Denon Vs Onkyo Vs Sony

[kannan_r]

Hello friends,
I am in the process of searching a Home Theater under 30K. I have shortlisted three models after lot of research by hearing the music(@ EZone) and from the net.

1) Denon dht390xp + DVD Player (30K + 5K)
pros - active sub, has pass through HDMI, 2way speaker in both rear and front
cons - sub looks like a baby elephant (too big)
Astonishingly I have not seen any reviews about this System. In case if any body is having this set in their house, please share your opinions and also for any website to read the reviews (if any)

2) Sony DAv dz 790 (30K)
pros - has pass through HDMI, 2way speaker in both rear and front, DVD player is built in.
cons - passive subwoofer .
When I saw prev thread, everybody was against Sony DAv dz 690 (24K) (I beleive they were not against sony dz790, but not sure) . I am particularly against Sony dz690 because rear is only one way.
Unfortunately,I have also not seen any reviews about Sony 790 as well. In case if any body is having this set in their house, please share your opinions and also for any website to read the reviews (if any)

3) Onkyo hts3100 for 23K + DVD Player (24K + 5K)
pros - 2way speaker in both rear and front.
cons - passive subwoofer, no HDMI.
I saw lot of good review about Onkyo hts3100.

I am bit inclined towards Sony dz790 for unknown reason. However, the sound effect for these 3 models is excellent, so cant make the final decision.
I have done my basic homework for the past couple of months by shortlisting three models and now I am coming to you guys to choose the best one,
Also, I do not have any intention to upgrade HT system / speakers at least for the next 10 years.

Any suggestions will be much appreciated ...

Thanks,
Kannan.

 

[ashishkesarwani]

In all the above shortlisted models I would go with Denon here because of the active sub and future upgradability. But if you like the sound signature of the Sony so much then go for it, after all its u who has to listen to the system and not us. Onkyo model in consideration is VFM model but it would not be future upgradable and if you could increase your budget to 50K then go for Onkyo's 6200 model which has the capability of HD audio decoding as well as HDMI switching and Upscaling Capability.

 

[spirovious]

Denon is better than ONK,then Sony...

 

[Zohir]

Hey Kannan,

I have heard the Denon and the Onkyo at length and i can tell you that the Sony being a Sony would not be able to match up. In terms of sound quality i would recommend the Denon and it has most of the desired funtionality, mind you none of these support the new HD audio formats (dts-HD, DOLBY TRUE HD). The Denon has some basic calibration tools as well which help you adjust the levels of each speaker and also input speaker distance from the listening position which really helps in fine tuning the system, not sure if this is available on the Onkyo but pretty sure its not on board the Sony.

In terms of the features dont get pulled into the HDMI connectivity or anything else on that angle as most of these do not do the HDMI upconversion. its basically in there so that it can be marketed well. Even the higher end recievers which convert from composite to HDMI do not do a good job of it and in fact there is some deterioration of picture quality via the amp instead of direct connection. Your best bet would be to go in to connect the DVD player directly to the TV via HDMI and use either a diital co axail or an optical input to the reciever.

Hope this helps

 

[Zohir]

Hey Kannan,

I have heard the Denon and the Onkyo at length and i can tell you that the Sony being a Sony would not be able to match up. In terms of sound quality i would recommend the Denon and it has most of the desired funtionality, mind you none of these support the new HD audio formats (dts-HD, DOLBY TRUE HD). The Denon has some basic calibration tools as well which help you adjust the levels of each speaker and also input speaker distance from the listening position which really helps in fine tuning the system, not sure if this is available on the Onkyo but pretty sure its not on board the Sony.

In terms of the features dont get pulled into the HDMI connectivity or anything else on that angle as most of these do not do the HDMI upconversion. its basically in there so that it can be marketed well. Even the higher end recievers which convert from composite to HDMI do not do a good job of it and in fact there is some deterioration of picture quality via the amp instead of direct connection. Your best bet would be to go in to connect the DVD player directly to the TV via HDMI and use either a diital co axail or an optical input to the reciever.

Hope this helps

 

[marsilians]

Denon is better than ONK,then Sony...

WOW! whats your basis for that statement??? You need to draw some facts before blowing anything away like that

 

[spirovious]

WOW! whats your basis for that statement??? You need to draw some facts before blowing anything away like that

Well I gave opinion with given opts. Denon sound is certainly better,clean for mov & music than ONK HTIB.

 

[kannan_r]

Thanks Guys,
I am totally convinced to buy Denon dht390xp model. Have few questions based on your replies,

In all the above shortlisted models I would go with Denon here because of the active sub and future upgradability. ..

• Upgradability. Are you referring to the 5.1 speakers ?

if you could increase your budget to 50K then go for Onkyo's 6200 model which has the capability of HD audio decoding as well as HDMI switching and Upscaling Capability.

• 
  What is HDMI switching and upscaling capability ?

 

[ashishkesarwani]

if you could increase your budget to 50K then go for Onkyo's 6200 model which has the capability of HD audio decoding as well as HDMI switching and Upscaling Capability.

• 
  What is HDMI switching and upscaling capability ?

Hdmi Upscaling is a feature which lets you Upscale i.e an ordinary signal of 480P to either 720P or 1080P. This could help you in case you have a budget DVD player without the Upscaler or ordinary cable Tv box.
Hdmi Switch lets you connect every source to your AVR and then with just 1 HDMI cable you connect your Display, so this lets you to convert even Ordinary source connection like Component or Coaxial to HDMI. This gives you the flexibility to route every source through your AVR.

 

[kannan_r]

Hdmi Upscaling is a feature which lets you Upscale i.e an ordinary signal of 480P to either 720P or 1080P. This could help you in case you have a budget DVD player without the Upscaler or ordinary cable Tv box.
Hdmi Switch lets you connect every source to your AVR and then with just 1 HDMI cable you connect your Display, so this lets you to convert even Ordinary source connection like Component or Coaxial to HDMI. This gives you the flexibility to route every source through your AVR.

HDMI Upscaling and Switching feature is interesting. :clapping:
But 50K for Onkyo's 6200 is crossing my budget. I never spent that much even for my LCD so far:sad:
I feel these feature will be usesful when you have a mix outdated electronics components.
Suppose, if I purchase the below listed item, can I replace the above mentioned feature mentioned by you,

1. Denon dht390xp (30 K)
2. HDMI DVD Player (5K)
3. Full HD LCD (40K)

 

[spirovious]

HDMI Upscaling and Switching feature is interesting. :clapping:
But 50K for Onkyo's 6200 is crossing my budget.

6200 dont upscale?its repeater.

 

[ashishkesarwani]

HDMI Upscaling and Switching feature is interesting. :clapping:
But 50K for Onkyo's 6200 is crossing my budget. I never spent that much even for my LCD so far:sad:
I feel these feature will be usesful when you have a mix outdated electronics components.
Suppose, if I purchase the below listed item, can I replace the above mentioned feature mentioned by you,

1. Denon dht390xp (30 K)
2. HDMI DVD Player (5K)
3. Full HD LCD (40K)

No you cannot upgrade that feature later unless and untill you upgrade your AVR. In your case if your DVD player is a capable one then it would be able to Upscale all the Standard Definition DVDs played through it.

 

[SUB_BOSS]

Finally what did you buy. BTW I have a Denon from quite some time and very happy with it's performance. I have upgraded to better Coaxial cables. Now have to wire it with Monster.

 

[sreerajsensei]

In all the above shortlisted models I would go with Denon here because of the active sub and future upgradability. But if you like the sound signature of the Sony so much then go for it, after all its u who has to listen to the system and not us. Onkyo model in consideration is VFM model but it would not be future upgradable and if you could increase your budget to 50K then go for Onkyo's 6200 model which has the capability of HD audio decoding as well as HDMI switching and Upscaling Capability.

Hi, could you please help me selecting between sony muteki 5500 6.2 and pioneer HTP-RS32.

HTP-RS32 Pioneer
100 Watts / channel
Tower speakers
Single 30cm active subwoofer
Dolby true HD and DTS HD master audio 5.1
3D compatible

SONY MUTEKI 6.2 5500
Tower speakers
Two passive subwoofers
More than 1500 RMS
Missing Dolby true HD and DTS HD master audio but some other dts and dolby features like DTS NEO (dont know much about this)

Would you please advise which one would be to watch movies with perfect surround sound and music with finest voice quality ??

Actually i paid advance for muteki but now a bit confused reading your articles about true HD . is that a big feature when comes about surround sound ??