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Japanese audio brand Onkyo files for bankruptcy

asia.nikkei.com

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Re: Japanese audio brand Onkyo files for bankruptcy

#221

Post by bluSCALE4 »

christoph wrote: post #156
movetheworld wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And here I am: still using my first receiver ever, an Onkyo. It's still runs great after being in use for over twenty(!) years. My Philips CD player won't open the tray and my Aiwa Cassette deck won't play any cassette, but my Onkyo is still kicking. Maybe the models from the recent years don't have the quality as it used to be. By the way, I just checked the backplate and it's an Onkyo TX-9031 RDS receiver from 1993…

Isn’t it lovely when you realise you have electronics that have lasted nearly three decades and are still useful? Onkyo were always well known for packing cutting edge features into home cinema amps. They always had way more features and codec support than anyone else. Nobody else came close for “bang for buck”, but they definitely had serious reliability issues. Thinking about it tonight, just having some slow spinn…

This. Now that smart plugs are common, adding fans is something anyone can do effectively.

Re: Japanese audio brand Onkyo files for bankruptcy

#222

Post by codefreeordie »

hakfoo wrote: post #79
codefreeordie wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The middle of the market is actually all messy generally these days. The very high end wants systems that feel like current systems, but if you want something in the middle, you don't actually really want the awkwardness associated with having an audio system today. A system of passive speakers, an amplifier or two, and the complexities of the user interface (I can't hear the TV, which of these three remotes do I nee…

I always felt like it was a battle for control of the user interface. When the system was audio-dominant, the receiver made sense to put in control. The TV audio was one source among many, and most of the functionality was in front-panel buttons. When it became video-centric instead, we started putting the TV in the centre of the experience-- plugging devices directly into it and using its menus to control switching.…

The thing about Sound bars is that they're dead easy.

The sit physically near the TV and either plug directly into the TV or are Bluetooth. They don't need a receiver or any complicated wiring or configuration.

You open the box, set it up in 5 minutes, and have sound way better than the built-in TV speakers. No weird mounts, no wires in the walls, no three remotes. Super easy and sound pretty decent.

Re: Japanese audio brand Onkyo files for bankruptcy

#223

Post by codefreeordie »

vladvasiliu wrote: post #54
codefreeordie wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The middle of the market is actually all messy generally these days. The very high end wants systems that feel like current systems, but if you want something in the middle, you don't actually really want the awkwardness associated with having an audio system today. A system of passive speakers, an amplifier or two, and the complexities of the user interface (I can't hear the TV, which of these three remotes do I nee…

> I can't hear the TV, which of these three remotes do I need to push the "source" button on? I have a fairly dumb amplifier (it does BT, and the DAC can be fed through optical and coax, too). It can also be controlled over RS-232 and Ethernet. It doesn't have any kind of HDMI or other "home theater" related functions. But the remote of my Fire TV can be configured to control the input and the volume of this amp. So…

Setting all that up also requires way too much home-theater-specific knowledge.

If you're not interested in all that crap and just want decent sound, you're not doing it that way.

Re: Japanese audio brand Onkyo files for bankruptcy

#224

Post by codefreeordie »

convolvatron wrote: post #51
pbronez wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are products there… plenty of good powered monitors available. Some of them have integrated DAC with an optical, line and USB inputs. Those are pretty easy to connect to a TV or whatever. I’m actually hacking on a project to make it easier to sift through all this stuff. The work that Audio Science Review and a (very) few others are pumping out some great objective data on audio equipment performance. My goal i…

yeah. i mean i understand the value of being able to replace components, but for the not-super-concerning the integrated amp silicon is just fine. digital in means a lot less opportunity for noise injection, and the manufacturer gets to tune it all as a unit. i got some prosumer roland monitors a few years ago and they've had excellent clarity, flat frequency response, plenty of power at 60w on each of the drivers. w…

There totally could be, but for the most part the only product in this space for the most part is the tv-manufacturer-branded sound bar kits.

Re: Japanese audio brand Onkyo files for bankruptcy

#225

Post by eric4smith »

I had a high-end Onkyo and it travelled to 3 countries with me.

Until one time it was in storage and some water dripped in it and ruined the circuit board.

But MAN! I bought it with matched 7.1 speakers and remember setting it up, tuning it with the included microphone and plugging in the Avatar Blu-Ray. Jesus!

Now I'm with crap-shit Samsung soundbar in my house here in Asia, which I can't even turn up too much because I respect my neighbor. Too much bass. Not enough mids or highs. Sigh.

I miss that Onkyo and the speakers.

Re: Japanese audio brand Onkyo files for bankruptcy

#226

Post by samplatt »

LudwigNagasena wrote: post #214
chmod600 wrote: post #77

There's no doubt that, for a lot of people, there is just a better convenience/quality trade-off. I had a good size Onkyo system for watching movies and I configured it meticulously. But it's hard to explain to others why there is so much ceremony and bulk, especially when watching habits degenerate from immersive movies to binge watching netflix serieses. Part of the experience with hobbies is some kind of sacrifice…

>It's like takeout and boxed wine, wearing a T-shirt; versus dressing up a bit, making a nice meal, and opening a bottle from a winery you visited. The former is ovjectively good and convenient, and all of the latter ceremony is a hassle that provides little benefit (you probably can't tell the boxed wine apart in a blind test). >But... aren't we happier with the latter experience? No?

"We" might not be, but I certainly am. Though I'm well entrenched in Camp Yamaha.

Re: Japanese audio brand Onkyo files for bankruptcy

#227

Post by voltagex_ »

christoph wrote: post #167
cookingrobot wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought an Onkyo 5.1 receiver at a garage sale yesterday for $5. This house I moved into has prewired surround speakers and I felt like I should take advantage. What a hassle though, I can’t get audio flowing from the tv, can’t get it to drive all the speakers, it runs super hot. It really seems like a hardware hobby more than a way to enjoy movies so far.

Honestly.. just drop 400 to 500 bucks on a recent Marantz or Denon amp, your experience will be infinitely better. Five bucks might have been extortion and/or theft. Also, a decent sub (or two ;)) and spending time tuning it to your room, makes maybe more difference than anything else.

Unless you then try to hook that Denon up via HDMI to an LG TV - eARC won't work.

Re: Japanese audio brand Onkyo files for bankruptcy

#228

Post by Nursie »

emkoemko wrote: post #192
wctawcta wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't this contradicts the "gone the way of the DSLR market" claim. Sonos and similar systems are simply good enough for most people. Whether it's TVs, cameras, surround sound systems, we reached a point of diminishing returns by cramming in more pixels or speakers. At that point, you're competing on factors like convenience. There will still be markets for 7.1+ surround sound or DSLR cameras, but they're smaller n…

DSLR just got replaced by mirrorless basically same thing but without a mirror, cameras still have a more tech advancements to come, better EVF,global shutter, lower noise, higher fps, better AF, better metering, better IS, better battery life etc etc, a bit difference to a speaker that can only improve audio quality and at this point i probably can't tell the difference between a good 20 year old speaker and one bou…

I think the point is that sure, recently DSLR got more or less replaced by mirrorless, tech wise, but the camera market as a whole has been massively diminished because smart phones ate it from the bottom up.

Now they're good enough that basically the DSLR/Mirrorless market is really just for enthusiasts or those with very specific needs.

Re: Japanese audio brand Onkyo files for bankruptcy

#229

Post by Nursie »

jinto36 wrote: post #206
rixrax wrote: post #59

I feel that the AV-receiver market has gone the way of the DSLR market. Compact speaker systems like Sonos (that don't need a separate AVR) simply got good enough. Thus the need for buying a separate AVR to drive your Dolby / DTS / etc. setup has all but vanished except maybe for the most determined audiophiles (and even most of these would do well to simply get a compact wireless speaker setup instead of some monstr…

Sonos stuff is also outrageously expensive for mediocre audio quality. I have a really nice home theater from hand-me-downs, friend's basements, and yard sale finds, and sure I had to re-foam some woofers, but it sounds quite a bit better than anything Sonos offers. But yes, I've always been an A/V nerd. Just like with Bose, it bothers me when there are companies that manage to market their way into getting people to…

As a Sonos owner ...

It sounds pretty good to me, and I didn't have to spend time re-foaming anything, or even wiring anything beyond finding power sockets. After I spent five minutes waving my iphone about in each room I have the system in, I don't have to worry about tuning it to the space or anything much else. Plus now with a few taps on my phone I can transport the tv sound into the kitchen and follow along when I'm cooking.

Ease of use and lack of time spent messing around with it, is absolutely part of the value proposition.

Because this isn't a hobby for me, or something I'm interested in spending time on. I want something fast, easy, convenient, with streams I can shift around the house at will.

If the sound is objectively 'middling', well so are my ears most likely. But given just how subjective I know most hifi/audiophile reviews and opinions are, I'm not really worrying about that.

Re: Japanese audio brand Onkyo files for bankruptcy

#230

Post by galaxyLogic »

movetheworld wrote: post #124
christoph wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Weirdly in the last couple of weeks we’ve been clearing out our house and I found three(!) Onkyo home cinema amp boxes in the attic. I don’t own a single Onkyo amplifier anymore. Every single one got returned due to a serious fault (from suddenly producing no sound, to literal smoke coming out of it) within a year or 18 months, and typically swapped for another, slightly newer model Onkyo amp - rinse & repeat yearly.…

And here I am: still using my first receiver ever, an Onkyo. It's still runs great after being in use for over twenty(!) years. My Philips CD player won't open the tray and my Aiwa Cassette deck won't play any cassette, but my Onkyo is still kicking. Maybe the models from the recent years don't have the quality as it used to be. By the way, I just checked the backplate and it's an Onkyo TX-9031 RDS receiver from 1993…

I remember those days people used to say if it's Japanese at least you don't need to worry about quality. There was also this "quality movement" in Japan.
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