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Building the Perfect Beast
A heavyweight contender for best AV receiver
By Max Christoffersen
April 2001
Onkyo TX-DS989 AV receiver. $7999
What were you listening to in 1983? Me? I was listening to Onkyo.
It wasn't a big name in NZ yet, but history would prove my judgement about the quality of this 'new' Japanese company's products was bang on.
Some time later I used Onkyo cassette decks during my student radio days. After two years and thousands of fingers constantly prodding these two Onkyo decks almost 14-hours-a-day, only one button came loose. That is quality construction!
So when Onkyo talk about 'build quality', they mean it. And mean it they sure do, with their flagship TX DS989 '7.1' channel receiver.
There are no look-a-like brushed plastic fascias or compromised power supplies here! In short, this rig is built, complete with toroidal transformers and Coke-can sized capacitors! And if cosmetics mean anything to you it really is a class act with its motorised sliding front panel and illuminated source selector buttons.
Features abound on this unit from component switching to second zone capability to 'HDTV readiness' and 'every mainstream format known to man', to 39 inputs and 17 outputs including component switching and RS232 ports and IEEE 1394 Upgrade ports... Bewildering!
In short, the Onkyo is a formidable home theatre product.
And as a THX Ultra certified home theatre component it is at the top of the THX certification program and features the new THX Surround EX format available on some DVD releases (The Haunting, Austin Powers, Toy Story 2, Gladiator, T2: Ultimate Edition, Se7en - Box Set, Chicken Run) with the list growing steadily.
But THX can be a strange beast and while THX certified movie theatres place a priority on a silent noise floor in the theatre (with no audience noise bleed through from neighbouring theatres, air conditioning or projector noise permitted) what does the THX rated Onkyo introduce into the domestic HT room? Fan noise!
The Onkyo has so much amp power (200 watts per channel 1kHz EIAJ) that a small fan is necessary to keep it at a safe operating temperature. The fan is audible in quiet passages, which begs the question of why a THX amp does not conform to the same 'silent' standard as a THX movie theatre?
Irrespective, the THX standard will appeal to many who wish to use the THX enhancements from RE-EQ (designed to tame the top end of overly aggressive soundtracks) to 'Timbre Matching' and 'Speaker Time Synchronisation' and decorrelation for Dolby Pro Logic source material designed to provide a more ambient surround soundfield.
And if ambience is your thing, the Onkyo recommends the use of two sets of dipoles one pair placed on the side wall and one on the rear wall for the EX Surround specification. In my view, this '7.1' nomenclature adds further confusion to an already confused market as it is little more than stock 5.1 surround with an additional matrixed channels (EX) played through two speakers instead of one. Effective it may be, but in reality it is more of the same DSP Dance.
One area where the Onkyo wins hands down over the rest, is in day-to-day use. Considerable thought has gone into the design stage, which means the user-options appear to be built by users, for users. For example, one of the potential problems when switching on a digital amp is that the volume level has been left at a given level and it starts at that volume cold from start-up. I've been caught with that as have others. But you never will be again as the Onkyo allows the unit to be pre-set to start from cold at 0dB or to start from the last volume level it was used at. A very welcome touch!
But despite the overall smart and user-friendly approach, the unit is let down by a remote with a very narrow transmission range and a confusing array of surround options that must be scrolled through to choose. I was also a little surprised there were no on board equalisers and no bass or treble attenuation controls to allow a level of customisation to room acoustics or personal taste.
So after the high build quality, easy use and THX certification, how did the Onkyo sound? 'Ballsy' comes to mind! I tried a few new DVDs and found the sound was very engaging and detailed. From subtle to spectacular it delivered with a sense of ease.
End of Days is a spectacular example of an 'assertive' soundtrack. With the Onkyo I literally jumped several times. This unit is capable of a real fright factor as far as dynamics are concerned!
By contrast the American Beauty soundtrack was a smile inducing experience! I’m not sure you could get more diverse soundtracks than these two films, but the Onkyo went through the sonic range easily and was a pure delight in terms of fidelity, imaging and muscle. And American Beauty deserves to be heard like this with its emphasis on instrumentation from swing to ethereal vocals (of Neil Young songs) and interesting use of subtle surround effects.
Unlike other lesser amp/processors the overall sound quality sounded very full-bodied leaning more towards the bass weighty texture of dedicated separates than a typical Japanese integrated amp/processor.
But
also listen to the detail! The acoustic guitar strings on the American
Beauty soundtrack were very true to real instruments. I came back
to play several scenes over and over again just to enjoy the superlative
front soundstage separation, and the realistic attack and decay of the
acoustic instruments and vocal.
The detail is great, but make no mistake - this unit can also get up and boogie, with a peak level of 100 dB peak at a mere 73 level on the dial! In short, balanced, detailed, dynamic and at times, frightening!
After 18 years, I was delighted to reacquaint myself with Onkyo and I am happy to report that the company’s HT products have come along... well, rather nicely - thank you!
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