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Question for TX-NR818 Owners

post #1 of 27
9/26/12 at 1:43pm
Thread Starter 
I would be very grateful to owners of the Onkyo TX-NR818 if I may ask a few questions.

1) Are you happy with your receiver?

2) Any issues, gripes or complaints?

I started out with an Onkyo TX-NR515. It had the infamous HDMI video out loss problem.

I exchanged it for an Onkyo TX-NR717. The 717 lost HDMI pass through video & audio a few minutes after the receiver was put in standby mode. The 717 had a few other issues as well

I ended up getting a Denon AVR3313ci. The Denon works flawlessly, but I really like the Onkyo GUI and menu system better. The Onkyo allows the user to make many more adjustments than the Denon.

I'm wondering if I made the right choice choosing the Denon AVR3313ci over the Onkyo TX-NR818.

I have read so many complaints on the Onkyo USA forum about the 818.

Do any of you feel that they are just?

Thanks so much for your time.
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post #2 of 27
9/26/12 at 6:42pm
I've had my 818 for about a week now and no problems at all. The web interface sucks compared to what my Yamaha A820 had but it's not a big deal since the Smartphone app is decent. The sound is where the Onkyo 818 shines. I love mine but again, I've only had it for a week.

On the other hand, I've read great things about the 3313CI. I was very close to getting one. I don't think you made a bad decision with the Denon but if you can afford it, buy the 3313CI and demo both side by side.
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post #3 of 27
9/26/12 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by benso37 View Post

I've had my 818 for about a week now and no problems at all. The web interface sucks compared to what my Yamaha A820 had but it's not a big deal since the Smartphone app is decent. The sound is where the Onkyo 818 shines. I love mine but again, I've only had it for a week.
On the other hand, I've read great things about the 3313CI. I was very close to getting one. I don't think you made a bad decision with the Denon but if you can afford it, buy the 3313CI and demo both side by side.

I would love to buy the 818 and demo it with my Denon AVR3313ci. I wouldn't want to stick a vendor with an open box unit on a non defective unit though.

My TX NR717 and TX NR515 were both defective. A gentleman from the Onkyo forum just sent me a PM. His TX NR 616 is defective as well. His HDMI pass through fails in standby just like my 717 did. he's pretty fed up as Onkyo replaced his 616 once already.

I really do like the GUI on the Onkyo units better than Denon. The web app and the smartphone app for the Denon is really sub-par, but the important thing is all the functions of the receiver work very well.

Good luck with your 818! Please keep me posted as to its performance over time.
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post #4 of 27
9/26/12 at 7:49pm
I have my 818 for a few months. Sound is pleasantly good. HDMI sync up is a bit slow, but not a big deal for me.
IMHO, you buy a receiver for the sound and features, not the GUI. If like the sound of Denon, you should keep it. If you want to try out the Onkyo 818, it's ok too, but don't consider which one to keep just because of better GUI. Just my 0.02.
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post #5 of 27
9/26/12 at 8:40pm
Why not peruse the Onkyo 818 thread for the pros and cons?
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post #6 of 27
9/27/12 at 4:01am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by simpleHT View Post

I have my 818 for a few months. Sound is pleasantly good. HDMI sync up is a bit slow, but not a big deal for me.
IMHO, you buy a receiver for the sound and features, not the GUI. If like the sound of Denon, you should keep it. If you want to try out the Onkyo 818, it's ok too, but don't consider which one to keep just because of better GUI. Just my 0.02.

You are 100% correct about not making a decision based on the GUI!

There are features that Onkyo had that I am finding I miss on the Denon. Fro instance, on the Denon the only way to turn ARC on is to turn on HDMI control. You can't have ARC on if HDMI is set to off. Another thing that bugs me is if an HDMI source goes through the receiver with no video processing, it defaults to no on-screen volume display. You can't change that. Third and most important to me, the audio delay or A/V delay only goes to 200 ms vs 800 ms on the Onkyo units. I have Verizon Fios cable TV. last night just to get lip sync almost correct on HD channels, I was maxed out at 200 ms and it still wasn't enough. When connecting the Motorola FIOS STB directly to the TV, I get almost perfect sync. I can't believe that the Denon processes video that slow though. I'm completely stumped on that issue. Any ideas there?

Thanks for your input. I really appreciate it.
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post #7 of 27
9/27/12 at 4:10am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Knucklehead90 View Post

Why not peruse the Onkyo 818 thread for the pros and cons?

I did check through them, but I need to take time to read through thoroughly.

I think I'm just afraid of Onkyo after having two units in a row (different models) that had issues. Checking on the Onkyo USA forums, other owners had the same exact issues I did, so it wasn't just that my units were defective. I read a lot of 818 owner complaints as well.

My Denon does not give me enough A/V delay to compensate for my Verizon FIOS (Motorola) set top box. I just don't understand that issue. When the STB is connected directly to the TV the lip sync is near perfect. I can't believe that the Denon would process video that slow????

Thanks for the link to the 818 threads. I appreciate it.
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post #8 of 27
9/27/12 at 9:21am
"I have read so many complaints on the Onkyo USA forum about the 818."

Really?

I have an 818 and have been a frequent visitor to the Onkyo/USA site and hardly ever see mention of issues directly concerning the 818, But, just to check that I may have missed some in the past few days, I went there to look today. In the first 5 pages of 50 posts per page, I found 2 posts specific to the 818 1) a lip sync issue to a STB and 2) the receiver went into standby while on TUNER that was solved by turning off the timer.

To be fair, I had one minor hiccup when I couldn't get audio when first turning on the receiver, pj and DirecTV box, almost simultaneously.. That has never reoccurred as I now turn on the 818, wait for the 'HDMI start up' message to end then turn on the other devices.

There have been some people that have complained about the 'gapless' DLNA which Onkyo had never touted as a feature and 1080/24p flickering.

If you head over to the dedicated thread, I believe that you will find a preponderance of owners extremely happy with this receiver.
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post #9 of 27
9/27/12 at 2:17pm
Love my 818. XT32 rox. My unit has performed flawlessly and I have no reservations recommending it. The problem units I've read about have been few and far between and the issues were resolved by Onkyo or the vendor. This is the lowest priced XT32 unit out there. I looked hard at this and the Denon 4311 when making my decision, don't think you can go wrong with either of those two units.
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post #10 of 27
9/27/12 at 4:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Murphy View Post

"I have read so many complaints on the Onkyo USA forum about the 818."
Really?
I have an 818 and have been a frequent visitor to the Onkyo/USA site and hardly ever see mention of issues directly concerning the 818, But, just to check that I may have missed some in the past few days, I went there to look today. In the first 5 pages of 50 posts per page, I found 2 posts specific to the 818 1) a lip sync issue to a STB and 2) the receiver went into standby while on TUNER that was solved by turning off the timer.
To be fair, I had one minor hiccup when I couldn't get audio when first turning on the receiver, pj and DirecTV box, almost simultaneously.. That has never reoccurred as I now turn on the 818, wait for the 'HDMI start up' message to end then turn on the other devices.
There have been some people that have complained about the 'gapless' DLNA which Onkyo had never touted as a feature and 1080/24p flickering.
If you head over to the dedicated thread, I believe that you will find a preponderance of owners extremely happy with this receiver.

I had to go back on the Onkyo Forum and look, because I didn't remember specifics, but a couple of contributors said they lose signal during use and another person mentioned no audio on passthrough.

Maybe these people don't have the unit set up correctly. My 717 worked except it would lose HDMI passthrough altogether a few minutes after the receiver was put into standby. Another gentleman read my post about that issue and sent me a PM stating that his 616 does the same thing.

I really would like to try an 818. From owning the 717 the short time that I did, I loved how customizable it was. The Denon AVR3313ci doesn't give as many adjustments.

I really appreciate your words of encouragement on the 818. I may get brave and try it!

Thanks for your time, thoughts and your reply.
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post #11 of 27
9/27/12 at 4:28pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dstew100 View Post

Love my 818. XT32 rox. My unit has performed flawlessly and I have no reservations recommending it. The problem units I've read about have been few and far between and the issues were resolved by Onkyo or the vendor. This is the lowest priced XT32 unit out there. I looked hard at this and the Denon 4311 when making my decision, don't think you can go wrong with either of those two units.

How long have you owned your 818? It is amazing that you get XT32 included for the price that Onkyo sells the 818 for.

You gentlemen here are really tempting me to try the 818.

Thanks for your time & a reply. I appreciate it!
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post #12 of 27
9/27/12 at 5:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadChemist View Post

How long have you owned your 818? It is amazing that you get XT32 included for the price that Onkyo sells the 818 for.
You gentlemen here are really tempting me to try the 818.
Thanks for your time & a reply. I appreciate it!

I have had mine for 2.5 months. It has been seeing a ton of use. Bluerays, netflix, pandora, FM, Cable, Turntable, + CDs. Agree XT32 at this price point is awesome, I didn't walk away from the opportunity :-)
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post #13 of 27
9/27/12 at 6:50pm
I recently bought a Denon 3312 and the Onkyo 818 (never had either brand AVR before), been trying out the Denon first and only last night the Onkyo. I've only run XT fully on the Denon, not yet the full XT32 on the Onkyo. The Denon has passed the 30d return period.

What I've found so far, not in any particular order and bear in mind I don't use all the features and I use it mainly as a pre-amp. YMMV...

1. There are pros and cons to the GUI in each. The Denon GUI is more confusing at first as it changes dynamically, but it's easier to go to submenus by using the → on the dial. On the Onkyo you have to press ENTER. Same for going back up a level, on the Denon you can just press ← but the Onkyo you have to press RETURN.

2. The Onkyo is 10lb+ heavier than the Denon (but my Arcam is the heaviest 50lb+) but I am using mostly pre-outs so this isn't a major factor.

3. The Onkyo has FH pre-outs but not the Denon, this might be handy for me for fine adjustment to the FH volume using a stereo int. amp. The present 3 tier on the DPLIIz is just way too crude.

4. The Onkyo accepts DSD in but not the Denon, again not a major consideration but nice to have the option to compare the age-old debate for myself.

5. The Onkyo only will output 2CH PCM audio via HDMI 'TV out' whereas the Denon can output MCH PCM even dts-HD to another AVR. As I use another AVR (Arcam) this is useful and gives me a choice of which pre-amp to use and compare.

6. The Onkyo has GREAT difficulty recognising MCH PCM after using 2CH PCM source, keeps saying NO SIGNAL despite many attempts. Had to reboot the AVR itself. No such problem with Denon at all. This is possibly a problem for me as I play both 2CH and MCH music.

7. The Onkyo has THX modes not in the Denon, not particularly important for me (never tried it nor a great believer in it) but nice to have it to try.

8. The Denon has AL24 upsampling, not a big deal for me. It can't be turned off which is a bit daft. Give us the option to choose.

9. The Onkyo has more video adjustments, not particularly useful as I have a DVDO VP and Kuro plasma with isf modes. I'd prefer to have the option of using the Marvell vp to do 1080p upscaling as well. In any case the HQV should be better than the one in the Denon. None of the AVRs have the option to set frame rate (50/60) or colour space (YCbCr 422/444 vs. RGB). A dedicated VP is still better if you like tweaking.

10. So far I've not found a way to display incoming signal info on the Onkyo (audio sample rates, video resolution etc.). On the Denon I can but is rather deeply buried in the submenus. It's quite easy on the Arcam to see audio info.

11. Both AVRs' pre-amps have significantly less gain than my Arcam AVR. On it's own I normally listen at +30 to +40 but using either Denon or Onkyo as pre- I have to turn volume on the Arcam to +65. If I don't do that Audyssey won't run properly as the levels are just far too low.

12. On the quick Audyssey set-up (just one run on the MLP to find the approx. levels), the Denon gives options to show the channel levels before saving (or cancelling) but on the Onkyo you only can see the XO points. To retrieve the levels you have to save it first, then exit Audyssey and go elsewhere.

13. Height channels: before running XT the Denon sounded very strange on the height channels with very choppy sound (music source), haven't noticed this on the Onkyo. Not sure why.
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post #14 of 27
9/27/12 at 7:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilian.ca View Post

I recently bought a Denon 3312 and the Onkyo 818 (never had either brand AVR before), been trying out the Denon first and only last night the Onkyo. I've only run XT fully on the Denon, not yet the full XT32 on the Onkyo. The Denon has passed the 30d return period.
What I've found so far, not in any particular order and bear in mind I don't use all the features and I use it mainly as a pre-amp. YMMV...
1. There are pros and cons to the GUI in each. The Denon GUI is more confusing at first as it changes dynamically, but it's easier to go to submenus by using the → on the dial. On the Onkyo you have to press ENTER. Same for going back up a level, on the Denon you can just press ← but the Onkyo you have to press RETURN.
2. The Onkyo is 10lb+ heavier than the Denon (but my Arcam is the heaviest 50lb+) but I am using mostly pre-outs so this isn't a major factor.
3. The Onkyo has FH pre-outs but not the Denon, this might be handy for me for fine adjustment to the FH volume using a stereo int. amp. The present 3 tier on the DPLIIz is just way too crude.
4. The Onkyo accepts DSD in but not the Denon, again not a major consideration but nice to have the option to compare the age-old debate for myself.
5. The Onkyo only will output 2CH PCM audio via HDMI 'TV out' whereas the Denon can output MCH PCM even dts-HD to another AVR. As I use another AVR (Arcam) this is useful and gives me a choice of which pre-amp to use and compare.
6. The Onkyo has GREAT difficulty recognising MCH PCM after using 2CH PCM source, keeps saying NO SIGNAL despite many attempts. Had to reboot the AVR itself. No such problem with Denon at all. This is possibly a problem for me as I play both 2CH and MCH music.
7. The Onkyo has THX modes not in the Denon, not particularly important for me (never tried it nor a great believer in it) but nice to have it to try.
8. The Denon has AL24 upsampling, not a big deal for me. It can't be turned off which is a bit daft. Give us the option to choose.
9. The Onkyo has more video adjustments, not particularly useful as I have a DVDO VP and Kuro plasma with isf modes. I'd prefer to have the option of using the Marvell vp to do 1080p upscaling as well. In any case the HQV should be better than the one in the Denon. None of the AVRs have the option to set frame rate (50/60) or colour space (YCbCr 422/444 vs. RGB). A dedicated VP is still better if you like tweaking.
10. So far I've not found a way to display incoming signal info on the Onkyo (audio sample rates, video resolution etc.). On the Denon I can but is rather deeply buried in the submenus. It's quite easy on the Arcam to see audio info.
11. Both AVRs' pre-amps have significantly less gain than my Arcam AVR. On it's own I normally listen at +30 to +40 but using either Denon or Onkyo as pre- I have to turn volume on the Arcam to +65. If I don't do that Audyssey won't run properly as the levels are just far too low.
12. On the quick Audyssey set-up (just one run on the MLP to find the approx. levels), the Denon gives options to show the channel levels before saving (or cancelling) but on the Onkyo you only can see the XO points. To retrieve the levels you have to save it first, then exit Audyssey and go elsewhere.
13. Height channels: before running XT the Denon sounded very strange on the height channels with very choppy sound (music source), haven't noticed this on the Onkyo. Not sure why.

Wow, thanks! This is great information.

I am loving my Denon AVR3313ci. Everything works flawlessly without any bugs or issues.

After using the Onkyo TX NR717, I much prefer all the adjustments Onkyo allows you to make that Denon does not. I am now familiar where to go in the Denon menu system to make the adjustments that I want, but still prefer Onkyo's menu system.

I haven't played vinyl through the Denon yet, but it did indeed sound awesome through the 717 that I had for a short time.

I would love to hear back from you after you have used your 818 a little while. I would be especially interested in your opinion of the Audessey XT32.

I am still considering an 818.

Thanks very much for your input.
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post #15 of 27
9/27/12 at 7:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilian.ca View Post

I recently bought a Denon 3312 and the Onkyo 818 (never had either brand AVR before), been trying out the Denon first and only last night the Onkyo. I've only run XT fully on the Denon, not yet the full XT32 on the Onkyo. The Denon has passed the 30d return period.
What I've found so far, not in any particular order and bear in mind I don't use all the features and I use it mainly as a pre-amp. YMMV...

Kilian.ca, very nice and detailed comparison. Well done sir
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilian.ca View Post

10. So far I've not found a way to display incoming signal info on the Onkyo (audio sample rates, video resolution etc.). On the Denon I can but is rather deeply buried in the submenus. It's quite easy on the Arcam to see audio info.

Select the "receiver" remote mode and push "display" on the top right of the provided 818 remote. Keep pressing for other info, it cycles through a few displays (3 I think) and does not interrupt what is playing audio or video wise. It works nicely and provides me with the details I'm looking for. On some other remotes it is the info button.

Hope this helps
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post #16 of 27
9/28/12 at 3:52pm
Thread Starter 
Can anyone please tell me how the phono section sounds on the TX-NR818? I just tried it on my Denon AVR3313ci tonight and I am not impressed at all. The Onkyo TX-NR717 that I sent back totally blew the Denon away. I am hoping that the 818 would sound as good as the 717 or better.

Thanks!
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post #17 of 27
9/28/12 at 6:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadChemist View Post

I would love to hear back from you after you have used your 818 a little while. I would be especially interested in your opinion of the Audessey XT32.

I am still considering an 818.

Thanks very much for your input.

You're welcome.smile.gif I set up full XT32 last night and will do more listening. The speaker configurations are consistent on repeated runs (just using the Quick run to test this) and similar to the XT on the Denon using different mic. In both cases after full set-up the bass sounds flat and I like more (something like +6).
Quote:
Originally Posted by dstew100 View Post

Kilian.ca, very nice and detailed comparison. Well done sir
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilian.ca View Post

10. So far I've not found a way to display incoming signal info on the Onkyo (audio sample rates, video resolution etc.). On the Denon I can but is rather deeply buried in the submenus. It's quite easy on the Arcam to see audio info.

Select the "receiver" remote mode and push "display" on the top right of the provided 818 remote. Keep pressing for other info, it cycles through a few displays (3 I think) and does not interrupt what is playing audio or video wise. It works nicely and provides me with the details I'm looking for. On some other remotes it is the info button.

Hope this helps

Thanks for your compliments. smile.gif

Yes last night I stumbled across it: didn't realise at first that it cycles through.

I should revise my comment (12) above on the Audyssey Quick set-up: you can indeed view channel levels before saving but rather than clicking a button on the Denon to go to a submenu instead you click on the > arrow to scroll through the pages.

The Onkyo is still having trouble locking on MCH PCM or HD codec signals after 2.0 PCM: last night I played a disc with menu in 2.0 PCM and main program dts-HD 5.1 and after the menu it says "no signal" and I had to reboot the Onkyo.
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post #18 of 27
9/28/12 at 7:02pm
I have an 818 and I'm having troubles with audio drop outs on Dolby Digital 2.0. My other 708, 1008 and 809 do not have this issue. I'm beginning to wonder if the receiver is defective.
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post #19 of 27
9/28/12 at 7:54pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilian.ca View Post

You're welcome.smile.gif I set up full XT32 last night and will do more listening. The speaker configurations are consistent on repeated runs (just using the Quick run to test this) and similar to the XT on the Denon using different mic. In both cases after full set-up the bass sounds flat and I like more (something like +6).
Thanks for your compliments. smile.gif
Yes last night I stumbled across it: didn't realise at first that it cycles through.
I should revise my comment (12) above on the Audyssey Quick set-up: you can indeed view channel levels before saving but rather than clicking a button on the Denon to go to a submenu instead you click on the > arrow to scroll through the pages.
The Onkyo is still having trouble locking on MCH PCM or HD codec signals after 2.0 PCM: last night I played a disc with menu in 2.0 PCM and main program dts-HD 5.1 and after the menu it says "no signal" and I had to reboot the Onkyo.

Thanks again for taking the time to post your findings. I really appreciate this! If you are able and have the time, please keep your experiences and observations coming. I'm really thinking of ordering an 818. I can always use my new Denon 3313ci to replace an older Denon in my rec room that is pre-HDMI.

I connected and listened to a turntable on my 3313ci tonight. I was very disappointed with the phono stage. Last Sunday I was listening to the same turntable/cartridge combination on my long gone Onkyo TX-NR717 and the 717 phono stage blew the Denon away. I'm hoping to get some input from 818 owners on their phono stage opinions.

Again, many thanks for your time to post your findings!

Best Regards!
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post #20 of 27
9/28/12 at 7:55pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by enforcerviper View Post

I have an 818 and I'm having troubles with audio drop outs on Dolby Digital 2.0. My other 708, 1008 and 809 do not have this issue. I'm beginning to wonder if the receiver is defective.

Maybe this is a firmware bug?
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post #21 of 27
9/28/12 at 8:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by enforcerviper View Post

I have an 818 and I'm having troubles with audio drop outs on Dolby Digital 2.0. My other 708, 1008 and 809 do not have this issue. I'm beginning to wonder if the receiver is defective.
What is your source for the signal? I have tried both the 809 and 818 with no troubles or perhaps I did not experience what you heard. What is your setup?
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post #22 of 27
9/29/12 at 2:22am
More testing tonight:

the 24p issue (also posted in the 818 thread):
I tested discs with 23.976 and 24fps by connecting the output to DVDO Edge which can display frame-rate. The Onkyo can output each correctly without changes. No issues on my Kuro plasma.

EDIT: HDMI OUT Main only outputs 24.00 for 23.976fps. See my further testing:
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1412714/onkyo-tx-nr818-official-owners-thread-discussion/2490#post_22447425

XT32: first impressions after 30' listening
Using a concert BD I listened to before with 24/96 5.1 dts-HD MA track the front soundstage seems further back than what it seems on the Arcam on its own (I switched connection and changed volume but can't be very precise), the vocal in the centre seems more distant on the Onkyo. The surrounds and sub don't sound much different. Not sure if I prefer one over the other, if anything I find the closer soundstage a bit more intimate (to the artist) as if I'm sitting more to the front. The XT32 should be more accurate but not knowing what it sounds like in the studio it's hard to be sure. I didn't test the Denon as it'd involve re-connecting 6 cables for the pre-outs. So far I can't say it's night and day compared to the Arcam (its own primitive RC) and Denon (XT) in my room.

no signal with MCH PCM
More of this tonight but some success when I also switched the plasma to the input connected to the Onkyo. Normally although the Onkyo's HDMI output is connected to the plasma I use another plasma input connected to my DVDO Edge vp for actual viewing.

heat
Using as a pre-amp mainly (whether I use FH or not, normally the only channels to be driven by Onkyo) the unit sitting on the top shelf is only mildly warm to the touch on the top.smile.gif
Edited by Kilian.ca - 9/29/12 at 6:53pm
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post #23 of 27
9/29/12 at 5:51am
My 809, 708 and 1008 works fine with the same source. Source is an XBMC HTPC using an ATI 6450 HDMI, with OTA capture. It only happens on Dolby 2.0 sources, Dolby 5.1 works fine. If I change over to PCM and let the HTPC do the decoding, it works fine. If I swap back to the 708, it works fine too. I guess I'll do an exchange just to be sure. It's just a huge pain to do the setup all over again.
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post #24 of 27
9/29/12 at 5:13pm
Okay, I have an update. I bought another 818 from Bestbuy to test. It does the same thing. Again my other Onkyo's (even the 809 in my bedroom) work fine with my Dolby 2.0 sources. So it's either a firmware bug, or a design flaw. Sucks, because I do like this receiver otherwise. Back to Bestbuy tomorrow to process this return.

For those wondering, I skipped all setup, and tested using pure audio. I didn't do any firmware on this one, unlike the first one I bought.
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post #25 of 27
11/24/12 at 11:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilian.ca View Post

More testing tonight:
the 24p issue (also posted in the 818 thread):
I tested discs with 23.976 and 24fps by connecting the output to DVDO Edge which can display frame-rate. The Onkyo can output each correctly without changes. No issues on my Kuro plasma.
EDIT: HDMI OUT Main only outputs 24.00 for 23.976fps. See my further testing:
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1412714/onkyo-tx-nr818-official-owners-thread-discussion/2490#post_22447425
XT32: first impressions after 30' listening
Using a concert BD I listened to before with 24/96 5.1 dts-HD MA track the front soundstage seems further back than what it seems on the Arcam on its own (I switched connection and changed volume but can't be very precise), the vocal in the centre seems more distant on the Onkyo. The surrounds and sub don't sound much different. Not sure if I prefer one over the other, if anything I find the closer soundstage a bit more intimate (to the artist) as if I'm sitting more to the front. The XT32 should be more accurate but not knowing what it sounds like in the studio it's hard to be sure. I didn't test the Denon as it'd involve re-connecting 6 cables for the pre-outs. So far I can't say it's night and day compared to the Arcam (its own primitive RC) and Denon (XT) in my room.
no signal with MCH PCM
More of this tonight but some success when I also switched the plasma to the input connected to the Onkyo. Normally although the Onkyo's HDMI output is connected to the plasma I use another plasma input connected to my DVDO Edge vp for actual viewing.
heat
Using as a pre-amp mainly (whether I use FH or not, normally the only channels to be driven by Onkyo) the unit sitting on the top shelf is only mildly warm to the touch on the top.smile.gif

I am trying to decide too whether to get the 818 or not. I have a Sony STR-DA3600ES that has has been experiencing constant audio drop outs with blu ray discs. Although they occur only once during blu ray playback, it happen during the first 20 minutes of the movie. Very annoying. It happens during random parts, so the problem is intermittent. If it passes the 20 minute mark, that's an indication that the movie will play fine and I will not get any audio dropouts after this. Then every once in a while, I get static coming from the front speakers only. I purchased a Panamax surge supressor thinking this would fix the problem, but ti did not help. I want to ger rid of the Sony and hoping I'll have better luck with the Onkyo 818. So your saying the 24p issue does not exist? What about the audio drop outs with using dolby digital 2.0? Has Onkyo issued a firmware for the gapless playback issue as well?
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post #26 of 27
12/15/12 at 7:37am
Can someone please confirm for me that the Onkyo 818 has an on screen volume overlay? This seems to be a hard to find feature on receivers and it's something that I want to make sure is there before I purchase. Thanks!
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post #27 of 27
12/15/12 at 8:17pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mooshlu View Post

Can someone please confirm for me that the Onkyo 818 has an on screen volume overlay? This seems to be a hard to find feature on receivers and it's something that I want to make sure is there before I purchase. Thanks!

Yes, the TX-NR818 does have an on screen volume overlay.

newegg.com has it on sale right now for $679.99. They are an authorized dealer as well. Really makes me sick after I paid $1200 for mine!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882120206

Good Luck!
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