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Which is better ? Harman Kardon hk690i or Onkyo TX-5000 ?

jgscott

jgscott

Well-Known Member
I was wondering if I could get some input on which would be the better receiver. Harmaan Kardon hk690i or Onkyo TX-5000 ?

I read some where that the Harman Kardon hk690i was very good. I've read that the Onkyo TX-5000 was good some place's on the web, but saw some other post that said it was, just ok receiver.

I'm trying to figue which reciever is cleaner, has better sound quality, and best FM tuner ?

Thanks
 
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I cannot comment on the Onkyo, however I have an HK 680i running at my Mom's home in a setup for Her. Always have been very pleased with it . For whatever that might be worth LOL But then, I like vintage AK gear :)
 
The Onkyo is simpler. My guess is the Onkyo has a more improveable tuner. The hk tuners I remember were just okay.

The hk probably runs hotter and is more of a pain to fix if it breaks.

What was hk thinking putting those five transistors on that clamped sheet metal thing? Thermal tracking? What a pain in the ass.
 
I have no experience with the TX-5000, but I have the Onkyo TX-4500 and 6500, both MKll and they`re both big, powerful receivers- heavy and well-built. Both have nice phono sections for vinyl playback, but mine both have tuners that seem to need some minor work. When they pull in a good station, they sound nice though. Neither have an AUX jack, but have three tape outputs, so that`s where I connect CD player. The sound is definitely on the warmer side, but not quite tube-like.

As for the HKs, I have a 590i and a 795i and I`d characterize them as more neutral-sounding than the Onkyos, probably closer to a Yamaha in sound. Both tuners are exceptional to me, but I`ve always liked HK tuners (use a TU-911 in main system). I had and sold a 580i that no longer kept preset memory on the stations (plus only went down to 88.1 FM for some reason and we have a great jazz station at 87.7), so check for that.

If you can do a side by side comparison, that would be ideal. They both have their strong points,so you`ll need to decide what is better overall. Let us know what happens.
 
I have no experience with the Onkyo, but the HK690i was TOTL for HK in the mid-80's, and I sold a lot of them for Schaak Electronics when I worked for them. Good, solid amplifier section rated conservatively at 60WPC RMS, but had the capacity to churn out quite a bit more for short-term transients. An excellent, quiet phono section, with moving coil capability and cap trim, IIRC - probably a deciding factor if you're into vinyl. I've had two or three of these pass through my possession over the years, and I've always been impressed by their sound quality.

The 690i's down side are the damned itty-bitty push button switches - once they get dirty/oxidized, it's a bitch to clean them, and it seems even if you're initially succesful, they get fouled again pretty quickly. I suspect there just isn't much contact surface to start with in these miserable little switches, and once they're worn, you're gonna have ongoing trouble with them unless perhaps you remove, disassemble and completely recondition them - MAJOR work. BUT...if you can find one of these receivers with relatively low mileage, I still have to say they're tough to beat for all-around feature set, aesthetics, and sound quality. Good luck, whichever way you go!
 
ZOMBIE THREAD - 10+ YEARS OLD
silvernutsaq said:
I have no experience with the TX-5000, but I have the Onkyo TX-4500 and 6500, both MKll and they`re both big, powerful receivers- heavy and well-built. Both have nice phono sections for vinyl playback, but mine both have tuners that seem to need some minor work. When they pull in a good station, they sound nice though. Neither have an AUX jack, but have three tape outputs, so that`s where I connect CD player. The sound is definitely on the warmer side, but not quite tube-like.

As for the HKs, I have a 590i and a 795i and I`d characterize them as more neutral-sounding than the Onkyos, probably closer to a Yamaha in sound. Both tuners are exceptional to me, but I`ve always liked HK tuners (use a TU-911 in main system). I had and sold a 580i that no longer kept preset memory on the stations (plus only went down to 88.1 FM for some reason and we have a great jazz station at 87.7), so check for that.

If you can do a side by side comparison, that would be ideal. They both have their strong points,so you`ll need to decide what is better overall. Let us know what happens.
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I have the Onkyo 6500 mkll and I can't find a owners manual anywhere I have the service manual but I'd like to find one so it's complete thank you
 
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