Upgrading Onkyo 508

demented_uk

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I have had my Onkyo 508 for a couple of years now and have never been truly happy with the amp so i'm thinking about upgrading it.

I have been offered a brand new 616 for £449.99 but would like a 609, which I can get for £349.99. Or there is the 515 which I could get for around £400.

Would there be any noticeable difference with these amps over my current 508? Though I would like to upgrade I really don't want to have to part with my money if I there is not going to be much of a difference.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.
 
What speakers do you have? what are you not happy about with the sound?
Most of the receivers you are looking at are only a level above your current amp so although they should give better sound quality it is not going to be a huge jump and may or may not be worth the outlay to you. I would go listen to them first to ensure the improvement is worth the cost.
 
I have Cambridge Audio s30 fronts and Jamo A102 sub and rears.

I can't say that I have been displeased with the sound too much, just the functionality of the amp. There are regular handshake issues, particularly with the PS3, and the switching from 5.1 to stereo is a little annoying. I much preferred the functionality of my old Sony amp however, I was told that the 609 was a big improvement.
 
Since the problems mainly appear to be non sound quality related are you sure the 609 will address them. If the 508 has functionality issues etc. are you sure these have been fixed or changed with the 609?
I feel for improved sound quality you would be better spending the £500 on better fronts and/or sub instead of getting a new receiver.
 
After following your advice I have decided to completely overhaul my setup. I have gone for the Dali Zensor 5 5.1 speaker set with the Onkyo 515. I'll add another pair of Zensor 1s later on to complete the 7.1 setup, after all I can only remember one Blu-Ray I have watched in 7.1 this year. Exceptional AV matched Richer Sounds' package price so I got them from there. They are being delivered tomorrow.

Thanks again for the advice!
 

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