Receivers - Onkyo or Harmon Kardon?
 

Ready to buy an Onkyo TX-NR801 receiver. Anyone know anything about this receiver and if Harmon Kardon is a better option? Appreciate any advice.

I have a Onkoyo TX-NR601 and must say, I like it a lot. But I have a limited scope of reference.

Based on what I have read:
Onkyo - good, open, neutral sound
H/K - More of an action movie /party music sound. More low end, but fewer details.

Have'n had the pleasure to listen to any of them - but I've read a lot of reviews.
(In other words - an allmost completely useless post)

Denon is a much better option than both the Onkyo and the h/k.

I like a lot of Denon's stuff, it's just a little out of my price range. I ended up getting my Onkoyo receiver at a Circuit City Going Out of Business sale. Gotta like any receiver whose back looks like this:
http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/pro...AV3805B-b.jpeg

I would have to agree about the Denon comments. (I am a proud owner)

Check out some of these sites to find out what others think.

http://www.audioreview.com/

http://www.avguide.com/index.jsp

Denon vs. Onkyo
 

My search came down to these two brands. I chose Onkyo TX-SR601 because for the price point I was looking at Onkyo had the better offering. However, a few words of caution:

1. Don't buy an Onkyo reciever with a built in DVD player. Have a few friends to did that and the DVD goes belly up really fast (the DVD components aren't Onkyo's strongest offering). IMO, don't buy integrated systems. When one sub-system breaks (and at the rate DVD players wear out...) you will end up having to replace it anyway.

2. Try the remote before you buy if possible. Its a remote you'll be using a lot, so you want to make sure that its comfortable and not frusterating to use. A bad remote is like a horrible GUI to a very powerful program - you won't get the benifits of the power if you struggle to use it. I was only able to try the Onkyo's remote before I bought and I liked it. You can program it to control basically everything. I still use my ReplayTV remote for surfing because its simple, with the Onkyo remote controlling the rest of the system.

Denon and Onkyo are quality companies. The one issue I had with Denon is that you had to shell out a bit more for the power. You want to make sure you still have money for nice speakers :)

Thanks for all the great replies, I appreciate it!

Hey thats my receiver. 'cept in silver, mine's black.

I used to swear by Onkyo but it seems in the last few years they have started cutting corners in the power dept. These days, I'd go with Denon too.

Onkyo is made by Panasonic, so it depends on if you like Panasonic or not. I for one think they sell pieces of crap.

Harman/Kardon on the other hand is owned by a company called Harman International, which owns H/K, JBL and Infinity, Revel, Audioaccess, Lexicon, Mark Levinson, Madrigal Imaging and Proceed.

Harman/Kardon high-end is really nice.

If you're looking though for something to blow you away, go find Integra. They are modular, meaning if you want to add cards in the back for added functionality, you can.

Onkyo makes some decent stuff. I prefer Harmon over Onkyo but I agree with Brandon.. Denon is better than both.

Integra is a division of Onkyo - like Acura/Honda.......

This is true. I was actually going to buy an Integra DPC 8.5 universal changer but the dealer didn't take care of me like they should have. I just bought a Denon DVD-2200 yesterday and I absolutely love it. The 2200 is supposed to be the ringer of the bunch, and is said to be a better sounding unit than the DVD-2900. Its SACD performance is mouth watering.

I have an older Onkyo receiver 919 THX works like a champ.

I have a Denon as well...I love it!!!

I have used a few differnet Onkyo recievers and they have all been great, especially for their price. You can buy both and return the one you don't like.

I am on the Denon Fanboat as well.

Althought price wise... onkyo makes some great stuff. Entry level home AV can't go wrong with a 601.