and peak at a fairly hot temperature. If I was doing something like All Channel Stereo at a loud volume, the top of the receiver would be too hot to comfortably touch for more than a couple seconds, and the top of the shelf above it would be very warm to the touch. More than once the 606 actually powered itself off because it was too hot, and we'd have to wait for it to cool down to turn it back on again.

When watching a movie at normal volumes, the 709 is barely warm to the touch, even after a few hours. I have no problems putting my hand on top of it, it feels slightly warmer than body temperature. If I listen to some music on All Channel Stereo at a loud volume, the 709 does heat up. It gets pretty warm, but nowhere near as hot as the 606 ever did. In fact, I'd say the 709 at max temp is barely as hot as the 606 was after an hour or two of watching a quiet movie.

These are simply my anecdotal experiences, and based on them I would say that the truth is somewhere in between "the 709 doesn't run hot" and "the 709 runs hot like all Onkyo receivers." It definitely doesn't run as hot at my previous model, but it can still get up to a pretty warm temperature when powering 7 channels at sustained high volumes.

is anyone running a separate amp with this receiver?
if so, which one?

thx!

Thinking about changing out my Denon 2112CI for a 709. What would I get any benefit if I do? The 709 is on sale @ crutchfield so it wouldn't cost me anything. Only difference I have looked @ is increased wattage (whether that's actual I can't say), and B, AFAIK the onkyo has burr brown DAC's on all channels and the denon used something else AMK? Also the video chip is different..

You get pre-outs as well as THX modes and Dolby Volume. The pre-outs are nice if you want to add a power amp. You lose AirPlay as well.

I don't use any apple products but I do have an android phone. How does it compare to denon SQ?

Hi, I'm running the Emotiva UPR 7 with my 709.

Help, poor reception on Onkyo UFW-1 wireless dongle. It says connected, 31% strength, but I can't access internet radio. Any suggestions? It's not practical running ethernet cable from the office across the hall to the back of the entertainment center. A little less than 50 feet.

Buy a short USB extension cable (USB-A male to USB-A female) and use it to put the little wifi dongle in a better spot to receive a signal.

My it's my set up. Set up calls for security which is WEP, then the Key then the Default key. What is the difference between the WEP Key and the Default Key? Also WiFi Booster vs WiFi extender? Which is better?

I posted this in the general "AMPs, Receivers, and Processors" thread but I wanted to get 709 owners opinions.

My brother is looking to upgrade his system to take advantage of new technology but doesn't want to regress in sound quality. He currently has an Earthquake Cinenova 5 Ch power amp (same as mine) and a Sunfire Theater Grand II preamp. He's looking to replace his preamp with something that has some of the newer goodies like HDMI inputs, TrueHD and Master Audio, Audyssey room correction, to name a few. I suggested he sell his Sunfire and replace it with something like the Onkyo TX-NR709 and use it as a preamp. He could also use a couple of the onboard amps to power future speakers if he decides to increase from 5.1 to 7.1. One concern is: I have read several reviews complaining about HDMI output failure. Any of the 709 owners have this or other problems with this unit?'
Thanks in advance.

I got a tx nr1007 the other day as a shelf unit @ the local store.. it runs hot and I don't believe it has hdmi passthrough. So I'm probably going to switch it out for the 709, but b4 I do I want to ask how many reports of any failures from the new ones like the old ones had

I've had my 709 for several days now and am 100% pleased with it. I have and 807 with the no sound issue (HDMI board?) and will have it repaired under warranty before I sell it. It is my third Onkyo in the last few years. My 805 was rock solid and I expect my 709 to be great too. I went for the 709 instead of the 809 because it is a better fix for my rack. I used a receiver fan on my 807 and am using it on my 709.

I do have one question. I would like to listen to MP3s streamed from my computer on Zone 2 and while watching cable tv on Zone 1. I have tried doing this using the "play to" feature of Win 7 but no joy. It does work with Zone 1. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Just posted this on Onkyo's Facebook disscusion page....but was wondering if you guys had any thought on this. Any input is greatly appreciated...

"So...My 709 just came in today and I went ahead and did a firmware update before anything was even plugged into this thing....power cord, ethernet cable...that's it. After the update finished...I went ahead and powered it off, and it turned back on. I went to check the firmware numbers...and it gave me different numbers than were in the firmware instructions.

The numbers I got after the update on my display: 1081-0877-0210-8105
The numbers that are listed in the firmware update inst.: 1071-0777-0210-8105

Can someone tell me if there was another update since the PDF for the instructions were released? Just trying to find out what the current firmware numbers really are.

Thanks a ton!"

Edit: Just thought you should know too, that I went to try and update again, and it read on the display "No Update". So, I'm guessing that there was another firmware update that they just havent said anything about?

Hi Shecki, there were a new release 09/14/011 (see Onkyo site).

Yep, I did that...and the numbers that I got on my reciever listed above are different from the ones Onkyo currently list on their site as the most recent update. The numbers I got from the update I did tonight, are larger/ahead of the numbers from the last update...that's why I was a little curious.

Thank you for the reply!

Sorry, didn't actually open and looked at the site but your #1081-0877-0210-8105 is the current update. Others has the same numbers as you, see here.

Thanks, my friend! I appreciate the info. Didn't know if that was the current build numbers or not. Just checking to make sure it went through okay. Thanks again for your help. Much appreciated!

I dont know if someone already told you but its not true, either thr is prob with receiver or speakers, I changed one of my speaker and it did not give me any error message after that, and I have 5.1 set up, getting SVS pb12 soon and couple of more speakers to make it 7.2

I'm looking to purchase an A/V receiver and unfortunately have a cabinet with pretty limited depth.

I was wondering if a 709 owner could tell me whether the 14.9" depth measurement includes the binding posts or not? Also, how much do the binding posts stick out?

Thanks!

Guys i have a quick question about the 709. I have a PS3 connected to the BD/DVD input. The main HDMI out goes to the TV. When I play an audio cd, or stream music from my desktop via the PS3, everything works until i turn the tv off. It plays for about 2-3 seconds and then no sound. When i turn the tv back on i can see the PS3 has been doing its job because the song has progressed. So why does the receiver need the tv on to play sound from the PS3? How do I fix it?

Thanks!

I'm pretty sure its including the binding posts, because if they were precise enough to go up to 10ths of an inch, they surely did not ignore the 3/4 inch binding posts that stick out. I can confirm when I get home tonight.

I just replaced my 805 with the 709. I needed two hdmi outputs and 3d support so I gave it a shot. I also have a 7 channel amp that's not hooked up if I need it.

Everything is working ok so far, except for the audyssey setup. It's not recognizing my front speakers. Sometimes the center shows up, but most times all the fronts show an error. I never had this issue with the 805 with the same setup. I do have the mic connected to a 25 ft extension and the listening position is close to 20 feet from the speakers. Any ideas on where to start? The fronts seem plenty loud during the chirps, but maybe its too quiet with the distance?

When Audyssey began failing on my unit, it was an early sign that the unit was about to fail. I would say check your speaker connections and if that doesn't help exchange the unit.

There should be no issue with the 25' extension and if the chirps aren't loud enough for the mic to pick up, a 2nd set of chirps is played at a higher db. Try resetting the microprocessor. Also as a test try disconnecting the extension and just use the original mic cable from about 10' from the speakers.

By running a separate amplifier is there a big improvement in sound quality? Also can someone suggest a better amplifier under $300 new or used?