Gadget & Technology Products Review

I have been in the market for a receiver with HDMI inputs to replace my existing Onkyo receiver (which I had previously bought as a 5.1 set).

I did tons and tons of research, and decided that the 805 was the one for me. It had the upgraded DAC, was THX certified, and if I was going to spend that much money, I couldn’t go wrong.

It arrived, and there was nothing wrong with it in its performance. It was just fine. I hooked it up to everything, and it was all very simple. However, it didn’t blow me away. Now I look back, it was so obvious - I didn’t have the other necessary components for it to blow me away. I have entry level speakers and cables, in a room not ideally set up for an audiophile.

The fact that it didn’t blow me away, combined with the inconvenience of its size (it is HUGE and heavy), made me realize I should at least consider the 705 or 605. Why these two? Because I wanted HDMI inputs, as well as all the new HD sound alternatives since I do have a PS3 and believe that my system is at least good enough to reveal those differences with blu-ray. That meant the 505 was not considered.

I only have 2 HDMI devices, and now the HD DVD thing has died, I don’t see my getting a 3rd. This, and given the audio limitations of my setup I described above, I didn’t see the need for the THX certification of the 705, I decided to swap the 805 for a 605.

As soon as I had (easily) set up the 605, I knew I had done the right thing. I saved about $400, and honestly, there is no discernible difference in sound quality in my setup.

I did have a few concerns after reading other reviews. See comments below:

1) Popping - non-existant. I have been running it hard now for 2 weeks, and have not experienced any issues.

2) HDMI video pass through quality - it’s identical to the 805, and that was great - I have a 720p HD Panasonic plasma.

3) Excessive heat - not an issue at all. I have a well ventilated area with about 3 inches of space above the unit. It gets warm, but no more so than my old unit, and certainly not as warm as the 805.

All in all, I’m so happy I “down-graded” from the 805. In the future, I intend to spend a lot on great speakers and cables, and have a nice set up in a basement. However, until those things line up, I’m convinced there’s no reason to spend excessively - the best features are just wasted.