Customer Reviews

Onkyo TX-NR807 7.2-Channel A/V Surround Home Network Receiver (Black)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I've had the Onkyo TX-NR807 for about a month now. It replaced a 10 year old 70W Yamaha Dolby Digital surround receiver. I listen mostly to Jazz vocals, some light pop, and the occasional action movie. My priority is two channel (stereo) music, secondary is surround for movies. Other set-up details: Infinity main and center speakers(see below), small Paradigm surround speakers, Rotel CD running analog outs, Denon DVD, Windows Media Player on PC as music server. Overall satisfaction is high.

Before buying, this unit was demo'd in a showroom against a comparable Denon. The sound was similar on Def Tech floor stand speakers and both performed well. The Denon had a slightly warmer sound, which many prefer. The Onkyo had slightly better clarity, albeit a bit on the brighter side. The issue with a brighter sound is that it can be fatiguing for longer listening periods. This was a problem I was having with my current setup. Tough choice, but I decided to try the Onkyo as clarity is important to me. I like to hear the subtle parts of the music. The Onkyo, after discounts, was also about $500 less.

At home with the Onkyo, immediately I could pick up more details in the music and noticed better mid-range and bass. Not unexpected given I was going from 70W in the old receiver to 135W.

However, after listening for a while, I realized the better sound coming from the Onkyo was now actually revealing limitations of the speakers that were less evident with the slightly muddier sound of the old Yamaha. The vocals were a bit tinny and I was still dealing with the issue of the sound being too bright, although this aspect was a bit improved from the Yamaha. At this point I also looked around the room and realized it may be partially to blame for the brightness. High ceilings with bare walls cause a lot of reflections of high frequencies. There were three viable options: 1) Spend a lot more on a surround receiver or separates in an attempt to get clarity and less brightness ($$$), 2) try room treatments to tame the brightness (costly and usually unattractive), 3) try new speakers. I opted for 3 as the old Infinities were probably outgunned by the new receiver anyway (and I really wanted new speakers).

One of the high-end stores in the area sells B&W speakers and I'd always wanted a set. They have an overnight demo program so I lugged home a pair of mid-range 3-way B&W's to try out. With the B&W's I could hear even more detail in the music, the mid-range was richer, and the bass fuller and cleaner. They did exactly what I thought I was looking for. They made the music very detailed and they were very fast. For those who don't hang out in speaker review forums, this means they respond to changes in volume very quickly. For instance, each snare drum strike might be individually discernable, a cymbal brush stroke may consist of individual strands of the brush hitting the cymbal instead of a constant "whoosh". However, I discovered that after listening for more than 1/2 an hour at a time, that level of detail resulted in a feeling of having my head inside a drum rather than sitting in the audience. The vocals were also a bit harsh. Detail fatigue. So it turned out what I thought I was looking for wasn't what I really wanted.

The B&W's went back and I ended up with Wharfedale Opus speakers for mains and center. These use fabric dome (rather than metal) tweeters and mid's. With these I gave up some of the speed and a tiny bit of clarity, but gained beautiful vocals. They also tamed the brightness. I can listen to these for hours and just smile. A great fit for me when paired with the Onkyo.

Now that the music criteria was taken care of, it was on to movies. I had not really considered the Audyssey calibration tool that comes with the Onkyo to be very valuable. After all, I had managed to set up the surround on the old Yamaha manually. What a pleasant surprise. After running the Audyssey calibration, the surround timing and levels were vastly improved. Note that minor tweaking may still be appropriate. For instance, I needed to manually adjust the level of one of the main speakers by about 1 decibel because the Audyssey settings resulted in slightly off-center results when listening to two channel sources such as CD's.

One of the other criteria I had for a receiver was its ability to stream music stored on my home computer and preferably also from Pandora. Although I knew the Onkyo would do both, I got lucky here. It turns out the Onkyo is the only receiver in this range that will stream music stored in lossless formats. For those who may be lost at this point, music downloaded or ripped from CD's is usually compressed in a manner that removes some of the information (lossy compression). When listening on an ipod you may not know the difference, but on a nice home system there is a difference. Music can be ripped from CD's in a lossless format. However, only the Onkyo will use all the information. For instance, the Denon says it will play lossless formats, but in a small footnote it tells you the streaming software on the computer has to compress the music in a lossy format (192kbs max) in order for the receiver to accept the stream. Not good. What this all means is that I have now burned CD's on my computer in full resolution (no lost information) and can access and play them on my Onkyo receiver with easy on-screen menus. No more swapping CD's for quality sound. No more messing with ipod docks playing compressed music. In case you are wondering about sound quality of the streaming, I've compared the quality of the full-resolution streaming (which uses the Onkyo's digital to analog conversion) with the analog output of the Rotel CD player noting almost no discernable difference. Very good. Actually, excellent. Pandora streaming also works flawlessly.

In summary:

Advantages
- Great sound quality for this level of receiver
- Technologically ahead of competition. Onkyo tends to throw in lots of bells and whistles.
- Lossless streaming!
- Easy to use considering all the features
- Pandora
- Audyssey works well (most at this price have the same or similar)
- Price, especially if you find discounts
- Ability to bi-amp speakers (unit also seemed to run cooler after I did this)

Could be better
- No surround pre-ins for outboard processing (it does have pre-outs)
- No video or picture streaming from home computer or internet
- Sound character slightly on the bright side

Hope this info helps any prospective buyers.

The idea is to dl the unwashed facts.

I am not an audiophile. I can and do build my own computers as well as just about anything with wheels and this is the 4th AVR I have owned.

This machine replaces a dead 6 year old Onkyo. It is a drop in into my 6.1 living room setup although it did not just "drop in".

The good:
Connectivity, the global kind- . The packaged internet features offer a vast improvement over the AM/FM airwaves, both in sound quality and shedding the mindnumbing drivel. I have not tried to add alternate sites to the list yet. The machine has recognized my home network and works with my stored musical content.
Connectivity, the input/output kind- Despite omissions to legacy analog stuff, there are ample connections. The amount of HDMI connections alone is atypical of <1000$ machines.
Power- I expect to add an amp and speakers to this setup for a 9.1 height system in the future. The added amp is to get dedicated outputs for true 9.1 which is not possible with the 807. It is a 7.1 AVR with a pile of extra connections to share the 7.1 output in different configurations. DO NOT THINK OF THE 807 AS ANY MORE THAN A 7.1 RECEIVER (with options)!
That said, the power is exceptional. It becomes uncomfotable due to volume but my ears do not detect any distortion at any level. Incidentally there is a maximum volume setting that is factory preset to allow the user to modify the range. I haven't played with the setting and probably won't. No need to put my ears or my equipment through that. This box is not your fathers receiver. It is a beast.
Heat. I am pleased and surprised that this box puts out less heat than it's predecessor. Since it is inches taller than my previous Onkyo I raised the shelving to allow a six inch ventspace over the unit anticipating the Onkyo heat but that turns out to be overkill.
Reliability- Reports of sound cutouts and the need to depower and then restart can be found in these reviews and elsewhere. That has not been the case with my unit. It has performed reliably so far, a month at this writing. I should note that I do depower the unit nightly through my conditioner/generator. I am not an electrical engineer and have no idea whether that activity is affecting the chances of unintended cutouts.
Reasonable interface- Audessey setup was a breeze although I was familiar with the process. I will put my own tweaks in as time passes but for now the time spent was little, the result was impressive.
The On Screen Display is not particularly thrilling. Neither is it rudimentary. Regarding complaints that it is not polished remember the function of the display. It is the point of interface and from it the user gets information and issues commands. On that basis it is both reasonably formatted and intuitive. Further moaning at the bar is for wishes that don't merit granting. In a few clicks of the remote the user will have mastered the fundamentals of communicating with the 807. That is its function and Onkyo has done a fine job of it.
Cost- Within a two or three year timeframe, a machine sporting these bells and whistles would have set me back five times what I paid through Amazon. The package of tech and power, brains and brawn still has me on a learning curve.

The not so good:
Relays clack- Onkyo claims that that is the way it is. Relays click and clack when they are called on to shunt power. Shame on Onkyo. Onkyo should say "Unlike other Onkyo receivers, both legacy and current, as well as the receivers sold by our main competitors, the NR807 uses the clacking variety relays. They were speced for this machine, we have made thousands of these units which we absolutely refuse to admit fault with lest we be forced to do the honorable thing and correct this issue." I'm not holding my breath. As it is the click happens maybe once every ten minutes on average. YMMV.
For the record I am not put off by the clicking. If I had a dedicated theater room with all the toney accoutrements I would have long since boxed this up and returned it from whence it came but the course of my life is less refined and my home theater is 90 percent home, 10 percent theater. A little background noise is hardly reason to lose sleep.
Passthrough?- Maybe. If you can call at a minimm layering your information, like input type, volume indicator, etc. over the top of the signal. The data stream may not be altered but the resulting picture is not the same as the source material. Small potatoes you say? Maybe so, but I would like the passthrough function to be exactly that.
Analogue sound outputs- Not. No concern of mine but there are many who swear by them. This is their showstopper.
Wireless connectivity- Not. I can't imagine why someone would spend this kind of money and then mench about lack of wireless capability when hardwired ethernet is so much superior but there you have it.
Net functionality- Not stand alone. These subscriber services that Onkyo includes require the use of a computer to make functional and to maintain. It doesn't have to be connected to the machine or even the network but it does have to happen. I have a HTPC at the TX-NR807 so it is a nobrainer for me, but by the same token I already subscribed to Pandora and VTuner through the computer and played those stations and others through the home theater prior to the addition of the 807 so what I gained in the 807 networking is redundancy, and limited redundancy at that. Still, too much is better than not enough and if I were in the market for a receiver and my computer was not regularly integrated into my home network, the net functionality would be a big deal.
Net funtionality Part 2- Not a showstopper but the net log on is automatic and it is hit and miss. Mostly miss. I am a high speed DSL subscriber and have wired ethernet throughout the home. Things happen quickly on our monitors. Nonetheless the 807 takes minutes to do its business on startup handshaking the worldwidewebs. Makes me cringe. That is if it gets lucky on the first date. Often the process has to be repeated a time or two but once connected it never drops out. So there's that.
Output sourcing. You get what you got. I run practically everything out of the 807 through HDMI but I have need of component out also due to the wife persons unwillingness to adapt to the seamless integration of the 807 into our lives that I promised.
That means that I have to run a macro through the remote forcing the series of button pushes the Onkyo needs to change from HDMI to component out for my wifes ancient DVD changer. It doesn't strike me as that hard a thing for Onkyo to do to retain routing patterns for activities. I guess I'm wrong on that because I have had to teach the remote to create the changes each time the demand changes.

On balance, I feel like I made good use of my home theater budget this year. The 807 will have to last me at least five years for me to feel good about the outlay. In the meantime if it continues to behave itself it was money well spent.

Upgraded from a twelve-year-old Yamaha with lots of oomph but little in the way of current sound processing and of course no HDMI. Did a massive amount of research in advance, but in the end decided that the NR807 gave me everything I need for now and well into the future. One of the fullest and most immersive soundstages I've ever heard, a comparatively intuitive interface, auto firmware updates and PC audio streaming via its Ethernet port, more setup and configuration options than I knew existed, and a full half-dozen (!) HDMI inputs. And plenty of power sitting in reserve for those moments in a movie that are crafted to make you jump out of your chair. Never boomy or tinny or lacking, the unit simply sounds "fluid."

Yes, it has its bells and whistles, but this is by no means a "bells and whistles" receiver.

I bought this AV receiver and had some problems with speaker output. I finally ended up resetting to factory defaults via reccomendation of Onkyo. When I did that, I ended up with a TX-NR801. All of the functions of the 807 were gone. auto equalization, "NET", and remote setup were all gone. I now have to send the reciever back to have it repaired, meanwhile my entire system is down. Onkyo couldn't provide any help without sending it back. I have to believe that I'm not the only person to reset to factory defaults. This is not a trivial problem! I hope that it's not an indication of other system wide engineering problems with this reciever.

The features I found most beneficial/annoying given my perceived needs and use for this receiver:

(+) Pros
- 135W per channel (on paper)
- under $700 (Amazon Warehouse Deals)
- network capabilities
- firmware update via ethernet
- THX Select 2 certified
- Burr Brown DAC
- Audyssey DSX / PLIIz processing (future proof)
- Audyssey setup is a breeze
- nice GUI
- macro functions on remote

(-) Cons
- sluggish network connection and lousy interface makes feature more of a novelty (knocks down the value of this unit a notch)
- runs hotter than other brands
- video processing not impressive
- "clicking" noise when changing audio signals/inputs
- Audyssey DSX / PLIIz processing more than I will ever need
- firmware upgrading not as smooth

I purchased this courtesy of Amazon Warehouse Deals. What a bargain! The unit arrived in mint condition. You could tell that it had been opened and pulled out, but the unit was in perfect condition and all of the documentation/accessories were in brand new condition. Definitely worth the savings over a new unit.

I was actually considering the SR707 or Pioneer Elite 21/23TXH but at the price I got the NR807, I thought it was worth stepping up. The Network capabilities and extra power (135W) I felt were worth the extra cost.

Not being a total newbie to AV electronics, I got all my connections done pretty quickly and the great looking GUI makes set up a breeze. The Audyssey setup was great. I tweaked the subwoofer setting for my personal taste, but that was it.

** HEAT ** Newer Onkyo's have been notorious for the amount of heat they generate. Honestly, the heat coming from my unit was very minimal since I put about 1.5"-2" space between the top of the unit and the shelf right above it in my AV cabinet.

** CLICKING NOISE ** I've been reading complaints about owners experiencing an audible 'click' coming from the receiver when audio signals change (eg. watching a TV show and then a commercial comes on or changing input CBL/SAT to BD, etc.). I had the same issue. It didn't bother me when changing inputs because you heard it just the one time during the switch, but watching TV (via my Motorola cable box) was a real annoyance. This was my fix: run audio from cable box to receiver via one of the NR807's optical inputs. Make sure you select that input as your CBL/SAT audio source via the NR807 menu. On the cable box settings, change audio to PCM. That's it. You set the listening mode on the receiver to whatever you like (DPLII, Stereo, Direct, etc.) and it stays there. No more clicking while watching TV.

I can't compare the sound performance of this receiver to anything out there, but I had no complaints. Music and movies sound great, but please take that with a grain of salt as I do not have a trained ear. I'm sure a $300 5.1 AV Receiver would sound just as fine to my ears given the size of my room and types of speakers I'm currently using.

Video processing wasn't as good as I'd hoped. My cable box and BD are hooked up through HDMI inputs and my XBOX360 is connected to the NR807 via Component and everything goes out to the Pioneer KRP500M via HDMI. I send the signal straight through to minimize any effects the processing might have on the signal.

If anyone that owns a 9th generation Pioneer Kuro will tell you, the blacks on those TVs are incredible. Well as it turns out, images from my cable box and BD through the receiver don't do the TV justice. You can definitely see a slight lift in black levels. For example watching very movie dark scenes from the Matrix or Aliens appear a bit washed out. Also where black bars would be as black as the Kuro's bezel watching 2.35:1 aspect ratio movies, the bars now appear a very dark grey. I played with all of the output options on the NR807 but couldn't get back the blacks that I enjoyed with my Kuro. When I plug those sources directly into the TV, the blacks are deep, dark and inky like I remember. Not having owned a modern AV receiver before maybe I was expecting more than what I experienced at this price point. The images aren't unwatchable, they just don't do a good enough job of simply passing the signal through.

One of the main reasons why I opted for this receiver was the Network feature to access music on my PC, Internet Radio/Pandora, and firmware upgrades. Problem is, it's slow and not as snappy as I'd hoped. I've got a powerline ethernet setup that the NR807 and my XBOX360 are hooked up to via 5-port switch. I have no issues with my XBOX360, but for whatever reason, the network experience on my receiver isn't as responsive. I did a firmware upgrade recently and it took 3-4 attempts to get it to work-- you can read other's horror stories in their reviews. Additionally, the interface leaves a little to be desired (maybe upgradable with a firmware update). Overall I came away disappointed and I found myself going back to my much more superior and slicker XBOX360 experience for those features (pictures, netflix, music, internet radio, etc). I can't completely blame the receiver for my issues as I had not properly done any troubleshooting of my network, but given the ease of the initial set up, this was a bit of a disappointment.

All-in-all this is a feature packed receiver. Onkyo's have been known for offering great values and I'd recommend this unit if your budget allows, you can look past its shortcomings, and you can get a great deal on one. The network features are a bit overhyped especially with all of the media streaming options that are out there. For my own needs the NR807 was overkill, but I felt I could grow with it and give me some "future proofing" (Audyssey DSX, PLIIZ, firmware upgrades via ethernet).

Unfortunately, as I type this review, I've packed up the receiver and will be returning it to Amazon. I got a great deal on a Pio Elite VSX21TXH directly through Pioneer which will save me some $ for other stuff, a proper Elite warranty, and will be more than adequate for my needs.

*** UPDATE *** I received and set up my new VSX-21TXH Thursday night. So far so good.

Quick comparison to the Onkyo NR807:
Pros:
- Runs cooler
- no clicking
- Video processing (Anchor Bay) much better
- net cost was nearly $400 less than the NR807


Cons:
- "TV/SAT" cannot be assigned to one of the HDMI ports (at least I haven't figured out how to do it)
- Onscreen menu not as user friendly
- Onkyo remote had a better lay out + macro functionality
- no built in network functionality (though I wasn't impressed with the NR807s)

All in all, I don't regret my decision because for the $ I paid for the Pioneer, it was an incredible value.

After owning two Onkyo receivers in the past, I have to say that this is the best one and really packs a lot of goodies. I still use the previous receivers for various things, but the last one (HT-R410) did not include HDMI (of course) and had a very poor AM/FM tuner. The tuner on this one is much improved. The TX-NR807 has so many great features, including a phono input, a universal port for the iPod, multizone capability for powering 3 zones (although playback is reduced with the addition of each zone), speaker layout adjustment, receiver panel brightness control, a late night function so you can hear quiet parts of movies without turning up the volume, several listening modes, network capability, etc.

The only thing that is slightly disappointing is that it doesn't include wifi, so I have to add an ethernet bridge. I'm hoping that once I add a bridge I can still use encryption. Anyone have experience with this? If it weren't for the lack of wifi, I would have given it 5 stars.

UPDATE ONE MONTH LATER: I finally decided to hardwire to my network, which seems to be the best alternative (not to mention that it provides faster and more solid playback). I've tested using my computer as a file server, and this works well, although since the computer is connected wirelessly to the network, there are occasional breaks when streaming music. I noticed at first that the receiver didn't seem to recognize streaming FLAC files, but this was because I was using an incompatible server software. I started using Asset UPnP, which can process FLAC files, and then everything was fine.

Another thing I've noticed is that sound will no longer be output after a few days if the receiver is left in standby and is not completely powered down (by unplugging the unit or turning off the power strip). Fortunately, most of the time we switch off the power strip at night, so this isn't usually a problem. I wish the North American model had the power off button provided on European models. Otherwise, I'm more than satisfied with this receiver!

i made sure i opened the box before the UPS guy left, and am happy to say, no sand bags. so far, i've had a sony(pro logic), hk, and an outlaw 1050. i'm not sure if it sounds that much better than my outlaw at 5.1, but after i added a couple of height speakers, it sounds pretty awesome. Dolby PLIIz is pretty impressive. i also tried pandora and it works great, not sure if i'll ever use the regular tuner. the audissey setup was great. no more playing with the sound level meter. although, when i have time, i'll be checking audissey's levels with a sound level meter just to make sure. i only gave it a 4, because i believe a 5 should be reserved for the higher end stuff. plus, i don't believe i played with it long enough to say it's a perfect 5. there is definitely a little learning curve involved, not really plug and play. if the ranking was for receivers under $1000, than i would rank it closer to 5.

Bought this receiver last Dec 2010, Stopped working after 8 months, no sound even after firmware update. I would not expect to pay 1000.00 for a receiver and have it go out within a year. Onkyo, I thought had a good name and was excited to get this unit. Boy was I surprised to find out different. I have never had a receiver that i spent so much money on. Normally I can't afford to spend this much money on something such as a receiver, and normally buy cheap Sony's or off brands. I thought I was going to treat myself, don't make the same mistake that I did. BUY SOMETHING ELSE....... If you will just look this unit up on the WWW and see the problems people have had. please please please...do your homework and pick another model or brand....not this one. Again I have had this unit almost a year, not just bought or just had a couple of weeks. Don't believe the hype on this unit stay away.

The Onkyo TX-NR 807 is one of a long line of high value receivers from this firm. It has very good, if not best of class power, to drive most Home Theater Sound Systems to impressive levels. A solid performer in this respect.

The Video processing features are acceptable though most new Flat Panel TVs will do just as well with their internal circuits so the need for up scaling features in the receiver are debatable for most users.

The Internet Radio and networking feature are very useful and convenient and make this a nice unit to integrate your Home Theater System into your home network if you have a music media server or just want to stream music from the on-line services supported.

IMPORTANT: The design or manufacturing quality of a very key PCB in the unit is problematic. These units put out a lot of heat particularly from an area in the right rear where all the interface PCBs are located. The top PCB is the HDMI board and this one runs very hot. So hot that many '807s have this HDMI board fail within 24 months of being put into operation. The unit will not show or process any sound or video sources when this happens. Kaput! Even if serviced under warranty the wait for a replacement PCB is often months long as demand for replacement boards is high. Out of warranty it is $650 part cost item, plus labor. Buyer beware!!

After a year or so my tx-nr807 spontaneously lost all sound output. From reading on other forums, this is a relatively common problem and is extremely expensive to fix out of warranty.