The Onkyo TX-SR875 (hit shelves late July 2007) is one of the most highly-anticipated a/v receivers in a long time. Denon has coincidentally come out with its lineup and the very similarly priced Denon AVR-3808CI (also available late July 2007). Both receivers include 4 HDMI 1.3a inputs supporting 1080p. I received an email asking me to compare the two. Here is my response:
Keep in mind that I haven't listened to or watched either receiver, but this comes from my research.
| |
TX-SR875 |
AVR-3808CI |
| MSRP |
$1599 |
$1599 |
| Power |
140 W |
130 W |
| I/O |
4 x HDMI 1.3a |
4 x HDMI 1.3a |
| Video chip |
REON HQV |
Faroudja DCDi |
| Sound Quality |
X |
- |
| Video Quality |
X |
- |
| Ethernet, USB |
- |
X |
To me the biggest difference is that the TX-SR875 includes the REON HQV chip and the AVR-3808CI includes the inferior Faroudja DCDi. This means that the TX-SR875 will actually upscale SD sources to 1080p whereas the Faroudja will switch without upscaling. Both receivers will upscale analog SD sources to 1080p. I don't know much about the AVR-3808's audio system but the TX-SR875 boasts high-quality components supporting bridged operation and bi-amplification.
The AVR-3808CI looks like it gets the edge with its new and improved GUI, 2 x USB 2.0 ports, and Ethernet support.
Personally, I would go for the TX-SR875 because it has better audio and video quality and I don't really have a need for USB/Ethernet streaming, since I use my softmodded Xbox for that.
If you want a value-priced system that features 2 x HDMI inputs and switching all analogs sources to HDMI out with the same Faroudja DCDi chip as the AVR-3808CI, then I would recommend the Onkyo TX-SR605 priced at $500.
