Review submitted by Colin_Potter_780
Author’s Rating:
To say that this Onkyo is a performer for the money is an understatement. I have an Onkyo 705 surround receiver so they were my first choice for my stereo setup as well, but I auditioned a lot of other equipment in the price range, and nothing came close! This is exactly what Onkyo is known for; clean, crisp power, good signal-to-noise ratio, etc. I am using it to power some Bowers and Wilkins bookshelf speakers that have a sensitivity of about 85db, and at only 40 volume, the house is filled with beautiful sound! I would recommend this receiver to anyone looking for the best performance from their stereo system without buying separate components (pre-amp and power amp)!

The construction is very solid, as with all Onkyo products, and it has a nice weight to it without feeling like it’s full of lead. It keeps to the clean, simple component styling that Onkyo and so many other brands are known to use, which I find very attractive. My two main complaints are trivial, but still should be addressed. 1) I could have used a backlit remote like on the 705 and… 2) You have the press the PURE AUDIO button twice to get the PURE AUDIO mode… otherwise, from one press of the button, it goes to DIRECT mode…. Like I said, trivial.

Value: 10/10

Power: 10/10

Sound: 9.5/10

Construction: 10/10

Remote: 8.5/10

Overall: 9.75/10

Review submitted by Sammy
Author’s Rating:
After three decades of using Sony products ranging from phones to TV’s and stereo equipment, we decided to venture into the world of Onkyo. This receiver had good reviews, fair price and seemed very simple to use. Boy, what a surprise when it arrived: heavy, well constructed, actual knobs for bass and treble, easy on eyes LCD panel, and a boat-load of connections in the back. I’m actually surprised I was able to find a stereo receiver of this caliber.

The built quality is excellent. Instructions… not necessary and the sound! The sound is spectacular. Very linear, clear and direct. No volume spikes, muddy sounds or any form of “hiss” from this unit. Power is more than enough for an average size living room. I have it connected to a Yamaha sub and a set of old KLH speakers. Both of them emit sound that I’ve never heard before: clear and punchy. It seems the speakers run more efficiently as well (if that’s possible). They don’t seem strained or overworked. Overall, a great product and I hope it’s as reliable as Sony has been.

A couple of minor gripes, again in no way do they affect my satisfaction with the unit. 1) Remote… wish it was as basic as the receiver itself, 2) position light indicator on the volume knob.

Review submitted by Hi Tech Guy
Author’s Rating:
I purchased this amplifier recently. I own a few older, well-regarded amplifiers (tube and solid state) that cost a lot more money when new, so my expectations were not high for this Onkyo. That said, I am stunned by how nice this amplifier sounds. I run the amplifier in Pure Audio mode (press the Pure Audio button on the front panel twice, then the blue LED comes on indicating Pure Audio mode). If I didn’t know better, I’d swear this was a high-end tube amplifier. There is absolutely no background noise. No hiss. No hum. Nothing but dead silence. It makes music with silent passages jump to life. Whether I use this amplifier to drive Paradigm Titan speakers or Grado headphones, the quality of the sound reproduction and the dynamic range is absolutely remarkable, especially bass reproduction. Using a quality CD audio source, I can clearly hear every cymbal, with all the timber, every bass note, with all the string vibration from every finger pluck. For what this amplifier costs, I can’t imagine looking elsewhere unless you need to drive large reference monitors. This amplifier is more than capable of driving anything up to full-sized floor speakers at reasonable volume. The amplifier includes an AM/FM tuner that works well enough. FM channels come in loud and clear using the included wire antenna. AM reception is a bit more difficult using the included loop antenna and its short wires, so at a minimum expect to add four to eight feet of wire to the AM antenna to get the loop well clear of any power cords. But that’s really of little consequence if what you’re looking for first and foremost is a high-quality stereo amplifier. I’ve listened to high-end amplifiers costing many times as much and few sound this pure and clean. The overall look and feel of the unit is professional grade, with just the right amount of heft. All controls have positive feedback and none feel flimsy. The volume knob is particularly nice, with a heavy, smooth action that is slow to respond, resulting in very fine, analog-like volume control. In brief summary, I doubt anyone with reasonable expectations will be disappointed. This stereo amplifier provides performance and quality well beyond its price level.

Review submitted by E.I.E.I. Owen
Author’s Rating:
I don’t know why it is so hard to find a reasonably priced stereo receiver but after searching high and low for something to replace my Carvin TM 35 amp and preamp I settled on the Onkyo TX-8555. I wanted something that would give me enough inputs along with a phono input that did not cost and arm and a leg and have decent sound quality. After setting up the unit into my Klipsch speakers the sound was different from the Carvin, not bad just different. The Onkyo did not over pump the bass frequencies and once the volume level was set at a comfortable setting, the sound was pleasing. I plugged my Sony DVD player and played a few discs: Beggars Banquet in SACD and Neil Young’s Greatest Hits in High Res and both sounded amazing. Regular CD’s sounded just as good as through the Carvin.

This is a basic unit with very basic controls, which is fine by me. The set up time took about 15 minutes. In addition, the price was just right so if you are looking for a decent quality integrated receiver that will not break the bank then look at this.

Review submitted by RockvaleTN
Author’s Rating:
I use this receiver for my whole house audio, which means it’s on all the time. Hook up was easy, controls are clear and easy to use. Sound is great. Setting up the Sirus radio requires the use of the remote, which isn’t obvious unless you read the manual. For the price, this is perfect for me.

Review submitted by Mikey likes it
Author’s Rating:
Having listened to mid-range receivers from most of the major brands, I liked the sound of the Denons the best..a bit warmer than the Onkyos, which is better for music. The Pioneers sounded nice, but lacked Audyssey (using the proprietary MACC instead). Marantz sounded great but aren’t as fully featured as comparably priced Denons.

I wanted a receiver that’s up-to-date with all of the latest surround sound formats and is relatively future proof, since I don’t plan to upgrade again for several years. The 3311 seemed to fit the bill perfectly and I’m very happy with my purchase so far. The sound quality is great. I thought that my old Onkyo sounded pretty good, but this surpasses it by far. Audyssey MultiEQ XT does an excellent job at tailoring the equalization to compensate for the acoustical flaws in the room. I’ve never had a system that sounds so balanced, detailed and immersive. There’s plenty of power to drive most speakers (even my inefficient Polk RTiA7’s) to their potential. I was initially concerned about the reduced weight of the newer Denon mid-range receivers compared to older models, but this concern seems to be mostly unfounded, as the performance and adequate power speaks for itself. Pre-outs are included to allow for the addition of external amps, if desired. Last year’s models apparently suffered from networking problems. Fortunately, these issues seem to have been resolved in the 3311 and the network features have worked flawlessly so far. By the way, the upcoming model AVR-991 is priced $200 lower and is basically the same as the 3311, except it has no pre-outs, a couple less inputs, one less zone and one remote instead of two.

To me, this unit (or the 991) is the sweet spot in the new Denon line as far as performance, features and value. It’s reasonably priced, being $300 less than last year’s 3310, yet has more features and probably better sound, due to the upgrade to the “XT” version of MultiEQ. It’ll cost a lot more to step up to the next higher model (4311?) and, based on comments I’ve read, the difference in sound quality is likely to be marginal at best. The 3311 comes with a 3 year warranty (the AVR-991 warranty is only 2 yrs).

Based on my experience with this receiver so far, I’d definitely buy it again and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to a friend. Tip: try to get it on sale. I got mine for 25% off list price despite being a newly released model.

Review submitted by Thomas Haughton
Author’s Rating:
I’ve wondered at times about some of the glowing reviews I’ve read online over the years for various products: Are these real folks or PR plants from manufacturers? (Hey, it happens all the time in the hotel biz.)

So… if you share my suspicions, no, despite what follows, I don’t work for Onkyo in any way shape or form–but I have been involved with audio in various capacities for many years. And… the last time I got this excited about a piece of electronics Ronald Reagan was president…

In short, if you’re considering replacing an older receiver (or any receiver you’re not currently totally in love with) and you aren’t looking for surround sound or lots of bells and whistles, this is your amp. It has a rich, lush (very tube like) sound, and it doesn’t sweat driving 4 ohm speakers very loudly (trust me, I know.)

But let’s stay respectful: If you’re looking to fart out bass at 130db, please don’t waste your time with this receiver. Consider 10 o’clock the maximum volume setting for most digital sources. There are cheaper models on the market you can abuse. Please do.

Power. Clarity. Smoothness and functionality. Especially for well under $200 I doubt this receiver will ever meet its match.

post script: Since I wrote this review some time ago, I’ve noted a few criticisms regarding the sound of this receiver. Ok, here’s the deal: It ain’t a Krell or a Mark Levinson, but for a fraction of the cost you’re getting, to me, the best sound available for a few hundred bucks–and quite often for multiples of that figure. Add in a cheap but fair sounding EQ and you suddenly have yourself fidelity that can very much approach audiophile standards. Under $1000 per unit, the number one problem I’ve found in so-called “mid-fi” gear is trouble in the 1K range. So if you can cheaply attenuate that, again, you’ve got yourself some very respectable sound at a bargain. But “off the rack,” I’ve never found anything that approaches the sound of this unit at anywhere near the price. It was especially rewarding to read from so many folks (older ones in particular) how they and others were able rediscover the simple pleasure of listening to music again thanks to this cheap Onkyo receiver–and isn’t that what good audio is all about?

Review submitted by Mike Ventura
Author’s Rating:
This receiver replaced a Sony STR 397 that had a continuous static problem that was never fixed. I gave up on the Sony and bought the Onkyo. I use it to power two Polk tower speakers hooked up to my HDTV and DVD player.

The receiver is basic, no frills. Bass, treble and balance controls are on the front panel. There is no loudness control. There are multiple memory settings for music stations. All the standard connections are in the back including an input for an iPod (docking station extra). The tuner works well and has standard scanning for stations.

The receiver is rated at 50W per channel. It is plenty adequate for the Polks. The sound is clear and unvarnished. It produces a crisper, cleaner sound than the Sony.

For sound reproduction without lots of frills and buttons, this has proved an excellent choice. I am very pleased with the item.

Once again, I have to complement Amazon for having excellent pricing and incredible free shipping that is fast.

Review submitted by Arthur Hampton
Author’s Rating:
I bought this receiver to replace a fine amp, preamp combo that was 25 years old and had served me well (a NAD). So this one has a tuner built in – oh well. I’ll almost never play the radio. But this unit is just amazing. It impresses me as being totally transparent. There is no noise, no hum, no nothing to let me know that I’m listening to a cd, unless the signal is on the cd or other audio source. Either stuff has gotten a lot better in the last 25 years, or my hearing has deteriorated. Heh heh – both are true. I’ve only had it two days, so I know nothing of durability. It’s driving a couple of IMF speakers which are quite power hungry – no sweat, they just sing beautifully.

Review submitted by S. Letterman
Author’s Rating:
I would like to offer my own personal opinion regarding my purchase and use of the Onkyo Receiver model TX 8255. Right off the top I must admit that I am more pleased with this receiver than I have ever been with any other receiver I have owned. I go back to the days of tube type components and I have owned a couple of the old style Marantz receivers, a Yamaha and a Harmon Kardon as well as Mackintosh components over the years and all have performed to varying degrees of satisfaction. Each unit had it’s pro and cons as they should. Recently I had an issue with my last receiver and had the problem repaired on a number of occasions but the repair only lasted maybe a year and then I was back to the same problem. I decided that it was time for something else and basically what I wanted was a simple two channel stereo receiver that would power my Paradigm tower speakers and sound decent with no performance issues as well as have a very acceptable AM/FM receiver section. After doing some homework I decided to try the Onkyo Model model TX 8255. In a nut shell the Onkyo exceeds all my expectations. It has more than enough power to drive the 8 ohm Paradigm speakers even above normal listening levels with no noticeable clipping. The receiver section draws in many stations although I must admit I reside in a medium city environment so I would assume that there would be no problems. The unit and remote are very user friendly and cleanly laid out. The only thing that I miss and would have like to have had was a midrange control. Other than that I have no problem saying that I really, really like this unit and expect to stay with it for many years to come.

Review submitted by Kevin H. Cadarette
Author’s Rating:
I got this for my parents for xmas, to replace their old Sansui that finally gave up the ghost. I hooked it up New Years day, and was amazed with the sound/power this unit puts out. I have a DE898 Sony stereo that cost about 2x last year, and with the same speakers does not sound anywhere near as clear or crisp. I tried both Polk monitor, and Bose InterAudio series and the results were the same; this receiver puts out plenty of power, and sounds very crisp. The highs are not tinny, and the base is not boomy, just very clear. Wow. Mom and Dad are very happy to listen to their reel to reel, cassette, cd, record player, and tv through the speakers, and hear detail they have not heard in years. I am wondering why I bought surround sound for me now, I forgot how good just plain stereo can sound. The remote is very easy to see, and understand. Nothing fancy, just basic.

There is some math issue here.

Onkyo says 50 watts per channel rms

Sony says 100 watts per channel rms

The Sony sounds like it is lower power, and has to be run at half volume to get much sound. Both units with the same speakers. I suspect Marketing departments are involved here, with marketing math.