Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Onkyo TX-NR809 or something else?

You mean you don't want to wait until May for the new ones? Just trying to make your decision harder.

John, I though that the Integra line had the newest technology and that the structure was that the technology from the Integra line "trickled down" to the Onkyo line? I did notice that it had less than the 100W that Ken was looking for, but it was only a 10W difference, and would not be noticeable.

Alex, there's nothing to indicate that. Integra is a "prestige" name sold by "higher class" dealers at higher prices. It's generally possible to match an Integra almost precisely with a lower priced Onkyo. Again here, the 22.3 is nearly identical to the 609(which is 100 watts and 7.2, however); for example, both weigh 24.7 pounds(although amplification shouldn't be bought by the pound)compared to 40.3 pounds for the 809. The 22.3 is two steps(809, 709, 609)down, and most significantly has the much less capable 2EQ.

Charles, that's exactly the announcement I was waiting for. To depress prices on the current lineup.

The 717 is not appealing in the slightest (I'd rather have a 709, that at least has MultiEQ XT magic.

The 818 is guaranteed to be out of my price range for the time being. But perhaps I should wait just a bit to see if the prices plummet on the 809 (or maybe even the 1009!)

Dammit, Charles.

Arg, stupid credit card bills I forgot about. Sean, you can probably avoid that monkey thing for the moment.

AC4L also had a Sherwood 972 for $600, new, with a 3 year warranty. I looked at it for a bit, then realized it wasn't networked in the slightest.

Pity that company's fallen so far behind, but I guess they were never exactly up on the latest tech.

Go for it Ken.

Integra was originally to be a line for professional home A/V installers. They had cool things like RS232 control.... Now they are just as John says....overpriced Onkyo's. The whole custom installation has lost a lot of ground due to the DIY world and fact that it's not all that difficult anymore.

*sigh*

Back in he goes!

Ken,

In my past researching of receivers the 809 is a very capable machine for your budget at hand. The next progression in receivers would take the pricing about 400-500 dollars higher. But would allow for more future proofing with it's added options.

Any feelings on the Denon AVR-3312ci as it compares to the 809? They're roughly the same price right now when you throw in shipping. The 809 seems a tad more powerful (but really...) and has one more HDMI port, not to mention wifi support. Still, it's not got the best reliability record, and as usual, Onks run hot.

FYI, the 3312 is at the price point the old 38XX series was but has less power and features. The 43XX series is the direct replacement for the 38XX series, take from this what you will.
Even with the slightly elevated heat output I think the Onkyo is the better buy as it offfers those few more features and could be considered similarly good as far as quality is concerned.