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Why does 1 of my receivers sound worse than the other?

post #1 of 6
12/23/11 at 1:27am
Thread Starter 

I have 2 receivers. One is a Denon and the other is an Onkyo. The Onkyo is much newer with HDMI and all that stuff but the Denon sounds better. Noticeably. Is it because the Denon has a better built in DAC? Or can it be due to something else? Btw, this is for both speakers and the headphone out. Also, my computer is connecting to the receiver(s) via digital optical out and both direct mode and stereo sound better on the Denon which makes no sense. In terms of power it seems like the Onkyo may have more power in terms of wattage and my speakers aren't exactly big. They're bookshelf speakers. I'm curious if I can upgrade the Onkyo by simply using an externa DAC or can this be related to the amp and receiver itself?

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post #2 of 6
12/23/11 at 3:24pm
Thread Starter 

bummpp

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post #3 of 6
12/24/11 at 5:33am

It's more likely to be the amp section than the dac section it might be possible there is something wrong with it it has a defect or your using the wrong settings make sure you have all sound processing turned off and the speakers set to large or full range.

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post #4 of 6
12/24/11 at 11:37am

Onkyos are good bang for the buck receivers, loaded with features.

Denons have usually been more a a premier sound, not as many features.

What models or the receivers?

 

Would not hurt to double check the setup on the Onkyo.

 

The website AVSforum is a good place to ask these kind of questions.


Edited by PurpleAngel - 12/24/11 at 11:38am
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post #5 of 6
12/24/11 at 1:25pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks, I was trying to sign up for AVS forum but their registration was down for a while. I signed up today though.

 

 

Regarding the settings, I got real familiar with the receiver quick when I read the manual all the way through and tried all sorts of things. I tried Direct mode, stereo, etc. Upgrading from an analog input to a digital optical out from my computer gave it an improvement but the sound doesn't match the Denon. The Denon is something I am completely satisfied with in terms of sound while the Onkyo makes me feel like I can go higher, better, etc. Which is weird. I'm still not sure if its the DAC that is making the difference or just the general receiver's quality though. If the DAC was the culprit, that can be easily fixed. :)

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post #6 of 6
12/24/11 at 1:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pancakeplease View Post
Thanks, I was trying to sign up for AVS forum but their registration was down for a while. I signed up today though.

Regarding the settings, I got real familiar with the receiver quick when I read the manual all the way through and tried all sorts of things. I tried Direct mode, stereo, etc. Upgrading from an analog input to a digital optical out from my computer gave it an improvement but the sound doesn't match the Denon. The Denon is something I am completely satisfied with in terms of sound while the Onkyo makes me feel like I can go higher, better, etc. Which is weird. I'm still not sure if its the DAC that is making the difference or just the general receiver's quality though. If the DAC was the culprit, that can be easily fixed. :)


I'm sometimes on the stupied side, how would you install the DAC?

 

Which models are the Onkyo and Denon?

 

How about selling off the Denon and the Onkyo and buy something like a Yamaha RX-A700 or RX-V667.

Prices are really low for these models.

 

 

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