Warm rich sound with great detail and realism at natural soundlevels(makes me wish that I didn't live in an apartment). Excellent to handle, a lot of possibilities to tweak it according to your desires. Excellent preamp section, decoders etc. Uppgradeable to THX Ultra2 a.s.o.!!!

I sometimes wish it came without the cooling fan(but it doesn't really bother me that much).

I got this great reciever at a 40% discount in April and I must say it's been worth the money so far. I had been looking for one of the "top of the line" AV amplifiers for almost a year before i stumbled onto this one. Exept the obvious(sound quality)I was looking for an amplifier with DTS-ES,THX-EX,DPII and preferably 7 channel of amplification and a tuner on board. Except that I needed the possibility to separate preamp and amp sections to be able to connect the control box for my Canton RC-L speakers. For a long time it looked like I had to change speakers or buy a big AV reciever AND an extra amplifier to be able to use the control box for my speakers. Most of the big AV amplifiers in Europe also come without built in tuner (for example Denon AVC1-SE/SR for around $4500US)and that ment that I had to spend even more money( and get a bigger rack for my gear). Finally it all came together in one piece, the ONKYO TX-DS989!! And it had a big plus: the ability to uppgrade!! (wich seems like a neccessity in theese ages of ever changing decoding formats)

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Nad T770(nice preamp section, but way to weak amps for my taste) Marantz SR480(with external Nad 216THX amplifiers)

Lots of power - how do you want to hear your sound - tell the receiver and let it do it's job. - inputs and outputs that would make NASA proud. Excellent OSD, never used the remote - but very funtional - I use a Marantz remote (sorry can't say much about the factory unit. Very discrete power. Excellent processing power. Various configurations through the record and video allows you to tailor input and output of AV devices - eg. I was able to connect an S-Video feed through the unit and output it to an coax - now that is slick! - you need lots of interconnects for this type of funky chit man! :o)

Too much FAN noise - I spoke to the Dealer and he is going to investigate this for me - but maybe I just had a bad fan. No front AV jacks - but if you are a true audio/video nut - you will have every thing plugged into the back.

Dude! you are expecting me to tell you how great this thing is for the price of a small used car eh? Well you are wrong! This thing is better than anything you can set up in a full blown Cinema. I have a 7.1 system set up at home and all I can say is holly chit! Onkyo and motorola did a good thing here with the chip set. You hear every detail imaginable (provided that you have a good matched set of speakers and cables to go with it)from the crisp highs to the mid bass heart beats to the ultra low thumps. I have been through a lot of receivers - from Pioneer to HK to Yamaha to Sherwood to Onkyo and to more Onkyo and listened to a lot of stuff out there. This my friend is something you have to experience - not just read about. Once you get your hands on this unit and match it up with a good set of drivers and interconnets - you will totally loose yourself into the realism of what is only to be perceived. I am saying all this before I get the new UltraVersion II upgrade - just imagine what it is going to do for me when I get that done. (hearing and seeing is believing - try it - you'll like it.)

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- Pioneer Elite - Yamaha unit - was one of the top of the line at the time (can't remember the model #5XXX something) - ditched the unit cause it was just BAD - could not perform - HK - good sound

Todo

Ninguna hasta el momento

Excelente sonido en home theater o para escuchar música. Buena calidad de construcción. Lleno de características y poder.

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Otros modelos de onkyo, Denon 3802 y 4802. Yamaha 3000.

Remote control; THX Ultra Certified; DTS-ES; THX EX; Component video switching; 7.1 sound; build quality; appearance; 2 digital outputs.

Wish it came with the CHAD remote....oh well can't have everything.

I love Onkyo. I've had the TX-DS787 for a year and was in heaven (see my review). When the 989Ver2 came out I thought I could get a good deal on a 989 with the DTS-ES and Pro Logic 2 upgrades. When I found out I could ($4100 Can)....I ran to the bank and back to the store. This receiver is AWESOME!!!! It has everything you could want in a receiver. Matched with my PSB speakers the sound is breathtaking. This puppy begs to be turned up louder and louder and all the while the sound stays nice and clear. The 5.1 sound is wonderful. (DD or DTS) 2 ch music is great. If you want a piece of equipment that will make your friends go WOW!!!!!....the TX-DS989 is for you. My home theater ROCKS!!!!. Keep up the good work Onkyo. A totally satisfied and loyal Onkyo customer. My system: ONKYO TX-DS989 (receiver) HITACHI 53SDX01B (53" HDTV) SONY 9000ES (sacd/dvd player) SONY CDP-C215 (5 disc cd) SONY SLV-700HF (hi-fi vcr) PSB IMAGE 5T (front L/R) PSB IMAGE 9C (center) PSB IMAGE 10S (surr L/R) PSB Subsonic Zero (sub) Ultralink and Audioquest cables Monster surge conditioner

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Onkyo TX-DS787; Sony Receivers (don't even compare with Onkyo)

Do you really believe i have the space to mention all the strengths..ONE WORD EVERYTHING...OK HOW ABOUT EVERY DECORDER ON THE PLANET..OK HIGH CURRENT MIND BLOWING 7.1 POWER..BEST BASS MANAGEMENT IN CLASS..40,60,80,100,120Hz..use with care..this is seriuos bass.

are you kidding me..ABSOLUTELY NONE.

Simply the Best reciever in the world..i welcome a debate on this statement.I have own this audiophile masterpiece for close to 2years and recently completed the NEW upgrades.The verdict is that this reciever is in a lonely class by itself.The bass management is the iceing on the cake..mind blowing,body shaking bass.Warning!please make sure that the structural integrity of your house is up to code.

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HK,DENON,YAMAHA,SONY..

The 7.1 channels!! Yea Baby!

It weighs a metric ton!

After a lot of searching I found one at YourInsider.com for only $2900. I really like this receiver's sound quality for home theater and music. Everything sounds more open compared with the Pioneer. I was thinking about getting separates and actually called Oade Brothers to buy the Sony ES separates but they recommended that I get the Onkyo(which costs less than the Sony separates). Because the sound quality is so good and clean, I sometimes get carried away with the volume. I played some discs at reference level(something I could not stand to do with the Pioneer because it distorted before reference level was reached) and the receiver went into shutdown mode. The discs that it happened on were the demo dolby digital disc on the Train trailer(the other trailers played fine on that disc). The other disc that caused it to shut down was the DTS demo of the Haunting. These were very loud levels and I think it may have to do with my large 7000 cu. ft room and my main speakers(PSB Gold i). To resolve this, I have bought a 200w/ch 3 channel amplifier to power the front 3 channels. I have not received the amplifier so I cannot report on that as yet. As to the fan, even when I play music with wide dynamic range loudly, it doesn't seem to turn on and if it does, I certainly cannot hear it during the soft passages. Minus 1 star for shutting down, still a fabulous value because it is cheaper than the Denon 5800.

Great sound, clean, great build quality, upgradable and more...

None

Received the "RX-DS989" directly from Onkyo about 3 months ago. The instruction manual could be better, but I have yet to find any flaws within the receivers capabilities. It sounds great, has plenty of power, at least for the size room it is used in, and as far as the "fan noise" I have read so much about, you really have to listen for it to hear it. Of course it is "going in" in June for the latest "Ultra2" upgrades.

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Harman Kardon AVR80, AVR80 Mkll, and the AVR7000. All used/tested in my living room for extended periods of time.

Sound is clear and soft

Nil

This is a good Av,best for music and movie,Very very good...

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JAMO D590 Pioneer 838A Back JAMO A330

HT features/ample and useful/sonically marvelous.

it''s built! it lacks what flagship attibutes

When I first saw it in yr 2000 in japan, I know it is going to be owesome unit and it did! I have B&W 802 so I hooked up my Nakamichi PA-7II amps and used couple of Classic Onkyo M-508 amps to drive all surrounds and use it''s own power for center channel and the rest is history! When I visited Japan 2 years later I was stunned by these two new flagships from Denon & Pioneer, and 989 still in the market then. especially the denon, it''s must have been the Godzilla of AV Receivers the way they built it. 989 is not even close to these two although sonically they are all in the same league or caliber. Any of the three is an excellent and I found that out during some side by side demo in japan. Other than sonical comparisson, Evidently the other two has more to offer, 989 is only built out of tincan type chassis and made it look so cheap, as well it''s remote control. If 989 is built around the clone os some onkyo classics like M-588,M-508 &M-510 amps, oh man it''s gonna be a real battle of the flagship models. Ultimately Denon has it! My only regret is that I should have not went to japan & should have not look around and found out that somebody has built a much better model that breaks my heart, I would still recommend 989 why not! It''s still the very first flagship anyway sonically but I will give my respect to the other two for a job well done on their flagships.

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Denon 5800 & Pioneer VSA-AX10

Great sound, Software upgradeable, AC3-RF, Phono stage, Learning remote, Unlike in the USA, Onkyo''s customer service in Australia (Amber Technology) is outstanding, with all queries and problems being addressed within 48 hours max.

Multi Channel input, noisy fan.

This AVR would have to be easily one of the best products for anyone not wanting to fork out huge dollars for a product that in 12 months will become obsilete. Since purchasing this amp in JAN 2001 I have had the Dolby PLII and DTS-ES 6.1 software upgrade. The sound quality is stunning right from the highs down to the deep bass it can deliver and incredibly detailed. For an AVR it can reproduce music quite well but obviously not as good as a dedicated 2ch intergrated. The dialogue is always crisp and clear and the transition of sound effects from the rears to the mains or vice versa is smooth and subtle. The only thing that frustrates me about this model is the multi channel inputs. It is in the form of a DB-25 port with a plug that terminates with 6 very sub standard female RCA sockets for connection to your DVD-A or SACD unit. Also the input isn''t direct either. But so far I havn''t heard any multi channel music thats worth the worry, stick with two channel. One huge bonus was the inclusion of an AC3-RF input for us long term Home Theater nuts that still use Laserdisk as well as DVD, and for any vinyl junkies a MM phono stage as well. When looking around for a new AVR none of the others I was looking/listening at had either of these functions (Marantz, Denon and Yamaha) Finaly I gave this product 5 stars for value because here in Australia this model is between $4500-$5000 compared to Denon''s AVC-A1SE $7000 and Marantz''s SR-14EX $7000 as well. The Aus dollar is approx 52 US cents. Quite a price differance considering in my opinion (everyone has one!) this was better than the Denon and compared to the Marantz only marginal, also the Marantz had no amplification for the EX channel hence having to part with more cash for a power amp to get Dolby EX. My Setup: AVR ONKYO TX-DS989 DVD TOSHIBA SD-5200 (soon to be replaced) Mains Mission 781 Center Mission 78c Surrounds Mission 78ds Backs Mission 771e Sub none at the moment but not for long! Speaker Cable L/C/R Audioquest Granite and Tara Labs Prism Klara For the Surr L/R and Back L/R Kimber Illusions DV30 Coax

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ONKYO TX-DS838 ONKYO TX-SV525