Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Looking for Feedback on Onkyo 876/906 and 80's.

I know, this question comes up a thousand times. I'm considering a new receiver to replace my outdated Denon 2805. The trusted Denon 3808ci is on my list as well, however, it was introduced in 2007. Denon is planning on introducing some new receivers over the next few months, so I may hold off a bit and see what comes out. I've considered a new 3808 from 6Ave, or refurbished from Dakmart as well.

I just came across the top of the line Onkyo TX-NR906 at Accessories4Less (authorized dist) for $1199 which is 45% off the normal going price at NewEgg and other websites. Yes, it is reconditioned by Onkyo, but you get the regular 1yr warranty, and I've heard if you use American Express you get another year added.

Is there anybody out there currently using the 876 or 906 with their 80's. I know what Denon's will do, and based on the specs, there is no reason Onkyo should have issues. Also, this price is pretty good considering it is $1K off MSRP. I know PeterC sent an Onkyo 876 back recently. His negative feedback suprised me.

Thanks in advance.

Randy

sirquack, I run two m80s in a 7.2 system with the 876. I have never had any issue with it driving all speakers to high levels. I set the Onkyo to 6 ohms (it only has 4 and 6 settings). The m80s sound very good.

From what I've read the 906 is identical to the 876 except it has usb and ethernet capabilities (I might be missing one or two things). I owned the 875 for over a year before I sold it to get the 876 (the big attraction for me was the Audessey Dynamic EQ which I covet beyond imagining). I never had any problem with the 875 or the 876 (even a couple of slight problems I thought were due to the 876 turned out to be caused by other components).

I can never believe the prices you guys get in the States!

Thanks for the feedback. I have a question about the ohm settings. Most receivers by default are in 8ohm mode, which is normally what you want so that you don't limit the power the receiver can provide. So your saying the normal mode is 6ohm, with a 4ohm option? Or is there an 8ohm default, with a switch for 4-6ohms? Most of the folks I call audio gurus say you should never lower the switch if a receiver has one...

Looks like the 906 has 5 more watts per channel, which really is nothing. Also, when I compared them on the Onkyo website, the 906 has 4 seperate power supplies compared to 3 on the 876, which is not a big deal. However, it says the 906 has a large toroid transformer, and it says the 876 does not have one? That was confusing, I thought all receivers had toroids, maybe not. Most seperate amps do, like my Odysseys.

So you like Audyssey MultEQ XT, and the Dynamic EQ? Have you tried the Dynamic Volume as well? Thanks, Randy

Kinda weird on the transformers. My TX-SR786 manual is also the manual for the TX-NR906. The only features that it says are different for the 906 is essentially what I reported. Says they both employ H.C.P.S. (High Current Power Supply) Massive High Power Transformer. I'm going to have to check this out further (see below).

On the ohm setting, unless you are bridging your front speakers (with surround backs) you are forced through the setup menu to run either run 4 ohm or 6 ohm. If you are bridging your front speakers (limits you to 5.x from 7.x) you are forced in the menu to select BTL which in turn forces 8 ohms (but you are warned that you should only do this with 8 ohm speakers). The 906 likely works the same way as the manual doesn't distinguish.

I think Audyssey MultEQ XT is good for my situation with less than optimal room acoustics, but it took me a long time to appreciate the difference. However the Dynamic EQ is a hands down winner for me - I like playing my music and HT at somewhat lower levels than perhaps others (although not what my wife says) and Audyssey elevates the surround volumes to compensate for the lower listening levels (the idea that you hear the surrounds at the same perceived levels you would hear at reference levels). I personally do not like either of the Dynamic Volume settings and never engage them. Makes everything sound artificial IMHO.

EDIT: You're right. Here's what the websttes say for the 906/876:
Power (8ohms 20-20kHz 0.05%): 145W / 140W
High Instantaneous Current Capability: 70A / 65A
BTL Capability For Front: (230W) / (210W)
Power Consumption: 9.8 A / 9.5 A
Power Transformer: Massive Toroidal Tansformer / H.C.P.S. (High Current Power Supply) Massive High Power Transformer
and...the 906 has 4 independent power supplies compared to 3 on the 876.

Randy, no direct comparison, but...

I have the TX-SR805 and M60's. VERY happy with the feature set, amplification, Audyssey MultiEQ XT, OSD, Zone2, etc. It was a very noticeable improvement in every way over the Denon 1804 I used to employ. It runs hot. I plugged a computer muffin fan into the switched outlet. No problems so far.

Thanks Tom, I've talked to a few people on AVSforum, that say Onkyo's run a little hot by design, no need to worry. Good to know you are enjoying your 805 with the m60's, when you getting m80's, you deserve some.

Any help from either of you on purchasing a reconditioned one from A4Less, the price, $1199, seems good for a receiver with an MSRP of $2100US.

Looks like ShopOnkyo has the 906 for $1300, free shipping, no tax, no haggle return policy within 30days, and 10 points for signing up. hmmm Still a little higher than AC4L, but seems a little safer. It is a close call, especially if AC4L increases the warranty to 2yrs if you use MC or AmExp. hmmm

Randy, whether a manufacturer calls its basic default impedance setting 8ohms or 6ohms doesn't matter; there's still no restriction of the voltage output from the power supply section, which as a consequence limits current and power(cutting the maximum roughly in half)to help avoid overheating and burning down the city.

As to ShopOnkyo, I've dealt with them and been completely satisfied. However, A4L is Onkyo authorized and wouldn't be likely to play games and risk losing the authorization. Also, their buyer satisfaction is quite high. I'd pick whichever had the better deal at the time(ShopOnkyo tends to have 10% off sales on some of the refurbs about once a month).

On the toroidal transformer point, I'll add that they have inherently less electromagnetic interference potential. If an amplifier is carefully designed(regardless of transformer type) and has inaudibly low noise(quite common these days), that advantage doesn't have any bottom-line significance.

I'll be curious to hear what you think about the 906!

Yep, I am a weirdo and returned the 876. I know, most reviews would disagree with me. That's fine. I just found the 876's sound too bright and thin with my M80's. No shutdown issues - so that's a big +, but I just wasn't blown away with the SQ. Not over my old 43TX, anyway. Not enough to proclaim, "this is the one!" The 8-10 second video delay when switching between sources or even HD vs SD channels was mildly annoying too, though not honetsly a "deal-breaker" for me.

I can tell you one thing, you may miss the pretty GUI on the 3808 if you side-step to the N906. The 876/906 share the same GUI, and it's not that great. Very Atari 2600-like ok, that's too harsh. I've not played with a 3808 but I've seen screenshots of its GUI, and I would describe them as a "generation" newer than the 876/906. YMMV

Dude, if the GUI on the 876/906 is anything like the one on the 8805/875, then I don't think you remember what an Atari 2600 looked like...