@MehnofLaMehncha The buyers at Meh. Inc. have gone on strike, so they can only sell what's left in the warehouse, since the shippers are not unionized and still showing up for the paycheck, until the arbitrator gets through with the settlement. Or, maybe it's other stuff.
@TBoneZeOriginal Matter of opinion. My 40" TCL TV does fine. Is it theater-quality surround? No, but then again I'm not spending several grand on audio quality I mostly won't be able to hear anyway.
@kensey You don't need to spend several grand to get decent sound. Today's deal is proof of that. Heck, I use a $400 home theater in a box from Sony. Sounds great.
But you'll never get surround sound from a TV. And TVs are so thin, speakers will never be as good. I'm nowhere close to an audiophile, but I could never consider my entertainment center complete without some sort of surround sound.
Also, surround sound isn't "quality you'll never hear". It's pretty obvious when it's gone.
Room design is maybe 50% as important as audio gear. But don't see any friends adding or tearing down walls, raising ceilings, filling bookcases with egg cartons ...
@growyoungagain in general for stereo you would need 2... basic surround would require 5 (2 front, 2 rear, subwoofer or 5.1 would include a center channel speaker too)...now as far as this Atmos thing? No idea... I am still not clear on "3d audio"
@thismyusername The 0.1 is for the subwoofer as it's not a "full range" speaker. 5 includes stereo front, stereo rear, and center. IMO, most people would not notice any added channels above 5.1.
@alextse yes I know, I should have been clearer. You can pull off surround without a center (and in fact some people have such a crappy center speaker it sounds better with it out of the equation )... but yes the .1 is the sub...
@growyoungagain ran across this that seems to be an even better reference even includes atmos:
@thismyusername I think the single most important speaker is the center channel, don't skimp on it. Everything else is just filling in additional sound info and expanding the soundstage but most of the heavy lifting is done by the center. When people buy soundbars, they are really in effect buying a type of center speaker that also attempts to broaden the audio space a bit compared to built-in speakers.
@TBoneZeOriginal Mostly I use my TV for literally watching TV. I think maybe with the digital transition TV channels now have 5.1 audio? I'm used to when you were lucky to get true stereo.
Surround is great -- I used to have a cheapie Sharp shelf system that did 5.1 surround and I remember watching some movie (Desperado I think) where they drag a body offscreen past the camera to one side, and you could actually hear the dragging sounds move off to the side behind you.
But I don't need a $300 receiver for that. In fact if I'm using an in-a-box unit like that that costs $300 or less itself, another $300 on just a receiver like this is probably a waste. It's like buying a Hurst shifter for a Ford Escort.
And I'm not saying I don't like better audio. I'm just saying some TVs actually do have decent two-channel sound, plenty good enough for watching CSI (YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHH) or whatever casual DVD I feel like throwing in. Good enough, in other words, that in a space not purpose-designed for it I don't feel like it's worth the money buying high-end audio.
@alextse You can skip the center channel if you have a good 2.1 setup (though it is always nice to have). A quality pair of left/right speakers is way more effectivel than a cheap center channel or Home Theater in a Box system.
@tubareitz I see speakers as an investment. I bought my front floor standing speakers some 15+ years ago. Then added matching rears and eventually a center, by then I learned to invest in a good center! Also got a big boomy subwoofer...the only thing I regret. Just barely passable enough and still operational to keep, but really it sucks.
I convinced my father in law to buy one since I've enjoyed my older on (525 maybe) so much. He only got it a few days ago and hasn't had time to wire it up yet. I'm not surprised with the lack of reviews.
How many things that I can buy actually output Atmos-quality surround sound? Edit: Went back and checked. 39 Blu-Ray disks. No answer on how many Blu-Ray readers do anything with the Atmos codec.
We picked one up last time around. It works well enough, except the ARC feature. Audio does not pass back through the TV's HDMI port as it's supposed to. The Yamaha this unit replaced handled it without problem. No luck before or after applying a firmware update.
@hymond Same issue here. Waiting for another optical cable to see if the issue can be fixed that way (TV optical out to Receiver in instead of HDMI ARC)
Bought the previous model (525) last year. Worked great until this week. Now it powers off by itself in mostly random cycles; but will sometimes power off right as the speakers come on over and over. You just have to stop using it for several hours.
Haven't had a chance to send it in yet, but when I looked this problem up online, it appears to be a common one.
@RedOak It used to be that there were a flood of refurb Onkyos available to Woot/Meh from people returning them due to HDMI problems or blown caps. This one is new though so I don't know.
@RedOak my uninformed opinion is that it's related to the tradeoff between ATMOS 5.1.2 and regular 7.1
If I were in the market for a 5.1 or even a 7.1 receiver, then I would buy a different (and likely cheaper) unit that didn't have ATMOS. However if I really wanted ATMOS, (meaning I have decided to run new wires and install additional speakers), then I would want ATMOS with a minimum of 7.1.2, or more likely 11.x
From my personal consumer viewpoint, this might be the slow mover in the Onkyo lineup.
@mehdaf That might be. So if Onkyo has a 3-year supply of them already on pallets in the port when these products have 1-year store shelf life cycles, that would make sense. Move 'em out.
I continue to be on the fence... (simply because "analysis paralysis" is required for $300 purchases by my cheap-ass Scot blood.)
@thismyusername ...yep. And apparently their crawler isn't bright enough to see what should be a well-known source by now with a dramatically lower price. That and not bright enough to see none of those clicks turning into sales. They normally seem to be pretty good at automatically quickly matching places like B&H or Newegg - at least on commodity electronics.
Bought it last time it came around. Really pleased with it. Strangely enough, with everything the same (room, speakers, etc), this thing is doing a much better kicking out positional sound than our previous unit. Well worth it.
@PhysAssist Yeah. I'm getting ready to down payment so I'm on lockdown. But good news, new house has kitchen larger than a 1/2 sheet of plywood. So, there's that..
@marklog Congrats on the upcoming new digs! To paraphrase the prophet [G.Carlin]: You gotta get a bigger place to put your stuff before you can get more stuff...
@armchair that would be nice. But $100 will get you a plain old Sherwood Stereo receiver that doesn't even understand the phrase "HDMI", much less "ATMOS".
My Review: It replaced my 4yo Pioneer receiver that was starting to turn purple when you switched the input. The Onkyo does not turn purple when you switch input. So it does what I bought it for.
I had the same speaker setup with the old receiver (using 5.1 + front height speakers) so I don't notice that big a difference. With the old receiver I had tweaked the sound settings over the years, and in that way I noticed a slight difference in the output, but the Onkyo auto setup wizard with the microphone did a really good job. I might boost the bass a bit, but I'm going to give it a go with the settings it selected itself for a while. It detected the front height speakers correctly and did a good job calibrating them. I have not used the Advanced settings yet, and I think you could get away with never visiting those settings. It did that good a job with the auto-setup.
"TX" is not for "THX" because this model is not THX-certified and does not support THX protocols (link) - it looks like you have to go to $999 MSRP for THX.
3 of the 6 HDMI ports support HDCP 2.2. It doesn't say how many support HDMI 2.0 (4k @ 60fps) vs 1.4 (4k @ 30fps); it may only be the same 3 ports.
It only has 1 USB port, and it's on the back - which is a shame because of all the HDMI devices that are USB-powered - my Chromecast is plugged into a front-panel HDMI port and powered from the adjacent USB port. This one has no front-panel HDMI or USB ports.
While this is a good deal on a good receiver, remember that this is near the bottom of Onkyo's line AV receivers. This retails for $599, with two below it at $399 and $499 - $399 is 5.1 and $499 is 7.1 without Atmos, with other improvements at each step ($499 adds better calibration, $599 (this one) add better audio processing). The next one up ($699 MSRP) adds front-panel HDMI, phonograph input, Deep Color, and ability to play from optical audio inputs to Zone 2.
They are about to replace this model with a new one, which adds phonograph input, dynamic audio amplification, and built-in Google Cast, but drops two of the 4 composite video connections.
I hate the way Onkyo tries to cheat their specs with 6 ohm speaker specs. This is a 65W amp, which is weak unless your theater is in a closet. Quit lying to us!
I was almost interested in this to replace my four year old Onkyo TX-NR509 since this one has 2 more HDMI inputs and supports 7.1 surround (vs. 5.1 on the TX-NR509), but then I noticed that the TX-NR545 only outputs 65W per channel for 8-ohm speakers, which is ~20% less than my current receiver.
Since my current receiver is pushing 80W per channel at that impedance, I'm going to have to pass. Also, I got a killer deal ($128) on my TX-NR509 in 2012 so it's tough to justify spending another $280 on this one.
@OnionSoup Most big speakers need to get their power from somewhere else; these receivers provide that power. Unless a set of speakers plugs in by itself, or has a battery, it'll need a receiver or amp to drive it. Having said that, Amazon sells a terrific little amp for around $30 that'll do the trick. Search for "Lepy amplifier".
@ricksalinas Good question! Answer: Yes, I think - qualified- see below from Onkyo web site... Your ONKYO warranty will be void if you purchase from (and not limited to) the following list of unauthorized dealers:
Hashtag 1 in Service-Amazon Hashtag Source AA Electronic Deals (on Amazon) Alex Tech Always bargain A to Z Special Offers Audio Video Sales Guy Audiotronics Bass Buys Basu Best Service Stores Best-Way-to-Buy BigBuyCity Buy Full HD CodeRed Express Crawford’s Crawford's Superstore dbRoth Deal Hunters Dependable Resource DeWalla Divani Home Digiherd Discounts Jungle Dream-Seller (on eBay) electric guitar discount Electronic Splash Elite Audio Video Eric’s Electronics and Oddities EZ Deals Fair Deal Guy Five Star Buy Frozen Lemon Fumfie[dot]com Giftmart Gear4Less-ebay Goodios Green-sum (on eBay) GWE Deals Hello Music Hifiaudiopro Home and Garden Club Home Electronics Home of Hi Def Infiniti Electronics Infinity Sales (on Amazon) ISEEU Itsocase J-Electronics Jack of All Trades (on Amazon) JRD Sales J-Tech Digital Jurrasic Photo K&S Music (in Berkeley Heights, NJ) Lee Companies MalyZajac Maw Mar MaxDeal MCMelectronics Mmauger (on eBay) Moe's AV Norcal Digital Outserve PC Parts Depot poppisgirls (also known as: "Eclectique") Powersellernyc[dot]com Premiere Audio Video rougegouge RPF LTD RRI Ryther Camera SavingLots[dot]com Serenader (on Amazon) Soundealz (on eBay) superior sales TheRealBestBuys thecheapestguitar.com Ugetitfast Unbeatable Sale Universa (on eBay) USA Bargain Deals Value Auctions Vanne WeBeDealin Winds101 (on eBay) WSC Ho
But someone above said the Meh IS an authorized dealer [? derived from what source?] T
So, what I really want to know is where should the 2 atmos speakers go, front-high, rear, or rear-high? BTW, my ceilings in the great room are 26 feet high, will that kill the atmos effect, since it seems to need ceiling reflections to work optimally?
@dave Thanks for the link. Clearly, I'm going to have to experiment, but I'm thinking rather than trying to bounce the sound off the 26ft high vaulted ceiling, I should try hanging speakers over the listening area, aimed downward, as if they were in a ceiling setup.
@operaticus Mine came two days ago, no shipping notice that I saw. It was in a much bigger package than I expected...I actually didn't touch it until today because I thought it was my next order of Soylent.
I went to open it this morning for breakfast and was a little surprised to see an Onkyo box inside.
No. I did get a tracking number from customer support and it indicates only that a label was created, but no actual shipping activity nine days after the order and seven days after the credit card charge. I've initiated a dispute via my credit card company. Unacceptable.
@sammydog01 We are at April 28 already tomorrow and the shipping status is still "label created." It is not getting here within the date range. That is abundantly clear. It's not even out their door yet. "Stupid" would be supporting this shit level of customer service by leaving the order in place.
@pigoe I'm just imagining the discussion with the credit card people. "Yes, I want to dispute a charge. They promised me it was estimated to arrive by Friday. No, not last Friday, this coming Friday. I know it's not Friday yet but I know for sure that it won't come. Yes it said estimate but that means absolutely guarantee." Good luck buddy.
No, it did not arrive since, again, it never actually shipped, which was clear from the tracking info.
I've been issued a refund, actually, because they are finally admitting it never even got into FedEx's system, the fact of which I informed them a week ago.
@riceatusc It's great that meh has so many apologists, but, again, this did not even ship. This is not a matter of me being impatient. This is a matter of meh telling me it shipped when the tracking -clearly- showed it had not entered FedEx's system and was -not- on its way. Had meh acknowledged the problem when I identified it, it could have been resolved. Instead, they pointed to their FAQ and their apparent pride in their slow shipping, ignoring the fact that there was a real problem with my order (and others, by the way!).
@pigoe i have something purchased on april 14, i have a tracking number but it hasnt updated either. Its just the way things go.....ill get it soonish....
It's just we've all been there, and with online companies these days its pretty easy to assume it's a scam... but meh is not one.
It might not be the fastest, or the best, or even slightly good at times... especially when they sell ear buds, but they will make it right... eventually.
I went ahead and ordered speakers and all the wire I needed for a spare room. It's been sitting there for a week looking nice but feeling empty due to a giant hole where the onkyo should be...
At least I just got this email:
We've got an important update for you on that Onkyo Receiver you ordered from us. Part of the initial batch of these that we sent out with your order seems to have been misplaced by the delivery company and are yet to be found. Which is why you haven't received your order yet.
Since that obviously sucks, we're shipping you another one on our dime today. You'll be receiving an email shortly with updated tracking information and your receiver should be delivered within the next 2-3 days.
Bought this to replace my Sony 7.1. (don’t remember the model) which worked fine. I got it specifically for the blue tooth and AirPlay. I got duped (my fault) in thinking the AirPlay was video and that I could AirPlay any content from my phone or iPad. Wrong! It’s only AirPlay audio. Expensive mistake. Could not find anywhere in the documentation or on any review that AirPlay was audio only. Anyone want to buy it?
Specs
Highlights:
Audio:
Power output (All Channels):
Dynamic Power:
160 W (3 Ohms, Front)
125 W (4 Ohms, Front)
85 W (8 Ohms, Front)
THD+N: 0.08% (20 Hz–20 kHz, Half Power)
Damping Factor: 60 (Front, 1 kHz, 8 Ohms)
Input Sensitivity and Impedance: 200 mV/47 k-ohms (Line)
Rated RCA Output Level and Impedance:
Maximum RCA Output Level and Impedance:
1.0 V/2.2 k-ohms (Zone 2 Line Out)
2.0 V/470 ohms (Subwoofer Pre Out)
Frequency Response: 10 Hz–100 kHz/+1 dB, -3 dB (Direct Mode)
Tone Control:
±10 dB, 20 Hz (Bass)
±10 dB, 20 kHz (Treble)
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 100 dB (Line, IHF-A)
Speaker Impedance: 6 ohms–16 ohms
FM range: 87.5 MHz–107.9 MHz
AM range: 530 kHz–1,710 kHz
FM/AM Preset Memory: 40 stations
Video:
Everything Else:
Condition: New
Warranty: 2 year Onkyo
**Estimated Delivery:**4/26 - 4/29
Shipping: $5 or free with VMP
What’s in the Box?
1x Onkyo Receiver
1x Remote controller
1x AM loop antenna
1x Indoor FM antenna
1x Speaker setup microphone
Pictures
1/4 view
Back
Front
Remote
Price Comparison
$599 List, $389 at Amazon (26 reviews, fulfilled by Amazon)
$429.99 at Amazon (sold by Amazon)
Find a relevant price comparison? Please share it in a comment in this thread
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Monday, February 11th - Friday, February 15th
No soup for you.
@connorbush
Too much for you too
Meh.com
They forgot to put this in my fukuburko box.
@wew but, seriously, do Onkyo receivers still run hot? I love my older Onkyo, but it does heat the room in the winter.
What's it mean that stuff is showing up again the second time so damn fast lately?
@MehnofLaMehncha I means that most meh buyers haven't even received or opened it yet to review it
Pretty sure during year one, it took 90 days for stuff to repeat.
@MehnofLaMehncha I know. The frequency of repeats seems to be too high to be well received on this deal.
@MehnofLaMehncha The buyers at Meh. Inc. have gone on strike, so they can only sell what's left in the warehouse, since the shippers are not unionized and still showing up for the paycheck, until the arbitrator gets through with the settlement. Or, maybe it's other stuff.
@MehnofLaMehncha It was featured on April 6th, less than 2 wks ago. It has sold 311 so far, Which is around $90,000. I guess meh needed the moola.
@growyoungagain
$90k in sales, net= ??
Will this "receiver" be received well -- meh
@AttyVette Don't know. What's the frequency, AttyVette?
@AttyVette
This receiver is useless unless you hook it up to the Dominator X-10. Thirty inches of thigh-slapping, blood-pumping, nuclear brain damage!
(Going to use that line for every speaker sold here. If Meh can recycle deals, I can recycle Judge Reinhold quotes.)
Wow! One for downstairs!
Onkyo more like Onkno (my Onkyo receiver from 7+ years ago will last me another 17+ easy, have HDMI envy though)
People still use these things?
@ponagathos People don't? There is no TV on the market with audio good enough to not need a receiver.
@ponagathos Please don't ruin the gene pool with soundbars.... :)
@TBoneZeOriginal it's like they go out of their way to put crappy speakers in the sets just to force people to buy a soundbar or amp... oh wait....
@TBoneZeOriginal Matter of opinion. My 40" TCL TV does fine. Is it theater-quality surround? No, but then again I'm not spending several grand on audio quality I mostly won't be able to hear anyway.
@kensey You don't need to spend several grand to get decent sound. Today's deal is proof of that. Heck, I use a $400 home theater in a box from Sony. Sounds great.
But you'll never get surround sound from a TV. And TVs are so thin, speakers will never be as good. I'm nowhere close to an audiophile, but I could never consider my entertainment center complete without some sort of surround sound.
Also, surround sound isn't "quality you'll never hear". It's pretty obvious when it's gone.
Room design is maybe 50% as important as audio gear. But don't see any friends adding or tearing down walls, raising ceilings, filling bookcases with egg cartons ...
@thismyusername I don't understand this receiver thingy in the least, but my ? is, how many speakers do you need and what kind??
@growyoungagain in general for stereo you would need 2... basic surround would require 5 (2 front, 2 rear, subwoofer or 5.1 would include a center channel speaker too)...now as far as this Atmos thing? No idea... I am still not clear on "3d audio"
This has some good info http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/home-theater3.htm
@thismyusername The 0.1 is for the subwoofer as it's not a "full range" speaker. 5 includes stereo front, stereo rear, and center. IMO, most people would not notice any added channels above 5.1.
@alextse yes I know, I should have been clearer. You can pull off surround without a center (and in fact some people have such a crappy center speaker it sounds better with it out of the equation
)... but yes the .1 is the sub...
@growyoungagain ran across this that seems to be an even better reference even includes atmos:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/ultimate-surround-sound-guide-different-formats-explained/
@thismyusername I think the single most important speaker is the center channel, don't skimp on it. Everything else is just filling in additional sound info and expanding the soundstage but most of the heavy lifting is done by the center. When people buy soundbars, they are really in effect buying a type of center speaker that also attempts to broaden the audio space a bit compared to built-in speakers.
@TBoneZeOriginal Mostly I use my TV for literally watching TV. I think maybe with the digital transition TV channels now have 5.1 audio? I'm used to when you were lucky to get true stereo.
Surround is great -- I used to have a cheapie Sharp shelf system that did 5.1 surround and I remember watching some movie (Desperado I think) where they drag a body offscreen past the camera to one side, and you could actually hear the dragging sounds move off to the side behind you.
But I don't need a $300 receiver for that. In fact if I'm using an in-a-box unit like that that costs $300 or less itself, another $300 on just a receiver like this is probably a waste. It's like buying a Hurst shifter for a Ford Escort.
And I'm not saying I don't like better audio. I'm just saying some TVs actually do have decent two-channel sound, plenty good enough for watching CSI (YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHH) or whatever casual DVD I feel like throwing in. Good enough, in other words, that in a space not purpose-designed for it I don't feel like it's worth the money buying high-end audio.
(All that said, I'm tempted to buy this or another receiver just because my TV only has 3 HDMI inputs and I could use a few more.)
@alextse You can skip the center channel if you have a good 2.1 setup (though it is always nice to have). A quality pair of left/right speakers is way more effectivel than a cheap center channel or Home Theater in a Box system.
@tubareitz I see speakers as an investment. I bought my front floor standing speakers some 15+ years ago. Then added matching rears and eventually a center, by then I learned to invest in a good center! Also got a big boomy subwoofer...the only thing I regret. Just barely passable enough and still operational to keep, but really it sucks.
@kensey Analog TV also had surround sound for over a decade - both Dark Angel and Star Trek: Voyager were broadcast with Dolby surround sound.
@ponagathos
I guess if TV speakers or some Beats headphones plugged into your tablet work for you, then more power to ya.
i can fix the toaster
@thechinglish so can I, and my blowdryer and my 1978 12" tv. And I'm a girl, well actually a woman.
@growyoungagain But I don't understand this receiver thing.
Wasn't this on a couple weeks ago? With all these repeats meh is starting to feel kind of meh for me. :(
@everdown they have succeeded
Silence is golden.... Duct tape is silver.
This gives me hope that those recent Canons (photographic not liturgical) may be back up soon, I was kicking myself soon after the sale ended.
@cercopithecoid check out the deal at Best Buy for that Canon camera. Extra lens worth $200 and case included for a bundle price of $500.
@cercopithecoid For sale: one liturgical canon, well-thumbed.
@cercopithecoid dealnews reecently listed a t5 deal for $230.
Bass bass bass!
@Stallion
Worked for me. You'll want the advanced manual. Its pretty complex to set up; don't have the atmos speakers....and the interface is dos based.....
@eeterrific Tell me more, she said in a voice of dawning fear.
@eeterrific The setup wizard did a fine job for me. I haven't even looked at the advanced settings yet, didn't need to.
"now maybe the T is for... uh... well, the X means... something... anybody got any ideas?)"
Interestingly enough in electronic communications lingo Tx generally means a transmitter, while Rx generally means a receiver.
I convinced my father in law to buy one since I've enjoyed my older on (525 maybe) so much. He only got it a few days ago and hasn't had time to wire it up yet. I'm not surprised with the lack of reviews.
Nope.
That is all.
How many things that I can buy actually output Atmos-quality surround sound? Edit: Went back and checked. 39 Blu-Ray disks. No answer on how many Blu-Ray readers do anything with the Atmos codec.
@madamehardy the disc player doesn't decode, just sends raw bitstream audio, so if the disc has it, you'll get it.
@gspitman Aha! Thank you.
We picked one up last time around. It works well enough, except the ARC feature. Audio does not pass back through the TV's HDMI port as it's supposed to. The Yamaha this unit replaced handled it without problem. No luck before or after applying a firmware update.
@hymond make sure you have CEC enabled on both the TV and receiver for ARC.
@gspitman Yeah it's enabled, it just doesn't seem to pass audio. Our older receiver does ARC properly with our TV (Vizio).
@hymond Same issue here. Waiting for another optical cable to see if the issue can be fixed that way (TV optical out to Receiver in instead of HDMI ARC)
Didn't this sell out last time? Seems like shenanigans! Oh well, I got mine last time.
Bought the previous model (525) last year. Worked great until this week. Now it powers off by itself in mostly random cycles; but will sometimes power off right as the speakers come on over and over. You just have to stop using it for several hours.
Haven't had a chance to send it in yet, but when I looked this problem up online, it appears to be a common one.
Was pretty happy with it until recently.
Just FYI...
@richweis2003 I think it was programmed to fail just prior to this meh sale.
If this device is so loved by Wirecutter, then why is it here? And why is it so heavily discounted vs. everywhere else?
And it doesn't seem to be white van shenanigans since Meh is an official retailer for Onkyo.
What am I missing? (My flaky, ancient SONY ES-800 is the jealous type so I have to be careful.)
@RedOak It used to be that there were a flood of refurb Onkyos available to Woot/Meh from people returning them due to HDMI problems or blown caps. This one is new though so I don't know.
@RedOak my uninformed opinion is that it's related to the tradeoff between ATMOS 5.1.2 and regular 7.1
If I were in the market for a 5.1 or even a 7.1 receiver, then I would buy a different (and likely cheaper) unit that didn't have ATMOS. However if I really wanted ATMOS, (meaning I have decided to run new wires and install additional speakers), then I would want ATMOS with a minimum of 7.1.2, or more likely 11.x
From my personal consumer viewpoint, this might be the slow mover in the Onkyo lineup.
@mehdaf That might be. So if Onkyo has a 3-year supply of them already on pallets in the port when these products have 1-year store shelf life cycles, that would make sense. Move 'em out.
I continue to be on the fence... (simply because "analysis paralysis" is required for $300 purchases by my cheap-ass Scot blood.)
@RedOak I'm sitting right there on the proverbial fence with you!
@PhysAssist glad you added "proverbial" - otherwise coulda gotten weird.
BTW, as is common with the random Amazon pricing model, the price is now up to $499 over there. (vs. $429 stated above)
@RedOak I am guessing the server saw all the traffic that appeared interested, looked at inventory and adjusted accordingly...
@thismyusername ...yep. And apparently their crawler isn't bright enough to see what should be a well-known source by now with a dramatically lower price. That and not bright enough to see none of those clicks turning into sales. They normally seem to be pretty good at automatically quickly matching places like B&H or Newegg - at least on commodity electronics.
I meh the shit out of this almost immediate repeat! I guess April blew its load of awesome deals early on.
Could The T and X be for THX certified receivers? So as to keep with their typical model number format?
TX is obviously tech lingo for Tech-reX aka T-reX as in the biggest bad ass receiver on the lot.
I'm in if that "Music optimizer" button will automatically mute annoying pop music my wife and daughter like to listen.
Bought it last time it came around. Really pleased with it. Strangely enough, with everything the same (room, speakers, etc), this thing is doing a much better kicking out positional sound than our previous unit. Well worth it.
I was one of those 200 people. I just haven't taken it out the box yet.
@takeurmoney That sounds like a five star review.
Whenever I see "onkyo" I think of a cool pig saying "oink, yo!" Anyway y'all have a nice day
@Twiminy I see that too. :D
@Twiminy Classy
I want this so hard.
@marklog Mega-dittoes- but SWMBO[-mostly] has veto power, and my Meh budget has been creeping... Downwards...
@PhysAssist Yeah. I'm getting ready to down payment so I'm on lockdown. But good news, new house has kitchen larger than a 1/2 sheet of plywood. So, there's that..
@marklog Congrats on the upcoming new digs!
To paraphrase the prophet [G.Carlin]:
You gotta get a bigger place to put your stuff before you can get more stuff...
I think mine would look better in doubly.
I'll bite at $100.
@armchair that would be nice. But $100 will get you a plain old Sherwood Stereo receiver that doesn't even understand the phrase "HDMI", much less "ATMOS".
@RedOak I don't need one... So $100 is the "well I'll get one anyway as a footrest."
My Review:
It replaced my 4yo Pioneer receiver that was starting to turn purple when you switched the input.
The Onkyo does not turn purple when you switch input. So it does what I bought it for.
I had the same speaker setup with the old receiver (using 5.1 + front height speakers) so I don't notice that big a difference. With the old receiver I had tweaked the sound settings over the years, and in that way I noticed a slight difference in the output, but the Onkyo auto setup wizard with the microphone did a really good job. I might boost the bass a bit, but I'm going to give it a go with the settings it selected itself for a while. It detected the front height speakers correctly and did a good job calibrating them.
I have not used the Advanced settings yet, and I think you could get away with never visiting those settings. It did that good a job with the auto-setup.
@themutilator I love purple.
@Barney I have a receiver for you then.
"TX" is not for "THX" because this model is not THX-certified and does not support THX protocols (link) - it looks like you have to go to $999 MSRP for THX.
3 of the 6 HDMI ports support HDCP 2.2. It doesn't say how many support HDMI 2.0 (4k @ 60fps) vs 1.4 (4k @ 30fps); it may only be the same 3 ports.
It only has 1 USB port, and it's on the back - which is a shame because of all the HDMI devices that are USB-powered - my Chromecast is plugged into a front-panel HDMI port and powered from the adjacent USB port. This one has no front-panel HDMI or USB ports.
While this is a good deal on a good receiver, remember that this is near the bottom of Onkyo's line AV receivers. This retails for $599, with two below it at $399 and $499 - $399 is 5.1 and $499 is 7.1 without Atmos, with other improvements at each step ($499 adds better calibration, $599 (this one) add better audio processing). The next one up ($699 MSRP) adds front-panel HDMI, phonograph input, Deep Color, and ability to play from optical audio inputs to Zone 2.
They are about to replace this model with a new one, which adds phonograph input, dynamic audio amplification, and built-in Google Cast, but drops two of the 4 composite video connections.
I hate the way Onkyo tries to cheat their specs with 6 ohm speaker specs. This is a 65W amp, which is weak unless your theater is in a closet. Quit lying to us!
I was almost interested in this to replace my four year old Onkyo TX-NR509 since this one has 2 more HDMI inputs and supports 7.1 surround (vs. 5.1 on the TX-NR509), but then I noticed that the TX-NR545 only outputs 65W per channel for 8-ohm speakers, which is ~20% less than my current receiver.
Since my current receiver is pushing 80W per channel at that impedance, I'm going to have to pass. Also, I got a killer deal ($128) on my TX-NR509 in 2012 so it's tough to justify spending another $280 on this one.
@The_Tim I would agree. Keep amortizing that baby. I desire at least a decade's use out of AVR's. You're only a third of the way there.
Maybe it's the cheapness in me talking but I've never seen the point of this type of device.
Why not just connect speaker directly?
@OnionSoup Most big speakers need to get their power from somewhere else; these receivers provide that power. Unless a set of speakers plugs in by itself, or has a battery, it'll need a receiver or amp to drive it. Having said that, Amazon sells a terrific little amp for around $30 that'll do the trick. Search for "Lepy amplifier".
@thmoore so theyre not really to power your average speaker in a living room.
This is if you want to power some powerfull speakers for a hall, outdoors, or a party. (Or just like really loud sound)
Is Meh considered an authorized dealer for warranty coverage?
@ricksalinas Good question!
Answer: Yes, I think - qualified- see below from Onkyo web site...
Your ONKYO warranty will be void if you purchase from (and not limited to) the following list of unauthorized dealers:
Hashtag 1 in Service-Amazon
Hashtag Source
AA Electronic Deals (on Amazon)
Alex Tech
Always bargain
A to Z Special Offers
Audio Video Sales Guy
Audiotronics
Bass Buys
Basu
Best Service Stores
Best-Way-to-Buy
BigBuyCity
Buy Full HD
CodeRed Express
Crawford’s
Crawford's Superstore
dbRoth
Deal Hunters
Dependable Resource
DeWalla
Divani Home
Digiherd
Discounts Jungle
Dream-Seller (on eBay)
electric guitar discount
Electronic Splash
Elite Audio Video
Eric’s Electronics and Oddities
EZ Deals
Fair Deal Guy
Five Star Buy
Frozen Lemon
Fumfie[dot]com
Giftmart
Gear4Less-ebay
Goodios
Green-sum (on eBay)
GWE Deals
Hello Music
Hifiaudiopro
Home and Garden Club
Home Electronics
Home of Hi Def
Infiniti Electronics
Infinity Sales (on Amazon)
ISEEU
Itsocase
J-Electronics
Jack of All Trades (on Amazon)
JRD Sales
J-Tech Digital
Jurrasic Photo
K&S Music (in Berkeley Heights, NJ)
Lee Companies
MalyZajac
Maw Mar
MaxDeal
MCMelectronics
Mmauger (on eBay)
Moe's AV
Norcal Digital
Outserve
PC Parts Depot
poppisgirls (also known as: "Eclectique")
Powersellernyc[dot]com
Premiere Audio Video
rougegouge
RPF LTD
RRI
Ryther Camera
SavingLots[dot]com
Serenader (on Amazon)
Soundealz (on eBay)
superior sales
TheRealBestBuys
thecheapestguitar.com
Ugetitfast
Unbeatable Sale
Universa (on eBay)
USA Bargain Deals
Value Auctions
Vanne
WeBeDealin
Winds101 (on eBay)
WSC Ho
But someone above said the Meh IS an authorized dealer [? derived from what source?]
T
@ricksalinas Meh is an authorized dealer. http://www.onkyousa.com/Support/dealerlist.php
@atlwxman Thanks for confirmational linkage!
Half way thru the day and beaten by 2. Mehtizens must be warming up to it.
Groupon for this today at $320. meh.com wins again.
@marklog plus 10 dollars off with coupon WELCOME
Bought it, now what? Am I future-proof for a few months?
So, what I really want to know is where should the 2 atmos speakers go, front-high, rear, or rear-high? BTW, my ceilings in the great room are 26 feet high, will that kill the atmos effect, since it seems to need ceiling reflections to work optimally?
@KenC I found this handy, though I don't really know re: 26 foot ceilings - http://www.dolby.com/us/en/guide/dolby-atmos-speaker-setup/7-1-2-setups.html
@dave Thanks for the link. Clearly, I'm going to have to experiment, but I'm thinking rather than trying to bounce the sound off the 26ft high vaulted ceiling, I should try hanging speakers over the listening area, aimed downward, as if they were in a ceiling setup.
@KenC Yeah, I was thinking that, or ones up on stands/tall poles.
Solid receiver.....immediately sounded better than my old denon....rocked the force awakens
Did anyone get a shipping notice yet?
@operaticus no tracking here either. Customer support said they were large, heavy, & hard to package. Lol
@operaticus Mine came two days ago, no shipping notice that I saw. It was in a much bigger package than I expected...I actually didn't touch it until today because I thought it was my next order of Soylent.
I went to open it this morning for breakfast and was a little surprised to see an Onkyo box inside.
@astromaddie Interesting. Thanks! I'll keep an eye out to see if mine shows up unannounced.
No. I did get a tracking number from customer support and it indicates only that a label was created, but no actual shipping activity nine days after the order and seven days after the credit card charge. I've initiated a dispute via my credit card company. Unacceptable.
@pigoe You might want to wait until after the estimated delivery date (4/26 to 4/29) to initiate a dispute . You'll look pretty stupid otherwise.
@sammydog01 We are at April 28 already tomorrow and the shipping status is still "label created." It is not getting here within the date range. That is abundantly clear. It's not even out their door yet. "Stupid" would be supporting this shit level of customer service by leaving the order in place.
@pigoe
@pigoe rage on man.. just don't say shit about @KDemo your ass will pay.
@pigoe I'm just imagining the discussion with the credit card people. "Yes, I want to dispute a charge. They promised me it was estimated to arrive by Friday. No, not last Friday, this coming Friday. I know it's not Friday yet but I know for sure that it won't come. Yes it said estimate but that means absolutely guarantee." Good luck buddy.
@therealjrn - You have learned well, young padawan.
@sammydog01 Uh... I've already been credited the full amount by my credit card company, but thanks?
@pigoe you must be nee here...maybe you should go to amazon and their 2 day prime shipping
@pigoe we are all dying to know, did it show up?
@Ignorant
No, it did not arrive since, again, it never actually shipped, which was clear from the tracking info.
I've been issued a refund, actually, because they are finally admitting it never even got into FedEx's system, the fact of which I informed them a week ago.
@riceatusc It's great that meh has so many apologists, but, again, this did not even ship. This is not a matter of me being impatient. This is a matter of meh telling me it shipped when the tracking -clearly- showed it had not entered FedEx's system and was -not- on its way. Had meh acknowledged the problem when I identified it, it could have been resolved. Instead, they pointed to their FAQ and their apparent pride in their slow shipping, ignoring the fact that there was a real problem with my order (and others, by the way!).
@pigoe it looks like at least one if not more shipped and didn't update the tracking.
https://meh.com/forum/topics/onkyo-dolby-atmos-network-receiver-with-airplay-wifi--bluetooth#57223d5d6e586f340b0960aa
@pigoe i have something purchased on april 14, i have a tracking number but it hasnt updated either. Its just the way things go.....ill get it soonish....
@pigoe
It's just we've all been there, and with online companies these days its pretty easy to assume it's a scam... but meh is not one.
It might not be the fastest, or the best, or even slightly good at times... especially when they sell ear buds, but they will make it right... eventually.
@KDemo Embrace the goat? Fleas, the goat has. Mmmmmh.
@tomvarela -
Just nitpicking, that is.
I went ahead and ordered speakers and all the wire I needed for a spare room. It's been sitting there for a week looking nice but feeling empty due to a giant hole where the onkyo should be...
At least I just got this email:
We've got an important update for you on that Onkyo Receiver you ordered from us. Part of the initial batch of these that we sent out with your order seems to have been misplaced by the delivery company and are yet to be found. Which is why you haven't received your order yet.
Since that obviously sucks, we're shipping you another one on our dime today. You'll be receiving an email shortly with updated tracking information and your receiver should be delivered within the next 2-3 days.
@vzkx1q I got the same email.
aaaannnnddd I just got it, thanks somebody!
Bought this to replace my Sony 7.1. (don’t remember the model) which worked fine. I got it specifically for the blue tooth and AirPlay. I got duped (my fault) in thinking the AirPlay was video and that I could AirPlay any content from my phone or iPad. Wrong! It’s only AirPlay audio. Expensive mistake. Could not find anywhere in the documentation or on any review that AirPlay was audio only. Anyone want to buy it?
@lpsisrl how much? Model number? Included parts/accessories/packaging?
What’s the model number?
@dallasper
I don’t think it’s getting the Chromecast firmware update if that’s why you’re inquiring. The TX-NR555 is though.