Onkyo HTS 3500 vs Denon DHT 1312 XP

[Rupam]

I'm planning to buy a HTiB soon.

90% of HtiB owners from HifiVision members prefer Onkyo. {either 3400 or 3500).

Now I would have chosen Onkyo HTS 3400 based from the encouraging poll result: HiFiVision.com - Audio Video Hi-Fi Forum - View Poll Results

Now 2 things are stopping me from buying Onkyo HTS 3400.

1. My max budget is 30k (can be extended by 2k)

Now Hifi gurus would like to advice to build a separate HT system slowly, by adding components one by one. It does make sense.
But, in that case the cumulative final cost will be above my budget. I don't wanna spend 40k for HT setup.

2. The passive sub of Onkyo, HTS 3400 does not have a stand-alone receiver.

This is my biggest concern as after 2-3 years if the receiver develops some snag then I have to replace /repair the AVR. And if the sub dies then I will be left with no option but to change the COMPLETE system. I don't think passive subs are available for HT? If yes then please let me know. from any reputed brand -- Velodyne has one > Amazon.com: Velodyne SC12 12-inch Passive Subwoofer - SubContractor Series: Electronics

But availability in India can be an issue. and the price is not justified for this Htib (499.98 $).

So what I want is a budget HTib system with an entry-level AVR which does not have a passive sub.
I have only one option Denon DHT 1312 XP > Profx - Advanced Audio Solutions

But very few people from this forum own this system . I want to know why ?

Is the sound quality inferior than Onkyo HTS 3400/ 3500?
Is it because it costs 5k+ than Onkyo HtiB ?

I have demoed Onkyo HTS 3500 and to be very frank its bang for buck but not overwhelming.

I have a old Sony DAV-SB100 > (each channel 50 watts sub 80 watts)

And you will be surprised that Onkyo fared marginally better than my 6 year old Sony HtiB. The sound of Onkyo is a bit flat, the high frequency does not shine and action scenes with complex effects do show some limitation of the Onkyo speaker system.

So given these reasons and my above mentioned budget concern , will it be a correct decision to choose Denon DHT 1312 ....?

review of Denon DHT 1312 > Denon AVR-1312 review | Expert Reviews

 

[prosenjit]

i still suggest step by step....
a 25k 1612 and apair of sonodyne...9k...sonus...others next year....
or get a sono centre and use ur sony speakers for the front and rear meanwhile...
just a suggestion...no offence

 

[Rupam]

Thanks prosenjitda, another thing I would like to point. My room is small and I would like satellites.
Sonus is too large for my room.
Any other alternative?

 

[prosenjit]

okay if the room is small,then you can do also 1312 avr only around 20k and a pair of bookshelves around 10k....well for a space constraint you have to check individual speakers and also like thier sound...a centre and a sub later....for rears ur sony will serve........get dipole rears while strong in budget..
for a only movie purpose.....for start and for a small room....a centre+sub is also good.
then buy pair of fronts later....astonia is a good budget sub...roar also...or your sony present sub can also can be used....with a diy/chandni 2k amp
connnect the amp after avr sub pre out and then into sub...well not neat looking but budget solution..

 

[Rupam]

Another question how is after sales service of Denon? I think Onkyo has better support in Kolkata.

My room size is 10X 14"

 

[prosenjit]

call profx guys..they can tell about after sales support of denon...
14*10 isnt too small...its pretty okay
and if after sales support is an issue and u think onk is better in this regard...step by step method can be adopted with onk avr also..no problem with that...

 

[Rupam]

Thanks, all the hassles of pairing AVR with Speaker is bothering me. I will demo Denon DHT 1312 XP next week, then probably I may come to a conclusion.

Why do you write nameless 1080p media player in your signature. I never saw one without name. BYW, I'm using Asus O Play Mini

 

[prosenjit]

I do actually have a nameless one:lol:.bought a combo with 1TB goflex from e bay india before 2 years...its effective price was 1.2k.....so i didnt care for a name...
anyway dont be in a hurry and buy an htib.what exact problem of avr and speakerar pairing is bothering you...??
if pairing cmobo is confusion you......blindlly go for denon 1312/1612/onk equibvalent.with a pair of wharfedale diamond 10.1 or a pair of sonodyne bookshelves..........I heard onk and wharf combo in my brother in laws place(he has a non hdmi onk reciever)...it sound good enough with movies........

 

[SS Champ]

Hi Roopam,
Please share your experience with 1312 Xp demo.
We are sailing on the same boat. I am also looking for an expandable future proof entry level HT with 25k-30K budget

 

[Kittu]

SS champ,

Give a try with Yamaha YHT 298. Slightly more than your budget but good quality sound in HTIB.

 

[Rupam]

Hi Roopam,
Please share your experience with 1312 Xp demo.
We are sailing on the same boat. I am also looking for an expandable future proof entry level HT with 25k-30K budget

Havn't yet got the demo. Ofcourse I will share my experience. Have you got a demo?
Denon after sales service is handled by profx. Anybody has any feedback about them?
Please look at the Certificate of warranty Certificate-of-Warranty.pdf - 4shared.com - document sharing - download

 

[maheshkatore]

I've auditioned denon 1312xp, yamaha 296 and pioneer htp 522 one by one and watched the same clip to compare and found denon superior. Bass and surrounding effects were much better with clear sound.

 

[Rupam]

Whats the price seller asking for denon 1312xp ?

 

[Nero9]

spoke to htstore guy today. he was saying that in the past few months he sold like 40 Denon 1312xp systems coz most of the customers took denon when they had audition denon,yamaha and onkyo. and he personally also recommending this system over yamaha and onkyo.

 

[maheshkatore]

It was quoted 31k

 

[prosenjit]

31k is perfect for 1312xp......

 

[Nero9]

ok i took an audition of onkyo hts 3400. you know what.? it was mind blowing experience. the sound clarity is very clear and the surround effect omg it's simply awesome. but i feel the bass is very low other than that it was really damn good HTiB. after that auditioned yamaha 196 compared to onkyo it was just ok. Also, i asked for denon1312xp to audition but it was not seup in the demo room , the HT was still in the box. So tomorrow i ll audition denon and i ll finalize which one to order either onkyo 3400 or denon 1312xp.

 

[bpranay]

Same here guys. I have auditoned all 3 htibs & found Denon 1312 superior. I was told that yamaha 296 & 298 are same only thing is 298 has 4k pass through which is at present not usefull for us. Someone from Kozhikode quoted me a price of 28k for Denon1312xp. Only disappointment for me in 1312 is it does not support ARC which I am keenly looking for as I plan to plug & play movies thru my HDTV. Hence I plan to purchase 1612 and then speakers separately.


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[thegr8anand]

Same here guys. I have auditoned all 3 htibs & found Denon 1312 superior. I was told that yamaha 296 & 298 are same only thing is 298 has 4k pass through which is at present not usefull for us. Someone from Kozhikode quoted me a price of 28k for Denon1312xp. Only disappointment for me in 1312 is it does not support ARC which I am keenly looking for as I plan to plug & play movies thru my HDTV. Hence I plan to purchase 1612 and then speakers separately.


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I am using an Optical cable to get audio from e8000 to 1312xp as I watch movies on pen drive thru tv. Works perfectly.

 

[Rupam]

ok i took an audition of onkyo hts 3400. you know what.? it was mind blowing experience. the sound clarity is very clear and the surround effect omg it's simply awesome. but i feel the bass is very low other than that it was really damn good HTiB. after that auditioned yamaha 196 compared to onkyo it was just ok. Also, i asked for denon1312xp to audition but it was not seup in the demo room , the HT was still in the box. So tomorrow i ll audition denon and i ll finalize which one to order either onkyo 3400 or denon 1312xp.

Please do share your feedback about the 2 systems. I'm eagerly waiting. I'm busy with my work so could not get the demo. Please do post a review of your system.