Simplicity of controls

Very poor tuner performance Loudness feature not effective Right side output unequal to left

I just needed a basic receiver to run my Boston Acoustic's & cd player in the basement. Good price, efficient speakers (91dbf)& positive reviews- yes the Onkyo should do the trick. It didn't. First the tuner. I was using a mini-system with a basic 300ohm wire for an antenna that purpose and it performed admirably. It pulled in local Fm stations static free & more distant stations with minor static. For the Onkyo I used the same antenna. I couldn't pull in the closest station without static even in mono. I grabbed the amplified antenna and tried it. A little better but the antenna also amplified the static. Onkyo needs to improve tuner performance for this model. Tone controls are difficult to use. For tuner performance engaging the STC (loudness)button muddied the overall sound, diminishing highs and mids. Using this button for CD play resulted in having to turn the bass almost to max. Confusing. The most distressing element of the receiver was less right-sided output causing me to adjust the balance control far clockwise to compensate. I alternated & switched speaker wires and sure enough the right channel is not equal. I don't worry much about the look of the receiver or remote functions, but I do care about the most important element which is sound quality. I didn't expect the Onkyo to sound as good as my reference system but my Denon DRA-295 receiver sounds like "high-end" compared to the Onkyo and they (Onkyo & Denon) should be a good match. I'm not sure if I received a "bad unit" or not but it's going back to Circuit City.

Similar Products Used:

Ref.- McCormick Amp, Arcam preamp,Micromega CD,Triangle Celius Speakers Secondary- Yamaha CD, Boston Acoustic 965 speakers, Denon DRA-295 receiver

Spectacular sound. Ease of use.

The remote control. The remote has a lot of buttons on it that I will never use. I also wished it had a way of adjusting the tuner from the remote. But, these are very minor issues indeed.

This past spring a friend of mine talked me into buying a set of re-conditioned Bose 301's series IV that were on sale at the local Bose outlet store. My "receiver" at the time was an inexpensive Aiwa (XR-EM50) along with an Aiwa (TS-W150) sub that I had won through work. The salesperson at Bose assured me that the 301's would sound fine even though my system rated at about 15 watts. She said if I got the 301's home and didn't like them, I had 90 days to return them for my money back. Needless to say, they sounded great and I kept them. Soon after that, I got the itch to incorporate my 301's into a surround system. I have been looking at receivers all summer. If I had the gas money I wasted driving around, I could have bought a McIntosh or Denon. I would go into stores and listen to different receiver/speaker combnations but I could not find anything that sounded that much better than what I already had. Only louder. I spent all summer talking to saleman who either gave me a bunch of technical jargon or simply told me my system The closest I came to pulling the trigger on an A/V receiver was on a Yamaha RX-V530 that I found on sale for $199. I looked at the home theatre in a box systems at Sam's and at the big a/v stores. I once had a Sony system like this that disappeared (along with most of my other earthly possessions) in a divorce. I remember it being a pain in the ass to hook up and wasn't all that impressed by the sound anyway. I researched this site along with countless others. I asked questions and even borrowed an older model Kennwood from a friend to try out. I simply could not see what the big deal was with a more powerful receiver other than loudness. Plus, the Kennwood had so many different adjustments and settings, I wasn't sure what "db level" I was suppose to be adjusting for each speaker. I didn't know if I was suppose to use "concert hall, theatre, etc." There seemed to be an infinite amount of adjustment combinations with this thing. Couple this confusion with two other facts, a.) I primarily listen to music and just occasionally watch DVD's. & b.) I like simple things that work well and hate complicated things, I was about to give up this search all together. One Saturday, I was walking around at the Bose Store again and saw that they had an Onkyo TX-8211 on sale for $169 marked down from $200. I liked the looks of that price as well as the fact that Bose seems to like Onkyo products. Onkyo was what they had their speaker displays hooked up to. I decided to go home and check out what people were saying about this receiver on-line. I saw that it was the 3rd highest rated receiver on this site. I also saw that J & R had this receiver refurbished for $100. Refurbs never bothered me. I have a 15 year old refurbed Cobra answering machine that still works fine. I was still going to go back up to the Bose Store because I had been afraid to buy stuff like this online. But I read other positive reviews about the refurb Onkyo from J&R and decided to take the plunge figuring I really didn't have that much to lose but a little postage. Am I ever glad I did. I did not pay any extra for express freight but the receiver still arrived to Texas in 4 days, two days ahead of schedule. This receiver sounds fantastic. I'm not sure why but to me it sounds better than the Kennwood I tried out that was rated at 100 watts. As I said before, I probably didn't have something adjusted quite right. I love the simplicity of this receiver as well. I am by no means a technical person but I had this hooked up and playing in five minutes. I have my DVD player along with a stereo VCR connected. I don't watch a lot of TV but CSI and Monday Night Football sounded great. I have always liked the sound and simplicity of the Bose 321 system. I played a DVD on my system and it sounded every bit as good as the Bose 321. Maybe even better. My inexpensive Sony DVD has something called "TV Virtual Surround." I messed around with it a bit and could tell a little difference maybe. But, not much. What I did find was that the DVD as well as regular TV sound better when I push the "Selective Tone Control" button on the receiver. With a CD or just the radio, I leave it alone. It seems to give it to much bass or unnecessary loudness when music is playing. I listen to a wide range of music from country artists such as Faith Hill & George Strait, R & B such as Toni Braxton, to Aerosmith. I even listen to quite a bit of classical even though I don't know too much about it. (It soothes the savage beast, I guess.). All of my music sounds wonderful and I don't have to mess around with a bunch of buttons, switches and knobs to get the music to sound great. I truly think that this receiver along with the 301's, is a great combination for someone like me looking for a simple and affordable system that sounds great. I highly recommend the Onkyo TX-8211 new or refurbished.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Kennwood, Aiwa

Well-designed unit that allows me to handle all functions on the face of the unit. Other units had required that I use the remote on some function, such as speaker balance and radio station memory.

None that I see right now.

The Onkyo TX-8211 is a great product that should handle most home stereo needs. It has enough power to run other components, but is not so big as to be cumbersome.

Price vs. performance, Quality parts, powerful, the nessasary features, sound quality.

for the price I would say there are no weaknesses.

This Receiver is hooked to my computer by a cheap creative sound card. I play mp3's or cds from the computer. It is hooked up via origanal monster cable to 4 Wharfedale 7.2 bookshelf speakers. let me start by saying this receiver has ran flawlessly all day every day since I bought it. I work nights and it is turned on at around 11:30 am and off again at 2:00am or so the next day. I'm single and leave it on for my dog so she won't be lonely while I'm at work. To me the 50 wpc seems an under estimate for this is a very powerful receiver and will bring a good pair of speakers to life easily. I almost bought the 100 wpc 8511 and am glad I saved the extra money for I feel expect for possibly a very large room it would be overkill. I have never turned this receiver above half volume and I like loud rock, pop, and hiphop music. hows it sound? well I'm not an expert on receivers by any means but to my ears the music from this receiver is very clear and natural sounding. as stated above it will run for hours and not be more than warm to the touch. I think the build and sound quality is far above some other brands boasting higher outputs and costing more. features? For me this receiver has what I need. All I need is good sound quality a remote and a sleep timer. Others have said the remote is cheap but all I do with mine is volume, toggle from cd to tuner and turn on power and sleep. It works great for these functions just as it was made to. I also drop it alot with no problems. What would I change? For the price Vs. performance there isn't much I would change for I feel its quality all the way. It would have been an even better deal with a sub output, led on volume and perhaps abit stronger radio receiver but I only listen to local fm stations which come in very well. Bottom line if you want a dependable good sounding receiver made to play music and skip the price of the bells and whistles you better give this one a listen.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, Sony, Scott, Pioneer

Good clarity in CD input, all the way up to max power. Nice tuner. Can make inexpensive speakers sound really good.

Questionable clarity and noise from phono input. However, it's possible that mine is defective?

I've had the TX-8211 for about three months now. My needs are only for a tuner, an analog CD input, and phono input. First, the good: it gives clean power and very nice clarity for the CD input. The FM receiver is very nice. I listen to KUSC FM 91.5 and they sound very musical and detailed-- a lot more musical than any inexpensive CD player. The tuner really delivers clean and uncolored sound from a strong FM signal. I enjoy listening to radio. The bad: the phono input is harsh and strained on high voices and instruments. It's kinda noisy as well, but within reason. However, lower voices and many instruments are very accurate despite the harshness-- especially accurate are percussion and piano. Instrumental chamber music will sound good through the phono input, but full orchestra and chorus cause distortion.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel

Neutral, well balanced sound, good power output, runs cool, looks cool

Remote, noticable hiss sound when you are not playing anything, spring clips, STC button is useless.

Mine is the gold one. It looks pretty cool. It runs cool too. I bought it second hand. It has a very good overall sound. I like the sound it produces. Power output is more than enough for an apartment flat. Very neutral and well balanced sound. You don't need tone controls for most of music types. I usually listen rap, R&B, hip hop, reggae, and rock. STC button is useless. Loudness button would have been more useful. Most of the time you don't need it. But if the record is lousy you may need it. Remote must be redesigned. It looks very cheap and amateur. Cd output is noticable better than radio and tape outputs (I connected digital receiver to tape 1) There is no light on the volume knob. Not a big issue but surprising if it is not there. Spring clips must have been banana plugs. For the price I paid it is no compariable to any other receiver.

Similar Products Used:

None

Sound quality. Plenty of power for most uses. Has a phono input, which many inexpensive receivers lack these days. Tuner is pretty good.

I would like another input. The speaker terminals are spring clips, would like to see more positive connections.

Very good receiver for the money. Nothing fancy but has a very satisfying sound. Do not let the 50w fool you. There is plenty of power for anything but a huge room. I have ok speakers (CSW Ensemble IIs) but I doubt it would have much trouble driving larger high end speakers.

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Had the old 35 watt Mitsubishi with the rotary tuning dial, Had a Lafayette receiver before that (remember them?)

Very accurate and dynamic sound, very good internal build quality (this thing looks built to run forever!), great piece of equipment for $99 plus tax and shipping.

Connectors on back could be higher quality and more comprehensive, sound lacks presence and warmth I'm accustomed to, sound a little bright.

As a casual listener who nonetheless is very 'picky' about the sound, I was dissapointed when my old Technics Receiver finally gave up the goat. Long and long search later, with very limited current budget (unemployed), I found the Onkyo TX-8211 'refurb' at JandR for $99 plus shipping (total of approx $125 with 2 day shipping across usa - not bad at all). This unit looked good as new except for some tiny scratches on display panel (probably from improper polishing), and performs just like a new unit. What I like: this thing is built to last - huge heat sink, descrete output transistors, huge transformer, huge capacitors, it barely gets warm where my Technics would get much warmer (and I think means a much longer life). Sound is more dynamic and more clearly defined than my previous receiver - I can truly hear the accentuation of the bass, and a wider range of 'parts' across the spectrum. What I don't like: first off, being accustomed to a compact unit, this thing is HUGE! Secondly, I truly miss the warmth and 'presence' that I experienced with the old Technics reciever - as much as an audiophile might argue the Onkyo is more 'true' in it's representation of the music, I find it enjoyable and 'natural' for the vocal range to be pulled out in front, and with the Onkyo, at times it's very hidden beneath everything else going on. Granted, my speakers are not the best and may be mis-matched (Pinnacle PN6+). Also, sound is a bit bright for my ears, but seems less so than the Yamaha R5 I tried out years ago. So, all in all, it's very well built and a great performer for the money, but when I get some more money coming in, I'm likely to investigate a NAD or something with a little more 'warmth' in the sound.

Similar Products Used:

Technics SA-290 Receiver, Yamaha R5 Receiver.

very clean and musical.

nothing in my system and for the price c'mon!!

this reciever is so clean,musical and well balanced.all other brands i tried had boomy bass,muddied midrange and rolled off or dead highs!you will not fin a better 2 channel reciever under $500.00.this receiver accepts 4 ohm loudspeakers without a impedance switch!it's 50 wpc (105 dynamic into 4 ohms).nakamichi has a fan,yamaha sounds loud but muddled and boomy. harmon kardan accepts only 8 ohm loudspeaker.try this onkyo before you buy!!

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yamaha rx-596,older rotel rx-855,ra-1060 rotel intergrated amp,sony.

Clear, Simple, Quality

none noted

Visiting the Bose Factory Outlet, I noticed whenever Bose didn''t have a power source for their speakers they were using ONKYO. I was listening to a set of 701''s with a Onkyo receiver and liked the sound better than my 12yr old Yamaha. I asked where I could buy locally, and they had one in a box that they hadn''t set up and were not going to use. 149.99 out the door!

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha