- Jun 30, 2004
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I've posted too many threads about my issues for reviving my Home Theater and HTPC with a new Sony Bravia X85K set.
Because I'd once been able to switch between the HTPC's Logitech 5.1's and the ONKYO"s 5.1 JBL system without getting off the couch, through Windows Media Center, the ONKYO fell into disuse after Media Center "went away" with Win 7 and the free up-to-date channel guides. Then, the old LG HDTV died, and here we are.
The ONKYO still behaves a bit flakey. It will shut off and seem impossible to turn on for an hour or so, and then unexplainably turn itself back on. Today it went off -- more likely because the audio feed from the TV was interrupted or it was muted on the ONKYO, and I was able to turn it on again with the remote immediately.
But this s*** has been going on with the ONKYO AVR for about two weeks now. It's 12 years old -- costing me about $600+ when I bought it with a set of JBL 5.1's.
That model ONKYO -- TX-NR616 -- was discontinued, and a "used" unit of that model can now be had for $315.
I had already settled, however, on the Sony STRDH590 . And figure that a 2022 Sony TV is likely to configure more easily to a Sony late-model AVR with Bluetooth and Wireless added over the ONKYO -- "Smart" as it was.
Wattage on the Sony is 725W, and the JBL's need 5 x 100W + 150W = 650W, so it should be a good match.
So here's the "surprise". First of all, I'm STUPID. I never had patience for newspaper grocery-store coupons. I never had patience for "Credit card rewards". I have been ordering from Amazon online since 2001, when my Moms (at that time, 76 years old) asked me to order books. Since then, I have quite a history of purchases. And every time the pre-checkout screen popped up, I'd look at the section that says "enter Promo Code" and skip it -- I don't get promo codes. However, just under that section for "promo codes" is another item: "Amazon Rewards". I always thought it was part of the Promo-Code section! I never FREAKING LOOKED AT IT!!
The price tag on the Sony AVR: $348 + $32 tax + $20 2-year support + $9.99 HDMI cable = (approx) $410
I applied the rewards. TOTAL BILL: $148.
I had been fretting about spending the money this month, or whether the ONKYO would "fix itself". This is easy: I just canceled a $715 umbrella insurance policy to replace it with another for $200, and I canceled the annual premium payment due end of April. Given the earliest reviews posted for it, the Sony was released around 2018. My sense of it is that AVR models aren't replaced as often as TVs, or the models prevail for some time.
$148 is chump change!
Because I'd once been able to switch between the HTPC's Logitech 5.1's and the ONKYO"s 5.1 JBL system without getting off the couch, through Windows Media Center, the ONKYO fell into disuse after Media Center "went away" with Win 7 and the free up-to-date channel guides. Then, the old LG HDTV died, and here we are.
The ONKYO still behaves a bit flakey. It will shut off and seem impossible to turn on for an hour or so, and then unexplainably turn itself back on. Today it went off -- more likely because the audio feed from the TV was interrupted or it was muted on the ONKYO, and I was able to turn it on again with the remote immediately.
But this s*** has been going on with the ONKYO AVR for about two weeks now. It's 12 years old -- costing me about $600+ when I bought it with a set of JBL 5.1's.
That model ONKYO -- TX-NR616 -- was discontinued, and a "used" unit of that model can now be had for $315.
I had already settled, however, on the Sony STRDH590 . And figure that a 2022 Sony TV is likely to configure more easily to a Sony late-model AVR with Bluetooth and Wireless added over the ONKYO -- "Smart" as it was.
Wattage on the Sony is 725W, and the JBL's need 5 x 100W + 150W = 650W, so it should be a good match.
So here's the "surprise". First of all, I'm STUPID. I never had patience for newspaper grocery-store coupons. I never had patience for "Credit card rewards". I have been ordering from Amazon online since 2001, when my Moms (at that time, 76 years old) asked me to order books. Since then, I have quite a history of purchases. And every time the pre-checkout screen popped up, I'd look at the section that says "enter Promo Code" and skip it -- I don't get promo codes. However, just under that section for "promo codes" is another item: "Amazon Rewards". I always thought it was part of the Promo-Code section! I never FREAKING LOOKED AT IT!!
The price tag on the Sony AVR: $348 + $32 tax + $20 2-year support + $9.99 HDMI cable = (approx) $410
I applied the rewards. TOTAL BILL: $148.
I had been fretting about spending the money this month, or whether the ONKYO would "fix itself". This is easy: I just canceled a $715 umbrella insurance policy to replace it with another for $200, and I canceled the annual premium payment due end of April. Given the earliest reviews posted for it, the Sony was released around 2018. My sense of it is that AVR models aren't replaced as often as TVs, or the models prevail for some time.
$148 is chump change!
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