Onkyo New AVR's TX-NR818,717,616 official Discussion [No Price Talk]Thread - Page 16

Yeah, you need more oomph than the UPA-500. I also agree that the XPA-5 would be the better buy or something else around that wattage (Parasound and Outlaw, the latter is built by ATI, are good bangs for the buck).

Though, if a certain type of speaker craves even more power, then ask the manufacturer about the recommended amp wattage.

A solid, quality amp, just like your speakers, is a wonderful investment.

^


You guys got me thinking now.. thx for the input

I've read mixed ideas about how to run amps from an Onkyo. I've heard it's not easy because there is no 12v out on zone 1, you actually have to manually turn your amps on and off, is this right?

True, but I think there is a way around it in the settings to use the zone 2 trigger.

I actually have 5 amps to turn on manually in 3 different locations. My 3 ATIs and 2 Behringer subwoofer amps. It isn't that big of a deal to me. I figure I need the exsercize if I am going to be sitting for 2 and 1/2 hours watching a movie and eating snacks. lol

Or do the XPA-3 for fronts and center @ 200w each and the internal amps for the other channels.

^

Another option I'm also considering. Only thing is.. a UPA-500 would fit in the last available space on my A/V stand (all I have to do is move up a shelf), whereas anything bigger, I wouldn't know where to put that thing (see pic), but I guess its a sacrifice you have to make if you want better SQ. Anyways don't wanna hijack this thread with the 818 about to come out and all.. I'll keep looking in the amp section of the forum.

Move that skinny component on the left to the top of the TV stand or to the right side and just remove the shelves. Then just slide in the XPA-5 on the left and enjoy. lol

How big is your room? Do you play movies loud(110-115db)?

Check out this thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...1#post22027718

I just returned my 809 and possibly considering the 818 depending on reviews and price dropped. Back to my original setup which is B&K AVR 307 (None HDMI) and Vincent SP-331 2 channel amp powering the fronts.

During my 3 weeks with the Onkyo 809 and my Vincent amp connected, I noticed the audio quality was mode crisp (treble) and a little more detailed while watching movies or sporting events in 5.1 digital surround. Only issue I noticed was while watching HD broadcast which only had stereo audio, I had bothersome audio dropouts.
Palladia Music channel plays a lot of concerts in 5.1 and some are only in stereo. That's where I had the dropouts, the receiver switches to stereo automatically to reflect the incoming signal and cuts out every minute or so.. I have the same effect on other HD channels that sometime broadcast a stereo program. Note, none HD channels which are all in stereo, there is no problem with audio dropouts.
Anyone else experience this audio issue?
With the B&K back in place there are no audio issues. I have optical audio cable from Cable box to receiver.

Thanks

I was wondering what you guys think of upgrading from my current Onkyo 807 to say the Onkyo 818 or even the Onkyo 3009. Now is it actually worth the $ to upgrade to one of these newer models??? I mean will I notice a vast improvement in sound???? I know they have Multeq xt32. Trying to decide of its worth it overall?????

Thanks guys for all you advice. I like the idea of more power so the XPA-3 for the fronts isn't to bad an idea but I went on the Emotiva site and they have the XPA-5 at 10% off right now making it $110 different in price. I know I don't need that kind of power for my surrounds but still at that price umm. So I'm guessing most of you are saying I would hear more sound difference using the 818 with a quality amp then I would by upgrading to say the 5010 with no external amp. Price wise for me I would be able to get the 5010 for less than the 818 and an amp because my wife works at a big box retailer and cost on audio equipment is good for me however they don't carry any quality amps.

If SQ is what you're asking about, I wouldn't know.. but if video processing is also important to you, then yes you would see a big improvement with the HQV chip in the 809/818 and some other Onkyo AVRs.

As for XT32 (in the 818, 809 has XT), I think you would see an improvement in SQ just based on this technology.

You can apply the 10% coupon code to the XPA-3 as well, it does work.

Does anyone know if the 818 will have any sort of headphone processing technology? I know it won't have Dolby headphone but does it have anything similar? The headphone checkmark on the specs is just blank...

Hey, Onkyo finally posted the user's manual for the 818:

http://www.eu.onkyo.com/downloads/2/...18_English.pdf

Looks good.
But still no reviews nor any solid release dates. I am getting ancy.

I've seen this idea mentioned a few times on this thread and I'm interested in taking this approach, but after looking at the 818 manual I can't seem to verify that this is possible.

The manual seems to only indicate _all_ speakers using an amp or _just_ the back/height/wides (i.e. speakers 8 and 9) using an amp. Is running only 3 speakers from the pre-outs a standard thing that's just not detailed in the manual? Also does anyone know if it's possible to run a 9.2 set-up with the l/c/r run with an external amp and the other 6 speakers run from the internal amp?

read it and compared it with the manual on my 3009, bad news no SubEQ HT on the 818.

this is what my 3009 manual said

The level and distance can be set individually for each output.If you’re using only one subwoofer, connect it to SW1 PRE
OUT.

versus what the 818 manual says

You can connect the powered subwoofer with two
SUBWOOFER PRE OUT jacks respectively.
The same signal is output from each jack. meaning it's basically a simple y connector integrated.

The good news is that with XT32 you will still get the increased resolution for sub channel filtering.

Thanks for the link to the manual for the 818. I just read it and confirmed there is no headphone virtual surround modes whatsoever. That's very disappointing...I guess anyone who wants that (like me) will have to buy a mixamp.

Well, they found out something to differentiate the higher end models and still find reasons for people to step up to the higher end line.

Yup, I guess it makes sense for Onkyo to do that. I guess this makes the 818 the first XT32 receiver that does not come with SubEQ HT.

Disappointing.. But I guess we shouldn't be that surprised considering the 818 price point. IMO still a great deal for a receiver with XT32, which significantly increases the filters for ALL channels compared to XT.

for someone who has only one sub its still a good deal

That was going to be my question. So it still does a good job with one sub, just doesn't EQ two subs individually, correct?

SubEQ doesn't come into play if you only have 1 sub. XT should do an amazing job for 1 sub - take a look at the Audyssey website to see the increase in filters for all channels, including sub. Compare XT to XT32, no contest.

XT has 16 filters for the satellite channels, and 128 for the sub. XT32 has 512 for all/each channel, big difference.

Features MultEQ XT32 MultEQ XT MultEQ 2EQ
Filter resolution (satellites) 512x 16x 2x x
Filter resolution (subwoofer) 512x 128x 128x N/A

I would be coming from 2EQ so I should be very impressed either way I would assume. I was just curious what disadvantage I would be creating for myself if I were to get a second sub down the road.

You can't set level and delay individually for each sub and that's it. XT32 only EQs subs as a whole rather than individually.