Features,sound and flexablity.

Only real thing I can think of is the speaker jacks seem super cheap to me ,not very sturdy and very lose feel to them.Other than that I cant think of anything else at this time.

Well this has been the reciever of quality and features that I have been waiting for, finally my time has come.I am using Paradigm speakers Mon series with mon 9,mini mon rears and cc350 center with a PW2200 sub.I am in complete heaven. For the $1170 I paid for it,unit was new by the way, I couldnt be more happy with my total system at this time.After watching stacks and stacks of dvds I can now rest and worry about tv now that audio is now complete.I cant wait till I get dvd audio or whatnot now....

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood 990D and 2090.Sony 777ES....

The 898 is what an A/V receiver should be, lots of inputs, very versatile, easy to set up and adjust on the fly if you wish to. Once setup however, the unit remembers settings for all the modes AND signals . I rarely adjust on the fly, sometimes for the Pro Logic II music mode, and sometimes levels for the side and rear surrounds. Inputs? Got 2 VCRs, a DVD player, a Laserdisc Player with AC-3 digital modulator, an AC-3 HD digital Sat receiver and still have A/V inputs left! The sound? A previous reviewer here stated that the Onkyo sound was addictive. For Sure! Very clean and full sound, crystal clear highs, rich midrange and solid bass. I give the edge to the Onk over the Denon. I am using all 7 channels connected to large speakers [the smallest is the JBL Studio Center which I have set to large] and a separate 250w 15" DBX sub. Bass management seems to be a problem with a couple of reviewers here, no problem here, plenty of rich bass to go around! This is a unit that deserves to be used to its fullest to show what it can do, so hook up all the speakers [and large ones if you can]! Don''''t worry about clipping or hiss; not found here. What about the center rears?

I am hard pressed to find any weakness with this unit. I have not used the remote much, having transferred to my favorite all-in one unit, but there is one ergonomic problem with the 898 remote--the speaker level test [pink noise] button is right next to the volume down button, easy to hit when trying to turn the volume down in a dark room and a bit jolting… no biggie and a non issue to me.

First of all, I should state that I am more a "home theaterphile" than an "audiophile" dating back to the time the first Pioneer Dolby Surround A/V receiver came upon the scene. My comments in this review are directed to the 898 as an A/V receiver [which it is]; those who are looking for the best classic 2 channel unit, as in a below review, might look elsewhere [although the pure 2 channel audio on the 898 is really awesome to my ears]. About a year ago, I decided it was time [and after several high end Pioneer A/V receivers] to take the digital plunge and purchased a Sony STR 940B, clean sound, very tweekable, but a bit bright and didn''''t seem to have the full theater sound I was looking for. Pro Logic II and the 6 channel was now in the mix .I narrowed my replacement search to the Denon 3802 and the Onkyo 898. I went with the Denon 3802, largely on price although the Onk had more features. The Denon was not an easy setup, and in the end was defective: the remote was semi-broken [not a show stopper, but the volume down button did not work], and then there was noise in the S Video chain [not the cables]. Since I had a 30 day return, I did audition the 3802 for about a week. I can understand why a lot of people like this receiver, great theater sound. In the end, being a little nervous about the build quality and wanting at least one more rear A/V input, I returned the Denon and replaced it with the 898. And I haven''''t looked back…

Similar Products Used:

SONY STR-940B Denon 3802

For the money this receiver has a great line up of all the latest and greatest features. Useability: The 898 is so intuitive and user friendly that once set up it practically operates itself. The remote is a treat and in about 10 minutes of programming it eliminated the need for about 5 other remotes. Udjustability: The 898 is highly tweakable allowing optimum HT performance no matter what your room size/shape and speaker placement. HT: Amazing home theatre sound. Looks: This unit is a beauty to look at. I usually don''t care for the layout of Onkyo front panels but this baby is a work of art.

I really wanted to like (and keep) this receiver because it is such a pleasure to use. Unfortunately however, despite it''s awesome features, it''s just not justifiable to spend this kind of dough and be bothered by noticeable faults in the units musicality.

I just finished researching/shopping for/purchasing a HT receiver. If there is one piece of advise I could give to anyone doing the same, it would be: Don''t listen to anybody!! Listen to the receivers instead. Research models that have the features you want then let YOUR OWN EARS make the final decision. I had it narrowed down to the Onk 898, Den 3802, Yam 1200. I auditioned the 1200 vs 3802 in person. Both were oh so close and oh so awesome! But I went with the Onk because it simply beats the others in terms of features. And guess what, I bought it without ever even hearing it (not entirely my fault because when arriving at Cambridge Soundworks for a listen, their reply is "duh-we dont hook up all of our receivers"). But I figure $1500 (retail) is kind of a guarantee of great sound. Besides, everyone reviewing it at this site and others raves about it...so I''ll love it too, right? Well, I had it in my home for about 2 weeks and its Home Theatre performance was stunning. However, gradually I began to notice that while listening to my favorite music sources in plain old stereo/direct something was bothering me about the sound quality. It sounded bland and muddled, instruments sounded blended and indistinct. Rechecked all settings (I even checked my speaker wires to make sure I hadn''t hooked them up "out of phase"). Back to the drawing board I went and I now own the Yamaha rxv 1200 which I’m totally happy with. I did sacrifice some features, but in my opinion, this $300 less expensive receiver sounds awesome! Sorry to ramble on but just a lesson in how I got burned choosing based on price, myriad of features and most of all- other peoples opinions.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3802 (auditioned) Yamaha rxv 1200 (auditioned and currently own)

As above DVD-Audio sound phenomenal through this unit through my cheapest JBL''''s, then to a pair of Triad''''s, then onto a pair of Tag-McClaren''''s

Bass management could be ALOT better and more user controllable

In response (also) to the post two below this one...1st- I seriously doubt you actually have an 898, since $999 is less than dealer (Crutchfield, CC, or other) cost.... 2nd- If indeed you did get a NEW unit (regardless of model) the VERY FIRST THING that would have greeted you when you opened the box was a pretty lime green colored piece of paper that clearly states the problem with the Dolby Digital tracks on MANY of Hollywoods newest movies. This was a change in the ENCODING part on Hollywood''''s end. I install several different brands including Marantz, Onkyo and NAD on the low to middle end, then going up from there into ultra high end. I can tell you that EVERY low to mid end product out there, regardless of brand, is having similiar problems with some of the Dolby Digital tracks, regardless of manufacturer, and EVERY one of them puts a very similiar notice in the box! So---before you go bashing one of the best quality middle end products on the market, you should definitely doa little more research (and maybe read your lit that comes with your gear). Crutchfield sells the 898 for $1499.95, check the website! Now, onto the reveiw--- Power- Great Sound- Great (except for bass managment, they need to do a little tweeking here!) Features- More than you can get from ANY other manufacturer for the $$$. $500.00 will buy you a lot more, but this one is filling a very unique niche!

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I''''ve used, installed, and/or tweaked so many in different price and quality that I have a pretty broad feeling of whats similar. Nothing is really THAT similar for the same price. They all lose som

See below

See below

This is just a follow up to my previous review (see below). My unit is still great, still sounds great, and still runs great. I''m posting to correct the uneducated person directly below my who claims that all new Onkyo''s won''t play discs from Universal. People like that need to get their story straight in advance. Onkyo, Denon, Marantz, Sony, Kenwood, etc ALL have problems playing the Dolby Digital track ONLY. Furthermore, it will play, which the person below says incorrectly that they won''t, what happens in the audio drops out occassionally. The DTS track is TOTALLY unaffected. Thus these DVD''s can be played back just fine on virtually all receivers, especially the Onkyo''s. Also, further proving his ignorance, the 989 is not a new receiver; it has been around well over a year now. As always, if you have any questions feel free to email me as I welcome them and am usually willing to provide advice. Please see below for the full review that I gave.

Similar Products Used:

See below

7 channels with 110 watts of power, THX EX and DTS-ES

Extremely poor/Broken Bass Management which overides any "Strengths" the unit has.

I bought this unit thinking it would be exactly what I wanted. Well the receiver is great, except for the Bass Management. The bass management is broken/defective and does not do what the manual states (or what any other properly functioning receiver does). The manual states that if you pick "Large" for a given speaker it will receive the full frequency range of sound. This is not always the case. If you enable the subwoofer for Analog/PCM modes (in another menu other than the main speaker setup) the DSP in the receiver will take any bass below 80Hz from those channels that are set "Large" at a 12dB per octave cut-off slope and redirect it to the sub (in effect setting them small). Speakers that are "Small" end up with a more severe 24dB per octave roll-off on them again sending that bass to the sub (in effect setting them to 2x small). This was/is not acceptable to me, nor should it be acceptable to anyone else. There is no reason why receiver should take bass from channels set to "large" just because someone enables a subwoofer for that processing mode. Setting the crossover to have 2x as aggressive of a roll-off for the "small" speakers is also very undesirable and leaves nasty colorations in the sound. I called Onkyo and talked to their technical people and they admitted that the operation I was seeing was "normal". That also admitted that it did not behave in the manner the manual set forth. They reluctantly agreed that it probably should not do what it does, but went on to say there is no way for them to fix or correct this problem. I have since returned the unit to BestPriceAudioVideo for a full refund. I would not recommend anyone purchase this unit unless they do not wish to use a subwoofer in the Analog/PCM modes. Keep in mind the only thing that may not be affected is DTS and DD sources. I do not know if bass redirection works properly in DTS and DD because as soon as I found the massive problems for analog/PCM modes I stopped testing and prepared it for a return. I have ordered a Sony STR-DA5ES to replace this Onkyo. I have not yet gotten the Sony so I can not compare the two yet.

Sound, build quality, ease of use, remote, Power, Features, RCA to S-Video conversion built in, Pretty much everything.

None so far but I'm not sure if my neighbors like it.

I have been in the market for a new receiver for some time and was hung-up on the Onkyo 989 or the Denon 5800. Why did I settle on the 898? I didn't really lose anything that I felt I needed, and I gained a few things. This is an amazing receiver in every respect. It was incredibly easy to setup and configure. The manual was well written but I didn't need to reference it during the initial setup process, just for fine tuning.

It sounds fantastic, a significant improvement over the 727 to say the least. Lots of good clean power. Amazing separation...and I love DTS. The Eagles and Gladiator have never sounded so good. Details that I was missing before were jumping out all over the place.

I purchased a Pronto remote control thinking that it would be nice to have one remote control everything for me. My new Onkyo, after ten minutes of programming, is already doing just that. The only reason that I'm holding onto the Pronto is for the cool factor...it's actually a little more difficult to use.

If you are in the market for a new receiver in the $1000 price range you should listen to this receiver at your local A/V shop...and then buy it online from J&R. Don't underestimate the importance of easy of use either. A receiver that sounds great but is a pain to use will prove to be more trouble then it's worth.

My System:
Onkyo 898 (the new addition)
Pronto TSU-2000 LCD Remote (also new…I may return…see review)
Onkyo DV-C600 DVD
Onkyo DX-606 Integra CD
Signet SL280 Front L/R
Infiniti Kappa Center (If only Signet was still in business)
Signet SL 260 Rear Surrounds
Def Tec Bipolar Rear Back Surrounds
General Instrument Digital Cable Box (no S-Video)
JVC VCR
32'' JVC Television
Monster Cable or Audioquest Cable
No Sub – My neighbors have a big enough problem with me now

Planned Upgrades:
Buy a Sub when I buy a house
Find a center channel speaker that better matches my Signets...or replace the L/C/R
New TV

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Onkyo 727. Auditioned many siilar and more expensive receivers before buying this one.

play all audio formats now

remote, will not play new formats

Let me tell you why I got this unit: price, quality, 7 channels, and THX certification, DTS ES, DPII. These standards are nice things to have for the price just over one grand. It just $100 more than Denon 3802, but you are getting THX Select certification (which does not require to have a very expensive speakers.) , Base Management, More Sound Fields and 192 kHz/24-Bit DACs x 6 . So if you are on the budget and cannot afford TX-DS989 or Denon 5800, this is for you.
Listen some DVD-A and you see the difference. By listening some CDs I got some sound, which I never caught using Sony ES, Denon 38002, Technics and the rest.
I got to say that remote can be better (2 way, LCD display), but any way I only use this remote to operate TV, VCR, DVD. You can get optional remote for $500, which can satisfy anyone.
The biggest problems I would say:
1. You cannot calibrate speakers for any sound field. Denon can. There is not universal sound field for TV standard cable broadcasting. You have to adjust sound field to be able to feel rear channels. ( TV Logic, DPII-Cinema, THX Cinema, Mono Movie and so on.) Matrix sound field was a killer in Denon. But once you found it, it is much better sound quality than Denon. Bass is amazing.
2. THX decoding is relying on setting of your Receiver. This has to be AUTO. But it can only be DTS or DD by design. So if you want to take advantage of THX decoding you need to adjust the setting accordingly to DVD you are playing now.
Over all this is really worth buying.

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Denon, Onkyo, Marantz

Looks, Pure Audio, # of digital inputs, front input, neutral amps, composite-Svideo conversion

Some settings aren't saved, few radio controls on remote, altered input names aren't shown onscreen, bass management

As I upgraded everything this year but had to wait and wait for a receiver due to DPL2 and other new technology, I wondered if I'd ever find what I wanted in a reasonable price. (can't quite afford a Theta processor) Suddenly the 898 shows up with more optical inputs than dig coax (unlike its big brother), Pure Audio mode, video conversion, a front digital input, etc. I couldn't believe it. Essentially everything I had shopped for.

I found a way to get a great price and ordered one before they were even available, knowing I could always return it or something. It hasn't been a problem, the amps sound great (no sound from the amps themselves) and the functionality is mostly easy to get to and use. I didn't expect this, but it seems to have cleaner sound than my old Yamaha. I really expected them to be about the same, but it's pretty clear that a few more watts can make the difference on certain material. Or perhaps the amps are just a little better.

The most annoying problem I mentioned above is the radio. You can't change from FM to AM on the remote. All you can do is scroll through up to 40 presets. I set around 25 between AM and FM stations, so sometimes it can take awhile to get where you need to go.

I haven't actually completely figured out which settings are saved appropriately and which aren't. It seems they are saved by input rather than by both input and surround mode for most settings. This is unfortunate, but I plan on optimizing and not switching much.

Input names not showing on the OSD is a potential problem for the non-techie folks in the house. And bass management isn't to be found on any receiver in this class. So overall, few weaknesses.

At MSRP of $1500, this is of questionable value compared to the Integra 8.2 at $2000. Since the Integra comes with at least $1000 worth of extras (at MSRP), it would typically be a better buy. Hence 4 stars below. But at lower prices the value of this compared to other companies is pretty good. I got this for the same amount as the new MSRP of the Denon 3802, and the 898 has many features not available on the Denon.

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Yamaha, Denon

Everything imaginable!!

Nothing

Originally i was hesitant to spending that kind of money ; however, i don't regret it one bit.

I don't believe there is anything else out there like this one!!!

STRONG BUY

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Yamaha Rx-V596, the Onkyo does not come close!