Question For anyone who has/had/heard Onkyo 6,7 or 8 series from last 2-3 years

samsungderby

Prominent Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
1,320
Reaction score
403
Points
303
I am looking shortly to upgrade my 609, which is great, but upgraditis means its on its way.
I had been looking at pioneer/denon/sony models because im after a brighter amp next, which nicely leads upto my question. I had always associated onkyos with a warmer sound, certainly my 609 and previous 309 fall into that category(well certainly compared to my other denon). but i have recently seen one or two comments about onkyo's being bright . Have they changed in tone in the last few years since 2011 models and older, or is it just other peoples subjective opinion, maybe after hearing a marantz or similarly very warm amp?
I also heard that yamaha's have got a bit brighter in last year or so also, so maybe i might be able to consider these also? whats everyones opinions?
 
Last edited:
Onkyo are generally regarded as being more clinical as opposed to warm in nature. If wanting something more clinical then Pioneer is probably your best bet? Sony too can be quite clinical in nature while Denon are generally regarded as being warmer, although the models from the last 2 years have been slightly more lively after criticism that they'd become too laid back and unexciting.

I'd be cautious of pairing a receiver with a clinical sound to it with your current Monitor Audio speakers. Pairing clinical amplification with clinical speakers can result in detailed, but fatiguing audio.

The higher end Adventage Yamahas are still warm in nature, but the most recent incarnations use a different DAC and are reported to be more detailed than those older units using Burr Brown DACs. Your speakers would actually go quite well with a Yamaha receiver.
 
thanks. the new silver 1's which it will be powering are not bright at all compared to the BX/RS models ,im not sure what the difference between "bright" and "clinical" is . i would say that the silver's are very detailed and revealing but treble is smooth.
when i played my fav concert blurays on the 609 after trying it with the same silver 1's hooked upto my x2000 it sounded really warm and almost dull but that denon is a very bright amp . as i usually use the mancave silver setup for movies thats not such a thing, perhaps i need something inbetween in terms of brightness for all round every day useage ?
 
Last edited:
I'm not sure you are equating bright with the right attributes. Your description of how the Denon sounds wouldn't be what would be attributed to a bright sounding amp. Bright or clinical is the opposite of warm. You can't have a very bright amp sounding warm or visa versa.
 
sorry i think you misunderstood me. it was the onkyo that sounded warm after i had listened to the denon. so basically you are equating clinical and bright as the same thing?
 
No, you were equating them as being the same thing if taking what you wrote literally. They are opposites.

after trying it with the same silver 1's hooked upto my x2000 it sounded really warm and almost dull but that denon is a very bright amp

You tend to lose warmth in favour of detail or visa versa.

Most appraise Onkyo receivers as being brighter than you describe them. Anyway, if looking for something more clinical/brighter than Onkyo then I'd suggest you go listen to a few Pioneer receivers or maybe Sony, but as I said, I'd not ordinarily suggest pairing clinical speakers such as yours with a similarly clinical amp.
 
Last edited:
— As an Amazon Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases —
ok i think what it boils down to is, what my idea of warm is and your idea of warm is are two different things. but anyway the main jist of my original question was have they changed tonally in the last few years at all. i was hoping that someone who had had say a 608/609 or whatever and upgraded to a 737 for example had noticed any increase in clarity (or clinicalness depending on your viewpoint)
 
If anything I have heard Onkyo has maybe got warmer in sound (more musical) and not brighter over the last few years. In reality the sound has probably not changed much so if it is not to your taste then try something like Pioneer as suggested earlier.
 
ok thanks guys for all your input, i think i am going to go for a sony 1040 or maybe a denon or pioneer if i cant get one at a reasonable price.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom