# Thinking of moving from Denon 1613 to Onkyo 809



## Prime316 (Nov 18, 2012)

Would I be going backwards since the 1613 is a newer receiver? From what I've read, the 809 is the more powerful receiver.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Hi and welcome aboard the HTS!
The Onkyo does have a heavier weight and that usually indicates a better power supply. It also has THX certification giving you some very useful processing modes as well as the very best video processor.


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## Prime316 (Nov 18, 2012)

Thanks for your reply.

I noticed that the 809 is very heavy. I have read that I may only notice the differences at very high volume. I rarely play my system at max volume. I may also want to add an external amp at some point so that is a check in the 809's column.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Not necessarily high volume but if you listen to movies with lots of dynamic range and you have speakers that can handle it when all channels are driven that extra headroom will prevent distortion caused by a weak power supply.


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## Prime316 (Nov 18, 2012)

My speakers are Klipsch. My mains are F30's rated for 150 watts rms.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

The Klipsch speakers are very easy to drive but I still think that the added power and the other features I mentioned are going to be an improvement. The 809 also has Audyssey MultEQ XT a step up from what the Denon has.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
The 1613 is a downgrade across all categories. As it well should be considering the MSRP. While thanks to the sensitivity of the Klipschs, the Denon would have more than enough power. However, the Onkyo uses what many consider to be the finest video processing solution on the market with the tandem of HQV Vida and Marvell Qdeo.

In addition, the Onkyo offers Audyssey MultEQ XT compared to MultEQ in the 1613. XT offers more filtering and supports up to 8 different measurement points. The 809 is a 7 Channel AVR whereas the 1613 is 5 Channels, the 809 has Preamp Outputs whereas the 1613 does not. As the HDMI spec is 1.4 on both, with the exception of AirPlay on the 1613, I honestly cannot think of one pro over the 809.
Cheers,
JJ


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## Wardsweb (Apr 2, 2010)

I agree with Tony, better room equalization and dynamics.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Agree with all the above - besides Airplay, the Denon is a lesser model IMO.


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## Prime316 (Nov 18, 2012)

Thanks everyone for your great responses. Maybe I'll order that 809 today and play around with it. If I don't like it more then that's what the return period is for.


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## Wardsweb (Apr 2, 2010)

Return period? I don't remember ever returning any gear in my life. I'm a lot better at buying than returning or even selling. LOL


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## Prime316 (Nov 18, 2012)

Wardsweb said:


> Return period? I don't remember ever returning any gear in my life. I'm a lot better at buying than returning or even selling. LOL



Well, I still have the 1613 which I would need to sell if I keep the 809. Well sell it or start a second home theater.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Prime316 said:


> Well, I still have the 1613 which I would need to sell if I keep the 809. Well sell it or start a second home theater.


Hello,
Provided the Denon is driving your speakers to your satisfaction, there certainly is not an acute need to sell the 1613 for a loss. Needless to say, I was not aware that you already both had the Denon and were beyond any return period. While the 809 is an undeniably better AVR in my estimation, the 1613 is quite good as well.
Cheers,
J


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## Prime316 (Nov 18, 2012)

Jungle Jack said:


> Hello,
> Provided the Denon is driving your speakers to your satisfaction, there certainly is not an acute need to sell the 1613 for a loss. Needless to say, I was not aware that you already both had the Denon and were beyond any return period. While the 809 is an undeniably better AVR in my estimation, the 1613 is quite good as well.
> Cheers,
> J



Got the 1613 for a good price. Not pressed to sell it. We shall see what the 809 is about this weekend. If I am not terribly impressed with it over my 1613 then it goes back. If I am impressed with what it has to offer over the 1613, I'll keep it and decide what I want to do with it.

The Master suite in my home is about 8,000 cubic feet and the wife has asked about doing some sort of setup in there. Instant use for it when the time comes. :T


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## Hvacscott84 (Jan 24, 2013)

I just got my 809 Friday and I am in love! Lol


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## Prime316 (Nov 18, 2012)

Good. I've been trying to get both my sub's fully integrated. I ran Audyssey with one sub and then just plugged in the second. Didn't work because there was too much bass. Now I'm going to try to run Audyssey with them both on after I gain match them. Hopefully that works.

I received mine Friday but the ups guy wouldn't leave it because we had an ice storm and all so I actually drove to the local ups facility that evening and picked it up.

I was a few seconds from actually returning the unit because the volume I was getting wasn't anything better than the 613. I then got online and did some checking. I discovered the jewel called Intellivolume. It instantly made me love the 809. 

Today I am going to be running Audyssey for about the 10th tome and hopefully get it perfect?.lol.

Did I mention...well not to you because you know but. This thing is a real monster sitting side by side with my 1613.

Here's to fun times.


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## Hvacscott84 (Jan 24, 2013)

Oh yeah it's a beast. As far as your subs go yes I had them both plugged in when I ran Audessy and just tried to tune them both down to 75db. I just put my ear right next to them both to try and get them to match...I know the guys on here have much better ways, but this worked for me. Also I should note I currently am running 2 different subs. Good luck


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## jevans64 (Dec 24, 2012)

Hvacscott84 said:


> Oh yeah it's a beast. As far as your subs go yes I had them both plugged in when I ran Audyssey and just tried to tune them both down to 75db. I just put my ear right next to them both to try and get them to match...I know the guys on here have much better ways, but this worked for me. Also I should note I currently am running 2 different subs. Good luck


It will take a little bit of time, but you could run Audyssey on EACH sub independently and adjust the subs until they show up around -3 dB trim in your speaker setup. Run Audyssey with BOTH hooked up and they should be pretty close to 0 dB in speaker setup. You could purchase a $50 RadioShack SPL meter as well. This would also allow you to use REW to fine-tune your room acoustics.

As far as the 1613 vs. 809. The 809 is going to be better in every category except for maybe heat output. The Onkyo receivers run hot. Another bonus is the preamp outs, which would allow for the addition of external amps for more power or more speakers. Handy when you decide up get more powerful speakers.


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## Prime316 (Nov 18, 2012)

jevans64 said:


> It will take a little bit of time, but you could run Audyssey on EACH sub independently and adjust the subs until they show up around -3 dB trim in your speaker setup. Run Audyssey with BOTH hooked up and they should be pretty close to 0 dB in speaker setup. You could purchase a $50 RadioShack SPL meter as well. This would also allow you to use REW to fine-tune your room acoustics.
> 
> As far as the 1613 vs. 809. The 809 is going to be better in every category except for maybe heat output. The Onkyo receivers run hot. Another bonus is the preamp outs, which would allow for the addition of external amps for more power or more speakers. Handy when you decide up get more powerful speakers.



I bought it with the intent of going 7.1 at some point. Even though I don't think I will need an amp anytime soon, it's good to have that option.

7.1 is going to be a real pain to set up because I have a window directly to the right of my seating position. Currently my regular surrounds are on the back wall but they are dipole speakers so they do pretty good.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

I have been pleasantly surprised with the heat output of my 809 - matter of fact, my Palladium Monoblocks run much hotter than it does.

Now, I still have fans running in the closet besides the in-line fan pulling air out of that room, but still...


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## Hvacscott84 (Jan 24, 2013)

I have only had the 809 a few days, but have not noticed much heat either. Note I am not using external amps and my unit is on my tv stand which is open. Dark Knight trilogy is sounding great!


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## Prime316 (Nov 18, 2012)

Wow, finally got the 809 dialed in. Audyssey did a pretty good job. I brought both subs up to 72db by starting Audyssey with each independently because having dual subs usually adds about 6db. That turned out to be right on the money. When I plugged both subs in they came out to 75 db together and by the time I finished running Audyssey, I came up with a perfect 0.0db trim for the subs.

The wife and I took in Taken2 this past evening. The movie itself was ok but my theater sounded great.


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## Lazerboy2000 (May 7, 2012)

For something like the 809, are there really any speakers that it won't drive? I've heard that Maggies and other planar speakers need lots of power, but is the 809 enough? I'm looking for a new receiver and hoping to one day get Magnepans


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

The 809 would struggle but it could do it as long as you dont push it and give it lots of airflow.
The 809 does have pre outs so adding external amps is always an option. The problem with Electrostatic speakers is they can dip down to 1 Ohm and that is really hard on most receivers as they are designed for no lower then 4 Ohms.


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## Lazerboy2000 (May 7, 2012)

Alright thanks for your reply. I definitely have been looking at AVR's that have pre-outs so I can always use power amps if I need them in the future. I've been doing research on receivers for quite some time now to try to find the "perfect" one that will last me forever


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## Prime316 (Nov 18, 2012)

Lazerboy2000 said:


> Alright thanks for your reply. I definitely have been looking at AVR's that have pre-outs so I can always use power amps if I need them in the future. I've been doing research on receivers for quite some time now to try to find the "perfect" one that will last me forever



I don't think that one exists. Especially if you frequent places like this....lol. You're always going to want the latest and greatest.


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