[DANNAIR]

Hi Guys, I've been lurking on this forum for some time now. Made one post for which I received some usefull input. Now it's time to get off the fence and make a decision on a new av receiver.


I currently have a yamaha RXV2500. It and other yamaha products have given me excellent service throughout the years. But because it lacks HDMI it's functionality with my PIO 151 and OPPO BDP-83 is limited.


I'm comfortable with spending up to $2000. We use the system primarily for movies, but quality sound for music is also important. My primary desire is to have a "true" 7.1 setup where I can power heights in conjuction with rear surrounds. This limits my choices. I tend to keep my equipment for a long time, 10+ years, therefore I am looking for something that would be durable and relatively troublefree.


The Z-11 has been on my wishlist for some time. Then the onkyo 5007 comes along and sparks my interest, its feature set would easily meet all of my needs --- actually both of these units offer way more than I need, but to get the few things that I desire my choices become more limited.


I don't feel the onkyo would be as reliable as the yamaha because of its reported heat issues and ongoing glitches that require constant firmware updates. From what I've gathered there customer support may not be as good as yamaha's. It does seem to be a better more "futureproof" package, as if the Z9 & Z11 were one!


It looks like the Z11 may be replaced soon. Should I give the the 5007 a chance, stick with the familiar and comfortable or wait to see what comes down the pike in the next year? Any thoughts and input will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Dan

 

[phantom52]

For the price the Z11 is going for now and your'e comfortable with a Yamaha thats a easy decision. Go for the Z11 on Saturdays at Newegg. I have a almost new Onkyo 876(6 months) and if I could do it over I'd get the Z11 in a heartbeat over the 876. I tend to favor Yamaha over all others though.

 

[DANNAIR]

The 876 is a different animal than the 5007. Would you ever consider it? If not, why not?

 

[phantom52]



Quote:
Originally Posted by DANNAIR /forum/post/18179185


The 876 is a different animal than the 5007. Would you ever consider it? If not, why not?

Build quality wise theres not a lot of difference between the 5007 and 876. Power wise also. Sure the 5007 has some things the 876 doesn't, but other than that they are more alike than they are different. If it were me for the way my setup is now, it would be the Z11 over the 5007. I prefer Yamaha's build quality,reliability, and ease of use over Onkyo's. The Onkyo's are very good AVR's and are my second choice when it comes to choosing AVR's. I'm a Yamaha person first. I bought the 876 because the deal was way too good to pass up. But I also kept my Yamaha 2600 because I liked it too much to sale. Read the review on Audioholics on the Z11, check out the dedicated threads for both and then make your decision, either of these are very good choices. I just feel that coming from a Yamaha to an Onkyo you may not like the 5007 as much as you would the Z11. Good luck and enjoy whatever you choose.

 

[DANNAIR]

Thanks Phantom! I've read the audioholics review, Z11 a bit weak in video processing but otherwise excellent. Since it has been out for some time it does have quite a track record --- favorable for the most part.

Would be great to have such a review for the 5007. But since that may still be a ways off, I thought the Onkyo crowd might want to voice their thoughts with regards to both of these flagship receivers.

 

[Jmouse007]

Having owned Yamaha receivers and a Yamaha "flagship" receiver for years and now owning the ONKYO PR-SC5507P I would advise going with the ONKYO over the Yamaha.


If you read the Z-11 threads on AVS you will find that it has "issues", this is why they are blowing them out. You know you have a problem when the Z-11 can be purchased for less than their lower tier "flagship" receiver.


The video processor on the Onkyo is much better than the Z-11 (heck, the video processor on their lower tier Z-7 is better than the Z-11), plus our Onkyo sounds much better than ANY of our Yamaha receivers ever have = greater detail, transpanancy, larger sound stage. We have the pre-pro version of the ONKYO 5007 and use seperate power amps, that said the ONKYO sounds tremendous. I have never been able to say that about any of our Yamaha receivers.


One more issue with high end Yamaha receivers like the Z-11... our "flagship" Yamaha receiver died shortly after the warranty expired. Yamaha replacement part costs to repair the receiver were nothing short of OUTRAGEOUS! For the money Yamaha charges for repair parts, I could buy a brand new unit (and I did), way too expensive (you are paying for the name).


After years and years of experiece with Yamaha receivers, I would advise you to buy the ONKYO 5007.

 

[phantom52]

What Yamaha receivers did you have? Could the amp be the difference? Problably so. Your'e comparing apples and oranges. There are those on the Z11 thread that wouldn't use anything else, much less comparing the Z11 to some un-named "flagship" model. Do you think that Onkyo repairs are going to be cheaper when needed. As for the video processing in any pre-pro or AVR you would do much better by getting a dedicated processor like the DVDO Edge and let it do what its supposed to do. There has not been one in a AVR thats done all they are supposed to do. The processor in your 5507 is the same one thats in my Onkyo 876. Read about them everywhere. For what the OP wants the Z11 fits easily and is far less expensive than an amp and the 5507. If video processing is that important he could get the Edge,an Onkyo 707, and an Emo amp and still come out ahead quality and price wise over just the 5507. As for his question of the 5007 or the Z11, if he's not interested in all the 'heights and wides' the Z11 is still the best buy IMO. Besides all of this there still hasn't been a brand and model from anyone thats perfect. They are all over this forum and others. From the cheapest to the most expensive. None yet.