| Average Customer Rating: 4.5/5
Total Reviews: 19 |
Rating: 5
Like the seventies only better
| I had put off transcribing my extensive vinyl collection to cd for a variety of reasons. But, a couple of months ago I decided to go ahead and start the project. I still had and was very happy with my mid seventies two channel system consisting of a HK730 Receiver, Akai GXC750D Cassette Deck, Dual 1246 Turntable and Wharfedale W90D speakers. I didn't have a CD recorder and I had been dissatisfied with the results of running my source into the sound card of my computer. So, I started researching products and found that there wasn't a whole lot to choose from in the moderately priced range. What I ultimately settled on was a Sony RCD W500C recorder, Polk Audio R15 Compact Bookshelf speakers and an Onkyo TX 8511 Receiver/Amp. I could not be more pleased with the outcome. The Polk Audio R15's are near perfect for the relatively small room I have them in and the Sony CD recorder does it's job well, accepts analog as well as digital sources and produces excellent archival copies of the original vinyls. The Onkyo TX8511 was the biggest surprise though. It turned out to be a solidly built, clean sounding and powerful unit that delivers more quality and punch for the dollar than I would have expected. My criteria for a receiver/amp when I began my research was a unit that could produce a clean 50 to 100 watts rms into 8 Ohms, had dedicated tape and phono inputs and line outputs, a reasonably good tuner section, two channels, A/B speaker connections and not much else. The Onkyo delivered all that and more. I've never been an audiophile, and I'm not into surround sound or the bells and whistles that go with todays state of the art equipment. But, I did read a lot of comments and reviews about all the potential candidates for my little system and the one recurring complaint I read about the TX 8511 concerned their cheesy speaker connections. Get over it you guys, there's nothing wrong with them. You just need to be smarter than the connection. Either make sure your speaker lead ends are sufficiently long and tightly twisted before you insert them into the clamps or tin the ends first with solder. If I did have a complaint, it would be the lack of a subwoofer connection, but I can live without it. |
Rating: 5
Solid workhorse
We're using this to go from PC audio card to speakers for a small gym. It works very well. Simple. Low price point. Reliable.
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Rating: 3
Because I was spoiled before with a Nakamichi receiver...
| this Onkyo pales in comparison. It is servicable and clean sounding but unfortunately has a tinny, sharp sound. Not much in the way of warmth or depth, even after messing with the bass and treble controls. BUT for the $ ( as my 15 yr old Nakamichi died, despite 2 trips to the repair shop) it is worth it. The customer service from One Call ( where I bought mine via Amazon) is top notch, I had concerns ( no sound came out , intermittant problem, seems to be OK now) and they were very helpful and willing to take return. I decided to keep it, as the price was so wonderful and the sound, as I said, is decent and clear, but I plan to save up and eventually get a receiver that plays with more warmth and depth. This is perfectly fine to tide me over. I would recommend it, just know that there is a sharp, mechanical tinge to the sound. |
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