TX-SR805 Conclusions and Recommendations
The Onkyo TX-SR805 represents the current pinnacle of value at its price point. It sounds good, decodes all the latest HD audio codecs, sports a large power supply, has an impressive feature set, THX Ultra2 certification, and Audyssey MultEQ at a price well below what the competition offers. This high level of value is not just limited to this particular model; Onkyo has spread value and features across their entire product line with some of the most notable models and key features listed below at various price points:
- Audyssey 2EQ starts at $379 with the TX-SR505
- Dolby TrueHD and DTS MA decoding starts with the TX-SR605 at $599
- THX Select2 certification and Audyssey MultEQ XT starts at $899 with the TX-SR705
- THX Ultra2 certification starts at $1099 with the TX-SR805
No longer limited to expensive top end offerings, every one of the new xx5 series receivers Onkyo has released includes some form of Audyssey room correction and Onkyo has even started including basic Audyssey EQ functionality on newly released HTiB offerings. Starting with the TX-SR505 receiver, Audyssey 2EQ is included and sells for $299 at retail. Depending on what Onkyo decides to do when the entry level TX-SR304 is updated to the TX-SR305, it may well be as low as $199 to get basic Audyssey acoustic room correction into even entry level home theater components. It would be extremely hard to beat that.
The design approach applied to the TX-SR805 is clearly geared more for audio performance. All of the audio processing is cutting edge and the amplifier section walks all over the competition. Video processing is adequate, but is not by any stretch cutting edge. As I previously stated, if one wants or needs the additional video performance, the TX-SR875 is looks to be everything that the TX-SR805 is with the addition of HQV 1080p video processing.
The good news with the TX-SR805, while the video processing is limited, it conforms to the latest enhancements that HDMI 1.3a offers, so it will not bottleneck system performance as 1080p and high bit Deep Color become the norm.
Based purely on audio quality of the receiver itself, the TX-SR805 will easily compete with any offering at or near its price. With lossless decoding and Audyssey engaged, nothing comparably priced that does not include HD audio or Audyssey will even come close.
Onkyo has
clearly upped the ante with the TX-SR805. With the
level of audio performance, HD audio decoding, high build quality, THX Ultra2
certification, and the myriad of cutting edge features, the TX-SR805 is highly
recommended.
Onkyo USA Corporation
18 Park Way
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
800 229-1687
Fax: 201-785-2650
The Score Card
The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:
Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating
Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.
Audioholics Rating Scale
— Excellent
- — Very Good
- — Good
- — Fair
- — Poor
| Metric | Rating |
|---|---|
| Multi-channel Audio Performance | |
| Two-channel Audio Performance | |
| Video Processing | |
| Build Quality | |
| Fit and Finish | |
| Ergonomics & Usability | |
| Features | |
| Remote Control | |
| Performance |  |
| Value | |
