Can't decide which ....

dbpackers

Looking at an entry level HT to replace my old all-in-one (imc. DVD) Sony which has been a good servant but doesn't have hdmi etc and isn't the best for utilising my Blu-Ray player. I only plan to use it for TV/Cinema/Games so music performance is a non-issue. I really don't want to break €400 and €350 would be better.

Looking at either the Yamaha RXV371 + Yamaha speakers or the ONKYO HTS3405.

The Yamaha RXV371 + NSP285 speakers is priced at €360 + ~€15 Shipping at Richersounds (as compared to RXV371 + NSP270 at €370 in Peats) while the Onkyo is €299 + ~ €15, i.e. ~€60 cheaper.

I am aware that the Onkyo has a passive (and non-upgradeable) subwoofer, but so did my Sony and that never bothered me. Would the sound be that different in an average sitting room? Is the Yamaha or the Onkyo a better receiver?

Richersounds.ie: John

dbpackers wrote: »

Looking at an entry level HT to replace my old all-in-one (imc. DVD) Sony which has been a good servant but doesn't have hdmi etc and isn't the best for utilising my Blu-Ray player. I only plan to use it for TV/Cinema/Games so music performance is a non-issue. I really don't want to break €400 and €350 would be better.

Looking at either the Yamaha RXV371 + Yamaha speakers or the ONKYO HTS3405.

The Yamaha RXV371 + NSP285 speakers is priced at €360 + ~€15 Shipping at Richersounds (as compared to RXV371 + NSP270 at €370 in Peats) while the Onkyo is €299 + ~ €15, i.e. ~€60 cheaper.

I am aware that the Onkyo has a passive (and non-upgradeable) subwoofer, but so did my Sony and that never bothered me. Would the sound be that different in an average sitting room? Is the Yamaha or the Onkyo a better receiver?

DB,

many thanks for the email & apologies for the delay getting back to you - if it was me I would go the Onkyo route with either the HTS3405 which is now just £249.95 / €299.99 or else if you can push the boat out a little we also ahve the Onkyo HTS5405 now at just £349.95 / €419.99 which is S I G N I F I C A N T L Y better!

Alternatively if the Audio quality is significant - we have the shiny new Denon DHT-1312 available at a mad £349.95/€419.99 (including a proper active sub!) - Denon have really stepped up the quality of the speaker packs in their DHT systems this year and the DHT1312 speaker pack both looks and sounds miles better than any comparable pack from this years crop.

Thanks again for the post, apologies again for the delay and give me a shout if we can assist in any way,

ATVB,

John Mc & Crew

dbpackers

Richersounds.ie: John wrote: »

DB,

many thanks for the email & apologies for the delay getting back to you - if it was me I would go the Onkyo route with either the HTS3405 which is now just £249.95 / €299.99 or else if you can push the boat out a little we also ahve the Onkyo HTS5405 now at just £349.95 / €419.99 which is S I G N I F I C A N T L Y better!

Alternatively if the Audio quality is significant - we have the shiny new Denon DHT-1312 available at a mad £349.95/€419.99 (including a proper active sub!) - Denon have really stepped up the quality of the speaker packs in their DHT systems this year and the DHT1312 speaker pack both looks and sounds miles better than any comparable pack from this years crop.

Thanks again for the post, apologies again for the delay and give me a shout if we can assist in any way,

ATVB,

John Mc & Crew

Thanks for the response John. I've seen the Yamaho YHT294 on Pixmania for about €310 inc shipping but I think the amplifier in that setup is the older equivalent of the 371, plus it's from an Italian seller and I'd rather not have to deal with any possible aftersales at that distance.

Budget is a serious limiter on me, the HTS5405 is undoubtedly a better option but it is €100 dearer and I'm going to have trouble enough getting €300 past the War Office.

Richersounds.ie: Dave

Hi there.

The best value one is the Denon pack as the speakers that come with this package are better than the speakers with either the Yamaha or the Onkyo.

Ask the war office to sell some planes or use less ammo and you never know !

ATB


Dave

dbpackers

Richersounds.ie: Dave wrote: »

Hi there.

The best value one is the Denon pack as the speakers that come with this package are better than the speakers with either the Yamaha or the Onkyo.

Ask the war office to sell some planes or use less ammo and you never know !

ATB


Dave

Thanks Dave. I do appreciate the advice. But my audio needs are limited - my old Sony DAV-SA30 is still adequate apart from the lack of HDMI and will live on in the Playroom for many years. So given the level of usage and the fact that the HTS3405 is ~30% cheaper than either the HTS5405 or the Denon, I cannot really justify the extra €120, especially as I plan to upgrade the TV soon als and would rather save the cash for that.

So I'll be placing an order for the HTS3405 shortly.

Thanks again,

Mike.

dbpackers

HTS3405 just ordered.

net4hack

dbpackers wrote: »

HTS3405 just ordered.

Hi dbpackers,
How good is Onkyo HTS3405? Could you give a feedback? How good is the sub?
Guys any other affordable decent Receiver + Speaker bundle deal within 300 - 350 range? Have seen lots of combis like Yamaha with Jamo, Onkyo with Kef, but cannot decide which one to go for.

dbpackers

Box arrived very promptly (thanks Richersounds) and I got it installed Wednesday night. Haven't had a chance to play with it yet so can't really comment on quality. The Sub so far is more than adequate. I suspect I couldn't play it at full volume.

Speaker wire provided for Rears is not overly generous. One reached fine but the other is way short (assymetric layout of room and kit). I'm going to have to buy more.

One thing I would say is that my old Sony DAVSA30 all-in-one was fine without any twiddling. Perhaps it's because the Onkyo is more capable that it needs some finessing.

There is also a problem when watching a HD channel from my UPC box. The AV Receiver keeps clicking and "switching" the station back on every 5 seconds or so. Makes my HD channels unwatchable, so if I can't sort that out I may have to revert to UPC directly to TV, which undermines the value of the HT. Hopefully it's a small issue easily resolved.

net4hack

I have a Freesat HD STB for sat channels. So this could also be a problem for me as well. Hope someone who knows stuff in this forum would be able to help you. Have you called Onkyo support?

Apart the onkyo 3405 I have in mind
1. Onkyo 5405
2. Yamaha YHT-394 : € 349 @ pixmania
3. Denon 1312 : € 429.99
4. Sony BDV-E380 3D All in One Home Cinema System - € 359 @ pixmania

From the specs the even Onkyo 5405 has only 80 Watts Sub and 120 watts speakers.

I would like to have one with a good Sub (around 1000watts total power preferred) and Standby Pass through, with atleast 4 HDMI IN, FM capable.

I am researching this for some time and I could still do it for a couple of years!, since for me all receivers looks almost same. Forgive my ignorance.

Richersounds.ie: Dave

Hi there.

So far, I don't have any issues with anyone using a freesat box with the Onkyo systems, but this is the second customer to contact regarding UPC.

The 5405 system has a powered sub which make a substantial difference to the sound.

I can't comment on the Yamaha YHT as it's not one that we stock but the Denon DHT1312 is a great system and one worth looking at as I would consider the speakers to be better than that of the Onkyo.

The Sony system is very limited on connections and is decent value given that it has a player on board, but it does not compete with the systems built around a receiver.

1000 watts it well above and beyond what you will need for an average living room. 40 watts per channel at 8 ohms RMS would fill a decent room.

I hope this helps but keep me posted if you need anything else.

Many thanks


Dave

net4hack wrote: »

I have a Freesat HD STB for sat channels. So this could also be a problem for me as well. Hope someone who knows stuff in this forum would be able to help you. Have you called Onkyo support?

Apart the onkyo 3405 I have in mind
1. Onkyo 5405
2. Yamaha YHT-394 : € 349 @ pixmania
3. Denon 1312 : € 429.99
4. Sony BDV-E380 3D All in One Home Cinema System - € 359 @ pixmania

From the specs the even Onkyo 5405 has only 80 Watts Sub and 120 watts speakers.

I would like to have one with a good Sub (around 1000watts total power preferred) and Standby Pass through, with atleast 4 HDMI IN, FM capable.

I am researching this for some time and I could still do it for a couple of years!, since for me all receivers looks almost same. Forgive my ignorance.

net4hack

Richersounds.ie: Dave wrote: »

Hi there.

So far, I don't have any issues with anyone using a freesat box with the Onkyo systems, but this is the second customer to contact regarding UPC.

The 5405 system has a powered sub which make a substantial difference to the sound.

I can't comment on the Yamaha YHT as it's not one that we stock but the Denon DHT1312 is a great system and one worth looking at as I would consider the speakers to be better than that of the Onkyo.

The Sony system is very limited on connections and is decent value given that it has a player on board, but it does not compete with the systems built around a receiver.

1000 watts it well above and beyond what you will need for an average living room. 40 watts per channel at 8 ohms RMS would fill a decent room.

I hope this helps but keep me posted if you need anything else.

Many thanks


Dave

Thanks Dave,
Would you please help me with the following queries about the Denon DHT 1312? Does it have the following features:

1. Standby Pass through
2. 3D pass-through
3. 1080p Video Up-scaling
3. ARC (Audio return channel)
4. Deep Color
5. Audyssey’s MultEQ
6. Are the speakers made by Boston Acoustics? I have read that the Denon DHT 1312BA have that one. Do you sell Denon DHT 1312BA or Denon DHT 1312XP?
7. Warranty - 1 Yr / 2 Yr?

If NOT could you suggest a system that has all of the above and its price?

iba

dbpackers wrote: »

Box arrived very promptly (thanks Richersounds) and I got it installed Wednesday night. Haven't had a chance to play with it yet so can't really comment on quality. The Sub so far is more than adequate. I suspect I couldn't play it at full volume.

Speaker wire provided for Rears is not overly generous. One reached fine but the other is way short (assymetric layout of room and kit). I'm going to have to buy more.

One thing I would say is that my old Sony DAVSA30 all-in-one was fine without any twiddling. Perhaps it's because the Onkyo is more capable that it needs some finessing.

There is also a problem when watching a HD channel from my UPC box. The AV Receiver keeps clicking and "switching" the station back on every 5 seconds or so. Makes my HD channels unwatchable, so if I can't sort that out I may have to revert to UPC directly to TV, which undermines the value of the HT. Hopefully it's a small issue easily resolved.

Hi DBpackers,

I have the same problem as you when switching to a HD Channel via UPC and Im wondering did u ever figure out to resolve this issue?

What Ive been doing is turning the Onkyo off and on again and then the HD channel comes through fine

Wondering also if u use ARC?

would love to hear from you

Regards

Iba

dbpackers

iba wrote: »

Hi DBpackers,

I have the same problem as you when switching to a HD Channel via UPC and Im wondering did u ever figure out to resolve this issue?

What Ive been doing is turning the Onkyo off and on again and then the HD channel comes through fine

Wondering also if u use ARC?

would love to hear from you

Regards

Iba

Sorry for the delay (can you even call 1 year a delay) but I don't come on here very often.

Anyhow, the issue proved to be the UPC box.  I got a new one and the problem was resolved.

Richersounds.ie: Kenny

dbpackers wrote: »

Sorry for the delay (can you even call 1 year a delay) but I don't come on here very often.

Anyhow, the issue proved to be the UPC box.  I got a new one and the problem was resolved.

Hi dbpackers,

Thanks for getting back to us.

Glad it all got resolved

Chris