This is an old thread but it showed up in a Google search and others may ask the so same questions... I don't understand why u all hype up onkyo, I've owned the 801, the 805 then the high end pre pro 9nkyo pr-sc5509... I've owned an audio research sp16 tube pre a bat 51 tube pre amp, mcintosh, muse, adcom... I find the onkyo only sounds listenable when in pure audio mode which bypasses all crossover settings and the audyssy. I find the unit unlistenable in any other setting from an audiophile perspective, I should note I'm running a Rega Apollo cd player with aucistic zdn analog rca...
That being said any audiophile pre amp still crushes the onkyo in 2ch music, I started running my cd player into the multi ch inputs and assigned those to the cd player input, that was a marked improvement fyi.
So the fact that even a budget $450 adcom pre amp crushes the onkyo in 2ch, instead of adding more cables and components I've decided to buy a yamaha cx-a5000. My buddy owns a $1500 yamaha receiver that crushes my onkyo with my proceed amp 5 with synergistic research XLR cables,
I will update this when I get yamaha, fyi I think onkyo crushes marantz
That being said any audiophile pre amp still crushes the onkyo in 2ch music, I started running my cd player into the multi ch inputs and assigned those to the cd player input, that was a marked improvement fyi.
So the fact that even a budget $450 adcom pre amp crushes the onkyo in 2ch, instead of adding more cables and components I've decided to buy a yamaha cx-a5000. My buddy owns a $1500 yamaha receiver that crushes my onkyo with my proceed amp 5 with synergistic research XLR cables,
I will update this when I get yamaha, fyi I think onkyo crushes marantz