HT sound

Not the best in stereo

This my second review. Something was wrong with my first unit. Now I''ve got the second one... -Power-yes -HT sound-great, without hising and something -THX sertification -yes-nice -soundstage in stereo mode-yes (esp. with Rock for ex. BLACK SABBATH "PARANOID") -involving in classics - 3 points -prologic II - I don''t need it -DD, DTS - fantastic ....

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.....in first review....

Great sound, functional remote, decent customer service

Design could be more attractive, no choice of color (they probably offer other colors outside US)

As other posters, I also had clicking noise in the speakers, wasted a lot of time troubleshooting, finally swapped the unit out with Onkyo and the problem disappeared. Sounds great, I use it with Polk RM7200 System

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None

Traditional Onkyo build quality (like a tank), lots of features even for the next years, THX Select, power, power and power (oh, Jesus what a power!), subwoofer management, high quality sound in stereo and in multichannel modes, perfect match with my B&W speaker set and ASW-1000 sub.

No banana plugs for the speakers on the European model?!?!

Overall, this is the best receiver I have owned so far and will probably own for some years to come. I do not see the need now to change it for another within 2-3 years. This unit is future proof and has more than enough features! The reasons for choosing 797 (for me this was an upgrade from the 676) were the 6.1 decoding (in spite of using it in 5.1 mode in the near future: it is difficult to place the rear center speaker in my living room), the new 192 KHz/24 Bit DACs (they truly make a difference during upsampling (nice highs, more detailed sound)), the THX certificate is also a plus that gives (among other benefits) the real punch that I like. I did not believe that a receiver could have so much spare power after the 676. Now listening to it at high volume levels, the 797 drives my B&W 603s in a completely different way than the predecessor! I hear new details and better soundspace in movietracks as well as in stereo (upsampled or not - but I like upsampling anyway)! Folks, I do not understand any criticism about this unit. It works very fine in all of the modes. It has tremendous power reserves and strange but true the Denon 3802 does not have THX certification (I mention it because that receiver is usually a close competitor to the 797 in reviews). I made the right decision, it cost USD 1300,- in my country (it was not cheap but worths every cent and I do not regret that I did not choose the 696 in the final run). I auditioned the 989 and IMHO under some conditions and with some software the sound quality of the 797 is comparable with the 989 and the difference in power is no big deal (I am practically destroying my living room with the 797 and the room is 5x6 meters big!!!). I would not pay the price of two 797s for a 898 or triple price for a TX-DS989!! Thanks ONKYO, you did the right job again! The 797 is a piece of art as well as a technical masterpiece!

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Onkyo TX-DS 444, 575, 676

Traditional Onkyo build quality (like a tank), lots of features even for the next years, THX Select, power, power and power (oh, Jesus what a power!), subwoofer management, high quality sound in stereo and in multichannel modes, perfect match with my B&W speaker set and ASW-1000 sub.

No banana plugs for the speakers on the European model?!?!

Overall, this is the best receiver I have owned so far and will probably own for some years to come. I do not see the need now to change it for another within 2-3 years. This unit is future proof and has more than enough features! The reasons for choosing 797 (for me this was an upgrade from the 676) were the 6.1 decoding (in spite of using it in 5.1 mode in the near future: it is difficult to place the rear center speaker in my living room), the new 192 KHz/24 Bit DACs (they truly make a difference during upsampling (nice highs, more detailed sound)), the THX certificate is also a plus that gives (among other benefits) the real punch that I like. I did not believe that a receiver could have so much spare power after the 676. Now listening to it at high volume levels, the 797 drives my B&W 603s in a completely different way than the predecessor! I hear new details and better soundspace in movietracks as well as in stereo (upsampled or not - but I like upsampling anyway)! Folks, I do not understand any criticism about this unit. It works very fine in all of the modes. It has tremendous power reserves and strange but true the Denon 3802 does not have THX certification (I mention it because that receiver is usually a close competitor to the 797 in reviews). I made the right decision, it cost USD 1300,- in my country (it was not cheap but worths every cent and I do not regret that I did not choose the 696 in the final run). I auditioned the 989 and IMHO under some conditions and with some software the sound quality of the 797 is comparable with the 989 and the difference in power is no big deal (I am practically destroying my living room with the 797 and the room is 5x6 meters big!!!). I would not pay the price of two 797s for a 898 or triple price for a TX-DS989!! Thanks ONKYO, you did the right job again! The 797 is a piece of art as well as a technical masterpiece!

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Onkyo TX-DS 444, 575, 676

For those of you who continue to blame this Superb Onkyo797 (or any other "High-End" Receiver for that matter) on the problem with with "audio dropouts" with certain movies, the problem has been detected in the Dolby Labs, in particular with a new "Dolby encoder release". I found this info on the "Dolby Knowledgebase" (www. dolby.com), which states: "Dolby has been actively investigating this issue recently, and has identified specific conditions that cause audio dropouts when the Dolby Digital soundtrack is played. The audio dropout problem is caused by an incompatibility between a new set of features added to the Dolby Digital system and certain makes and models of A/V receivers. Dolby has regularly incorporated improvements in its professional studio encoders by means of software updates. In our most recent Dolby Digital encoder release, Dolby added several new parameters to the Dolby Digital bitstream, including (among other items) a Dolby Digital Surround EX flag. Unfortunately, certain makes and models of A/V receivers contain incompatibilities that cause them to suffer audio dropouts in the presence of these new bitstream flags. Dolby has seen several reports of such problems, and we are still in the process of identifying all of the root issues. However, we have confirmed and characterized one specific problem that seems to be the most widespread. Specifically, in some receivers, the digital signal processor (DSP) chip responsible for decoding the Dolby Digital bitstream triggers a control signal output whenever the new bitstream flags are present. In many products, this control signal is active but causes no audio problems. In other products, the receiver responds to this control signal by momentarily muting the audio outputs. This results in frequent audio dropouts (or even continuous muting) whenever the new bitstream flags are encountered. As soon as these incompatibilities were identified, Dolby contacted all major DVD authoring facilities and encouraged them to switch off the new bitstream flags as a means of preventing further incompatibilities with the affected decoders. Dolby has also been working closely with the manufacturers of the hardware products and components to fully understand the problems and identify potential solutions in these areas. Currently, only a small handful of DVD title

Lllloooottttsssss of power, true powerhouse, clean sound at all volume levels, high quality DACs (192KHz/24 Bits), THX certification, very nice stereo, tank-like build quality.

Lack of banana plugs for the speakers in the european model (but maybe this means better contact with the wires, the surface is bigger?!)

I was looking for the 696 or 797 when I decided to trade in my one year-old 676. I made the far better decision with the 797, my receiver is future proof now in spite of using it (only) in a 5.1 system for some time yet to come! I did not believe but this receiver''s sound is so close to the 989 under some conditions! I do not really know why should I pay the price of two 797s for a 898 or triple price for the 989!!! The sound pressure is just brutal at higher levels. This baby could drive any speakers, I guess. My speakers (B&W series 600) sound in an entirely different way as they did with the 676!!! The 797 is a real technical masterpiece as well as a piece of art!! Thank you Onkyo, you did the right job again! I do not really know what is there to come in the next model year......

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Onkyo TX-DS 575, 676

Power and sound clarity DPL II Remote (ease of use)

Not the best looking receiver out there

(REVIEW) For the past full week I have had the Denon 3802 and Onkyo 797 at war in my living room. I have tested both head to head with a variety of movie and music selections. I have tested both in all their availiable sound modes. You name it, I''ve compared and tested it all. My final non-biased opinion is that the Onkyo 797 is the best of the two. Before comparing both of them, I was leaning towards the Denon 3802 because I had read so many great professional reviews about it. In all honesty the Onkyo 797 is a more powerfull machine. Listening to movies and CD''s at reference level, the Onkyo really out performed the Denon. Sound clarity was comparable, but the Onkyo''s sound power and volume was much better. This was most evident when listening to anything in stereo, especially stereo music recordings. In reference to the Onkyo and sound dropping, I watched the entire production of Jurasic Park III in DTS on the Onkyo without a single problem. I have yet to test it with Pearl Harbor or any of the other problem DVD''s. I do feel that this problem is a select software issue. (OTHER ODDS AND ENDS) The Onkyo''s remote was a bit more user- friendly, but it does not have the LCD readout that the Denon''s has. Set up was very easy for both, but quicker with the Denon. From a looks perspective I think I favor the Denon. The Denon has true 7.1 channel capability, but the Onkyo has 6.1. The Onkyo is THX select certified, and the Denon is not. The Denon only has one digital coax input. (SUMARY) Both of these receivers are awesome and worth the bang for their buck. But, if you are truly looking for the better sound amplifier, the Onkyo is superior. (MY SETUP USED TO TEST THE RECEIVERS) Fronts: Boston VR 965''s (powered) Center: Boston VR 910 Surrounds: Boston VR MX''s

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Denon 3802

setup was easy, remote is great.

none

This was my first surround receiver. I was worried about being able to set it up myself. But it turned out to be a breeze. I was confused by the way all the video input go into the receiver. But once I saw the on screen menu to set up the TXDS797 i understood. I love the remote, which I was able to program for all my components. Since I am not too experienced in this stuff, I won''t attempt to tell you how good it sounds.

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none

Plentiful THX-certified power, ample DSP modes, easy set-up and operation, good backlit remote control

None yet uncovered

First let me say "Thanks" to everyone that has taken the time to write a review for this unit..it helped me considerably. I chose the TX-DS797 after reviwing comparable units by Denon, Yamaha, and Sony. For me, the THX Select certification means plenty of clean power, the on-screen menues and set-up was much simpler, and the feature/price was outstanding. I would recommend ABT Electronics for excellent customer service, ease of ordering, prompt shipment & delivery. They even double boxed my unit to insure it arrived intact. Set-up was straightforward due to the easy, step-by-step user''s manual. The pre-programmed remote control was quick to learn my components although the multitude of buttons does take some time to get used to. Someone not familiar with my system might be confused with even the simpleist of operations. Once installed and set-up, I immediatly tested it to see if any of the previously reported DVD audio dropout problems were present. Jurassic Park 3 & Atlantis played flawlessly in all DSP modes including Dolby, DTS, and THX with no evidence of problems. Also, a couple of purchasers reported clicking or popping noises in the subwoofer. Again, no problems whatsoever. As far as the sound, it is absolutely AWESOME. On a volume scale of 10-100, an 80 is thunderous, yet clean. Indeed, my family room now sounds as good as(if not better) as any movie theatre I''ve ever been in...and isn''t that why we are into home theatre in the first place?

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None

looks good on paper

terrible quality control, bad tech support and the company i purchased the receiver from no longer sells it. hmmmm

this is a follow up to my earlier review where i mentioned the woodpecker clicking in the subwoofer. after 2 months of filtering the subwoofer to eliminate the clicking, this receiver has suddenly begun to click in virtually every digital mode. the clicking noise comes through different channels when switched in different modes. i am sending the unit back and will definitely not purchase another onkyo. there are two main reasons for not giving the receiver another try...one, the tech people at onkyo offered no help as to what has caused the problem and two, the problem worsened over time, leading me to believe it is not a long lived product. just another note...i had not been able to engage the dts decoder. nice try, onkyo.