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Pioneer 816 -- worthwhile SQ upgrade over Onkyo 570 HiTB receiver?

post #1 of 6
3/19/07 at 7:47am
Thread Starter 
Anyone have any opinion on whether the Pioneer would be a noticeable upgrade in SQ over my Onkyo? I decided to pass over HDMI altogether for a while until I can afford something really nice, so I'm just looking for a "temporary" (2 years or so) $200-ish receiver that has at least 3 component inputs and sounds nice. I'd appreciate any other suggestions as well. Or should I not even bother with an incremental upgrade and just save up? Thanks!
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post #2 of 6
3/19/07 at 9:15am
I was very much in the same situation, wanting to buy a receiver that did lots of things acceptably well but fit within a tight budget. I'm not familiar with the Onkyo you mentioned, but the Pioneer 816 sounds like a strong alternative. It gets good reviews in its price range. If you do want HDMI switching (not upconversion, but switching) without leaving that general price range, I have been happy with the Sony STR-DG800, which you can get for under $300 if you hunt around.
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post #3 of 6
3/20/07 at 6:36am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the feedback. I'll look into that Sony. I also spotted an open-box Denon 687 for $299 at Circuit City...
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post #4 of 6
3/20/07 at 10:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike_NW View Post

I If you do want HDMI switching (not upconversion, but switching) without leaving that general price range, I have been happy with the Sony STR-DG800, which you can get for under $300 if you hunt around.


Mike,

Im not sure what the difference is between HDMI Switching vs upconversion? Is there a description of what one does vs the other?

Thanks,
Rich
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post #5 of 6
3/20/07 at 11:10am
Thread Starter 
HDMI upconversion will send all sources hooked up to your receiver (composite, S-video, component) to your display via a single HDMI output. HDMI switching will only send other HDMI sources to your display.

Okay, I've changed my mind again. Yamaha 659 at J&R for $325 tax included, possibly slightly less if I haggle more, any thoughts?
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post #6 of 6
3/20/07 at 11:29pm
I bought the 816 as a replacement for my Outlaw Audio 1050 and I had to return it. It sounded distinctly worse to me. I can't say if thats a testament to the Outlaw's quality or the 816's lack of quality, though.

But given the lower price, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
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AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Receivers, Amps, and Processors › Pioneer 816 -- worthwhile SQ upgrade over Onkyo 570 HiTB receiver?