Onkyo in a paragraph or less?

[charlottemi]

Onkyo puts a lot of effort and better parts into their Integra line. Many people do not know about that line so those products become pretty good deals on Audiogon.

That seems to be true on the big auction site, too.

For a 'step up' brand from a major manufacturer, Integra certainly flies below most people's radar.

I love the Integra gear I have (DTM-5.3 multi-zone receiver & DPS-5.3 DVD player).

 

[TOM1040]

The only exception being the M-508 amplifier which is a fine piece. Their crowning achievement was the Grand Integra M-510 amplifier.

The M-510 was great. However the M-588F was a much better built amp than the M-508. I have heard that some people prefer the SOUND of the M-588F OVER the M-510.

 

[Sir.Byrd]

I had a TX 21 receiver and it was excellent for a low-watter.
Nothing fancy really, but build quality was above average.

 

[terra1]

To me Onkyo was an audiophile line found at Hi Fi audio stores and meant innovation and quality. Only later did it seem to find its way into big box stores and thrown in among the BPC to increase market share.

I have an Onkyo TA-2090 tape deck often compared favorably with Naks, TA-RW99 dual deck; Onkyo CP-1055FII turntable; DX-C909 6 disc changer; and my main purchase that I purchased with the intent to last a decade or more and has - TX-SV909Pro A/V receiver that sounds great for both music and movies.

I have since added used: DX-C606 6 disc changer; DX-706 CD player; T-4150, T-9 and T-4090 tuners.

 

[bumperboy]

Thanks for all the replies. The responses seem generally positive. Curiously, there was very little in this thread and the other one linked regarding Onkyo speakers. I spotted a pair, and will at least give them another look now.

I don't know about their speakers 'sound'. I do know that they made their own in their own factory (not kabuki).
From what I've seen, some of them seem to be well made speakers, others not quite so good.

 

[bumperboy]

A run of the mill Japanese company for the most part. The only exception being the M-508 amplifier which is a fine piece. Their crowning achievement was the Grand Integra M-510 amplifier. These two pieces make up for all the ho-hum gear they have put out.

Regards
Mister Pig

No offence but.... That's a big broom you have there!!!

 

[hhibrownsbac]

A run of the mill Japanese company for the most part. The only exception being the M-508 amplifier which is a fine piece. Their crowning achievement was the Grand Integra M-510 amplifier. These two pieces make up for all the ho-hum gear they have put out.

Regards
Mister Pig

Well ive had a 508 and have a 504 now, and IMO the 504 is no run of the mill amplifier. It may not have quite the punch of the 508 or 510 but it will hold its own in the 150 watt per channel league.

 

[grillebilly]

The Onkyo thread was loaded.
I don't have any of the newer models, but the old TX #5## and MK II series receivers are my favorites. Built like a tank, do everything well.
Hands down the most under rated vintage receiver out there.

 

[EddyFranner]

I like my garage unit it's a Onkyo TX-8500, running Lancer 77's and Altec 886A's cranks, when im working say 100 yards away on my property, the 100/110 watts per channel is clean and clear that far out and still loud and not having to strain to hear the music.

 

[bumperboy]

Well ive had a 508 and have a 504 now, and IMO the 504 is no run of the mill amplifier. It may not have quite the punch of the 508 or 510 but it will hold its own in the 150 watt per channel league.

:tresbon: :thmbsp:

 

[mdewberry]

I have owned a few of the Onkyo AV recievers and can say that the equipment will stand the test of time. I had a single cd player in the integra line and you could literally beat on the top of and never a skip, if finally got damaged in a move!! I just recently purchased a DX-7555 cd player for a couple of reasons, 1. I wanted silver to match my vintage gear and 2. The ratings and reviews were excellent and third I have seen that Onkyo still produces a excellent product!!

 

[jayk]

never owned any onkyo gear 'til last summer when i bought a refurbed hd-805 hd dvd player with reon video processor. it makes my dvds look really great going thru my pan. hd projector onto a 108" screen. hd dvds look even better.
so far, so good.

never really heard anything bad about onkyo over the last ~30 years.

 

[ke4jhj]

I bought an Onkyo TX-8522 2 channel 100 wpc receiver about 2 years ago. This is my first piece of Onkyo equipment and I have been quite pleased with its performance.

It is well built with decent performance and a decent phono section. I have no complaints.

 

[jm55]

Well, unfortunately, the question was a bit for not, since I went back to check out the Onkyo speakers, but they were sold in the meantime. At least I will know to give Onkyo a better look the first/next time.

Mind you, I can't complain, as I've been kind of lucky on coming across well priced and interesting vintage gear in the last little while. I have learned a lot from this forum about older stuff, and appreciate the many informative replies.

 

[Mister Pig]

Well....

No offence but.... That's a big broom you have there!!!

What can I say? The stuff works, and is pretty reliable. When sold new, Onkyo was reasonably priced. They offered something for everyone, all the way down to sub $200 receivers.

But how did they sound? Onkyo was OK, nothing exceptional. Most of their gear was fairly smooth and easy to listen to, but it never approached any degree of realism. Even the M-508 was fairly colored, with more than a touch of warmth and bloom. The P-308 was the matching pre-amp, and was unspectacular, which is being kind to it.

The 510 I heard under show conditions, but it was quite nice. Never heard the 588. Onkyo never pretended to be anything but respectable consumer grade electronics. For the niche they wanted to serve, it was good electronics, but the majority of their gear was not competitive with the pieces found in the "affordable" high performance niche.

For what its worth, I worked part time as a salesperson while attending college. The Stereo Shoppe in Tacoma Washington was an Onkyo dealer. I listened to their stuff every day.

Regards
Mister Pig

 

[crytklmass]

I'm just now selling my Onkyo Integra 909Pro. Everything still works fine, no problems. I think I bough it 10+ years ago, maybe longer.

 

[huntingskeet]

I have some of the modern Onkyo gear, the A-9555 Integrated Amp, the DX-7555 CD player and the T-4555 HD tuner. So far I am very happy with all the components, whether it will hold up over long haul like some of their older gear only time will tell.

 

[bumperboy]

For the niche they wanted to serve, it was good electronics, but the majority of their gear was not competitive with the pieces found in the "affordable" high performance niche.

I would back my A-7050 (1974, Integra A-550 in Japan) to hold it's own against anything in it's age and price bracket any day. Build quality, sound, looks, etc.

I think the brand Onkyo means a different thing to us Aussies. We never got the cheaper stuff here in Aus. They have always been held in high regard here.

They made some great gear in the 1970's (my fav Onk' era). The Japs kept most of the really high perf gear for thremselves.

 

[PunkTiger]

Well, I don't have much in the way of Onkyo gear, but I have a dual cassette deck that I picked up in the mid- to late-1990s (the model number eludes me as I'm at work now, but it's a decent deck) and a Dokorder 7140 reel-to-reel deck that I love to bits.

It seems to me that Onkyo is one of those brands that's a bit hard to find

 

[Sharpstik]

I like Onkyo... TX 6500 mkll and the 2500 mkll. Old, but attractive and singin'. Even the closeouts at Circuit City looked pretty good.