Onkyo TX-SR875#

I did some research back in 2009 to figure out which receiver I’d like to upgrade to for supporting the 6.1 surround speakers I have. The final two contenders ended up being:

Onkyo TX-SR875

  • MSRP $1699

  • THX Ultra2 certified

  • 7.1 channels

  • 4 HDMI inputs

  • 1080p upscale via HDMI for all sources

  • Onkyo TX-SR603X and TX-SR504 made Consumer Reports top 10 in 11/2006

Pioneer Elite VSX-92TXH

  • MSRP $1300

  • THX Select2 certified; Neural-THX surround

  • 7.1 channels

  • HDMI 1.3a spec

  • Optional iPod dock

  • General research tells me that, all things being equal, go with Onkyo or Denon over Pioneer.

I never really used all the features on the receiver. It had a lot of great stuff, but I have to admit I couldn’t really tell the difference between the THX modes and other modes, and the THX bit actually added quite a bit to the price.

There are relays that click in the receiver when different processing circuits switch on and off. It’s annoying but, apparently, not uncommon in higher-end receivers. A firmware upgrade reduced but did not eliminate the volume of the click noise.

The receiver also takes an inordinate amount of time to switch video sources. Sometimes it takes up to 5 - 8 seconds to do the HDMI handshake with the TV and provide a picture.

In February 2015 the audio circuits on the receiver entirely died. I could get video, but no audio from any source. Rather than fight to get this thing repaired (it was out of warranty, too), I moved to a Yamaha RX-V777BT receiver.