Onkyo TX-SR805 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Reviews

• Nothing Like High End Onkyo

  
  By A2GVM2T7J83D22 on 2007-06-16
  Guess which company managed to get True HD and DTS HD into their next lineup of high end receivers. Onkyo of course!! Cutting edge technology filling your room with beautiful sound.
  
  I received my Onkyo TX-SR805 in the mail yesterday and I couldn't be any more thrilled! The behemoth weighs in at 61 lbs. and you can tell it means business. Daunting as it may look, the setup is a breeze due to the fact that everything you plug into the receiver's many inputs, can be output to the TV through one simple HDMI cable. It upconverts any analog connection you can throw at it whether it's S-video, Component, or simple RCA. If you still have a Hi-Fi VCR or other Standard Definition electronics, I'd suggest investing in at least an S-Video cable for that, or if it does have an RGB Component Cable use that because even though it upconverts RCA it can only do so much for the picture quality. That being said it does upconvert all of these analog signals into 720p, 1080i. It DOESN'T UPCONVERT Composite connections to 1080p. The difference in the upconversion wouldn't be noticeable.
  
  The integrated Faroudja DCDi technology is wonderful! If you thought that your 480p signal was decent before, wait till you see how well this deinterlacing works! Edges have much less noise and things in SD are cleaned up very well through the receiver.
  
  Setup was easy as far as speaker configuration, the Audyssey MultEQ XT auto calibration system runs a speaker measurement set up for up to 8 listening positions in your room! so if you want it to take into account your entire living room seating arrangement, just move the little wired speaker microphone to each listening position and it does all the work.
  
  Unlike some receivers like my recently sold Sony DG800, the receiver's setup menu can be output onto your TV screen. So instead of squinting at the receivers display from across the room, you can see everything right up on the TV screen. However, if you do like to tweak settings while watching TV you can choose not to have it output onto the TV.
  
  If you're actually considering spending around $1000 on a receiver, THIS is the only thing you should be looking at! At the moment, the higher end Denon AVR4306 does just about everything that this Onkyo can do but the Onkyo Receivers are the FIRST receivers to truly decode DTS HD signals, and Dolby True HD! It's absolutely insane all the details that can come out of High Definition Surround Sound! I Recently acquired a Playstation 3 and although I don't plan on converting my DVD collection (500 dvds) to Blu Ray or HD-DVD I did purchase Speed on Blu Ray and I can tell you from what I heard, the future of High Definition Audio is here in this Onkyo TX-SR805! Every detail that they mixed into the movie's original track is encoded into DTS HD. It's literally translated from the original format without any loss of quality. It's ridiculous how amazing it sounds.
  
  You may not hear a huge difference, but when movies start being encoded with this HD Audio, eventually you'll go back to an old DVD and cringe at the sound difference (or at least notice the lack of detail in the audio). If you don't have a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player don't fret, there's still a vast array of audio settings between Dolby Digital, and DTS there's also THX Ultra2 certified settings that blow you away! I currently have my DVD player setup to THX Cinema and watching the Pod Race in Star Wars Episode One: Phantom Menace is something you should check out A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
  
  All the features can be overwhelming and the remote isn't the most intuitive, but when you spend a little time getting used to the buttons you need to push to make things work in harmony, you'll be happy with what you've got. Not to mention the beefy remote that comes with it can learn button functions which I love. For example when I coded in my HD Dishnetwork Box I couldn't get to the On screen TV Guide or my Recorded TV Menu, so I assigned the buttons manually and now the universal remote does everything my Cable DVR Remote does! If only I could code it to my Windows Media Center Remote oh well.
  
  My one and only tiny complaint about this receiver is that it doesn't have HD Radio. It supports XM and Sirius radio but not HD FM Signals (not sure how to explain it but it's CD quality Free Local Radio Stations). The radio itself sounds fine and I don't listen to the radio very often anyways so it's not a big deal to me, but being as future proof as this receiver is, it should have HD radio. (Since I don't have XM, Sirius, or an Ipod I can't comment on the Docking capabilities or the Satellite Radio quality)
  
  Last but not least make sure you have a big heavy duty surge protector, this thing is a power monster, you'll want a surge protector to make sure the receiver is getting a regulated amount of power, when I was setting it up I had all my components on at once and someone decided to turn on the hair dryer and a few fans, and there went the power. So be forewarned if you like 4 components on at once you might blow a fuse. also for $30 a 3 year protection plan is highly recommended just in case something shorts out in the receiver (knock on wood) you can service it for free, and get a replacement if necessary.
  
  These aren't available in the store(ordered mine online at CC) and the sales people don't have much info on the receiver itself since it came out in May(about a month from prior to today) but it's comparable to the TX-SR804 if you want more similar opinions :)
  
  

• Excellent hardware, terrible support.

  
  By A1EABPBJ5NQ851 on 2007-08-08
  My SR805 arrived with a bad remote control. Not a big deal, it happens, so I started the process to get a replacement. Onkyo telephone support hold times were very long (30-45 minutes). The person I spoke with was rude and seemed annoyed that I was calling. I was directed to contact one of two local authorized service centers. Calls to both service centers were not initially returned. Long story short, it took a few tries and a whole lot of patience before I was able to get a replacement remote control ordered.
  
  Of major importance to me is the ability for the receiver to switch all video and audio sources. I had problems with a another brand not being able to handle a 1080i/p signal over HDMI but I was happy to see that wasn't the case here. The SR805 handles all my video perfectly. One HDMI cable from the receiver to the TV. Perfect.
  
  On screen setup is a little cryptic, but not terrible. Automatic speaker setup is nice and it's fun to watch the dog try and figure out what is going on when the automatic setup makes the subwoofer thump. She's sure there's someone knocking, but where?
  
  Sound quality is amazing. Sound through all speakers is loud and clear. The volume wasn't as loud as I was expecting. It's pretty loud, don't get me wrong, but I expected it to be louder. This may be a result of my speakers, I'm not sure yet. I am using low end speakers right now. When I pay the receiver off, I'll upgrade to better speakers. In the meantime, it's loud enough to disturb the neighbors.
  
  The remote control is excellent. Big and easy to operate. Effectively controls all my other components (DVD, TiVo, TV). Too many buttons to memorize for use in the dark, but a nice backlight helps. My only complaint with the remote control is the small joystick in the center. I fear that it's too easily broken. In fact, the joystick is the problem with the remote I am trying to have replaced under the warranty.
  
  You should consider the unit's size and the heat it generates. It's a 60 pound beast. I am using this unit in a TV stand with a glass door on the front. The shelf above the unit leaves only about three or four inches between the top of the unit and the bottom of the shelf above. The back of the stand is open so I took a small 80mm computer case fan and wired it to an old spare 12v transformer. I plugged the transformer into the switched outlet on the back of the SR805 and mounted the fan vertically, on the top of the unit at the back to pull the hot air off and blow it out the back. The fan is virtually silent and this makes me feel a lot better about having the until in such a tight space. Thanks to the switched outlet, the fan is only on when the unit is operating.
  
  I would give the hardware four and a half stars and the support one. I feel the quality of the support is as important as the quality of the product and Onkyo's support is a real disappointment. Overall, I figured it averaged out to 3 stars.
  
  
  

• The Onkyo TX-SR805 Rocks!

  
  By A1NM50WDIXU14C on 2007-06-16
  My Onkyo 805 arrived yesterday evening and after making the required hookups the set up was easy. The Audyssey MultiEq made speaker calibration a snap. I watched Casino Royal last night in the glory of uncompressed audio through my Blu-ray player and wow there are so many crisp and smooth sounds that I was completely unaware of that exist on the BD. The sounds are lifelike and unaltered, the way the movie director had intended.
  
  I got up early this morning to try my ipod collection through the 805. I have a wide range of musical tastes. From Country, to Classic Rock, Modern Rock, Alternative, R&B, Pop and Rap. Its been five hours straight now and I feel like I'm in heaven with the incredibly accurate sonic production obtained from this receiver.
  
  In the $1K price range I don't think there is a better receiver out on the consumer market. Onkyo has definately hit a home run on this unit. I've become an Onkyo fan for life!
  
  

• Very good receiver

  
  By A2MHJJ4HXN8X40 on 2007-07-09
  If you buy this receiver, you're in for a lot of good features, easy setup and a hernia picking it up. The connections are very easy to set up on this receiver. I especially like the little tags that Onkyo provides to let you label the wires for you speakers, so you'll know which ones go with the color coded terminals on the receiver. The onscreen display is excellant. The Audyssey speaker set up is very easy and quick to do. There are a lot of options on the listening modes for each setup and they can be changed on the fly. I'm still not quite sure how to set some of them up, but I'll have to sit down and read the instructions some more. As I mentioned in the 1st line, this is a very heavy receiver. It weighs over 60 pounds and even says on the box that Onkyo recommends you have two people lift it. I could barely pick it up to put it on my entertainment stand.
  
  

• OMG Incredible Value

  
  By A19OSW6DTPHZAO on 2007-06-20
  THX Ultra 2 is a certification you don't generally see until you are paying $2500 for a receiver. To get it at a sub $1000 price point is a STEAL. THX Ultra 2 is Über AV class performance.
  
  I couldn't find it ANYWHERE online and ended up finding one at Circuit City. The pictures do it no justice at all. It's a BEAST of a receiver and it performs equally.
  
  The first Movie I put on was Blade. Picture the opening Bloodbath nightclub scene with the pounding bass techno music... then the ensuing fight scene when Blade makes his appearance all I could say was WOW!
  
  I've only owned it a few days so I can't really comment on the longevity etc but what I've experienced so far has been just flawless.
  
  I am pushing an absolutely incredibly performing and built mid priced Aperion Audio speaker system ($2000.) Off topic but if you haven't heard of them they are some of the best customer service bang for the buck company I've ever dealt with.
  
  Back on topic:
  The TX-SR805 is what I would call the Ford Mustang 5.0 value from 1986 total performance at a reasonable price.
  
  
• Sound so disappointing it went back
  By A3IQJY8WGP5ZH5 on 2008-04-02
  This Onkyo looked like a great choice and a bargain, what with its THX Ultra certification, high power ratings, broad feature set, and nice appearance. However, I was so disappointed with the sound of this unit that soon after I listened to music on it, I logged in to Amazon to request a refund. I will explain further...
  
  First the good news: this thing is built like a tank! 60 pounds of heft make it not for the weak of back to get into your rack. So I actually felt encouraged by that, figuring that an overbuilt amplifier is generally a good sign for good sound. This is also a pretty easy receiver to set up, with simple (possibly too simple) on-screen menus and straightforward controls.
  
  So after connecting up the speakers and a few key components, we went through the microphone-based setup, and after a couple of false starts got through that fine. The settings it chose for speaker distances and such appeared to be spot on.
  
  Then we popped in a DVD of Star Wars I. The sound seemed thin from the first notes of the opening fanfare. I also thought the rear levels seemed overly loud, but that is something easy to tweak. The sound during the movie was OK, but hard to judge since I hadn't watched that movie recently on my old system. Without dragging this out, I later popped in a dts 5.1 recording of Genesis Duke, a personal favorite I'd been listening to frequently of late, and my heart sank.
  
  Like I'm sure most of you reading this, I LOVE music. I am not an audio snob, but having been a hi-fi enthusiast for more than 30 years (I'm still under 50 and still have good hearing btw) I think I have a very good ear for things like transparency, spatial recreation, frequency balance and spread. The system I'm replacing is a high end Sony ES 9000 set, with separate preamp and 5-channel amplifier, and my speaker system is a carefully set up Polk home theater system with a powerful matching subwoofer, in a large irregularly shaped room (good for sound actually.) That Sony pre-amp/amp replaced an older Sony ES 5-channel receiver, and to me the pre-amp/amp combo clearly set a new standard for my listening room. Overall, the Sony pair was a tough act to follow, but unfortunately the 6-year-old preamp started coughing up digital blood and then finally died! Time for something newer, I thought, with the latest features. The speaker system sounds fine with no EQ at all, so I tested the new Onkyo both with and without using its Audysee EQ settings.
  
  I was willing to accept a possibly slight degradation in sound going back to a receiver, but to my surprise this Onkyo didn't even come close! The sound has a strangely artificial harshness to it, even though the highs seem well extended there was just something "off" about, for example, the crash of a symbol. And the denser the musical texture gets, the more the sound falls apart, getting cloudier and edgier. If you want a good test for these aspects of the more subtle but important elements of amp/preamp performance, get a good recording of dense vocal harmonies--I recommend track 11 from Alan Parson's stunning dts 5.1 recording of "On Air." A great amplifier will sound smooth, sweet and well-defined, with the voices distinct and natural sounding. An "average" system will sound a bit gritty, with the voices merging into a fuzzy smear. (If you're old enough to remember the sound of dust on a record needle, it's something like that but usually quite a bit more subtle.) If you pick the right test like this, it doesn't take a "golden ear" to hear the difference, the great system will suck you right in to the music and give you chills, and the so-so system will leave you cold and at a distance, maybe intellectually thinking, "well that sounded pretty good." No matter how I adjusted the controls (and a bit more on that later) on this Onkyo, I could not get it to sound even close to the musicality of the old Sony system, and it didn't take the most special recordings to hear the difference. I'm sure most people who don't have a higher end system to compare it to might never notice, and certainly dozens here have raved about how awesome they think this receiver is. It plays loud and reasonably clean, and the truth is that most movie soundtracks are much easier to bang out with volume alone than producing a great musical performance with no visuals.
  
  I have no doubt my sample was performing up to its specifications, but specifications and musicality can be two entirely different things. I honestly have no idea how THX can put their seal of approval on this receiver, which now tells me that THX does not equal great sound.
  
  Other negatives: the automatic setup does not set the subwoofer crossover frequency for you, so beware that it gets set by default at 80 Hz. For most systems people buy now, with small satellites plus a subwoofer, this is going to sound like crap, because small satellites usually start to fade off well above 80 Hz, and probably require something between 120 and 150 for the best sound. If you do buy this, make sure you look at that. Those crossover frequencies are in pretty rough increments on the Onkyo, not the 10-Hz steps you get with others. Setting mine to 120Hz did help the sound, but didn't solve my main issues of the overall sound being "synthetic" and almost lifeless. Believe me, I did everything I could to tweak the sound to try and get it into shape (who wants to send back a 60 pound beast?), but no joy.
  
  Another surprising negative about this Onkyo is that it doesn't have any sound field effects available, unlike most similar systems. For example, most competitors offer simulation sound fields of concert halls, churches, movie theaters, etc., but the Onkyo only gives you native decoding modes, plus some surround simulators like Dolby PLII. I was also annoyed by the fact that when you're adjusting the sound, even something as simple as bass and treble, for each change it mutes the sound for a second and then comes back on--that gets old in a hurry! And if I'm going to pick nits, the volume knob is surrounded by what's supposed to be a ring of blue light when the power is on, nice idea, but it looks like they put just one LED at the top, so you get kind of a half lit ring instead; why did they even bother if they weren't going to do it right?
  
  The final note to the story is a happy ending: I just replaced this Onkyo with a Yamaha VX3800. Admittedly, the Yamaha is about 50% more expensive. But the sound is superbly musical, in fact it's better than my Sony separates were, and I highly recommend it. Much richer feature set than even the highest Onkyo model, more powerful sounding than the Onkyo it replaced (and possibly even the Sony separates), and surprisingly it weighs more than 20 pounds less. Better engineering? Yamaha is also a musical instruments company, and the sound from their receiver shows that beautifully. I'm literally as thrilled with the Yamaha as I was disappointed by the Onkyo, and I plan to publish a review of it here on Amazon soon.
  
  I wish you good listening, whatever you decide to get.
  
  
• Onkyo TX-SR805 Review
  By A2M8Y7S1JLVWLO on 2007-09-29
  I just got this thing set up and the sound is awe inspiring. I had to send my Denon 4806CI in for warranty repair and bought this so i could still watch movies on my Optoma HD70 Projector. I will not try and compare this to my 4806CI because it is an upper level reciever and this is a budget reciever for me. I thought i did my homework on this reciever before i bought it and i overlooked something i think is sort of critical and dont want others to make the same mistake. This reciever WILL NOT upconvert the resolution output to 1080P, it will only pass through the same resolution it is being fed by the video device you are using. IT WILL take an analog video signal (i.e. S-VIDEO, COMPONENT, ETC) and allow it to run through the HDMI MONITOR OUT jack to display its NATIVE resolution to your TV or projector. I hope this clears any confusion up before someone buys it for this reason. This reciever does put out an awesome sound even compared to my denon and is easy to setup. I would recommend this reciever to anyone wanting excellent sound and HDMI pass through ability while using analog etc.. signals. You do get what you pay for, it just wont upconvert the resolution. Hope this helps someone out.
  
  
• Best in class, best for price
  By A2M5CPYG5INGYZ on 2007-09-29
  Looked at the competition and no one offered the combination of power per channel, THX cert., 1080P HDMI processing and # of diverse inputs, on screen set-up thru HDMI output, beautiful styling, and more. Also first to offer HDMI 1.3 so your ahead of the game. I am powering front and rear 4 ohm speakers (Magnaplanar MGMC1); though not massive speakers, it's a very heavy load for any receiver. You often have to go to multi-channel power amps to handle this load. The Onkyo TX-SR805S can be set - and is rated for - 4/6/8 ohm loads. Even Denon won't rate their products for 4 ohm any more! Front speaker output can be bridged or bi-amped by giving up some of the multi-room features.
  The auto speaker set-up, "Audyssey MultiEQ XT", will sample up to 8 seating positions to obtain speaker output balance or you can configure speaker distance, gain, etc. manually. It did a great job but was a little off for a couple measurements due to the dipole radiation speaker design (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipole).
  Sound quality really took a while to assess. The receiver was truly "unstrained" with center staging well balanced. I was a bit disappointed that the output required a setting around -20 DB to get the sound balanced I liked, as this was about the same setting for my prior receiver. Well, they're both rated nearly the same @ 8ohms but the clarity and musicality are worlds apart. Hi gain doesn't seem as loud when the output is clean and natural sounding. Output to the powered subwoofer(s) can be balanced for each input and for each type of signal processing. Speaker set-up also allows for L/R without a center and has features to adjust center-staging here as well. Speech in movie soundtracks, often difficult to perceive clearly due to recording and room acoustics, was actually clearer without my center speaker. An attribute of dipoles and the amplifier output.
  Programming features for room customization are extensive and easy to sort thru with on-screen menus utilizing controls under the front panel or on the remote. You have a variety of audio inputs for each video input and can choose from a variety of video inputs for each external source. Best of all, after narrowing down my receiver choices, Amazon had a super sale and free shipping on the product even though it is relatively new to the market. Product link: http://www.us.onkyo.com/
  
  
• Love this receiver
  By APMYPD97EHUUZ on 2007-08-11
  Replaced my Sony STR DA50ES, a great receiver for its time btw, with the 805. Bought it from Onecall on their Summer special. Absolutely amazing sound, great video switching, and the remote is trying to shove my Harmony 880 out the door (since I found out it's back-lit and learns everything!). I read the manual religiously and am continuing to find new stuff to try. The THX Ultra 2 is the real thing.
  Man! It's really heavy!
  
  
• I would not buy this product again !!!
  By A2HE4LFQKTI7HB on 2008-01-07
  The overheating problem with the SR805 is REAL. It fizzled, sparked and died during the Jacksonville-Pittsburgh playoff game Saturday night. What's worse... I called Onkyo and they said that I will have to take it to an authorized service center. I've only had the thing 10 days and they would not even consider swapping it out. That basically means my 10 day old receiver is now refurbished. Fortunately Electronics Express (seller through Amazon) is going to swap it out for me.
  
  Also... I had great ventilation setup. I had a fan blowing across the back and top and had plenty of room on the sides and top.
  
  Onkyo's service people don't even seem to care.
  
  
• Great for the two weeks it worked
  By A1N0HL6AGUA6KT on 2008-01-12
  On paper this receiver looked like exactly what I needed. Multiple HDMI ports, and it would pass a component input to HDMI out. I could connect all of my inputs (SA8300 HDDVR, Xbox 360 with HDDVD addon, and PS3) and have one HDMI cable connected to the projector in my theater (Sony Pearl). As a bonus the SR805 would handle the newer TrueHD and DTS-MA audio codecs that are starting to show up on HDDVD and Bluray discs and would support 7.1 surround over HDMI. Throw in the sub $1000 price and on paper it's perfect.
  
  Fast forward a bit to when I actually got my hands on the receiver. The PS3 seemed to work perfectly using HDMI for both audio and video. I watched both Casino Royale and 300 on Bluray and couldn't have been happier with the results. I had similar results with HDDVDs (Eastern Promises and Blade Runner). Despite that I never could get the SA8300 to play nice with the 805 using HDMI for an input. The image would judder regardless of which HDMI input I used. If I bypassed the receiver and connected directly to the Pearl I'd get a perfectly still image. To get broadcast TV to work I had to split it up into component for video and optical for sound. This meant that the 1080i feed from the SA8300 would be converted to 720p before being sent to the Pearl. No big deal, I figured that cable equipment isn't always the greatest quality, and I could live with both the picture and the audio with that setup as neither are knock your socks off high res on broadcast TV. It worked well for both HDDVD and Bluray, which was why I bought it in the first place.
  
  Now, for no reason at all it's stopped working, and no amount of disconnecting, switching of cables, or resetting seems to cure it. I can't get through more than 5 minutes of a movie without the unit shutting itself off if I use HDMI for both audio and video. Any sort of on screen explosion or abrupt transition makes it flake out and turn off, almost like there's a surge/short and the machine is protecting itself. As you can imagine that's really annoying.
  
  If I split the signal so that I use HDMI for video and optical for audio it plays through flawlessly, but that defeats the purpose of having an HDMI receiver that will decode the newer codecs. For what I paid for the receiver I want to work for more than two weeks.
  
  It could be that I just have a bad unit (it happens), but this is the second Onkyo HDMI receiver I've been disappointed with (the other being an SR674 I bought last year)so I'm done with them. I don't know what else I'll end up purchasing, as everything currently available has shortcomings to deal with. They all seem to be plagued with HDMI issues (dealing with HDMI issues has been a real pain in the rear to this point), or they're really expensive (cough, cough Denon). I thought my search was over, but I guess I'm right back where I started.
  
  
  
  
• i am sold
  By A2SWAEIB29JZ1H on 2007-07-02
  to all who have doubts about this reciver ,i would like to say ,check this out ,being married to my denon 3805,i listened to this baby and it was time for a divorce, this thing rocks ,the sound is crisp,and this thing has power ,all the sound feilds are just wonderful,to listen to,the minor things i did not like ,wasnt much 1 its 65 lbs,generates a lot of heat,and it did shut down my back up power supply,i had it pumped up with the sounds of toto ,in sacd,great reciver,as a denon guy if that what onkyo offers @949.00i am sold it has tru dts.and hd master decoding for the next gen ,after going throught 4 recivers in 3 years ,this babby is here to stay.
  
  
• Awesome Receiver just make sure you eat your Weaties it sure is heavy!
  By A3M3LQZRTDKQUX on 2007-07-23
  Great receiver at a great price. Easy to setup and having 3 hdmi hookups is nice. If your looking for a great home theater setup this is it. Had a Denon 2803 which was also a fine unit but this blows it away. A few things to consider is this is one heavy receiver, if you have a high shelve or have to hold it while you hook it up you might call a few neighbors and have some beer ready. I have a in wall built in and had to use a small ladder with the box to support it while I made all the hookups. It also as many have posted gets very hot. If your in a closed in area you WILL need some cooling fan.
  
  
• Wonderful experience with the SR805
  By A26K7HNWNPL9PJ on 2007-09-20
  Received my 805 Monday at 10:30am (next day shipping after a Friday evening order). I've not bought a new receiver in 10 years. My original receiver was a Kenwood 1080AV and I thought that was amazing when I heard it. Now, it's being used as a "subwoofer" to drive my 2 - 12" Rockford Fosgates (8 Ohm).
  
  If I had to pick just one word it would be "WOW". Even with my 5.1 setup (805 supports 7.1), it's quite a bit different from my original receiver. More modes, more sound and the auto speaker setup is a breeze. I felt like it was too automatic for my taste, but I'd have to say, it's spot on with all the adjustments.
  
  The 805, doing the same role as my 1080AV, seems brighter, more clear and has the sound stage right in my ear (which it should be). I think the 130W per channel must be making the difference. I don't notice any cutting or popping or any noise outside the occasional input selection pop (which you really can't get away from unless you spend some more $$).
  
  Now onto the test results. The "Hulk" was awesome. Made the house sound and feel like he was in my living room. "Cars" was incredible, NASCAR in my living room. I'm looking forward to all the other movies I haven't had a chance to watch yet (SW, ST, Blade, etc) that have really great sound, but I think I'll hear alot more with this receiver.
  
  If you can afford the extra 150 bucks over the 705 and 400 more than the 605, I'd say jump in, hang on and prepare to be blown away.
  
  
• Outstanding quality, easy setup, not as warm as folks have said.
  By A1WPQEBRQBFIJM on 2007-12-24
  I approached the purchase of this receiver with quite a bit of trepidation after reading numerous reports of it being very hot, and after seeing how hot it got in a local Fry's. I believe the key is the air circulation you provide for it. At the Fry's where I saw it, it was in a tight box, with no good air circulation, and the top got really really hot.
  
  However, here in my house, several days after installing it, and running it almost non-stop for days with a mixture of music and HD-DVDs playing through it, the receiver has never gotten more than warm. In my setup, I removed the back of the crappy little cabinet (a Bush build your own TV stand) and provided about 4-5" of space above the receiver. I also had 2 fans that I used with my DVR before I removed the back of the cabinet, but I'm not using those anymore. The receiver, in an environment where it has some clearance on the top, and open front and back, does not seem to be any hotter than my old receiver (an Onkyo TX-SR701) with the sealed cabinet back.
  
  Enough of that, on to the rest of it. The audio quality is *outstanding*, and the number of HD connections seems to be unparalleled at this price point. It allows up to six HD connections - 3 HDMI and 3 Component. Since the receiver has good high bandwidth component connections, this rocks. I was able to go from 20 wires hooking up my components to just 3, so that was wonderful too. My former receiver was just a few years old, and was not that different in price from this one, but the difference in sound quality is stunning.
  
  My father in law, who had a LOT of trouble hearing things on TV or movies with my old receiver, commented that I didn't need to turn the volume up so high, since he was able to understand what the announcers were saying. That's worth the price of the unit all by itself. The sound coming from a Toshiba HD-A30 HD-DVD player is phenomenal, and my wife is sold on the whole upgrade just from hearing that.
  
  I'm a very happy Onkyo customer right now. Highly recommended.
  
  
• **None Better**
  By A2HCUDAYU6PKQA on 2008-05-13
  For $670 & a true 130 watts per channel with all 7 channels active you can't buy a better receiver. With Amazon's $30 discount I got mine for $639 & change. I researched the Onkyo 875 & couldn't justify spending another $360 for a USB port & 10 more watts per channel. Likewise I couldn't justify spending $760 more for HD radio & the 140 watts in the Onkyo 905. But that 905 is a steal at $1,400 with the toraoidal amp. & I was tempted. Basically I looked at Yamahas, Marantz, Dennons & Onkyo. Came down to Dennon's 2808, 3808 or their 4808 against Onkyo's 705, 805, 875 or 905! The Dennon 2808 & Onkyo 705 just didn't have quite enough power. I decided to try the Onkyo 805 because in several different surveys the 805s were rated # One in the high end, 7 channel, plus 100 watt per channel category. Those surveys included all the receivers I've mentioned & more costing up to +5 grand. After I made that decision I bought a very sturdy stand for TV, cable box, DVD Recorder (which has a USB port) & above all this receiver. I made sure there was a lot of headroom for the "heat factor" which has not been a problem. If the 805 didn't meet my needs I was going to return it & up-grade to the 905 because bottom line, cost was not my primary goal.
  
  The 805 was up to task!
  
  My AV room is aprox. 18 feet by 14 feet. With out a separate amp, I have this thing pushing Polk RTi12s up front, a CSi5 center, two RTi6s rear-surround & waiting on two FXi A6s for surround channels. A Polk DSW Pro 600 provides base for everything under 80 htz. At -10 db it has my speakers smoking. At +5 db it's live & at +10 db there's no distortion what-so-ever & much more sound than I will need. All this while sending crystal clear signal to a Panasonic 50" Plasma. This thing allows me to equalize all channels individually as well as set the volume for each channel individually. I could have spent upwards 10 times for speakers & receiver but I didn't want to buy products just to brag that I owned them. I wanted quality products that would exceed meeting my needs.
  
  I could write volumes on this product but when all's said & done what was most important to me is that when I was finished buying speakers & receiver to compliment the TV, I would have an audio video arrangement that would "never" leave me wishing I had more!!!
  
  Onkyo 805 does it's part & much more!!! SIX STARZ
  
  
  
  
• More than I expected!
  By AH2P5F2I0KP4E on 2007-09-22
  I replaced an aging Denon receiver with an Tx-SR805. I have waited for HDMI 1.3 for almost a year. I expected to pay more, probably another Denon or Pioneer Elite. When this became avaiable I listened to it at Fry's and checked the features, I concluded that it had everyting I wanted in a receiver. I ordered one from Amazon, I can't tell you how good it is, because it still, after almost 2 months is still far better than any other receiver I have owned. My brother has two Denon receivers that cost him over $4000 each and I wouldn't trade. Simply put this is a great receiver, I'm glad I waited for it.
  
  The only problem I've noticed is some "banding" when it upconverts. The picture from all sources is greatly improved to near HD quality from DVD, Satelite, and even VHS!
  
  The sound quality is simply unbelieveable, it has a lot of choices and takes a steep learning curve, but once you learn all its choices-the sound is simply great! You would have to go to seperates- amps, preamps, etc. to equal the openness and definiton. Yes, I have owned seperates and don't want to go back.
  
  The last feature I really appreciate is the connection using HDMI. I have a box (about 25 seperate cables) I don't need anymore. Be sure to buy the new HDMI standard cable for 1.3. The HDMI 1.3 is necessary for HD sound as found on Blu-Ray or HD DVD formats, the Dolby Digital 5.1 standard we have all become used to is compressed, something like an MP3. Now if the industry will decide on one format and drop the other so there will be rental options for Hd Discs it will be worth buying an Hd player. When that time comes HDMI 1.3 is on this receiver and you'll be set to take advantage of the new sound cababilites without having to change and upgrade again.
  
  
• Too hot and burnt
  By A1X6M3E9SJKS7T on 2007-11-26
  I read lots of good review from Amazon and then decided to buy the SR805(b).
  
  I brought the SR805(b) Silver unit at Fry's at promotion price $699 together with Boss AM 10. Fry's advised me to buy the warranty in case it is burnt and they will replace a new one for me. I took the advise.
  
  My cable box can output 1080i through the component to my 1080p HDTV. But once I connect the cable box to the SR805, it downgrades the signal to 720 and there is no way to upward convert the signal to 1080i/p for this unit. (Only SR875 can upward convert the s-video/component signals to 1080p). The spec said it is 1080p compatible, which means HDMI output only.
  It is not so obvious by looking the spec for the 1080 upward conversion.
  
  Also the switching time between modes is slow on the SR805.
  
  After playing for a while, you could feel the heat generated by the unit - crazy hot. Everything works great at the beginning. However after 2 hours of operation, suddenly I heard a 'poke' sound and smokes came out of the unit when I switched it to play the CD music.
  
  It was a bad experience, and I don't know why the unit doesn't have any circuit protection and why it generates the among of heat. I already use the power surge protector for the unit and I don't understand how come switching to CD mode could burnt the unit. That's a serious design and manufacturing defect and don't know if the unit needs to recall for safety reason.
  
  I finally returned both unit to Fry's and the sales mentioned that everybody knows this unit generate lots of heat but no one report it burns. The sales also mentioned that Bose won't sell open item to customer and hence they need to return the AM 10 back to the manufacturer directly.
  The sales asked me whether I want to replace one or select a new model.
  
  I completely out of trust on the reliability of the Onkyo unit, as well as worrying on the power consumption on my electricity bill.
  
  I went to Bose to purchase the Lifestyle V30. They said the model was almost sold out. I needed to ring up another store to reserve one.
  
  The V30 works so great with much less heat, easy connect & setup, compact in size, fast switching modes. I got back all the 1080p signals!
  
  The cons of V30 is that it only comes with 2 HDMI input and 1 HDMI output,and it only support 5.1 channels, whereas SR805 comes with 3 HDMI input and 1 HDMI output. SR875 comes with 4 HDMI input and 1 HDMI output, with more features like THX, 7.1 channels etc.
  
  If you consider SR805 or SR875 $1500 + Bose AM 10 $1000, LS V30 is a good buy.
  
  
• Full Featured, but Sparks and Smoke!
  By A2MQBG7NYU8KJQ on 2008-01-19
  This receiver performed very well for a month, then I turned it on one evening and was greeted with sparks and smoke coming out of the top of the unit. I am getting a replacement unit ... we'll see!
  
  
• Support from Amazon, Onkyo after 30 days stinks!!!
  By A3JSC221IBSG3B on 2008-04-19
  37 days after I hooked this receiver up guess what happened? It died in a blaze of sparks, flames and white light!! Scared the S*it out of me!!! I contact Amazon telling them I am afraid to have this FIRE HAZZARD in my home and would like to return it, they pawn me off on Onkyo. Guess what there response was?? Only option is to have it repaired!!! So off to the repair center it goes, once I get it back it will be stored in its box where it cant do any damage to my family or me! Waste of $670 bucks!!! AVOID this receiver, do you want to take a chance on it doing more than just burning itself up? I dont!!
  
  
• Bad to the Bone!
  By A2XCH6END44AE4 on 2007-07-29
  This receiver is awesomE! It has everyting I could want in a surround sound receiver. The automatic sound mode detection is flawless. The only thing this unit doesn't do is upconvert to 1080p If you have a 1080p TV, get the TX-SR875. I always dreamed about having an amp like this. I can run all of the components from one control ( If you want to record via your satelite receiver or cable HDVR, you will need to use the satelite or cable box control, or you will have to program the applicable commands to the remote ) Compares to the Denon 4300 series and costs much less! AAAAA+++++!!!!!
  
  
• It burnt after 2 hours of operation
  By A1X6M3E9SJKS7T on 2007-11-26
  I read lots of good review from Amazon and then decided to buy the SR805(b).
  
  I brought the SR805(b) Silver unit at Fry's at promotion price $699 together with Boss AM 10. Fry's advised me to buy the warranty in case it is burnt and they will replace a new one for me. I took the advise.
  
  My cable box can output 1080i through the component to my 1080p HDTV. But once I connect the cable box to the SR805, it downgrades the signal to 720 and there is no way to upward convert the signal to 1080i/p for this unit. (Only SR875 can upward convert the s-video/component signals to 1080p). The spec said it is 1080p compatible, which means HDMI output only.
  It is not so obvious by looking the spec for the 1080 upward conversion.
  
  Also the switching time between modes is slow on the SR805.
  
  After playing for a while, you could feel the heat generated by the unit - crazy hot. Everything works great at the beginning. However after 2 hours of operation, suddenly I heard a 'poke' sound and smokes came out of the unit when I switched it to play the CD music.
  
  It was a bad experience, and I don't know why the unit doesn't have any circuit protection and why it generates the among of heat. I already use the power surge protector for the unit and I don't understand how come switching to CD mode could burnt the unit. That's a serious design and manufacturing defect and don't know if the unit needs to recall for safety reason.
  
  I finally returned both unit to Fry's and the sales mentioned that everybody knows this unit generate lots of heat but no one report it burns. The sales also mentioned that Bose won't sell open item to customer and hence they need to return the AM 10 back to the manufacturer directly.
  The sales asked me whether I want to replace one or select a new model.
  
  I completely out of trust on the reliability of the Onkyo unit, as well as worrying on the power consumption on my electricity bill.
  
  I went to Bose to purchase the Lifestyle V30. They said the model was almost sold out. I needed to ring up another store to reserve one.
  
  The V30 works so great with much less heat, easy connect & setup, compact in size, fast switching modes. I got back all the 1080p signals!
  
  The cons of V30 is that it only comes with 2 HDMI input and 1 HDMI output,and it only support 5.1 channels, whereas SR805 comes with 3 HDMI input and 1 HDMI output. SR875 comes with 4 HDMI input and 1 HDMI output, with more features like THX, 7.1 channels etc.
  
  If you consider SR805 or SR875 $1500 + Bose AM 10 $1000, LS V30 is a good buy.
  
  
• Great Value
  By A26E8EB1GEP0AK on 2007-08-06
  Finally slid this beast into my equipment cabinet over the weekend. Other reviews are correct, this thing is heavy (probably 40 lbs) and runs hot. Be sure to leave space for ventilation. Setup was quick, but have the book handy as it was not as intuitive as previous Onkyos that I have owned. Tons of Surround Sound options and of course, THX. I loved the 3 HDMI inputs (I actually didn't use all of them for once) and the HDMI 1.3 support for my Playstation 3. I haven't tweaked my projector yet, but I like the fact that this will support the deep colors of 1.3. I have not seen anything even close to this value in this price range. You would need to spend another $1K to find these features in another brand. If you are even considering spending $500 for a receiver and need to manage your video thru it, I recommend spending the extra $$$ on this unit and future proofing your set up. Two thumbs way up here. No regrets.
  
  
• Snap Crackle Pop + Plume of smoke
  By A1BU8D5OLBC9WV on 2008-02-05
  This receiver sounded great for all of 2hours. I wanted so much to love it, but wasn't meant to be.
  
  Watched The Matrix and a little over 2 hours into it, flash, crackle, and plume of smoke. The unit did not feel warm. Ventilation was not an issue, because it was just sitting on the tile floor. Didn't want to put it into the cabinet until I was resonably sure I had a good version, knowing that this receiver has potential heat issue.
  
  Thank You Amazon for an pleasant return experience.
  
  
• great reciever,Not easy to setup though
  By A3TOKWNWIJ9SH9 on 2007-07-30
  This is a fine high quality future proofed reciever.It is a Pain to set up everything and get it working however.Once its all set up its a total pleasure to use. I like Onkyo and having this hefty reciever for 2 weeks I wouldnt hesitate to get it again. You have to Really crank the volume up first time to get the hd surround sound going however. Once I finally understand what all the many bells and whistle's on this do I'll probably be even a happier camper.Bought thru Amazon,Butterfield shipped fast and safely.Called Onkyo service a couple of times during setup and they were very helpful.
  thanks
  Kenn
  
  
• Nice power, seems like a rush to market
  By AERJHSVTA5OAJ on 2008-01-21
  The Onkyo is a substantial receiver with excellent features. The amps and the Audyssey setup is accurate and easy. So what is the hitch? The problem is with the DSPs onboard the 805. For Blu Ray and HD sources (Especially HDMI 1.3a) there is a pronounced and visible lip sink delay. Extremely annoying with HDMI based Blu Ray yet very hard to notice with standard DVDs. Amazon has been slow to refund as well. Looks like customer service has been offshored a bit too far...
  
  So keep this in mind, great price (Unbeatable price) yet headaches in your future unless somehow Onkyo
  Can fix this with a chip swap or drive to the service center.
  
  http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11463542
  
  The Yamaha RX-V1800 and the Pioneer Elite X92 (wishing I chose this one first) do not exhibit the issue.
  
  
  
• Awsome sound - runs HOT
  By A2NZYD7WAU9MBB on 2007-06-22
  It does everything it says it will do and does it well. Make sure you leave ample room above and around the 805 as it generates a LOT of HEAT (this is compared to my old Onkyo Integra TX-DS838 that it replaces). The HDMI-CEC is a little wonky with my Samsung LN-T4061F LCD, turning on the TV turns on the Onkyo but turning off the TV leaves the Onkyo on - a minor inconvenience and to be expected with HDMI-CEC being brand new tech.
  
  
• Don't Bother
  By A1A17QNC5G2GL1 on 2008-04-25
  I have never written a review before but after experiencing this inferior product, I had to. After waiting for a long time for this receiver to be released it was a big disappointment. I have received a total of 3 of these. 2 died and so far number 3 is still running but the front display doesn't work. The feature set is impressive but only if the receiver works. It runs extremely hot and the sound is not as impressive as it should be. I had a Harmon Kardon AVR230 that performed better. I purchased this receiver because of the HDMI switching Audyssey sound setup and THX certification. I can't believe that receiver originally retailed for over $1K. I guess that's why it's plummeted down to under $700. After this one dies I am getting a Marantz SR-8002. I will never buy Onkyo again.
  
  
• Good Theater Sound
  By AZLWJUIHP9TPI on 2008-04-25
  Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1939QI1L5PH8X A short review on this receiver. Plenty of power, HDMI output works fine, 7.1! Powered Sub Wolfer hook up in the back, a great buy, period. Plenty of audio selections to get the sound you want for any occasion. Amazing for pcmi 7.1 surround sound videos (War is one of them.) Or games, make you in the action like you wouldn't believe. You will love it. I know I do and all my friends are now watching movies at my house.
  
  
• Great Bang For Your AVR Buck = Onkyo TX-SR 805
  By A2ARKEEDO6679D on 2008-05-11
  Yo-
  
  This receiver is an awesome addition to my home entertainment system.
  
  It replaces a Denon 3802 purchased in 2000 for $1200. This bad boy sounds better, looks better, is far easier to set up, has THX Ultra 2 certification, weighs 20 pounds more, has superior speaker jack placement on the back, runs cooler, has HDMI in and out, is much more powerful and cost less than $700 shipped!!!
  
  A lot to like and nothing to not like-eh!!
  
  

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