John Galt

I'm still running about a 6-7 year old Onkyo TX-SR800 in my home theater setup and think it's time to finally upgrade. I've never had a single complaint about this receiver, I'm just ready to quit screwing around with the HDMI switch and get a receiver that will do the switching for me (plus this should eliminate a ton of cables and make the whole setup look much nicer). I know the Onkyo 605 is the preferred choice by many but I guess my question is, What makes it so much better than the 505 or 575? I know this probably has a pretty obvious answer, but I really haven't stayed up to date with all the new audio technology that's come out since the inception of HDMI. Any other receivers I should look at?

My setup includes
Optoma HD70
PS3
Toshiba XA1
TWC Cable Box
5 Speaker Polk setup (I'm not sure of the models off hand but they sound fine with the 100 watts that's pushing them now)
Infinity Sub


Oh, and is there anything that BB carries in that price range that would be worth a damn? I've got $250 in gift cards coming in from their HD DVD deal and figured this would be a good way to use them.

pat00139

The 605 is able to decode DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD, while the 505 and 575 can't. That's the biggest difference. The 605 is also an HDMI switcher, while the lower models are passthroughs.

The 605 is an incredible value for the money and you really can't to wrong. I spent a bit more and went with the 805 and I couldn't be happier.

You might also want to look into the Yamaha 663, which is the model they made to compete directly with the Onkyo 605.

As for BB, there are really no receivers there that would be a better value than the 605. BB has three receivers that can do high-def audio (a Yamaha, a Pioneer and a Denon), but they're pricer than the 605 or the Yamaha 663.

Personally, I would recommend going to the 805. It's not that much pricer, but the benefits are huge. It has Burr-Brown DACs, more power, more inputs, and a few other internal goodies. It's worth the extra money, for sure.

drmoze

The new feature which you should look for (and which might convince me to upgrade my receiver) is the speaker auto-setup which uses a mic to balance and *equalize* the output of the speakers from 1 or more sitting positions.

pat00139

Onkyo receivers have the Audyssey EQ setup, and Yamaha uses the YPAO setup. (Denon and other receivers obviously have auto-setups also, but I'm not sure which they use (but I think Denons use the Audyssey).)

I used the Audyssey EQ as soon as I got my 805 (which, I believe, can setup about 8 or 10 different positions) and found it very useful for general information (speaker distance, crossover freq, etc...). After that, I tweaked volume levels to the way I like them. It's actually very useful as a base and worth using if you have it.

John Galt

Thanks for the advice. I remember researching these last year right as the current Onkyo lineup was coming out and wanting the 805, but at the same time thinking it's just a little more than I need. I'm gonna see what I can get for my 800 and then go from there. Probably end up with the 605 though.

gimmepilotwings

I need to break out my Audyssey again. It would never find my center channel. I changed the angle of my channel speaker so it would better reflect my setup, as I have to play it about 2 feet above my 60" TV, so it is about 6 and a half feet from the ground.