Onkyo TX-8050 alert - It's arrived, it's arrived!
And the flavour-of-this-month Brio is a better amp than the Leema Pulse or the Harman HK990? I imagine not, but then I don't feel short changed by the Onkyo not being either of those. Or Sansui's amazing AU-717. I think they just came up with something pretty clever, that ticks the boxes but that isn't really comparable to an integrated (in as much as they are different underlying products pitched at a slightly different market).
Surely that's the point. If you and other owners enjoy the combination of features and sound then it doesn't matter what other people think, regardless of price.
Yep, but I think bigblue was coming at it from a different angle than just sound quality alone (I think).
It's a good question bigblue, but in the end, I think they just developed their AV lineup to do better with music than just movies alone. Noel Keywood at Hi Fi World usually reviews a couple of their amps a year and they do well - he rates them. I had that in mind when the 8050 came around. And I don't know about a step-up as such, certainly I don't feel like I'm losing out. The music's as involving as it always was, the presentation's just how I like it and transparent too. As I say, it's partly down to the speakers and it's a nice mix for my tastes. Y - and others - MMV. 
Surely that's the point. If you and other owners enjoy the combination of features and sound then it doesn't matter what other people think, regardless of price.
Which is why I am bowing out of this now circular thread. It's been interesting but I'm enjoying my music too much to keep getting dragged into the debate about where it belongs in the hi-fi hierachy.
Why do people get their knickers in a twist about nothing?
My questions were nothing to do with establishing where the Onkyo fits in "hi-fi hierarchy" or about making people justify their purchase. Yes, Plastic Penguin, all that matters to the people who own it is if they like it, but to others thinking about buying it that's not really enough to go on, hence the questions.
All I wanted to know was how a £400-£249 amp with a shedload of features can supposedly outperform a £500 conventional amp, as had been suggested here and elsewhere. Thanks, Altruistic Lemon and the record spot, for getting where I was coming from!
Why do people get their knickers in a twist about nothing?
My questions were nothing to do with establishing where the Onkyo fits in "hi-fi hierarchy" or about making people justify their purchase. Yes, Plastic Penguin, all that matters to the people who own it is if they like it, but to others thinking about buying it that's not really enough to go on, hence the questions.
All I wanted to know was how a £400-£249 amp with a shedload of features can supposedly outperform a £500 conventional amp, as had been suggested here and elsewhere. Thanks, Altruistic Lemon and the record spot, for getting where I was coming from!
That comment wasn't aimed at you, just the general naysayers.
If you can locate one for less than £300 then why not buy it? Most reputabale companies have a 28 dy returns policy.
Crikey, I'm trying to support those you own one and yet I'm being looked at like a villain.
OK, fair enough, but I think I might be part of that group until convinced otherwise :)
I'm in the Channel Islands, which means I'd have fairly hefty returns costs and I'd need to get Customs labels and all that sort of nonsense. On the flip side, I'd get the VAT off, making it about £200.
I'm not suggesting you're a villain, but I don't think anyone should really need support in a discussion about a bit of hi-fi. I just think people get a bit defensive at times. I have 'dull' Arcam electronics, 'bright' MA speakers and a 'cloudy' Sony TV. I like them all, but if someone wants to slate them they can go right ahead, and I'll even answer any questions they have!
OK, fair enough, but I think I might be part of that group until convinced otherwise :)
I'm in the Channel Islands, which means I'd have fairly hefty returns costs and I'd need to get Customs labels and all that sort of nonsense. On the flip side, I'd get the VAT off, making it about £200.
I'm not suggesting you're a villain, but I don't think anyone should really need support in a discussion about a bit of hi-fi. I just think people get a bit defensive at times. I have 'dull' Arcam electronics, 'bright' MA speakers and a 'cloudy' Sony TV. I like them all, but if someone wants to slate them they can go right ahead, and I'll even answer any questions they have!
Ah, I remember you... you work for Jersey tourist or advice board, don't you?
What Arcam stuff and what MA speakers do you have? not trying to be nosey... well actually I am
I'm a Arcam and MA devotee and perhaps someone (or me) can throw some light on your situation.
Hi to all,
I am happy new owner of Onkyo TX-8050.
Wanted to share ma experience here. I've been looking for affordable stereo for a long time and finally decided to go for amp/receiver plus some matching speakers. During last couple of months I tried several pieces of equipment within the same price range, some of them are: Marantz SR5023 + B&W 685, Yamaha RS 500BL+ Dali Zensor 5, and finaly Onkyo TX-8050+Klipsch f-10/Reference 42.
Since I wanted sound most similar to the concert hall, the most realistic one came from Onkyo/Klipsch combination. Although the Marantz/B&W was very close and very smooth sounded, this lacked the base of the big box speaker (my room is about 35 square meters of almost empty space) and the clarity of the highs provided by Kipsch. Then I wanted to check the difference between the stereo amp vs. receiver because audio purists emphasize the benefit of using separates. My call was NAD 316BEE with Klipsch. In comparison to Onkyo, NAD sounded too analytic and to level. Onkyo excelled in transparent and vivid soundstage and the decision was made.
The thing is that I still haven’t manage to pair the receiver with Klipsch because the local dealer can not get them enough in the store (and I don’t want to buy on internet because I want 5 year warranty on them). But I bought a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 990 pro headphones while waiting for Klipsch and they sound very good. Of course, now I can also hear the difference between the good and bad recording very well J.
Greethings to all...
Nah, it just seems like it I contribute to the Jersey section of a travel website, but off my own back. Weren't you supposed to be coming over here at some point?
I'm a Arcam and MA devotee and perhaps someone (or me) can throw some light on your situation.
No worries: CD192, A85 and RS6. Problem is they're back in Glasgow, and in limbo! I won't be back in the car to collect them for a while, and it would cost a bit of a silly amount to courier them over. I've been using Creative T20 PC speakers connected to the headphone socket of my TV, using my Apple TV to stream music. But it's not cutting it!
bigblue - Sorry if I seemed unhelpful yesterday. I think I'm coming to the end of questioning everything in relation to hi-fi and that seems to have come through as not wanting to help you.
I can only really answer one part of your question. Does the Onkyo compete with normal stereo amps, even more expensive ones? In my opinion, yes. I believe it is better (purely as an amplifier and based on its sound) than more expensive amps I've had, including the Arcam A18, Denon PMA1500AE, and Cambridge Audio 740A. I also chose it over a Rega Brio-R and didn't feel like I was losing anything in terms of musical performance. A few weeks on, I am still delighted with the choice I made and I'm simply enjoying the music. Detail levels are excellent, the soundstaging is very lucid and stable, dynamic swings are very convincing, and it is revealing of different production and engineering values without making less well recorded material unlistenable.
Have I heard better amps than the Onkyo? Yes. The Sugden Mystro, Creek Destiny 2 and various amps I've heard from T+A, Audio Analogue, and Unison Research would comfortably outperform it, as would the Arcam A38, but at 3x the price or more.
As for the question of how Onkyo do it, I can't really answer that but I would say that, in my experience, the big Japanese manufacturers quite often compete well with more expensive kit from smaller, more niche makers. I've heard relatively budget Sansui amps from the 70s sound far better than some very expensive kit of today, for example. I'm sure economies of scale must come into it and I'm also quite sure that the differences between budget mass market kit and the (more expensive) 'audiophile' brands aren't actually as big as people often suggest.
Hope this is a bit more helpful.
Nah, it just seems like it I contribute to the Jersey section of a travel website, but off my own back. Weren't you supposed to be coming over here at some point?
I'm a Arcam and MA devotee and perhaps someone (or me) can throw some light on your situation.
No worries: CD192, A85 and RS6. Problem is they're back in Glasgow, and in limbo! I won't be back in the car to collect them for a while, and it would cost a bit of a silly amount to courier them over. I've been using Creative T20 PC speakers connected to the headphone socket of my TV, using my Apple TV to stream music. But it's not cutting it!
How much will it cost to retrieve your Glasgow kit? Surely it can't be more than splashing out on a new set-up?
Stop it matthewpiano ! You almost make me buy one
Nah, it didn't seem like that, no worries. I don't think I was getting my point/question across very well!
That was great, many thanks!
About £100-150 or so. But it's not just the cost, they'd be in the hands of three separate couriers and I'm a little wary of them getting damaged. We've had a few things damaged in transit recently. I'd rather wait 'til I go home later in the year to bring them over in the car, but I need something to give me proper music in the meantime.
I'll take the emphasis off the in fighting for a minute and you can all have a laugh at my expense instead for a minute 
I'm new to all this and especially the various jargon, what exactly does this amplifier do moreso than an integrated amp (in laymans terms)? And would my Ruark Talisman II's suit it?
It's a good question bigblue, but in the end, I think they just developed their AV lineup to do better with music than just movies alone. Noel Keywood at Hi Fi World usually reviews a couple of their amps a year and they do well - he rates them. I had that in mind when the 8050 came around. And I don't know about a step-up as such, certainly I don't feel like I'm losing out. The music's as involving as it always was, the presentation's just how I like it and transparent too. As I say, it's partly down to the speakers and it's a nice mix for my tastes. Y - and others - MMV.
Surely that's the point. If you and other owners enjoy the combination of features and sound then it doesn't matter what other people think, regardless of price.
Leema Pulse MKII-S; Naim CD5i MKII; Denon TU-260L MKII; MA RS6 speakers; Pro-ject Xpression 1; loads of different cables...
Formerly known as plastic penguin