Onkyo TX-SR805 Surround Receiver Review

The AV receiver has become a critical component in any home theater. It is the hub through which your various source devices are able to feed their goodness to your display and loudspeaker system. With the proliferation of HDMI and new high resolution audio codecs, an advanced receiver or processor is a must to make the most of the latest sources like Blu-ray, hi-def TV and game consoles. Despite the poor design and planning behind HDMI, it looks like we’re stuck with the interface for the foreseeable future. At least when it does work it works well. The THX-certified SR805 sports three HDMI inputs and one output, all version 1.3a compatible. This means all advanced audio codecs are supported via bitstream input. If you have the appropriate Blu-ray player (like the Panasonic BD30 or one of the expensive new Denons) you can enjoy Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio (gads what a mouthful) decoded in the receiver. Though some may think it insignificant, it’s nice to know exactly what’s going on when your receiver’s front panel display says “Dolby TrueHD.”

Since the main function of your receiver is to output the best possible sound, let’s take a look at that first. The 805 is endowed with the same neutral and accurate audio reproduction available in all current-generation Japanese receivers. The source material is represented accurately and faithfully with no modification. I feel this is very important. As with video, I’d rather have an accurate starting point with the ability to adjust the image (in this case the audio image) to accepted standards. In the case of the 805, Audyssey room correction is the means to this end. Plugging in the included microphone starts the procedure. You can measure up to eight positions and the receiver will calculate speaker sizes, crossovers, delays and levels. It also applies an equalization curve. It’s important not to second-guess the system. When I had finished the approximately 30-minute routine, my mains and center had been set to large and my surrounds had been set to small with a 70Hz crossover. This surprised me as the center I have (Axiom VP150) is only rated down to 100Hz. I had to remind myself however that Audyssey measures room response in making its calculations. I can tell my room is bass-heavy just by speaking in it. I have acoustical treatments but they really only absorb the higher frequencies. Controlling bass requires mass and I don’t have the space or the budget for bass traps. Audyssey did a superb job of equalizing the bass to a nice and tight level. Even though I have a large sub (Axiom EP350v3), bass and LFE is never bloated or harsh. Loud bass is not necessarily good bass. If it isn’t controlled it becomes fatiguing. This is why the sound in most movie theaters is so poor. As with so many other aspects of home theater, balance is key.

The HDMI support on this receiver makes hookup very convenient. I have three transports in my rack, a Denon 2930, a Panasonic BD30 and an Oppo 980. They are all connected via HDMI and a single cable goes out to my projector. The only other cables I have plugged in are the speakers, IR and power. I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to create such a large and heavy cable with such a weak connector. I had to route everything very carefully to avoid straining the inputs on both the receiver and the sources. The ports are fairly solid on the Onkyo and the Denon player but the Oppo and Panasonic players seem a bit flimsy to me. I am using Belden cables from Bluejeans for everything. The shorter runs are the more flexible stranded conductor type and the run to the projector (25 feet) is a 24AWG solid conductor cable. I have had zero problems so far. Though I have not used them, I have read many good things about Monoprice cables. There really is no need to buy expensive boutique HDMI cables. This all-HDMI connection arrangement allows me to use un-processed bitstreams for all formats from all transports. The Oppo 980 even supports DSD from SACD. I prefer this arrangement because I can use the receiver’s excellent audio processing to best advantage. The Audyssey correction is always in play and I have all the different DSP and surround modes available to me no matter what the source material.

The only other thing I had to do for initial setup is set the main speakers for bi-amp operation, and assign and rename the inputs. All digital inputs (HDMI, coax, optical) are assignable and can be renamed to anything you wish. You just have to remember what the original input name was if you use the included remote. A word about video: the SR805 will transcode all analog video to HDMI. It will also transcode composite and S-video to component. The nice thing is there is no video processing applied to incoming signals. That means the tasty 1080p/24 signal from your Blu-ray player will get to your display unmolested. You do need to be careful when shopping for receivers these days because many of them won’t allow a simple passthrough of the video signal. You will usually want the receiver first in the signal chain from after the source so you can get the soundtrack information. If you’re using an outboard video processor, it will have to go after the receiver unless it’s able to pass the audio streams properly. Do your homework before committing yourself.

The Onkyo TX-SR805 represents the state of the art in mid-priced receivers. There are comparable models from Marantz, Denon and Yamaha but they are all more expensive. At $1099 MSRP, this is by far the most bang-for-the-buck you can get. The competition is priced anywhere from $1399 to $1599. I just wish it had been available when I paid $1299 for a Denon 3806! For my small theater, I can’t imagine having a better hub for the system. It’s handling of all the latest audio formats is exemplary and as a video switch, it works perfectly. Just make sure you have about ten inches of shelf height available because it runs a bit hot. I haven’t had any signs of strain at high volume levels but good ventilation is always important. You might need a friend to help you get it in your rack as it weighs in at 65 pounds! Onkyo has really hit a homerun with this receiver. If they were to put the same level of features and value into a Blu-ray player, they could dominate the mid-price AV market. At this point in my AV journey, I’d have to spend far more money on high-end separates to see any improvement in quality. If you’re looking for a new receiver, you should audition the Onkyo. I bet you’ll end up buying it!

Thanks for reading and enjoy the view!

Denon AVR-3806 Review

A few months ago I was finally able to upgrade my audio system to something more worthy of my excellent Samsung DLP display. I had muddled through for about 2 years with *gasp* a Home Theater in a Box from Sony. This system wasn't total crap but since installing the new gear, it's now gracing a landfill. For years I read the advice on various websites saying you should spend at least as much or more on audio as you do on video. OK but that's really hard to do. Of course you want the rockin' display with the most pixels, the biggest screen, you know the drill. It's what guys do. Well after installing this receiver and a 5.1 speaker setup from Axiom Audio, I can see the importance of this advice. Speaking of Axiom, I'll review the speakers and sub (M60s, VP150, QS8 and EP350) next week.

I purchased the receiver as well as a Denon DVD 2930CI from Crutchfield. You can read my review of the DVD player here. I highly recommend Crutchfield as a dealer. Their customer service is outstanding. The electronics arrived in a few days double boxed with generous amounts of peanuts. There was absolutely no damage to the Denon cartons. Crutchfield has a generous return policy and excellent support.

Setting up the unit was fairly straightforward. I'll tell you right now, the manual is terrible. The important information is there but you have to look for it. My advice with any Denon product: read the manual thoroughly before you install. This receiver like most modern multi-channel AVRs has many many options and features. You owe it to yourself to explore everything beforehand so you can get maximum performance from your gear. My main tower speakers are bi-amp capable so I wired them up as such, making sure to remove the jumper between the 2 pairs of binding posts. It doesn't matter which amp powers which drivers. Enter the setup menu and set the surround back amps to power the mains. After setting delays for the various speaker distances, I pulled out my trusty Radio Shack SPL meter to set levels. Using the test tones, I set levels for all channels to a reference volume of 80dB. I set the bass management as follows: front speakers set to small, 60hz crossover, center set to small, 100hz crossover, surrounds set to small, 110hz crossover. This gave the flattest frequency response when measuring frequency sweeps from the Digital Video Essentials audio tests. The only change I made after the fact was dropping the sub 3db. The Radio Shack meter is less accurate at low frequencies so this was as expected. Convenience features are all there such as auto-detect of audio track types, renaming of inputs and assignment of digital inputs. You might notice I've said nothing about the Audyssey auto calibration feature of this receiver. I actually bought this particular unit because of that function. I have every intention of at least trying the room correction in the future. I've just been so amazed and pleased with the sound the way it is, I haven't actually tried it out yet! My room is a bit challenging as well. I live on a fairly busy road. It would be nearly impossible to run the auto setup without a car driving by during the process. Perhaps if I did it late at night... If at some point I engage the Audyssey function, I will post an article about it.

Once all options were set, I checked my Denon Link connection from the DVD2930CI and fired up Casino Royale. Unfortunately, I heard nothing. OK, check connections, check setup, check DVD player (which I had already been using with my old audio setup). There was no light for Denon link evident on the player's front panel, hmm. I pulled out a generic CAT5 cable I had in my office and replaced the Denon cable that had shipped with my DVD player. Guess what? It worked just fine. Swell, Denon's supplied cable (which costs $45 by the way) was a dud and my free CAT5 cable that a friend made up for me worked perfectly. I had wondered if Denon Link was standard CAT5 and now I had my answer. If you want to install your player more than 6 feet from your receiver, you can with regular CAT5 for a few cents a foot. You do want the Denon Link by the way because it will support Direct Stream Digital transmission from SACDs. There is no other player in this price range that will do this. I believe the Oppo players will output PCM over HDMI from SACDs but not DSD. (was that a geeky sentence or what?) All other SACD players require you to use the multi-channel analog outputs. I also recommend using the IR in/out jacks if you have either IR blasters or some type of RF receiver for your remote. It beats sticking those pesky IR emitters to the front of your gear. In fact, I discovered the IR jack on my Scientific Atlanta 8300HD cable DVR actually works! I now have an IR emitter only on my TV. This is a much cleaner-looking and reliable way to control your components.

Sound quality? Let's just say... holy $@#&! The opening scene in Casino Royale starts with a guy riding up an elevator. The LFE effects are simply amazing. Then as he is confronted by James Bond, the scene flashes back to a fight in a bathroom. The bodies slamming through toilet stalls and other high-impact effects are simply breathtaking. Later during the now-famous chase scene, Bond drives a front-loader through a fence and a pile of iron pipe. The slam of this effect simply knocked my socks off! This is only the first day mind you. I have had this system in place for almost 3 months now and I can say I've never enjoyed movies and TV more. Even broadcast content is hugely improved. By default, this receiver will use Dolby Pro Logic II or DTS Neo6 to pipe all soundtracks into 5.1. This is done very well as you don't really notice the extra channels unless you switch back to straight 2 channel listening. My advice, let the DSPs do their thing, they work really well.

Music listening is equally amazing. For this, I engage the Denon's PureDirect mode. Even though the manual says this is only for analog sources, it still works with anything coming over the Denon Link connection. There was a small but noticeable improvement in the sound stage and the overall transparency of the music. (if you play Redbook CDs, they will play 2-channel whether you use PureDirect or not) I am strictly a classical buff so it's really easy to hear even the subtlest changes when you're trying new gear. I used SACDs of the San Francisco Symphony playing Mahler's 5th Symphony and the Kirov Orchestra playing Shostakovich's 5th and 9th Symphonies. I love multi-channel music and this setup really shone in this capacity. I'll expand on that more in next week's Axiom speaker review.

I believe this model is now being replaced by the AVR3808CI. From my research, it seems to the be the same receiver with the addition of HDMI 1.3a and decoding of Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. If these formats are not a factor, the 3806 is $300 cheaper so grab one while you can. I can tell you I am extremely happy with this unit and plan to use it for the forseeable future.