Yamaha vs Onkyo AVR

[lectronicjunkie]

I'm looking into upgrading to 7.1 and have been looking at the Yamaha HTR6160 and the Onkyo TX-SR606. I've got a lot of experience and faith in Onkyo but I don't know if Yamaha is an equal comparison. It looks like the Yamaha offers more for the money (mainly pre-outs). Can someone give me some guidance on this?

[apphd]

I have a Yam663 and like you are thinking I feel that because of the pre-outs the Yamaha has more to offer. But I think the sound is very different from the two. If you really like the Onk sound you may not like the Yamaha. Try to audition them both with some Polks and then decide. But if you want to stick with Onkyo try to find the funds to go for the 706.

[MSALLA]

If it were me I would not buy any AVR without pre-outs. If you want to upgrade to a stand alone amp due to speaker choices or just wanting more power, you are out of luck with no pre-outs. If you visit this site for a while sooner or later you will want to upgrade. This place turns you into a vampire and you will get hungry. Corney I know, but it's true.

P.S. don't be scared to look at the used market. You may find something better then what your looking at now in like new shape for less money. If you go this way ask members on here for opinions on equipment. Members are more then helpful.

[lectronicjunkie]

The 706 is out of my price range. I like the unit but it's just too expensive for me. I'm need to find an actual home theater store nearby that carrys both. I like the price of the Yamaha but I don't like the sound then it will be a waste of money. It will be a few months down the road but I'm just trying to get things lined up.

[djseafood]

Not sure what your price range is. Have you checked out shoponkyo.com? This is Onkyo's certified store and you can get some great deals on their refurbished products which get very good reviews. I got my TX-SR506 for $119 and added a 2-year warranty for $40 that extends beyond the 1 year warranty. You just have to keep looking every now and then.

[lectronicjunkie]

Thanks. I'll check them out. I'm looking at around $350.

[Retro152]

I had the 663 for awhile, and thought it was an excellent receiver as a pre/pro. You cant beat it for the money, decode's a lot of the current audio format's for H/T, and as some of the other member's mentioned, it has pre-out's. I wanted something more than what it could provide for 2 channel, and decided to upgrade, but otherwise a quality A/V.

[comfortablycurt]

I own an Onkyo 606, so I may be a bit biased, but I love this receiver. I compared it to several others when I bought it, including that Yamaha, and a Sony of the equivalent price...I forget the model number though.

Of the 3 of them I greatly preferred the sound of the Onkyo...but the Yamaha was also a nice receiver...the sound just wasn't to my personal liking. I found the Onk' to be a little more user friendly as well, as far as the setup menus go.

As you said though, the 606's biggest drawback is the lack of pre-outs. When I bought it, I hadn't been anticipating the audio bug hitting me so hard, and now in hindsight I'm wishing I would have stepped up to the 706.

Not to down on the 606 by any means though...it is still a very nice receiver, especially for it's price point, but if there's even the slightest chance that you might ever upgrade to external amps...you might want to wait until you can afford the 706, or look into the Yamaha model you mentioned.

Just my .02 cents.

[MSALLA]

It sounds like you are sold on Onkyo, so stick with it. But, trust me on this, if you don't have the money for a model that has pre-outs, put what money you have away and save enough to buy one that has them. The fact that you are on this site is enough to show that at some point you are going to want to upgrade. Pre-outs are a must have.

[comfortablycurt]

x2

You'll be kicking yourself a while down the road, if you don't step up to the 706. I know i am...:(

[Flash!]

I bought my yamaha 1800 from best buy as a floor model. This thing rocks and it has the preouts for amps. Which by the way i just bought my first amp (carver tfm42 yesterday.) I believe i saved about $300 by going with the yamaha on clearance. Try to find some discontinued models and $ave. But get with preouts please. Good luck my friend.

[lectronicjunkie]

I'm not opposed to the sound being different. I guess I need to find a HT store that carries Polk and Yamaha so that I can hear them paired up. I already know how Onkyo and Polk sound together. I'm just trying to stretch the almighty dollar. I do want one that is 7.1, has pre-outs, and decodes HD audio.

[Retro152]

Best buy carrys both the Yamaha and Polk Tsi series of speakers inhouse, sure they could set up a demo for you, so you could get a feel for the sound.

[cnh]

I find Polks to sound best, to me, with an Onkyo; and Denons are OK too. But the pre-out thing is a big deal. I have an Onkyo 605 that sounds pretty good. But I'm also glad that I have a higher model Denon that has 8 pre-outs?

I also find that Onkyo 805/875/6/905/6 image a bit better than the 600 or 700 series--the extra 24-34 High current amp peaks (805=60 amps, 905/6 70 amps; 606/706 36 amps) add a bit of ooomph. And have all the sound goodies that you would want. The higher models merely adding better video and the 90X a toroid for even more power. And internet features, etc.

If you can deal with refurbs you can get a 706 for about 399 on Accessories4less.com and do keep your eye on Onkyo's own site for sales of refurbs www.us.onkyo.com

cnh

PS. If you can find an Onkyo recertified 805 I'd grab that up in a minute! Has almost everything you need but upscaling to 1080i/p (doesn't have that--but willl pass 1080p through it).

[Retro152]

I bought my yamaha 1800 from best buy as a floor model. This thing rocks and it has the preouts for amps. Which by the way i just bought my first amp (carver tfm42 yesterday.) I believe i saved about $300 by going with the yamaha on clearance. Try to find some discontinued models and $ave. But get with preouts please. Good luck my friend.

Yes to this, as everyone has duly noted, get something with pre-outs. You will regret it if you dont, leaving yourself with no options if you decide to add to your setup down the road.

[nooshinjohn]

pre outs are absolutely essential

+1000 to all that share this sentiment. Myh yami 861 was doing ok as it was, but the addition of My carver Tfm-35 brought my front speakers to life...

[MSALLA]

Again, don't be afraid to buy used. You can get great deals and the people that buy the higher end equipment tend to take care of it. I saved a ton of money on my amps and to look at them you would never know they are used. I got 2 m200 outlaw mono block amps for $175 for both. My adcom was only $325.00. Check out audiogon.com and I think Onkyo has a site to buy reforb w/ a warrenty.

[fflaque]

got a yammy v1800 here and chose that over a onkyo