# Onkyo TX SR805 Review and Official Owners Thread



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

First let me say that I do not have very good typing skills so this many not be a good a read as some of the more well written reviews around but I will do my best.

Well after waiting for almost 3 months for the price to drop My wife and I finally bought the Onkyo TX SR805. I purchased it from eBay and this is the largest single purchase I have ever made using eBay and was really not sure if this was the right way to go. But it was by far the lowest price I could find for a brand new unit (not refurbished).

Day one:
I had the 805 shipped to my work as it was easier to deal with paying the brokerage fee and Taxes that were also due (the total price including all fees and shipping was still far less than what I would have payed locally). Believe it or not the lowest price I could get in Canada was $1,400 and I got it for almost half that.
At 55lbs the Onkyo and box is not easy to move around but I used a cart to move it into my office. The box arrived undamaged and for UPS this was a nice surprise as I have had some bad luck with them recently. The Onkyo was packaged really well, inside I found thick styrofoam (more than normal) surrounding all 4 sides and top and bottom with almost no sides exposed.
Once I got home I unboxed the unit and after unhooking my older Yamaha RX V995 (Onkyo had the forsite to include labels that can be attached to the speaker wires helping with this so I did not have to worry with them getting all mixed up) I placed the Onkyo 805 on our new entertainment credenza that we just bought and the first thing I noticed was its size, "Wow I said under my breath, thats quite the receiver" even powered off it looked like something to be reckoned with. 
Even though I hate reading manuals I grabbed the manual for the Onkyo and flipped through it quickly Note: I have been working with audio equipment including live studio recording and front of house mixing for over 20 years so hooking this up was not a challenge. The manual is put together well and its easy to find chapters on specific items. The build quality out of the box is very good Its nice to see a company like Onkyo paying close attention to this as you don't see this often in consumer grade equipment. Another thing is because its made in Japan and not China or Mexico you can bet your bottom $$ that it was assembled well and will last.

The rear panel is one of the nicest I have seen and is organized in such a way that you get a very good idea without even reading the print where the speaker wires and components are attached. My system is wired for 7.1 so I proceeded to hook up the speakers one by one. I then hooked up the Toshiba A2 via HDMI, my outboard Audio control EQs and 4 channel Samson Servo 4120 that I have bridged into 2 ch. to the front pre outs on the Onkyo to power my front Mission 765s. I hooked up my Sanyo Z2 using a HDMI to DVI cable and atached the power cable to the rear of the Onkyo and powered up both the projector and receiver. I must say that the size and color of the display is better than I thought it would be and its easy to read even from a distance although the small symbles are not from farther than about 5 ft.
I flipped down the front trap door and again was impressed with the amount of hidden buttons that were available. I selected HDMI out for the OSD to be displayed on the projector and to my joy the fist time setup screen was seen. I grabbed the remote for the Onkyo that by the way is heavy compared to most I have used but I really like the feel and look of it and the layout of the buttons are well thought through. All the buttons are backlit are not too small and are easy to read in the dark. I did some searching through the menu just to see what it offered and there are a tone of things that a user can adjust. 

One feature I really like is the fact that it doesn't have the inputs for HDMI or Component fixed to a specific labeled input of the receiver this means that I can assign the HDMI input 1 to a HDPVR or what ever I so choose. I also like the fact that I can relable the default displays label for example I can change DVD to HD DVD if I so choose.

Ok, now for the setup:
The first thing I started to do was the Audyssey MultEQ XT that the receiver uses. I pluged the supplied miciphone into the front jack and the OSD changed to the Audyssey setup screen. I placed the mic on a small tripod that I have and put it at the first listening position and selected "Ok" in the menu. It then showed a nice screen with 7 speakers and sub graphic and it proceeded to send a strange test tone (more of a WHOOP sound) to each speaker. This is a slightly time consuming process as it takes about 20 seconds for each speaker and you have to do this for each listening position (up to 8 and no less than 6) another thing is, you need to do this in complete silence to get a proper reading and at our house thats almost impossible as we have 5 girls aged 1 to 14 so I had to stop at this point until I have about 30 min of time where I can do this uninterrupted. 

I will continue this review in the next day or so but though I would start now already.


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

Day 2:
Well I had some time last night after the girls went to bed to set up the MultEQ XT and after all was done (I sampled 6 listening positions) I played a CD through the system (Lee Ritenour, Smoke in mirrors). The first thing I noticed was that the sound was much crisper with the Onkyo and the dynamics seemed to be fuller than my older Yamaha. The track Smoke in mirrors was full and the bass came through nice and clean and i heard things that I had not in previous listening sessions with this CD.

I then went int the setup menu and looked at the settings that it picked and was actually surprise as it seemed to measure distances from the listening positions fairly accurately (within half a foot) I love the fact that I can override the settings if I choose and it also sends pink noise out through each channel so I can balance them manually if I choose. The one other nice option that I found is that all 7 channels each have independent bass and treble controls.

I briefly had a chance to play part of a movie I grabbed Shriek the third HD DVD and played the opening 10 min of the movie. The video through the Onkyo is nothing but fantastic, I was actually impressed as it was a noticeable improvement over sending component directly from the Toshiba A2 to the projector. The image was sharp and clean and it did not have any noticeable rough edges sometimes seen with the Faroudja chip and the audio was splendid. I selected THX surround EX and the audio filled the room with a clarity that I have not heard before in my system the extra rear surrounds helped to fill the room and I felt like I was right there.

I will continue this review sometime tomorrow after I have some time to listen to more CDs and DVDs.

See below for part 3


----------



## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

Congrats on the new toy... :T 

Looking forward to the full review.


----------



## JCD (Apr 20, 2006)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

Excellent beginning and I can't wait for the final conclusions -- also great timing as I'm helping a friend put together a new system and this the precise receiver I was thinking would work best.

JCD


----------



## Guest (Nov 28, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

This is also the same model I've been looking at...:T


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

Thanks guys, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do this. I'm glad I did as it seems this will help allot of people make a choice.

I was considering going with the 875 but at $450 more I just couldn't justify it just to get the Rayon HQV chip although better than the Faroudja FL2300 video processing chip I just couldn't do it and thats really the only big advantage it has over the 805.

It even uses the newest and best BurrBrown 24bit/192kHz DACs on
all 7 channels and that cant be beat!


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

Day 2 test results posted above. More to come. See below for part 3


----------



## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*



> The first thing I noticed was that the sound was much crisper than with the Yamaha and the dynamics seemed to be fuller.


Did you mean "Yamaha" or "Onkyo" above... :scratch:


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

Opps I will have to edit that.

The Onkyo sounded much cleaner than the Yamaha that I had. I think this is in part to the BurrBrown DAs that it uses and also the Push-Pull configuration of the Amplifier section that is only available in the 805 and 875.


----------



## Captain Crunch (Apr 2, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

Nice job on the review Tony.......
Glad your enjoying it.....
When I got my Onkyo 604 they announced the new line of Onkyo's 3 weeks later............GRRRRRRRRRRRRR LOL
Enjoy it buddy it sounds like a great receiver.


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

Thanks, I'm enjoying this.

Day 3, The final installment.
Well, this is where I start enjoying Listening to the audio quality of the receiver.
I decided to focus on the music side of things for this part as I can asume the if it does music well movies will only be better.
I put in a CD I really like Interpretations, Celebrating the music of Earth wind and fire. A compilation of music redone by various artists. Track 3 "September" sounded very clean and the receiver responded well to the more bassy sound as the CD was recorded with lots of low bass thus giving the system a good workout. I first listened to it in direct pure audio mode and although this mode turns off the sub and only outputs to the two front speakers.
The sound was rich and free of any enhancements. "now, I said to myself this must be how it was recorded" I liked it so much that i listened to track 8 "After the love is gone" another nice remake of the original, the vocals were nice and full and the harmony of the background singers blended in well. 
Ok, so now that I listened to it in pure mode i wanted to hear the same tracks in Dolby DPL II mode This mode takes the left and right channels and adds the center channel for vocals and to be honest I actually like this mode better. The stereo image was still very present but it added something to the mix that i felt made it even more dynamic. Ok so now lets hear how loud this can go I thought....I turned the volume up to +5db loud enough that I couldn't hear myself talking I would say about 100db and the track "September" came through as clean as I could possibly imagine. It wasn't boomy or too shrill and still the system played without any hesitation or distortion.

Now I got out a favorite CD that I bring to audition any system I listen to when in my favorite Audio store. Flim & the BB's, Big notes the track "Funhouse" is a great test for how well a system handles lows and highs.
There is a part just as the door slams and the train horn is heard that just shakes every part of the house. Again the receiver did this without any troubles and at about the same volume level that I had before. I have never heard my Mission 765 speakers sound so good:bigsmile:

One thing I will note is that the Onkyo's sound is defiantly more on the natural side with little to no push on any of the frequencies (I atribut this mostly to the receivers Audyssey MultEQ XT setup) where I found that the Yamaha was warmer sounding so I had to get used to it. I may do some fine tuning of the EQ settings as time goes on but for now I couldn't be happier.

I highly recommend the Onkyo TX SR805 to anyone who is looking for a serious receiver but dosnt want to break the bank because you would have to pay more than twice as much (at least $2000) to get anything comparable.

I might also add that the Onkyo website is a little misleading with regards to displaying OSD over HDMI as it does show all the setup and adjustments menus for the receiver over HDMI but does not show any volume or input labels on screen. Fortunately the display on the Onkyo is large enough and easy to see what you are doing even from a distance of 12 feet.

*Added Note:

There have been several reports floating around about the Onkyo's in general getting very hot! This is not the case at all and seems to be an issue of not having the receiver set up properly for driving your speakers. In the Menu there is a setting for what Ohm setting your speakers are and it must be set correctly or damage can result because of excessive heat (driving a set of 6 or 4ohm speakers with this setting in 8ohms is never a good idea). This would be the same for any brand of receiver.* 
This receiver should NOT be placed inside of a rack unless it is ventilated by a fan as with any receiver in this class.


----------



## Guest (Nov 30, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

I actually ordered mine yesterday! Now I just have to wait until the house is finished!! :hissyfit:


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

Ok, here is a question apparently there is a hidden menu on the Onkyo 805 as well as other models. I cant find any info as to how to get to it as well as what I can do in this menu, Any ideas anyone?


----------



## conchyjoe7 (Aug 28, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

This review made me smile as normally due to me being a "high ender", I get flamed when I espouse the differences in sound in amplifiers and the like. Well, here's a man that's bought a new AVR and can tell right away that it just simply sounds better. 

Thanks for the review and enjoy your new piece. Don't let anybody tell you that it's all in your mind...in reality; it's all in your ears! :T
Cheers,
Konky.


----------



## Funkmonkey (Jan 13, 2008)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

Nice job Tony, I have been on the fence about this one. Either I get the 805, or maybe the 875, but again I really don't need the extra video processing, or I move into separates. Still undecided. I have had great past experience with Onkyo products, though. I am still using an 12yr-old 2 channel TX-8511. That thing is a workhorse. Enjoy the new gear. I will be keeping an eye on this machine, after I get some new Main speakers, I am upgrading to at least 5.1, more likely 7.1 electronics. Then I will add a center, sub and surrounds.
Cheers


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*



Funkmonkey said:


> Enjoy the new gear. I will be keeping an eye on this machine, after I get some new Main speakers, I am upgrading to at least 5.1, more likely 7.1 electronics. Then I will add a center, sub and surrounds.
> Cheers


Thanks, We are enjoying the system I have it running 7.1 so its about as good as it gets. My only regret right now is that there is not many good movies available on BluRay or HD DVD right now or for that matter SD DVD So we have not watched much recently. We are not going to replace any of our collection of SD DVDs with High Def. and we have seen almost everything worth seeing in our opinion. Oh well, Music is something i never get tired of and the Onkyo does a great job of that as well.


----------



## brent_s (Feb 26, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*



tonyvdb said:


> Ok, here is a question apparently there is a hidden menu on the Onkyo 805 as well as other models. I cant find any info as to how to get to it as well as what I can do in this menu, Any ideas anyone?


Tony, check the first post of the 705 FAQ thread over at AVS. Should have instructions for accessing the menu...same steps for 705 and 805, IIRC. It allows you to force 720p upconversion and maybe one or two other things.

-Brent


----------



## brent_s (Feb 26, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*



conchyjoe7 said:


> This review made me smile as normally due to me being a "high ender", I get flamed when I espouse the differences in sound in amplifiers and the like. Well, here's a man that's bought a new AVR and can tell right away that it just simply sounds better.
> 
> Thanks for the review and enjoy your new piece. Don't let anybody tell you that it's all in your mind...in reality; it's all in your ears! :T
> Cheers,
> Konky.


Konky, check post #11 a little closer. As one of those objectivists, I have to point out Tony does attribute some/most of the difference to the Audyssey EQ. Once you add any EQ to the equation, all bets are off in comparing the amplifier section or even the sound of the unit as a whole. The outgoing Yamaha 995 didn't even have YPAO, Yamaha's own room correction product. 

Also, the 995 gives up 20 pounds to the 805, most likely in the amp section. The 805's amps are THX Ultra certified. Say what you want about THX certification, it still requires the unit's amps to deliver the power as specified and be stable into 4 ohm loads (actually, 3.2 I believe). Depending on how hard Tony's speakers are to drive and how loud he's listening, the 995 could have been on the ragged edge of its power envelope and the 805 still have some reserve left. Cleaner louder usually sounds better, even when levels are matched.

That's not even getting into the shortness of our auditory memory, level matching, etc...

There's no question that amps, or any other component, can be designed to sound different. Better is in the ear of the listener. However, from the measurements I've seen, Yamaha and Onkyo don't appear to be into shaping their amplifier's response functions.

Just another point of view. Peace. 

-Brent


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

Hi Brent, thanks for the note on the hidden menu. I will check it out.

Just for your info The Onkyo even sounds better in Direct mode as it turns off all internal processing and only runs in two ch mode. its a night and day difference between the Yamaha and the Onkyo.

My Mission 765 speakers are 4 ohm and this really made a difference. Although I'm now using my external Samson amp that has 240watts per channel to run my mains.

Here are the spec's on the Mission 765's:

2 way reflex
38-20,000hz
4ohm
sensitivity 93db
Max SPL 113db
200watts
crossover 2.3khz
Efective volume 57 litres


----------



## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

I'm considering either the 805 or 875 but have heard lots of complaints about the heat they put out. 

How hot do they get? 

Do you think strapping a 12cm low noise fan on top of the case and plugged into one of the 12v triggers would help alleviate the problem?

Also TonyVdb...I'm in Canada too, how much did you get gouged on duty brining it over the border?


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*



MatrixDweller said:


> I'm considering either the 805 or 875 but have heard lots of complaints about the heat they put out.
> 
> How hot do they get?
> 
> ...


The heat is not as big a deal as some say but it does get warm and should not be placed in a rack where there is less than 6" of space above it to breath.
I have a fan just as you say on the back right corner and it makes a huge difference.

Shipping to Canada was not as bad as I thought. Brokerage fees were $55 and then GST. I still came out ahead by at least $350 compared to what it would have cost here.


----------



## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

I'm wondering if the VLSC (Vector Linear Shaping Circuit) is that big of a deal with the 875. The 805 does not apparently have it. 

Does anyone know if VLSC is the same thing as Denon's AL24 processing?

I'm pretty much ready to pull the trigger on either the 805 or the 875. The only differences between the two seem to be 10W of power, VLSC and the Reon chip. The video processing is nice but not a big deal for me since I'll be using my HD-A2 to output to my projector. With the money I save on the 805 I could even buy a refurbished HD-XA2 if I really wanted the Reon for upsampling DVDs. I'm just not sure how much of a difference in audio quality the VLSC adds.


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*



MatrixDweller said:


> I'm wondering if the VLSC (Vector Linear Shaping Circuit) is that big of a deal with the 875. The 805 does not apparently have it.
> 
> Does anyone know if VLSC is the same thing as Denon's AL24 processing?


I'm not sure if you have read THIS review but it may clear up some questions.
You can see by what he says that it beats out receivers that cost twice as much so I doubt that the difference is noticeable or for that mater better.


----------



## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

*Re: Onkyo TX SR805 review*

I did read that review and it is very in depth. I also read the review of the 875 at Sound and Vision which gave it high marks and their stamp of excellence. The 875 according to their test bench results is equal to or better than the Denon 4308 in most of the audio areas. I have no way of demoing either as their are no resellers in my area that carry those models. 2001 Audio carries Onkyo but limited 705 and below.


----------



## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Hey Tony... I hope you don't mind me making your thread the Official Owners Thread for the Shack. If you do, I'll start a new one, but I thought since there was already some good discussion here it would be as good as any.

I finally got mine all connected up tonight with my Dish Network VIP622 and my Oppo 981. I cannot seem to get the Onkyo to recognize Dolby Digital via the Oppo. I am using HDMI on both the 622 and the 981... the 622 is doing DD fine, but the 981 will not auto default to it. Any ideas?


EDIT: Nevermind... I did not have the 981 setup properly. :rolleyesno: The oppo is new to me.


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Sonnie said:


> Hey Tony... I hope you don't mind me making your thread the Official Owners Thread for the Shack. If you do, I'll start a new one, but I thought since there was already some good discussion here it would be as good as any.


Hi Sonnie,
No its no problem making this thread the Official Owners Thread.


> EDIT: Nevermind... I did not have the 981 setup properly. :rolleyesno: The oppo is new to me.


It always amazes me that the user setup menu's in DVD players dont default the audio to bitstream over HDMI (assuming that was the problem).

Tony

Oh, by the way where did you end up placing your 805? 
I found that putting a 120mm fan on the top rear/right of the receiver really removes alot of the heat that is generated by it.


----------



## Eeyore (Jul 20, 2006)

Try "David Gilmour's Remember That Night" via blu-ray bitstreaming Dolby True-HD. It sounds amazing.

I'm using the Onkyo 805 with the Samsung BD P1400 with JBL E80's for mains, the E35 for the center, JBL 810's for sides and rears and an IB sub.

Nothing high end but it still sounds fantastic. Best sounding disc that I have ever owned. (For music)


----------



## Guest (Mar 10, 2008)

I'll be replacing my Denon 2805 and i really like the 805. I'm abit concerned with the heat but i have an open cabinet with a good 6" above and might get a fan if needed. Any other problems or all in all is this a good replacement for my 2805?


----------



## Eeyore (Jul 20, 2006)

I've had mine since early October and have had no problems.


----------



## bigguy (Feb 26, 2007)

Woohoo!! :jump:

Add me to the list of Proud 805 owners. :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Circuit City had a sale on them. Original price was 1099.00 and they were on sale for 799.00. They had an open box (missing mic, all other pieces were still sealed in plastic and tape from factory) and asked 699.00 for it. If you get the 3 year warranty (28.00) I could get another 10% off. Total cost for the 805 was 669.00 with 3 year full replacement warranty. :smile:

I set it up and noticed a GREAT LEAP in sound from my old Yamaha HTR-5040. It was gettin long in the tooth and has served me very well for several years. Unfortunately, It had no HDMI and no Preouts which were critical to me or I would have kept it for a few more years. It sounded good to me... until I heard this 805. All I can say is APPLES and ORANGES. the HTR wasn't even in the class as the 805 so there is no honest comparison to be made. 

Only one question... anyone got a mic I can borrow (or rent for that matter) for a few weeks to get things set up? Or will any mic do? :huh:

Thanks
Dan


----------



## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

I'm not sure about the Onkyo's for replacement mic but the older (pre Audyssey) Denon's say you can use a _Behringer ECM8000_. The mic from the 3805 and 2807 is the same, but they changed it with the 3808. The older ones were round and flat where as the new ones are 3 or 4 inches tall and taper up to a point. I think the main requirement is the frequency response of the mic ~15Hz to ~20KHz. Most standard mics don't go down that low. There would be other factors also like the mic's sensitivity that would come into play.

Amazon.com: Behringer ECM8000 Omnidirectional Measurement Condenser Microphone: Electronics


I'd check Ebay for the actual 805 mic first or contact Onkyo to see if you could buy one. If all else fails you could grab the Behringer. I also saw this mic on Marantz's site http://ca.marantz.com/Products/1998.asp. It looks pretty much looks the same as the one that came with my 2808.


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

bigguy said:


> Only one question... anyone got a mic I can borrow (or rent for that matter) for a few weeks to get things set up? Or will any mic do? :huh:
> 
> Thanks
> Dan


Welcome to the 805 club 

Give Onkyo a call, You should be able to buy one from them for not to much money.


----------



## Guest (Mar 12, 2008)

Eeyore said:


> I've had mine since early October and have had no problems.


I have also mine from early October. But because of *very* limited space for air circulation (inside a closed cabinet, only 3 inches far from the wall behind, and just two inches from the shelf above - surely way below ONKYO's recommendation), it got very hot, but it didn't turn off (and I was playing for more than 30' very loud rock music in low sensitivity speakers -A'Gallo A'Diva Ti), and sound was amazing! 

So, probably there is no problem even in this rather extreme setup. But, just to be in the safe side I am now using force ventilation with two 14' fans....

To tonyvdb: Very good review! Have you tried more configurations with audyssey set up (placing the mic in more positions, in different height etc.)? I have found that it is worth experimenting with! I found the best sound (till now) after the fifth try!


----------



## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

I have had mine for a couple of weeks... use it daily on average 6-8 hours daily... longer on Saturday. No issues thus far and not near as hot as I have heard others speak of.


----------



## Guest (Mar 12, 2008)

I have had mine for three weeks. No issues so far other than heat.

If there is more space on the sides it helps a lot rather than having more space on the top.

This one really brought life into my Polk rti8's.


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

plin said:


> To tonyvdb: Very good review! Have you tried more configurations with audyssey set up (placing the mic in more positions, in different height etc.)? I have found that it is worth experimenting with! I found the best sound (till now) after the fifth try!


Thanks,
I will be redoing it once I get my new SVS PB13 Ultra. As I am very happy with the sound to this point.


----------



## bigguy (Feb 26, 2007)

tonyvdb said:


> Give Onkyo a call, You should be able to buy one from them for not to much money.


Thanks for the quick response folks... Tony, that was a great idea... they sold it to me for 12.95 + 6.00 S&H...be here in 3 business days... 

Now Im happy.. :yay:

Dan


----------



## Guest (Mar 14, 2008)

Mine was bad out of the box! Left and left back surround had pre-amp issues. It's since been returned and I'm waiting on the replacement. When I attempted to do the initial Auddessy set-up...the left back had a very weak signal and would keep stopping at that point. This is driving me crazy :gah: because I JUST received my Aperions. Now they are waiting...covered in Velvet...for the replacement 805. :sob:


----------



## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

I saw this item offered by Antec, normally a computer case manufacturer.

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=75007#

It's a bit pricey but it looks neat. Should help dissipate heat when aesthetics and space are a concern.


----------



## JAKE 2544 (Mar 13, 2008)

Ok i'm getting ready to pull the trigger and buy the 805.can anyone tell me if it actually does three zones?I would like to have a zone outside and another in the kitchen while watching the tv.It's not really important that i do all at the same time but would like to be watching tv and have either the outside speakers going for the kids or music in the kitchen for the wife,but if i could do all that at once it would be great.


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Zone 2 is powered by the amp and has a line out for a separate amp, Zone 3 is only a line out for an external amp.


----------



## JAKE 2544 (Mar 13, 2008)

ok but can i have it in surround mode while watching tv and have the radio or cd going in another room at the same time?I was under the understanding that this receiver will let you do this.


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

JAKE 2544 said:


> ok but can i have it in surround mode while watching tv and have the radio or cd going in another room at the same time?I was under the understanding that this receiver will let you do this.


Yes, but ony if your using the line outputs if you use the powered speaker outputs it takes the rear channels.


----------



## JAKE 2544 (Mar 13, 2008)

:TI did it,purchased the 805 now i just have to wait a few months for the family room to be built.Thanks to all for the info on the receiver.


----------



## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

I hope I don't sound too negative...but if you're not going to use it for a couple months I'd take it back. Onkyo might release some new stuff in a couple months which will either push the price of the 805 down, or give the new model some nice tweaks and/or features the 805 lacks. Electronics depreciate faster than cars.


----------



## Guest (Mar 19, 2008)

I'm a couple of months from having my family room done also. Just saw that Circuit City had the 805 posted for $630 shipped (silver only). Thought about getting one at that price. Is anyone saying that it is best to hold for some possibly better features at a reasonable price? Any opinions here?:dunno:


----------



## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Bang for buck in my opinion the 805 is on the top of the list. The 705 is also a good choice but you loose in several categories. 
One being only THX select certification and two not having the top of the line BurrBrown DACs


----------



## JAKE 2544 (Mar 13, 2008)

I took zips advise and cancelled my order.He's right in a few months the 805 will surely be cheaper after seeing the sale prices on them lately,plus my concern is that if i plugged it in a few months from now and somethings wrong with it there not going to let me return it.Although i did buy a pioneer elite pro 1150hd from tweeter for $2249 on sale.The original cost was $4500 and the cheapest online price was about $3500 so i snagged that up for the family room even though i have to wait.


----------



## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

With electronics it's best to wait until the very last minute to buy. Prices drop every month or so and when it comes time for next years model release retailers get busy trying to unload last years stock. 

Onkyo released their new receivers last May and announced them earlier. They were earlier than the rest which trickled in between June and September. It's possible that they may let most of their models ride it out another year. They may not though. It's all about beating out the competition so who knows what they have up their sleeve. Onkyo has already annouced the TX-SR576 and TX-SR506 so a TX-SR806 might be around the corner also. They've also made some agreements with Microsoft which could mean more network integration with "Plays for Sure" licensing.


----------



## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

I know this thread is very old but have to ask. Did anyone figure out how to get in the hidden menu?


----------

