What to buy: Onkyo TX-SR309 or TX-NR509?

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gcorgnet

1078 posts

Uber Geek

#87530 31-Jul-2011 13:01

Hi,

I recently bought a set a HT speakers (Wharfedale RS-10) with the following specs:

Recommended Power: 20 -120W
Nominal Impedance: 6 Ohm (compatible with 8 ohms amplifiers)
Sensitivity (1W @ 1m): 87db
Freq. Response: (-6dB): 100Hz - 24 kHz
Crossover Frequency: 2.8kHz
(See here for full details)

I am now looking for a receiver to go with these.
The receiver will be plugged via HDMI to an HTPC and a LED 46'' TV.
I will mainly be using the system to watch movies and listen to a bit of music.
Also, I don't see myself buying more expensive, bigger speakers in the next 10 years so future proofing and upgradeability are kind of secondary...

My heart is kind of set on te 2011 Onkyo Range, and with my budget, it is down to either the TX-SR309 or the TX-NR509.

From what I can tell, there are few differences such as:
- The NR-509 has the Audyssey 2EQ and auto-calibration
- The NR-509 has network features (not really interested in these since I have an HTPC)
- There is a difference in Power (see below)
- The NR-509 has banana plugs whereas the SR309 doesn't.

Here are some details regarding output power taken from the Onkyo website.
Would someone be kind enough to explain these to me?

SR309:
120 W/Ch at 6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 1%, 1 Channel Driven, JEITA;
100 W/Ch at 6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 1%, 1 Channel Driven, IEC;
65 W/Ch at 8 Ohms, 20 Hz–20 kHz, 0.7%, 2 Channels Driven, FTC
Frequency Response: 20 Hz–50 kHz/+1 dB, -3 dB (DSP bypass)

NR-509:
160 W/Ch at 6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 1 Channel Driven, JEITA;
130 W/Ch at 6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 1%, 1 Channel Driven, IEC;
80 W/Ch at 8 Ohms, 20 Hz−20 kHz, 0.7%, 2 Channels Driven, FTC
Frequency Response: 20 Hz–50 kHz/+1 dB, -3 dB (DSP bypass)

Several questions:
- Considering the speakers I will be using, do I NEED to buy the NR-509 (power wise) or would the SR-309 do the trick?
- How important are the banana plus at the back of the receiver. In which case does someone need to use them over the regular connections?
- How important is the presence of the Audyssey 2EQ?
- In general, what would you recommendations be?

At the current price, the NR-509 is about twice the price as the SR309 and I would really like to avoid the extra expense if it is not really necessary (or strongly recommended). Again, the network conenction does not matter to me the the only differences would be the power (which might not matter because of the speakers I will be using) and the Audyssey 2EQ...
Are these differences really worth $500?

Thanks a lot for your time,

Guillaume

gcorgnet

1078 posts

Uber Geek

#500180 1-Aug-2011 09:21

Hi,

Is there no expert here who could briefly explain to me the power requirements for my speakers and whether an Onkyo SR-309 would be sufficient to drive them?

Thanks a lot!

Guillaume

sen8or

1787 posts

Uber Geek

#500216 1-Aug-2011 10:16

Given the small nature of your speakers, I suspect that the cheaper amp may suffice, its power ratings appear to fall in line with what the manufacturer recommends. 87db is middle of the road in terms of resistence (needs a bit of power to get them going), but given they are 6ohm rated and Onkyo rate all their speakers at 6ohm also, would appear to be ok.

How big is the room that you are using them in? If large, this also needs to be factored into how much power you may need.

In terms of banana plugs - you only need them if you plan on swapping out speaker wire often, makes changing speakers and/or amplifiers a breeze (I have them on my speakers from when I wrote for Audioenz and was swapping out stuff constantly).

Audyssy EQ set up is a nice to have, but not necessary, nothing that a tape measure and a sound level meter won't accomplish (for getting the distance from listening position and each speaker volume level set correctly).

I'm always of the opinion however, its better to have it and not need it, than the other way round.....

gcorgnet

1078 posts

Uber Geek

#500223 1-Aug-2011 10:25

Thanks for your reply sen8or.

I wouldn't say the room is particularly big but the ceiling is pretty high. (Haven't got the exact height, sorry)

From what you say, it seems like the extra features are not worth the $500 difference between the 2 receivers. This might just save me a bit of money !

Thanks,

Guillaume