Onkyo TX-DS989 - The Ultimate Piece In Home Theater
Written: Feb 21 '01
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Pros: Easy to Use, Supports THX, 7.1 Channel Output...Everything Else
Cons: Price...But It Seems To Still Be Worth It
The Bottom Line: Read my 'Verdict'
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| soupcraze's Full Review: Onkyo TX-DS989 7.1 Channels Receiver |
The Onkyo TX-DS989 is one piece of equipment that I can call 'The Ultimate Piece of Home Theater Systems'. When I purchased my Yamaha RX-V995, that really blew me away, especially with its price. The Onkyo TX-DS989 which I actually was able to try out blew me away ever further! The Yamaha RX-V995 can easily be called the best reciever for under $1000. My title for that review states that it's the best reciever for under $1000, but the Onkyo TX-DS989 is clearly the best reciever for over $2000, or simply the best. My cousin after recieving a new job upgraded to a more powerful home theater system. I was able to try his system out for 5 days straight. The components to his system were the Onkyo TX-DS989 reciever, Yamaha DV-S5270 DVD player, Sony KP61XBR300 rear-projection TV, M&K 750THX speaker set, Infinity (unknown model) speakers in the rear of the room, Yamaha CDC-765 CD player/changer, Kenwood tape deck (Old unknown model), Panasonic VCR. This was his entire home theater system, and it was all hooked into the Onkyo TX-DS989. After using it for a while, here's what I found:
Price:
He told me that he purchased his Onkyo TX-DS989 off the internet for a low price of $2449.97. When he told me of this massive price tag, I thought that he was crazy for buying it. But after I used it, my opinion has changed drastically. The Onkyo TX-DS989 contains many of the high-end features of 'tomorrow'. The Onkyo TX-DS989 is slightly ahead of its time. It's loaded with the best and most powerful features on the market. It had Dolby Digital, DTS, Pro Logic...and...wow...THX sound. I've never seen THX on a reciever before. He showed me the power of THX on his Dell Dimension 8100 with his Altec Lansing speakers. The speakers were small, but had massive sound. I imagined what THX would've sounded like on his M&K speakers. Well, it sounded amazing. There aren't many DVDs yet with THX, but it's evolving. Unlike the 5.1 channels on my Yamaha RX-V995, the Onkyo TX-DS989 has 7.1 channels with 160-Watts per channel! I slightly turn the volume up, and it gets incredibly loud. It feels just like a movie theater. The Onkyo TX-DS989 also comes loaded with plenty of inputs and outputs for your home theater needs, plenty of I/Os. The Onkyo TX-DS989 is worth the ~$2500 price tag. It comes loaded with every feature that you can ever want.
Warranty:
The Onkyo TX-DS989 reciever comes with an Onkyo 2 years parts&labor warranty. A lot of my friends have Onkyo products, and they do have good warranties. But beleive me, the Onkyo TX-DS989 is built to last a life time.
Durability:
The Onkyo TX-DS989 is built on a very tough chasis. I think that the Onkyo TX-DS989 is nearly unbreakable. The Onkyo TX-DS989 is a very solid system that will last a life time.
Looks and Styling:
The Onkyo TX-DS989 does look pretty good, I'd have to admit it doesn't look as great as some Yamaha recievers, but it still looks decent. The Onkyo TX-DS989 will look great in just about any room of the house, and will really give a home theater system a look of true power.
Installation:
Despite it's massive size and features, this behemoth isn't all too hard to use and install. There shouldn't be any problems at all with installing the Onkyo TX-DS989 reciever.
Sound:
The sound on the Onkyo TX-DS989 was simply incredible. It had a massive 160-Watts per channel, and that's 160 x 7. The Onkyo TX-DS989 has a total power of 1120-Watts! The sound is simply amazing and very powerful. The M&K main speakers were pumping out clear and powerful sound. The Onkyo TX-DS989 has very very very many inputs and outputs for attaching speakers, CD players, DVDs, you name it! The Onkyo TX-DS989 is loaded with features and power. Like many other recievers, the Onkyo TX-DS989 has artificial sound like Rock Concert, Concert Hall, etc... But unlike some other recievers, the Onkyo TX-DS989 makes those sound smooth and easy. You can actually manage to use them with this reciever! The Onkyo TX-DS989 is loaded with Dolby Digital/Pro Logic, DTS, and THX EX sound! This is the only reciever on the market that decodes THX sound. There aren't many DVDs now that have THX sound, but soon they will all have it. The sound on the Onkyo TX-DS989 is simply amazing, and nothing from any other reciever can ever compare to it.
Video:
The video quality which came from the VCR and DVD player were great. When people have recievers, DVDs and VCRs are usually attached into the reciever. The video quality was amazing. The Onkyo TX-DS989 contains all the neccessary ports for video. It contains S-video and optical outputs. The Onkyo TX-DS989 is loaded for the future, especially for the future of video.
Ease of Use:
Even though the Onkyo TX-DS989 is loaded with features, it's not hard to use at all. With the remote control which is built intuitively, I was able to control the Onkyo TX-DS989 with ease. The remote control is very easy to use, and you can control most of the features of the reciever from the remote control. The controller with the Yamaha RX-V995 is very hard to use on the other hand. The Onkyo TX-DS989 is also very easy to use without the remote control. This is a behemoth that's completely loaded, but it isn't much of a problem to use.
The Verdict:
The Onkyo TX-DS989 is simply an incredible reciever. It's loaded with just about every feature that anyone can imagine. It has Dolby Digital/Pro Logic, DTS, and THX EX sound. What can anyone else wish for? This also is loaded with 7.1 channels with 160-Watts per channel! Now that's power! The Onkyo TX-DS989 is all set for the future, it has space for upgrades, and even upgradable flash technology which means that it will have downloads soon available. The Onkyo TX-DS989 is well worth the price I think, it's loaded with every feature that you can imagine, and has the fine build quality of Onkyo. Onkyo they say is the Mercedes of the audio market, and it really is. Onkyo is the best company out there along with Yamaha and Sony, and the Onkyo TX-DS989 will simply amaze you in every aspect.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2449.97
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Epinions.com ID:
soupcraze
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Member: Soup Enthusiast
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Reviews written: 488
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I enjoy many of life's passions... Music, medicine, people, and life itself.
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