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Yamaha YHT450 vs. OnkyoHT770s

2752 Views 35 Replies 12 Participants Last post by Ron Temple, Mar 22, 2005

dbong1021

Discussion Starter · Mar 2, 2005

Naturally, I've read the giant threads about the Onkyo and I'm really ok with getting it as I'm not a pro audiophile in the least bit. Anything is better than the TV speakers I've grown used to here at home.

That being said .. any pros/cons arguments if you had to pick between the two systems? There aren't many reviews/posts about the Yamaha around here.

Yamaha YHT450 for $419.88. Free shipping, free set of speaker stands. ( from Vanns.com )

OR ...

Onkyo HTS770s Silver for $399. Free shipping again. ( from PCmall.com )

Someone help me decide! I'm tired of going back and forth and being indecisive!

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1 - 20 of 36 Posts

FIVE ONE SIX

· #2 · Mar 2, 2005

i've been reading alot of people here saying that the receiver that comes with the 770 has a problem that requires them to switch the receiver from V1 to V3 to V1 to hear anything after they power it up. i don't know about you, but i would consider that annoying if it happened to me.

also, best buy sells the yamaha 450, you should be able to listen to it there if you want to listen to it for yourself.

i have the 760, last years 770, and if i had to do it all over again i would personally get the yamaha. the speakers that come with the 770 leave something to be desired, and while you can say you can always upgrade them later, why purchase something with the intent to upgrade later? get the one that sounds better now, it's up to you to decide which one that is...

Project Satan

· #3 · Mar 2, 2005

i agree you will definatly have to listen to both systems yourself in store and see which you like the best...

i will say that in my opinion the 770 has a more bass feel to the setup and the yamaha sounds better in the high pitch sounds....i dont know which you prefer, but they are both quality htib's and you wont be dissapointed either way...(especially if your not an audiophile)

Ron Temple

· #4 · Mar 2, 2005

I have the 770 in a 16x20 room with great separation and a very rich sound field. My center speaker is on top of my entertainment center which places it at about 6', my fronts are at 3.5' feet. This maybe why I haven't noticed any lack of clarity. My son has the 450 in a much smaller room about 8 x10 with minimal separation. Yes, his front speakers are slightly crisper, but the sound field is not as rich. I don't like the sub, receiver or surrounds as well as mine.

That being said, I think both of these systems are the best of the best at this price point. I heard both of them side by side at Frys. I was tempted by the 450, but went with 770.

Whatever shortcomings either HTIB have, my setup is such an upgrade to what I had in place, I'm really happy. I read about all the 770 owners wanting to upgrade their speakers and I wonder why. Mine sound great for both movies and music.

Go check them out and you decide.

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dbong1021

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 2, 2005

Thanks for the input guys. I'll definitely buy at a local store that I can return at first .. and then hopefully return and get them online cheaper when I figure out which one I really like.

Hearing them in store showrooms is kind of pointless to me as its either in open floor space or a showroom thats nothing like how my living room is.

Any other people who have experience with the 450 vs 770 argument?

jamawass

· #6 · Mar 2, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by FIVE ONE SIX
i've been reading alot of people here saying that the receiver that comes with the 770 has a problem that requires them to switch the receiver from V1 to V3 to V1 to hear anything after they power it up. i don't know about you, but i would consider that annoying if it happened to me.

also, best buy sells the yamaha 450, you should be able to listen to it there if you want to listen to it for yourself.

i have the 760, last years 770, and if i had to do it all over again i would personally get the yamaha. the speakers that come with the 770 leave something to be desired, and while you can say you can always upgrade them later, why purchase something with the intent to upgrade later? get the one that sounds better now, it's up to you to decide which one that is...

I don't have that problem with sound on my 770 and why are you commenting on the 770's speakers when you don't own them?

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Jason Pastore

· #7 · Mar 2, 2005

does the reciever that comes with the 770 have component video switching? I am seriously considering this HTiB sinc emy TV speakers are very poor. Thanks a lot.

jamawass

· #8 · Mar 2, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by Jason Pastore
does the reciever that comes with the 770 have component video switching? I am seriously considering this HTiB sinc emy TV speakers are very poor. Thanks a lot.

yes

Jason Pastore

· #9 · Mar 2, 2005

sounds good. what is the model # of the reciever that comes with the 770? I think the fact that it has component video switching sold me.

jamawass

· #10 · Mar 2, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by Jason Pastore
sounds good. what is the model # of the reciever that comes with the 770? I think the fact that it has component video switching sold me.

Can't remember, check Crutchfield's website which has detailed info.

FIVE ONE SIX

· #11 · Mar 2, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by jamawass
I don't have that problem with sound on my 770

i didn't say everyone had that problem, but i know there were several replies in the thread about that problem where people said they had the same problem...

Quote:

Originally posted by jamawass
why are you commenting on the 770's speakers when you don't own them?

because i own the 760, and the 760 speakers are EXACTLY the same (except for some minor cosmetic changes) as the 770 speakers, the only thing they changed was the subwoofer. they went from a 8" 150 watt (the 760) subwoofer to a 10" 250 watt (the 770) subwoofer, but neither the 760 or 770 subwoofer sound good, they replaced a poor sounding subwoofer with another poor sounding subwoofer...

like i said before, and i'll say it again, if i had to get a new HTiB system in the $450 range, i would personally get the Yamaha 450. that's coming from someone that ALWAYS recommends Onkyo receivers, owns the Onkyo 760 and listens to it every day, and has never been a really big fan of Yamaha in the past. take that for what you will...

and the 450 has component video switching too, why would something that both systems have sell you on one over the other? i would think that better overall sound quality would do that, but i could certianly be wrong...

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Jason Pastore

· #12 · Mar 2, 2005

well I wasn't aware that the yamaha had it too. I think I am going to try to 770 first and see how I like it. Keep in mind this is my first speaker system, anything is an improvement from watching HDTV with 2 TV speakers.

FIVE ONE SIX

· #13 · Mar 3, 2005

of course, listen to both and make a judgement from that, that's the ONLY way you should make a decision between them.

and a little bit of advice, bring a cd of yours when you go to listen to them. it certianly helps to hear something that you're actually going to listen to in your room, rather than something that someone that's trying to sell you something wants you to hear, that way you can make an impartial judgement between them based on the same exact listening material...

dbong1021

Discussion Starter · #14 · Mar 3, 2005

Hi again all,

I just bought the Yamaha 450 from Best Buy and I'm very impressed! I being just your average user who just wants some more kick out of their dvd's, I'm pretty happy with this.

One thing that I've noticed, the sub distorts a little if the bass is too strong or loud. I don't have the levels way up .. and I've been trying to tune the receiver's settings so that I can get a good balance of solid hitting bass and less distortion. Is it just the sub being low end and/or underpowered? Or am I doing something wrong?

FIVE ONE SIX

· #15 · Mar 3, 2005

check the gain on the back of the subwoofer, set it at about halfway as a starting point, then adjust it higher or lower from there. try not to set it much higher than halfway though, just a little bit above halfway should be fine, say 6 out of 10 should be fine. any setting too high will cause it to distort...

also, i'm not sure what subwoofer cable came with the system, but stepping up to a higher quality cable should certianly make it sound tigher and improve the overall sound quality. there's no need to go overboard though, something like the AR or Monster THX Standard subwoofer cable would be fine, people sometimes overlook something simple like this when it would certianly help improve sound quality...

always remember they have a 30-day return policy, if you don't like it after all of the minor tweaks and adjustments, just throw it in the box and return it for a full refund...

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dbong1021

Discussion Starter · #16 · Mar 3, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by FIVE ONE SIX
check the gain on the back of the subwoofer, set it at about halfway as a starting point, then adjust it higher or lower from there. try not to set it much higher than halfway though, just a little bit above halfway should be fine, say 6 out of 10 should be fine. any setting too high will cause it to distort...

will do, there is also a high freq cutoff knob too? No clue what that does. I'm going to have to read the manual a bit more I suppose

Quote:

also, i'm not sure what subwoofer cable came with the system, but stepping up to a higher quality cable should certianly make it sound tigher and improve the overall sound quality. there's no need to go overboard though, something like the AR or Monster THX Standard subwoofer cable would be fine, people sometimes overlook something simple like this when it would certianly help improve sound quality...

I'll order one of these from partsexpress or something when I order some nicer speaker wire eventually. Thanks for the tip.

Quote:

always remember they have a 30-day return policy, if you don't like it after all of the minor tweaks and adjustments, just throw it in the box and return it for a full refund...

Oh I'm returning it for sure! I just got it for testing purposes and am going to buy it online at almost $150 cheaper overall incl. shipping. If only BB would price match online sources.

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FIVE ONE SIX

· #17 · Mar 3, 2005

honestly, if you just purchased it for testing purposes, what you should do is get good quality speaker wire ( this would be fine) and a good quality subwoofer cable (like this or this , depending on the length you need) and wire out the room. then, you can try out both systems under the same exact conditions (meaning with the better cables) and see which one you like better. you should really upgrade the speaker wire and subwoofer no matter which of the 2 systems you go with though, and that would be a TRUE comparison, since you're only going to be taking about 15-30 minutes to switch the receiver and speakers...

you can order the speaker wire and subwoofer cable from Parts Express for about $40 or so, depending on the lengths you need, and you should upgrade both of those cables anyway. do that before you make a decision either way...

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dbong1021

Discussion Starter · #18 · Mar 4, 2005

thanks FIVE ONE SIX .. i was thinking of going 14 gauge? Maybe future proofing the wires a tiny bit? Its not too bad of a cost difference .. and no drawbacks to going with thicker wire right?

Ron Temple

· #19 · Mar 4, 2005

dbong1021 you are a retailers worst nightmare, but it's a great idea.

Enjoy

dbong1021

Discussion Starter · #20 · Mar 4, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by Ron Temple
dbong1021 you are a retailers worst nightmare, but it's a great idea.

Enjoy

LOL! trust me, I don't do this often. Only for bigger purchases .. and yes, $500 is big to me right now.

I shop at BB enough though, i'm sure they've made plenty of money off of me already

1 - 20 of 36 Posts

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