It's the most complete 5.1 HT receiver I've ever experienced.

I'm certainly not doing backflips over the remote. But I don't hate it either.

In reality, I'm only a casual listener, simply because most of my musical enjoyment comes from my iPod. However, I truly cannot describe how much I like an obnoxiously loud action movie on a 5.1 home theater. That's why I decided to checked out some high end equipment. I'm a child of the internet generation, so it is no surprise that the majority of my shopping gets done on their as well. I wouldn't suggest finding home theater equipment on the internet, but when an Onkyo TX-SR800 pops up on ecost.com for $350.00, it's worth the refurbished risk. I couldn't be happier. I've found that the only thing holding me back from getting evicted from my apartment are my speakers. I'm slowly upgrading my speakers to the Newton Series from CSW. For the price, I love 'em. I'm sure they don't sound nearly as good as those super-expensive brands, but for a recent college graduate, these bad boys can bump. Soon enough I'll have everything I need for a truly spectacular home theater - with my prized Onkyo as the cornerstone. An opinion: When judging your home theater for its "action" capabilities, try one of the first scenes from the movie "Swordfish". The first explosion scene really lets your system have it. It's a great way to dial in your 5.1. Another opinion: If you're note scared of refurbished equipment, check ecost.com from time to time. I got this thing for $350. Wait, let me repeat that. I GOT AN ONKYO TX-SR800 FOR THREE-HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS!!!!!! It's a nice place to pick up some cheap gear.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz (loved it for music, a little weak 5.1) JVC (hahaha, my first receiver)

everything great power low distortion

the rest of my system

I was very impressed with the receivers power output while still giving a clear signal. Movies where a real pleasure to watch, i never even knew movies could sound so good. Overall very impressed.

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nothing else comes close

- Powerful sound at 100wpc - 7 discrete amplifiers for 7 channel sound - Every surround mode available today including DTS 96/24 and THX surround EX - Many great features exclusive to Onkyo such as Intellivolume and WRAT technology - Easy to use, especially for the $1000 class recievers - 192 khz/24 bit D/A converters for 6 channels - Zone 2 capability - Solid build construction and sleek design

- If you have never been into home theater, you might not want to start out with a reciever of this class as it may be a little difficult to use. - Needs a few days when first purchased to be "run in". Sound may not sound right initially. - In terms of the actual performance of the reciever...NONE

Wow, this is an excellent reciever. I upgraded from an older Onkyo 575x mainly because I wanted a reciever that had Pro Logic II. But when I thought about it, I said I might as well buy me a reciever that is made for the future and will last me long enough for me to build around it. And that is exactly what I have now with my 800. It has plenty of power, solid build construction, pleasing visual appearance, every surround sound available to date, 7.1 output, THX certification with THX Surround EX, all for less than $1000. For the price, I don't think there is a reciever out there that can beat it. Trust me, I checked. I spent at least 2 months searching the internet everyday, looking at home theater forums, and shopping at different electronic stores spanning 3 different states to find out what is the best reciever for that price with all those features. Of course I was told about the usual top choices: the Denon 3803 and the HK 525. I also listened to the Marantz (not sure which one), the Yamaha 2300, and the Integra 7.3. Basically, I found out one major thing. All of these companies try to use several tactics just to get our (the consumers') money. Also, some stores favor certain brands over others. When it comes down to it, I recommend just going and listening in person to the reciever of your choice and not pay to much attention to what others may think and some stores may tell you. It's good to know what brands are good and it's good to use others' opinion as a guide. From my research I found that those were the best recievers in the $1000 class. Then I used my own judgment. I did not know much about the Marantz and I only found in 1 out of like 10 stores I searched. I personally wanted a well known product that is easliy accessible so that was a turn off. I also didn't like the way the reciever looked and while it sounded good, it didn't impress to the point where it blew away any of the other brands. The Integra is basically Onkyo and I only found that in a small local store as well. For the same reciever in the Integra brand is $200 more expensive than the 800 and I couldn't figure out why. Besides some new colors on the speaker terminals and some slightly more sturdy construction, I didn't think the "luxury" features were worth the extra money. The Yamaha is a favorite for some smaller chains, but others don't have much good to say about it. I found the display to be too simple and the remote control too complex. Also, the reciever was "too" customizable making it a hassle to use. But most importantly, for the same price, it was missing the 7th channel. That left the Denon, Onkyo, and HK, all which I heard great things about. The Denon may sound excellent, but I didn't like the way it looked at all. To me it is an ugly reciever and looks really dull. Also, it costs about $300 more than the 800. So, between the 525 and the 800, I asked around about a dozen stores and at least 10 of them recommended the Onkyo. They said the HK gets too hot and there have been a lot of problems with it's stabilty. I listened to the two side by side and did notice a slightly warmer sound from the HK. But again, the difference wasn't mind blowing. To a casual listener, it would take about 20-30 min of hard listening to notice it. So, the 800 had it all and I got it for $250 less than the retail price. I highly recommend this reciever. You can look it up and see the great reviews for it, but when it comes down to it, you be the judge. Listen for yourself. I was having a hard time deciding and was anxious for help, so I hope this helps someone out there with my same problem.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo 577x Denon 2803, 3803 HK 525

best sound for thre dollar-Bought for the kids room and let me say this much --GREAT SOUND for the money!!!

Onkyo sound DD DTS THX

a bit bright if used to older units.

I have been interested in the TX-SR800 since the release date in the fall of 2002. Finding this unit for a preview ended up to be very difficult. After searching a 300 mile radius of my home...I started to search online...something I did not want to do. I have always listened to gear before making a purchase. After first auditioning the Denon 3803 and Pioneer VSX-45TX I still liked the sound of my Onkyo 610PRO...a beefy integrated prologic unit from around the turn of the century. After months of reading reviews and getting caught up on the current technologies...I pulled the trigger. My final choice being that I have lived with the Onkyo sound for years. Also that I have never had a reliability problem with any of my Onkyo units. In the end, set-up was easy...I saved a ton of money over retail...I wanted 7 channels, DD, DTS, THX and 100 watts. The digital sound of my new Onkyo TX-SR800 is a bit brighter than my integrated 610PRO. The money I saved over retail I was able to pick up a SVS PB1-ISD (killer sub). The sub makes up for the digital brightness of my new Onkyo. Anyone upgrading from ProLogic or two channel will be glad they did as I am.

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Onkyo A-4 Onkyo 610Pro

Clean sound, No noise, Good Build Quality, Weights Almost 40lbs. THX Certified. The one i bought is Made in Japan some TX-SR800 is made in Malaysia.

Music sounds flat. Remote is not LCD.

I have tested both the Denon AVR-3803 and the Onkyo TX-SR800 Both of them sound excellent. But Big Price difference between Denon AVR-3803 and Onkyo TX-SR800. Also I noticed the Onkyo sounds flat when listening to Music compare to the Denon. Both of them did really well when watching DVD Movies. I liked the Onkyo because it has the THX Select Certification and cost $200 less retail compare to the Denon. But I chose the Onkyo because i watch Movies 90% of the time and listen to music 10% of the time so the flat music production doesn't matter to me. Overall this is a great Reciever, I had many people recommend the Denon over Onkyo but I test both Reciever and i like the Onkyo better. So Go out and test it for yourself don't just read reviews and go out and buy it because people say so. Listen to them for yourself. I would have bought the Denon if it was the same price. Also i only bought it for $749 online from an Authorized dealer compare to 999.99 MSRP.

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My system Mitsubishi Diamond Series 55711 Panasonic DVD-RP82 Monster HTS-3600 Power Conditioner Surrounds and rear B&W DM601S3X4 Center B&W LCR60S3X1 Front B&W DM603S3X2 Sub Definitive Technolo

Good sound on movies. Easy to use remote.

The Onkyo sounded very flat and 1 dimensional, the sound stage was also 1 dimensional. I was surprised the Onkyo did not sound better.

I did a side by side sound testing of the Denon AVR 3803 and the Onkyo TX SR 800 for 30 days. Music The Denon sounded incredibile on music sources. The sound stage was wide and apparent. I have never heard music sound so good. The bass output was awesome, much more than the Onkyo at the same levels. The Onkyo sounded very flat and 1 dimensional, the sound stage was also 1 dimensional. I was surprised the Onkyo did not sound better. Also with the Denon, even on the pure mode, the sub worked, on the Onkyo, it was turned off by the mode settings. Another nice feature of the Denon is that it lets you send the bass to both the sub and the main speakers, for those speakers that have built in subs. Digital Movies Both receivers sounded very good on movies. I used Dolby Digital EX, THX Surround EX and DTS ES sources. Here both receivers were about the same. You may ask about the THX the Onkyo has. THX Surround EX is one of three 6.1 surround modes available and is just a variation of the Dolby Digital EX. The available surrounds are THX Surround EX, Dolby Digital EX, both of which have a matrixed back channel, and DTS ES, which depending on the source could be matrixed or discrete. On some scenes the THX was better, on other scenes the Dolby Digital sounded better and on other scenes the DTS ES was the best sounding. there was never an instance where one sounded better than the others on an entire movie. Analog Movies For analog sources both receivers had Dolby Pro Logic 2 which is optimized for 5.1 channels but can be used with 6.1 channels and DTS neo which is optimized for 6.1 channels. The Denon also has a Wide Screen 7.1 and the Onkyo a Enhanced 7.1 The DTS Neo and Dolby Pro Logic 2 sounded almost exactly the same, The Enhanced 7.1 sounded slightly better. But the Denon Wide Screen 7.1 was by far the best sounding on movies with analog sound. Remotes The Denon remote had a nice feel to it. While the Onkyo remote felt like cheap plastic. It was very easy to program the Denon remote, because of its LCD and the fact that it learned every command on the first try. The Onkyo took several tries on almost every key to learn the commands from the other remotes. It took several hours longer to program the Onkyo remote than the Denon remote. But in actual usage after programming the Onkyo remote was much easier to use, as the keys were in much more logical positions and the keys matched the original remote better. Manuals The Denon manual is a joke, they built an excellent receiver but didnt want to spend to write a decent manual. The Onkyo manual is excellent. Technical Support Onkyo has very good technical support. Denon technical support is a joke. They have no toll free numbers, and it is almost impossible to get any one to speak to. In fact Denon has only 1 person for technical support for its receivers in the US. I was able to speak to him for five minutes then he rudely hung up, because he had 5 other calls waiting. Rating Well its obvious the Denon is a better built and sounding receiver. But because of its manual and technical support, they are rated a tie at 3 stars. Also please dont buy the Onkyo because cnet gave it the highest rating, they are a technical company not an audio company. It like buying a house because a car salesperson told you to.

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Denon AVR 3803

1. Tunability 2. Assignable Digital Inputs 3. All Channel Stereo Mode 4. Pure Audio Mode for Music 5. Good On Screen Menu

1. Cursor on front panel is not up to par. The on screen menu is a must. 2. My smallish 27" T.V. (Hey im on a college budget and gotta scrimp somewhere)

I think everyone here has already stated the obvious. The receiver does everything and then some. If you're a tuning freak like me, you will like all of the adjustments you can make to this receiver. Receivers like this almost (i said almost) eliminate the need for seperate pre-amp/amp setups. Forego the front panel cursors and use the on screen display.

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This receiver is currently being used with: 1. Pair of Bose 701's (Mains L&R) 2. Bose Acoustimass 10 (Passive Bass. Used for Center, L&R Surrounds and Surround Backs.) 3. 12" AR Powered Sub 4. Onk

Lots of features, great sound, plenty of power, THX certified at a great price. Shop around, you should be able to get one delivered in the low $700 range.

As others have noted, the cursor control is a pain. It's too easy to hit enter when you mean to scroll down.

This is a great receiver. Lots of features you'd expect to find in a $1500 receiver. Great for Movies, and very good for music. Plenty of power, not sure what the previous reviewer is talking about.

Feature rich Decent remote, but not LCD Good sound quality

Poor buid quality Weak power system 2nd zone volume not adjustable Test tone starts ridiculously high

Sorry folks, I'll have to break the trend of rave reviews on this thing. I'll be the first. Although the product is feature rich and sound quality is good, the build quality and comprehensive design-thought just doesn't seem to be there. The power system is weak. It cannot handle another unit (such as my 2nd amplifier) powering up off the same 15A circuit. Since a second unit powering up always causes a temporary voltage drop, a good power supply should be able to handle it. The Onkyo immediately powers down. No other receiver has behaved this way in the same house with the same amp. 2nd room output has no volume control. It is very difficult to match sensitivity of 2nd zone speakers (e.g. in ceiling Speakercraft) to sensitivity of main speakers (e.g. Klipsch RF3II). The test tone to set surround speaker level always starts at 80% of total power - totally deafening. That was enough for me to take this one back. After this, I auditioned a Yamaha RX-V2300, Denon 3802, and a Sony DA4ES. The Sony my final choice - equal or better in every category and the only one that did the 2nd zone right (volume controllable).

Similar Products Used:

Sony DA4ES Yamaha RX-V2300 Denon 3802