Onkyo PR-SC886 Surround Processor/Pre-Amp

[El Guapo]

Hi guys,

I treated myself to some new gear this weekend. I waited quite a long time to get my hands on an affordable processor/pre-amp which can handle all the new formats (the Integra DTC-9.8 or Onkyo Pro 885 were never available in Europe).

After the Onkyo PR-SC886 got a rave review in the German HiFi magazine "Audio" where they let it compete against the new Onkyo 906 A/V-Receiver I paid a visit to my dealer who tempted me with a very good price on the 886.

So here are some pics of my brand spanking new 886 (ok, they're not very good...).

It replaced my Denon 4306, which I only used as a processor/pre-amp anyway, because its power amp section sounds crap when compared to my Linn AV 5125.

And with the 886 the sound quality audibly improved compared with the 4306! I think I can now call my setup audiophile
Well made concert Blu-rays like Robbie Williams - Live at the Albert Hall just blew me away completely! I really need to get the Police - Certifialbe!

I have some gripes however:

• I have a popping noise in the rears whenever a digital audio data stream ends. This happens even when I just press the mute button! Also, this happens about a dozen times when you pop in a DVD or Blu-ray before you get to the actual movie because of all the trailers, flying logos and disclaimers, which all have their own data stream. I wrote a mail to Onkyo about this and I am curious what they will have to say. If any of you have experienced this with Onkyo or Integra receivers, please drop me a line!
• I cannot use DenonLink anymore to hook up my Denon 3910 DVD Player; so I need to go through the analogue multichannel output of the Denon to listen to SACD, which results in a PCM conversion in the 3910 - still: SACDs sound awesome!
• The display of the 886 can not be switched off completely, just dimmed to a certain level; this is a concern for home theatre use; in my case the view to the 886 is obfuscated anyhow by my from right speaker, so I can live with it.

Well, just wanted to let you know... I think I'll be off to watch some Blu-ray...

Best regards,
Oliver

 

[Kal Rubinson]

[*]I cannot use DenonLink anymore to hook up my Denon 3910 DVD Player; so I need to go through the analogue multichannel output of the Denon to listen to SACD, which results in a PCM conversion in the 3910 - still: SACDs sound awesome!

Really? Even without the Audyssey Room EQ? You might consider a player with universal audio output via HDMI.

Kal

 

[El Guapo]

Really? Even without the Audyssey Room EQ? You might consider a player with universal audio output via HDMI.

Yeah, I thought about it, but somehow I'm reluctant to buy a new DVD player... maybe once the Oppo BD player is available and it really does support both SACD and DVD-Audio, I'll look into it.

Besides: for music I switch off the Audyssey anyway, it just messes around too much with the sound. They calibrate towards an equalizer curve which dampens the high band.

Best regards,
Oliver

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Yeah, I thought about it, but somehow I'm reluctant to buy a new DVD player... maybe once the Oppo BD player is available and it really does support both SACD and DVD-Audio, I'll look into it.

Understood although the current Oppos are pretty cheap and the Pioneer DV-48 is under $100.

Besides: for music I switch off the Audyssey anyway, it just messes around too much with the sound. They calibrate towards an equalizer curve which dampens the high band.

This is exactly my point. If Audyssey is correctly correcting your in-room response for HT, it is doing similar for music and defeating it is, well, self-defeating. There are strategies for restoring the HF including turning off Re-EQ, where possible, or using the tone controls.

Kal

 

[Dr. X]

Kal - I get the "correct" part, but for me also the Audyssey-equalized sound is much inferior for music compared to when I turn the EQ off. It's like taking cotton out of my ears...

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Kal - I get the "correct" part, but for me also the Audyssey-equalized sound is much inferior for music compared to when I turn the EQ off. It's like taking cotton out of my ears...

You are certainly entitled to judge for yourself but let me suggest two things.

First, many people have this as an initial reaction because they are accustomed to and have adapted to having room modes as part of the listening experience. When presented with a corrected sound, either via EQ or acoustical treatment, they judge it as flat and lacking in bass. When and if they live with the corrected sound for a while, they re-adapt and appreciate the improvement. (I appreciate the possibly self-referential logic of this but comparisons with live music support it.)

Second, Audyssey is not 'plug-and-play" as implied in the user's manuals. There are many tricks and subtleties in using Audyssey that can make the difference between a spurious correction and a successful one. There's a huge "official Audyssey" thread on AVSforum and the top post has a link to a very useful guide: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=795421&highlight=official+audyssey

Kal

 

[El Guapo]

Hi guys,
just in case anyone is interested: I finally got rid of the annoying popping noises!
I upgraded my power amp from a Linn AV5125 to a Linn Chakra C5100 and they were gone! So it definitely has something to do with the combination of the two units...
Best regards,
Oliver