Customer Reviews

Onkyo TX-8255 Stereo Receiver

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This receiver replaced a Sony STR 397 that had a continuous static problem that was never fixed. I gave up on the Sony and bought the Onkyo. I use it to power two Polk tower speakers hooked up to my HDTV and DVD player.

The receiver is basic, no frills. Bass, treble and balance controls are on the front panel. There is no loudness control. There are multiple memory settings for music stations. All the standard connections are in the back including an input for an iPod (docking station extra). The tuner works well and has standard scanning for stations.

The receiver is rated at 50W per channel. It is plenty adequate for the Polks. The sound is clear and unvarnished. It produces a crisper, cleaner sound than the Sony.

For sound reproduction without lots of frills and buttons, this has proved an excellent choice. I am very pleased with the item.

Once again, I have to complement Amazon for having excellent pricing and incredible free shipping that is fast.

I bought this receiver to replace a fine amp, preamp combo that was 25 years old and had served me well (a NAD). So this one has a tuner built in - oh well. I'll almost never play the radio. But this unit is just amazing. It impresses me as being totally transparent. There is no noise, no hum, no nothing to let me know that I'm listening to a cd, unless the signal is on the cd or other audio source. Either stuff has gotten a lot better in the last 25 years, or my hearing has deteriorated. Heh heh - both are true. I've only had it two days, so I know nothing of durability. It's driving a couple of IMF speakers which are quite power hungry - no sweat, they just sing beautifully.

I would like to offer my own personal opinion regarding my purchase and use of the Onkyo Receiver model TX 8255. Right off the top I must admit that I am more pleased with this receiver than I have ever been with any other receiver I have owned. I go back to the days of tube type components and I have owned a couple of the old style Marantz receivers, a Yamaha and a Harmon Kardon as well as Mackintosh components over the years and all have performed to varying degrees of satisfaction. Each unit had it's pro and cons as they should. Recently I had an issue with my last receiver and had the problem repaired on a number of occasions but the repair only lasted maybe a year and then I was back to the same problem. I decided that it was time for something else and basically what I wanted was a simple two channel stereo receiver that would power my Paradigm tower speakers and sound decent with no performance issues as well as have a very acceptable AM/FM receiver section. After doing some homework I decided to try the Onkyo Model model TX 8255. In a nut shell the Onkyo exceeds all my expectations. It has more than enough power to drive the 8 ohm Paradigm speakers even above normal listening levels with no noticeable clipping. The receiver section draws in many stations although I must admit I reside in a medium city environment so I would assume that there would be no problems. The unit and remote are very user friendly and cleanly laid out. The only thing that I miss and would have like to have had was a midrange control. Other than that I have no problem saying that I really, really like this unit and expect to stay with it for many years to come.

I got this for my parents for xmas, to replace their old Sansui that finally gave up the ghost. I hooked it up New Years day, and was amazed with the sound/power this unit puts out. I have a DE898 Sony stereo that cost about 2x last year, and with the same speakers does not sound anywhere near as clear or crisp. I tried both Polk monitor, and Bose InterAudio series and the results were the same; this receiver puts out plenty of power, and sounds very crisp. The highs are not tinny, and the base is not boomy, just very clear. Wow. Mom and Dad are very happy to listen to their reel to reel, cassette, cd, record player, and tv through the speakers, and hear detail they have not heard in years. I am wondering why I bought surround sound for me now, I forgot how good just plain stereo can sound. The remote is very easy to see, and understand. Nothing fancy, just basic.

There is some math issue here.
Onkyo says 50 watts per channel rms
Sony says 100 watts per channel rms
The Sony sounds like it is lower power, and has to be run at half volume to get much sound. Both units with the same speakers. I suspect Marketing departments are involved here, with marketing math.

I was glad to see that there are still some two-channel stereo receivers that aren't home theater setups. Having 40 radio presets is also nice, and a large volume KNOB, not volume buttons, is fantastic. I just wish the controls had bigger buttons and much bigger labels with more contrast. I had to get a flashlight out to read all the controls. The buttons are black on a black faceplate and the printed labels, though white, are washed out and in about 8 point type. I wish designers would pay more attention to the ergonomics of electronics.

Per the title, and considering the price, I gave it 5 stars. However, I would not have purchased it had I been more careful to note that it has no loudness button. That came as a surprise and is missed compared to the receiver it is replacing - an old Harmon Kardon 930, (which cost over four times this unit back in 1973!). Although increasing the bass and treble at low volume levels helps somewhat, bass and treble cannot compensate the same way as EQ for the Fletcher Munson curve, (now ISO 226). What I cannot understand is why Onkyo left it out considering that loudness EQ can be fairly approximated with only, (per channel), two passive components, (a resistor and a capacitor), along with an extra tap point on the volume control potentiometer and a DPST push button switch on the front. We're talking less than $2.00 in cost so maybe $10.00 retail? C'mon Onkyo...

I purchased this receiver 3 years ago via Amazon. It quit working just after the warranty expired, so I spent $90 to have a "circuit board crack soldered" or so said the repair bill. Eight months later it quit again. I spent another $115 to have a "solder line repaired." Add in my time and shipping and I could have purchased another one. But, it's a good thing I didn't as it just quit again. This time I called an independent audio repair facility near my home and had a very informative discussion with a helpful technician. He said they do not work on "newer" Onkyo audio equipment any more as they are just not as robust as the older units. When I told him it was three years old, his advise was, "Don't waste any more money. Dump it and buy a higher end unit."

I believe if you want to know the real value of a product, talk to someone who repairs them e.g., an automotive mechanic, appliance repairperson etc. They will give you the real story. Don't buy this, or any other Onkyo unit or you will be buying trouble.

Wow a true bargain @ $150 thanks to Amazon! I had tried a Sherwood RX 4109 as I just needed a basic no frills 2 channel receiver for the basement and the reviews were good as was the price at $80 on sale at the Shack. However, when playing some CD's I was shocked at the flat boring sound and lack of power too. We run pretty nice Paradigm 2 way bass reflex speakers down there and they had shined with an old Onkyo which had to go due to dirt build up at the volume pot that I couldnt get to work so channels cut in and out-Damn dirt! Well it went back as did I to the drawing board and ended up with this little baby. Fired her up and WOW! Far exceeded expectations-My speakers were back with crystal clear highs and deep tight bass with very sufficient volume-Sweet!

I have used Sony receiver for years and I was always turned off by the amount of buttons and all the menu navigation that I had to do just to turn up the Bass or Treble. This Onkyo is a great because it brings things back to the simpler days of having a Knob for Bass, Treble and Balance, yet it still has a full remote control if you prefer that method.

The sound quality is very good, the Radio setup is easy and the input selections are also very good, it supports older record players so that will be a plus for people that still have LP's.

The only bad part of this receiver is that it is strictly an Analog receiver, it has no fiber optic inputs (Toslink) and no HDMI inputs or anything else thats digital. It only has Left and Right Stereo jacks, also it does not have a subwoofer output so forget hooking up a powered subwoofer, So if you are looking for an AV receiver this is not the model for you but if you want an old fashion designed straight forward simple to use receiver to play music this unit is perfect.

The Onkyo TX-8255 is a great amp for the price. It feels solid, has good basic features including "phono" input for those of us that still own a turntable and it sounds good. Its easy to operate and has a nice remote too. They sell an IPOD dock for this unit but the reviews arent very good. You can hook any IPOD up to any receiver using a basic cable that plugs into your IPOD and then into any stereo input on the receiver, except phono. (Stereo cable: RCA male to 1/8 male pin plug)