Denon 4311ci vs Onkyo 5008

[NorthStar]

Well, from the models or target price you're talking about; both Denon and Onkyo have pretty low noise floor.

You should try to audition one of those newer Onkyos from the 808 and up; you might like what you hear in comparison to the Denon sound.
There is also Yamaha, Arcam, Anthem, NAD, and Marantz.

* Me too I was used to the Denon (and also Yamaha) sound for a while; and when I tried Onkyo I was satisfied with that new Sound.

And of course, it ain't Krell, or Cary, or Classe, etc. as it is only from the Japanese manufacturers mainly; but the prices are not from those Krell, Classe, and other products of those classes either.

Perhaps the Emo Sound would be your cup of tea!

[mrluckiest]

As a brand new member (and my first post), I have to first say that I respect and admire the knowledge and experience all of you have exhibited in this thread. I am replacing my old B&K AVR202 in my HT, and found this site and thread in my searching. Please forgive my "lack of knowledge" and "experience" in asking a few questions after the 1 1/2 hour "12" page read. :-)

I am also adding rear in-ceiling surround speakers and plan to use the Anthem 5-ch amp for existing speakers and use the new Denon or Onkyo to power the new rears. #1, did I understand correctly that the Denon pre-amp mode will isolate the 5 channels where the Onkyo will not? #2, my tv is ISF certified. Will the Onkyo add to the value of that? #3, in checking prices, the best I find currently online is "new with shipping" - Denon $1510, Onkyo $1688. Since I doubt the seller is "authorized", is it worth the chance that the warranty may not be honored with either? BTW, I will also be replacing the Oppo with a PS3 to play Blu-ray discs and start to play some games.

Thanks again for all the valuable information you've already provided.

PS. Bob, it's time I visited Buchart Gardens again. What a wonderful place.

[NorthStar]

Hi and welcome to the Lounge!

1. About the preamp feature of the Denon: not a big deal at all! It ain't a sound improvement or a big saving on your electricity consumption.
{But the Denon indeed will shut down totally its four extra amps, and the Onkyo will not.}
=> But do understand here that those amplifiers in both these receivers are not totally independent as they shared the same power transformer. And besides, the Onkyo has four power transformers all together, and the Denon two.
And because of that, the Onkyo has separate isolation between the Amp section, the Video section, the Audio section, and the analog audio section.

2. The ISF certification on the Onkyo products is mainly beneficial to have perfect video adjustments for each source when you hired an ISF certified technician; as it has all the video parameter adjustments for him to perform that job.
* Like I said above, yes if you do hire an ISF video technician. If not, you'd have to be quite good yourself at what you're doing. But the video parameters are there to play with, if you wish so.

3. Only go with an authorized audio dealer! There are plenty online that are. And you're right; the best prices are roughly $1,400 for the 4311, and $1,600 for the 5008.

*** I live straight across The Butchart Gardens! ...But I might be living in a different area real soon!

[hammmerhead]

Mar 14, 2011 15:14:53 GMT -5 mrluckiest said:

As a brand new member (and my first post), I have to first say that I respect and admire the knowledge and experience all of you have exhibited in this thread. I am replacing my old B&K AVR202 in my HT, and found this site and thread in my searching. Please forgive my "lack of knowledge" and "experience" in asking a few questions after the 1 1/2 hour "12" page read. :-)

I am also adding rear in-ceiling surround speakers and plan to use the Anthem 5-ch amp for existing speakers and use the new Denon or Onkyo to power the new rears. #1, did I understand correctly that the Denon pre-amp mode will isolate the 5 channels where the Onkyo will not? #2, my tv is ISF certified. Will the Onkyo add to the value of that? #3, in checking prices, the best I find currently online is "new with shipping" - Denon $1510, Onkyo $1688. Since I doubt the seller is "authorized", is it worth the chance that the warranty may not be honored with either? BTW, I will also be replacing the Oppo with a PS3 to play Blu-ray discs and start to play some games.

Thanks again for all the valuable information you've already provided.

PS. Bob, it's time I visited Buchart Gardens again. What a wonderful place.

Yep, its a tough call between those two Lucky. Im just wasting my time to see how much lower prices go on those two receivers as I am in need myself.
Another one you might want to check out is the Integra 50.2 It was just reviewed and bench tested and I must say laid down a seriously clean test. Have you seen this review Bob?

[NorthStar]

Yes of course I read that review of the Integra DTR-50.2 receiver as I am a regular at Home Theater and UltimateAV Mag, as well several other Audio Sites (DVD AREA, Audioholics, ...) and Mags (Sound & Vision, What Hi-Fi?, and more...).

Regular as almost every single day, plus the owner's reviews from AVS Forum, and AVForum in the UK.

* Here: Integra DTR-50.2 AV Receiver Review

[hammmerhead]

Mar 14, 2011 20:23:35 GMT -5 NorthStar said:

Yes of course I read that review of the Integra DTR-50.2 receiver as I am a regular at Home Theater and UltimateAV Mag, as well several other Audio Sites (DVD AREA, Audioholics, ...) and Mags (Sound & Vision, What Hi-Fi?, and more...).

Regular as almost every single day, plus the owner's reviews from AVS Forum, and AVForum in the UK.

* Here: Integra DTR-50.2 AV Receiver Review

Heck, no comment on it?

The little 50.2 basically just smacked the crap out of the Onk 5008 on paper. Onkyo seems to let things fly when it comes to the power deliver in multi channel on the Integra line. Not to mention a much flatter frequency reponse, A much cleaner CD input and an additional 30 watts delivery for both 5 or 7 channel operation. It looks like the 5008 still wins in two channel use for power. Im still baffled why the 5008 falls so short in multi channel operation.

[tjb4141]

Thats why I bought the Integra 70.2. No one can believe there is a difference between the 2 lines

[mathguy]

Ah,

So there IS a difference between the 2 lines...heh, I had thought there might be.

Hammerhead, your analysis is spot on, indeed the "little" ( I lilke that ) receiver smacked down the 5008 with ease. Price is impressively low...I wonder what real prices will be on this reciever.

[hammmerhead]

Mar 15, 2011 11:28:12 GMT -5 mathguy said:

Ah,

So there IS a difference between the 2 lines...heh, I had thought there might be.

Hammerhead, your analysis is spot on, indeed the "little" ( I lilke that ) receiver smacked down the 5008 with ease. Price is impressively low...I wonder what real prices will be on this reciever.

I dont know about pricing Mathguy, but I have not seen anywhere you can buy the Integra line at discounted prices. Maybe someone will give us some insight on offerings. The bench test put a smile on my face too. Geez, the frequency response from 20 cycles to 20K cycles is a paltry -.01db ! Its literally cleaner in every aspect except the noted SNR ratio which both are in the 106db range. I bet it doesnt have the "space heater" characteristics of the 5008 as well. I dont care how many amps the 5008 says it pulls on the back panel its pretty apparent how inefficient it is from that alone.

[mrluckiest]

Thanks for the welcome Bob! I've been to Butchart Gardens about 3 times and always was in awe. So you may be moving? Near by? When I was young, we lived in Saskatchewan and went to BC/Alberta for vacations. Beautiful country.

When I got my tv's, the installation technician ISF certified both of them. He hooked up his eqp directly to the tv. So the Onkyo just would allow the tech to do it through the receiver? Would that eliminate the need for his specialized eqp?

Yes Hammerhead, it's been tough deciding. I'm sure the minute after we make the purchase, pricing will get much better. :-( I'm almost tempted to flip a coin and just get it done with. Both the Denon and Onkyo sound like good decisions. That old B&K is hell to deal with and it's time to move on. (by the way, I appreciate your Avatar!)

I'm not sure if the moderators frown on stating pricing/dealer name info, but if not, does anybody have some sites with those prices that are authorized dealers?

[NorthStar]

No, an ISF certified technician still needs his pro tools, but the Onkyo 5008 has all the video parameter adjustments that he needs right there inside the receiver.



_______________________________

The Onkyo 5008 is the better receiver compared to the Integra 50.2 no doubt about it!
And don't put too much attention on those power measurements.

The Integra DTR-50.2 is the equivalent of the Onkyo TX-NR808, so please, no one makes the mistake of saying it is inferior to the flagship TX-NR5008.
Lab tests are not the full story here. For more info check their respective websites.
The 5008 has nine power amps, the 50.2 has seven. XT32 with the 5008, and much much more...
-> Crosstalk is 15 dB better with the 5008.

* The 5008 sells for $1,599 at NewEgg.com (Saturdays only), brand new.
The 50.2 can probably be found for about $999.

_________________________

Also there is a review of the Marantz AV7005 also in Home Theater Mag, from the April issue, by Michael Fremer; and he likes it very much.

[mrluckiest]

Well, it was a tough decision, but I pulled the trigger on the Denon 4311ci today. All of you have been extremely helpful with your posts and answers.

Bob, a place with a ocean and mountain view sounds wonderful. ...maybe a house overlooking that bowl area and pond behind it in "BG" might be quite nice too. :-)

I have a speaker question, but will go to the speaker area as I probably should.

Thanks again,

Tim

[hammmerhead]

Finally a review on the 4311. Its not that detailed, but the mag has reviewed a few of the other top models to compare some power ratings with.

Turn to page 18 where you see the Denon AVR. You only get a few zooms so make them count. It appears the 4311 is capable of 120 watts X5. I wonder if it falls on its face when it steps up to 7 channels?



Doh! I guess a link would help. Flip pages until you see the Denon receiver. Dont click on the photos until you see it because you only get 3 zooms to read the test.

gb.zinio.com/reader.jsp?issn=homecinemachoice&o=ext&csid=cj