Onkyo TX-NR905: my review and hdmi handshaking gripe

[larryV]

I was originally shopping for a sub-$1k receiver that had 7.1 PCM/True-HD/DTS master capabilties with HDMI switching but after finding out the great pre-order pricing for this new Onkyo, I couldn't turn it down. It lists for $2100 but I managed to grab one of J&R's first arrival units for $1449 with free shipping. I've had this receiver for about a week now and so far it has delivered everything as advertised. The Silicon Optix HQV ReonVX video processor does as stellar job of upscaling all sources including SD from analog sources to 1080p outputed to a single HDMI cable to the display. The only strange thing I noticed is that when the Wii 480p component source is processed by the HQV chip and upconverted to 1080p, it turns out a little blurry, so I guess too much processing can sometimes be a bad thing. In this situation, I simply change the receiver's HDMI output mode to "pass through" via the OSD and the Wii's 480p looks just as sharp as if it were connected directly to the display. On the other end of the spectrum, 1080i sources from the DirecTV HR20-700 unit like Discovery HD is upscaled to 1080p and looks beautiful. Similarly, the DVD-upconverting capabilties of the Onkyo appear to be on par with the acclaimed Toshiba HD-XA2, since I think it uses the same ReonVX chip the Onkyo does. For this reason, I no longer have use for the Toshiba in my HT set up and have since moved it to the bedroom (not like I ever watch HD-DVD movies there to begin with). So I have nothing but praise for the Onkyo's video processing capabilties. The mere presence of the HQV chip makes the Onkyo a truly amazing package for the price because even the latest comparable but more expensive Denon 4308 still uses an 'inferior' Faroudja DCDI chip.

Setup of the device was cake except for the fact that it was little tricky to maneuver a 60+ lb receiver with care into a small cabinet. All the connectors in the back are gold plated including the speaker posts which are ready to receive banana plugs. There are 4 HDMI inputs (and believe it or not, I'm actually short one so I had to plug in the Apple TV via component) and the 2 HDMI outs are nice in case I needed a zone 2 display to mirror or even a smaller monitor dedicated to the OSD for that extra dope wow factor. Once all the inputs and speakers were connected, I plugged in the included set-up microphone and the Audyssey MultiEQ XT automatically kicked in via the OSD. This sound and speaker calibration scheme was fairly intuitive and measured up to 8 listening areas. It was even able to detect which speakers in the room had enough frequency range to be THX certified (the receiver itself is THX Ultra2 certified) not that it really means anything. After about 20 minutes of doing the guided calibration in a silent room, the resulting sound from various sources was excellent.

The other features on this receiver were just icing on the cake. The built-in HD radio receiver was a nice treat as I never knew there would actually be a significant difference in sound quality versus normal radio. The sounds just jumps out at you and the frequency range is basically CD quality at least to my ears. There is also networking via ethernet at the back and this unit is capable of streaming internet radio and network audio files. I haven't played around with this too much but I did confirm that it works as advertised when connected to my router although I haven't tried to see if it works directly with iTunes yet. Then there's USB connectivity to connect devices like hard drives but this I haven't tried yet. There are other intangible (to me) features that I'm sure all contribute to make this unit excel in the sound processing front but since I'm not well-informed as to how they actually work, I'll just list them here: Burr-Brown 192 kHz/24-bit Stereo DACs (PCM1796) for all channels (huh?), dual push-pull amplification design with 3-stage inverted Darlington circuitry (sounds good but wtf is that?), VLSC for all channels, Three TI (Aureus) 32-bit DSP chips, massive toroidal transformer with seprate transformers for audio and video processing, and some other crap that I don't know what they do.

Now the bad: It doesn't play nice with the PS3. The Onkyo has HDMI 1.3a video and audio processing and although the PS3 is one of the first products to be HDMI 1.3a compliant, it has some serious handshaking issues with the new Onkyo. Plugged directly into the samsung display, the PS3 had rare handshaking (HDCP) issues. But now, using the Onkyo as an HDMI switch/passthrough and to receive PCM audio from the PS3, the HDMI handshaking issues are exacerbated. It is so severe that it makes the PS3 unusable because the audio/video cuts in and out too frequently that it interrupts gameplay or blu-ray movie watching considerably. At times, it simply loses connection with the PS3 entirely and never returns showing a loss of signal message on the receiver, at which point the only course of action is to restart the PS3. At the moment I am blaming the PS3 simply because the HDCP issues don't seem to be happening to the other HDMI sources (HR20, Sony DVD/SACD player, Xbox 360 Elite). I would also like to blame the electronics industry for "forcing" flawed and imperfect technology like HDMI to the consumers. I know I didn't have to buy these new electronic toys but in order to achieve 7.1 PCM audio and 1080p, the industry has made HDMI the standard and unfortunately for the consumers, HDMI has so far been an headache. The only course of action I have not taken yet is to purchase the highly regarded HDMI 1.3a compliant cables from either Monoprice or Bluejeans cable. I already have what I thought were decent HDMI cables but perhaps I should try a different set just for the hell of it? Bluejeans or monoprice? Any advice?

[Rubberduckie]

get tossed into the trash since HDMI 1.3 came out.

Do you use the Onkyo remote or an aftermarket device?

[larryV]

I'm going to order some today.

[Timmay]

[Timmay]

when connected to the HD XA2.

[Rubberduckie]

They are quite basic cables offered by these two brands. I'd use their S-video, F-pin coaxial, and composite cables if I needed to, but with better equipment, better cables are more complimentary from what I've expereinced. The differences aren't always huge, but it really depends on your gear as to how revealing the differences are. If you don't see or hear a difference, there probably isn't one.

Many of the 'posh' brands make a point of designing 1.3 compatible HDMI cables and are more than happy to trumpet this fact on their websites.

Some of the posh brand cables are worth the money, many are not. A $400 coax cable from the wall to cable box is a waste of money in any situation. A $130 HDMI cable which is 1.3 compatible is worth it if less expensive versions are not 1.3 friendly.
A cable has to suit the application. Most cables work with varying levels of performance regardless - when an audio is system is really well-tuned/balanced, a change of cable can make a huge difference.

Spend what you have to for the results you want. I'm never going to recommend a cable unless I'm familiar with it (unless it's being used on very basic gear like a VCR, RCA CD player or a $250 receiver).

I've seen HDMI cables get tossed because, despite initially working with their 480p DVD player with HDMI output, it doesn't work with their cable box or 1.3 compatible receiver/BluRay player etc.

I've seen some of the more recent Monster HDMI cables work and all of the Audioquest 1.3 HDMI cables I've used have worked well.

Best to buy from a place that offers a reasonable return policy.

[SAC-CA-GTI]

Don't know if you checked out any of the threads on AVS forum, but A LOT of people are dropping them for that reason. And as for the HD-DVD you may want to hold onto that. I'm waiting for the XA3 to pop up later this year then purchase. I'm leaning towards the Pioneer Elite 94 as opposed to the 905. Of course I'm just going to pass thru on all my inputs and let my new 60" A3000 do what needs to be done on the upscaling side of things. Sounds like you have a great receiver besides the issue of the sound on the PS3.

[reefer_bob]

[pattycakes® iCode]

Otherwise, not a damn thing.

For 1.3 you really need a category 2 cable. And that's it.

[Rubberduckie]