Onkyo sr800 good buy?

[10fthdscreen]

I am finishing my basement, and was planning on getting the Onkyo 7.1. Is it a good buy? I mainly wanted it for the speaker upgrade capability. i also am installing a PS3 80g for blue ray and gaming, and have the Sanyo 1080P projector with a painted screen 113".

B4 I pull the trigger on this Onkyo, just wanted to make sure its alright,

Thanx

10fthdscreen

 

[10fthdscreen]

ZZZZZzzzzzzzz.............

 

[HCI]

I am planning to get that exact Onkyo model next month. I have been to Circuit City and they had a small display set up and it did sound good. I mainly like it because of the HDMI capability.

 

[10fthdscreen]

yeah thats good too, i found it online for 389.00 beats Circuit city by alot

 

[hendrix04]

I was looking at this until i realized that the sr800 DOES NOT decode HD audio formats. In order to get TrueHD audio you will need a blu-ray (or hd-dvd) player that can decode it and output it over analog (so you will have to run like 8 analog cables from your dvd player to your receiver).

 

[jayn_j]

I was looking at this until i realized that the sr800 DOES NOT decode HD audio formats. In order to get TrueHD audio you will need a blu-ray (or hd-dvd) player that can decode it and output it over analog (so you will have to run like 8 analog cables from your dvd player to your receiver).

Not quite. You can run a single Optical or coax connection to bring the digital signal over. And to whomever is about to flame about how it won't do lossless, please consider that this is a sub $400 receiver. If the guy has $1k to spend, there are other options, but this may be the best bang/buck.

 

[hendrix04]

you still have to make sure you get a player that can decode it. if you only have 400 to spend on speakers and a receiver then yes, i suppose this is a good deal, but if you have 400 to spend on a receiver then some extra cash to spend on speakers, i would go with the 605.

 

[jayn_j]

you still have to make sure you get a player that can decode it. if you only have 400 to spend on speakers and a receiver then yes, i suppose this is a good deal, but if you have 400 to spend on a receiver then some extra cash to spend on speakers, i would go with the 605.

The receiver can decode DD and DTS. That is probably good enough for the people looking at this unit. The included speakers aren't going to know the difference. Focusing on Tru adudio in this unit is a lot like "measure with a micrometer, cut with an ax"

I'd be more concerned about only 2 HDMI inputs and the fact that it doesn't upconvert component or composite to HDMI. That means you will still be doing switching at the TV, and that this box isn't futureproofed in number of connections.

I am reading back, and realize that Hendrix introduced the SR800 into the discussion. The OP only said "Onkyo 7.1" which could point to a whole range of products. He never set a price point, and his description can point to several receivers.

Given that, Onkyo makes nice units. So does Denon and Yamaha. I'd look for HDMI upconversion of analog inputs, large number of inputs, support of surround modes, etc. However, I'd be looking for clean power and enough headroom that you don't overdrive the amp first.

 

[griz_fan]

Yeah, the SR800 is a good buy. In fact, it can be a great buy at $320 (including shipping!) at the official Onkyo factory outlet store (Shop Onkyo). But, as others point out, there are compromises. Still, if this is the budget range you're playing in, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better systems. I have friends who have earlier versions of this HTIB, and they are very happy with their setups. Sure, no lossless audio, and the TV does all the video switching, but again, you need to consider the budget range. And, a Harmony remote goes a long way to solving the switching problem.

If you want lossless audio, you need to move to a higher budget range. It can be done, though, without taking out a 2nd mortgage.