[Blaser]

Th8ter Nut wrote:

I have had my 905 for about 1 month now and wanted to post a review. This is one heavy unit at a little over 50 lbs. I replaced a Denon 3803 with the 905. The sound on the 905 is definitly in a different league than the Denon. The Onkyo reproduces much cleaner defined sound in both 2 channel and surround sound. I have a 7.1 system consisting of B&W 7 series speakers and a SVS sub. I hooked my Dish VIP622 via HDMI and without any problems. I tried connecting my Denon 2910 upconverting DVD player via HDMI but got no sound or picture. I have since connected it via HDMI converter to the DVI out on the Denon to HDMI on the receiver and optical for sound.

Pros: 1) As stated above the sound from the Onkyo is fantastic, much cleaner natural sounding. 2) the HDMI upconverstion to my Pany projector is great, it takes some tweaking on the Reon menus, as it tends to be on the soft side right out of the box. I also backed down about 3 notches on the brightness control on the projector. 3) I have enjoyed using the networking ability to play music from my PC to whole house system through the 905. 4) another great feature is you can transfer music to a USB drive and plug it into the front of the 905. 5) One connection to your source via HDMI and all switching is done through the 905. This makes it very simple for those in your household that might not be quite as tech savy to change between sources. 6) THX certification - I have never thought that I would say this in the past I have thought of this as just being something that mfg could boast about but the THX modes on this recevier are wonderful. I have experimented with several surround settings and must say the THX Ultra2 setting has made me a believer. This really brings out the best sound from surround encoded material whether it is from DVD or Sat. 7) Audyssey EQ system - very easy to use I ran the set up in 3 locations in my theater did a few tweeks on the levels with sound meter and was up and running very quickly.

Cons: 1) Only 2 optical inputs (although there are 3 coax) 2) Requires a separate adapter for iPod connection, it would have been great if a built in connection would have been provided. 3) Remote - for a receiver in this price range a better remote should be provided. 4) Internet radio feature is very difficult to set up, I still can't get this to work correctly. 5) Some have complained about how hot the unit gets but it does not seem to be any hotter than my previous Denon.

Aside from the hiccup with the HDMI connection to my 2910 DVD player the set up on this unit was very easy. The GUI is not as sexy as some of the new receivers but it works just fine. If anyone has any questions please let me know.

Good review !
What is wrong with the picture through HDMI? Is it something specific or generalised?