Great sound quality, reliable, and for being vintage it still keeps up with the new receivers

Only weaknesses are the cooling fan. I added 2 external fans to beat the heat.

great value but needs careful partnering. better than marantz thx receivers in pure stereo. No multi-channel input, no DTS

Pre-Outs Power easy to use gold plated inputs multi source capabilities

No DTS, underpowered rears, needs more inputs

I picked up the Onkyo Integra 838 a year ago (April ’04) on ebay for $225 with shipping. I couldn’t pass it up. I was finally replacing my Onkyo 535 which I never had any problems with but was only pro logic and a little under powered. I know this is an older receiver, but in case you’re thinking of buying a used 838, hopefully this will help you decide. So far, I have been very impressed. It is true that Onkyo receivers/amps do tent to have harsh mids and brighter than most, this receiver is no exception (I’ve always use an Onkyo equalizer {eq-201} to even things out whether with this unit or others). I use this receiver for 2 channel music (80%), T.V (18%), and movies 2%. It will play as loud and as clear as I ask it to. Some others have commented on the bass. I feel the bass is adequate, but with today’s subwoofers, bass should no longer be an issue. Since my fronts are small JBL S26, I can’t comment on the bass without a sub hooked up. It wouldn’t be fair. With a sub, (Prodigy, Sting’s Brand New Day, Snoop, Thievery Corp., whatever) the house shakes. I’ve had no issues with the remote, and the on-screen displays are a little hard getting used to, but is helpful in the end. Front video inputs are handy. In the back, Gold inputs, pre outs for all channels and Binding post speaker connectors are great too. There are a few things I don’t like about the receiver. I knew these features were lacking, but they weren’t important to me. You may want to know. I know this is older, and perhaps it predates some of these issues, but they are still there. 1. In surround, the rears are under powered. I think the receiver delivers 90w across the FL, center and FR, and only 50w in the rears. No big deal for me, but if you’re a movie buff, you may want more power in the back. Of course, this unit has preamp outs for all 5 channels, so you could add an amp to even out the rears. Honestly, 50 watts is all you need in the rear, but today’s standards give equal power to all speakers. 2. Video Inputs. There are only 4 of them. That is enough for some, but if you have digital cable, an xbox, an ipod, a cd, dvd player, camcorder, VCR, etc, you get the idea. It could use a few more Video Aux inputs. 3. Speaker options. There is an A/B speaker switch. Keep in mind, you can only play A or B. Not both at the same time. Also, the multi source capabilities require an external amp. These features are specified in the manual, but they differ from previous models (With my old Onkyo 535, you could move the rear channels from the main room, and move them to the muti-source channels, with out an external amp, giving you stereo in two different sources in two different rooms). I have my 838 multi source hooked up to an Adcom amp, and running stereo sound into my bedroom. 4. No DTS. Onkyo has never been first when it comes to new technology. DTS was available when this unit came out, but it wasn’t included. I wonder what I am missing on my Saving Private Ryan and Gladiator? I don’t watch too many movies, so no big deal, and believe me, the 5.1 sound is still incredible. 5. It does run hot. Absolutely no big deal for me. Just give it some space and let it breathe. I can’t get the fan to come on unless I use all 5 channels very loud, for 5 minutes. This could be good or bad depending on your views on fan noise, and the size of your cabinet. That’s about it. I’d buy it again and would probably pay up to $300 for this unit, if it was in good condition. I was lucky to get it for $200. A friend of mine has one of the new Onkyo’s, I think the 600 series. I didn’t have the punch as this unit has. With my limited budget, I would have ended up with a Sony/Kenwood/Sherwood receiver that I know I would not have been happy with. I am glad I went with the 838.

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Nad Adcom Rotel Parasound Audiosource

Well built, Great sound through all six channels, Five year warranty on labour and parts, plenty of inputs/outputs.

Very little bass through mains. Ran very hot, this AVR''s fan was the opposite of the 989''s because it almost never ran at all and when it did, it was fairly quiet as opposed to the 989 that seems to run every 5-8 minutes and is annoyingly loud!

Excellant for a first generation AV Reciever with in-built Dolby AC-3 Processing. I owned this AVR for 4 1/2 years, 12 months ago upgrading to the TX-DS989. The 838''s surround is excellant and channel seperation was always great. It has plenty of inputs for people wanting to run DVD, LD, VHS etc. One weakness this model did have was very low bass through the mains even with the sub output turned off and listening to bass filled music (Michael Jackson, Eminem etc). A sub would definently be a must with the 838. Also a clicking noise is evident during layer changes on DVD''s because of the bitstreem drop out. This I put down to the fact this was a Laserdisk amp, meaning that DVD was unavailable at the time of manufacturing (The Dolby AC-3 signals are completly differant from laserdisk to DVD). For music not a bad performer but with all AVR''s, music playback is not a strong point.

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TX-DS989 TX-SV525

Clear, lots of controls, powerful, heavy, good looking, loads of buttons, Remote is very feature rich

Remote is a little big

The amp is powerful, clear and doesn''t color music the way most receivers are inclined. I found myself turning music up way too loud, not realizing it was so loud, because there simply was no distortion. I hooked up an infinity HPS 1000 sub and for some reason, this unit puts out a lot of base from it''s LFE, as Denon''s top of the line and a few others didn''t produce the same base from this sub. The front panel is beautiful and intricate, with lots of buttons, which I like, as long as they seem solid and well made, which these are. This was Onkyo''s top of the line a couple years ago, and now these units can be had for under $600.00...what a steal! The optical output sounds crystal clear on my home burned cd-roms. Plenty of optical, coax, and preout options. A great receiver for $1400, but a blasted oustanding unit for anything under $600!

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Denon, Marantz, Nakamichi, Harmon/Kardon

A very clean and musical stereo receiver

It can't touch high powered seperates. Your digital inputs must be set up properly to run AC-3!

As in introductory product for stereo listening or even home Theater in general the 838 isn't bad at all. In stereo mode the 838 can produce good music. However in home theater mode the receiver can be push to it's limit's. At high listening levels in AC-3 the distortion can become an issue with this unit far more than the Denon AVR-5600,which is a much larger and far more expensive product. However resolution is quite limited compared to seperates,even the AVR-5600 has difficulty keeping up with sepearates. It's certainly a nice all in one package but it can't provide the detail or effortless surround capabilities that the big Rotels and Adcom are capable of. When pushed hard the 838 and Denon distort whereas the Adcom and Rotels provide effortless power and detail. A competent and well built product but utterly out of it's league when compared to high powered separates. The 838 is certainly a good starter product but separates are far better,especially when purchased second hand at a substancial discount.

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Rotel RB 1090,Rotel RMB 1095, Denon AVR-5600, Hafler 9500, ,Adcom GFA 7500 QSC RMX 1450

Looks great, sound great and delivers the punch!

No DTS

Pure power!!! I purchased the TXDS777 and returned it for lack of power. Then I purchased the TXDS838 and it blew my mind. I also looked into the TXDS686 because it specs were the same as the 838, but they were not in the same class. For the price the 838 is the one. I'm looking for a good DTS decoder. I would only give it up for a TXDS939 or an Integra DTR 9.1.

slider switch on remote breaks, number of optical inputs, Low freq. reproduction

Very clean power and reliable machine. Excellent quality for the price. If you are looking for a higher end A/V receiver without breaking the bank check out this product. I would recomend a sub to compliment it because it is a little weak on the low end, however the highs and mids are outstanding!