Onkyo Oulet (ShopOnkyo) President's Day Sale - e.g., Refurbed TX-NR709 $320, TX-NR609 $240

Join Club Onkyo [shoponkyo.com]

Simliar/better prices on Onkyo refurbs at Accessories4Less. Just a thought.

In December when they had a similar sale, I bought the HT-S7409 HTIB. After points and the sale, I paid about $244. I didn't buy it to keep it -- I bought it hoping to sell it or trade it for something more expensive -- which I did. A couple of weeks ago, I traded it for a camera lens that I sold this week for $800.

Looks like it's a little more expensive now. However, it's still cheaper than a bunch of the other home theater in a box setups -- which is nuts. The HT-S7409 comes with an actual receiver -- the TX-NR609. It's an actual network 7.2 channel receiver. In fact, if you bought that receiver by itself in this sale, it would cost $240.....which is the price is constantly seems to hit in this sale, which is an excellent price (a lot of bang for the buck). I use that receiver in my home theater setup. Anyway, you get that same receiver and some Onkyo 5.1 speakers for just a little bit more. Granted, the speakers aren't high-end speakers, but they'll blow a sound bar out of the water if that's all you've had to this point.

Or, if you're patient like I am, it's a setup that you might be able to trade for something of much greater value. I bought it figuring that it wasn't a huge investment and I didn't think I would lose money on it, anyway.

There are definitely some deals in there -- but I would repeat the OP's word of caution on this year's line of receivers. I keep seeing complaints on them overheating. I'd stick with the previous year (TX-NRXX09) receivers. That said, if you buy ANY Onkyo receiver, you should know that it will run hot. They need to be well-ventilated. You just can't put one on a closed shelf and expect good results. I have mine on an open-air glass shelf where it has plenty of space for ventilation and it's still hot to the touch after just a few minutes of use. I've been using it for almost a year and a half with no issues -- but I do attribute that partly to my placement of it. If I tried to put it in some sort of cabinet, I bet it would have overheated and stopped working. Keep that in mind.

I think the 616 and 717s are the ones to avoid. 616 especially... it seems they must be using some lower quality components leading to early failures. 818 and higher appear to be the ones that are safe (just make sure you get updated firmware)

And I missed that deal for the 818 for $650

I dont see discounted prices after signing up for Club. Example HT-S7409 HTIB is 349 even after signup. Am i missing something?

Decent prices but I'm waiting for another 30% sale like they had during the holiday season. Guess we should have picked up a second 509 or one of the 809s from Amazon back in December.

Receiver deals seem to be a little weak since Christmas. Anyone aware of the industry cycles and when we can expect movement or are the Amazon type deals just a holiday/fluke thing?

Quote from bch7 : Decent prices but I'm waiting for another 30% sale like they had during the holiday season. Guess we should have picked up a second 509 or one of the 809s from Amazon back in December. Receiver deals seem to be a little weak since Christmas. Anyone aware of the industry cycles and when we can expect movement or are the Amazon type deals just a holiday/fluke thing?

Should be some deals coming on the current years models in the next couple of months as several brands release their new units in the late spring/early summer. I know Yamaha does, and perhaps Denon too.

Quote from santy83 : I dont see discounted prices after signing up for Club. Example HT-S7409 HTIB is 349 even after signup. Am i missing something?

You're missing the 20% off promo code in the OP....and then another $10 off because they give you 10 points when you join Club Onkyo (each point is worth a buck). So that setup becomes $349-20% = $279.20 - $10 (if you're a new member) = $269.20. If you have any Onkyo stuff, register it first for more Onkyo points (more money off). Be aware that the box for that setup is 80lbs. It's a big box. But shipping is free :-).

Quote from dracore : I think the 616 and 717s are the ones to avoid. 616 especially... it seems they must be using some lower quality components leading to early failures. 818 and higher appear to be the ones that are safe (just make sure you get updated firmware) And I missed that deal for the 818 for $650

Yeah I missed the 818 too. Would be a VERY nice upgrade over my 805. I'm actually due for a new one...

Quote from webdev511 : Yeah I missed the 818 too. Would be a VERY nice upgrade over my 805. I'm actually due for a new one...

I have the 805 and looking for a suitable replacement as the hdmi board went out and now pulsates sound to the surround speakers. I Loved this receiver but I can't find anything close to what this receiver offered below 600. like others onkyo runs hot, I had a dedicated fan for cooling at mine was never enclosed. then one day, it was 1 thing, then the other. having to downgrade below thx ultra2 will be missed.

tldr; Onkyo has slipped off. Quality of units is horrible. I've had 3 units in two years - none of which lasted more than 6 months. Warranty repair is painful (no updates or communications) and slow (3 months)

Not knocking the OPs post in the least - kudos for sharing...

This said, I am avoiding Onkyo from this point forward... If you are looking for a quality system on a budget, I'd look elsewhere (Sony has some durable budget systems on Amazon).... I've owned 3 Onkyo receivers in the past 2 years - each of which died after less than 9 months of use... 2 of these were new out of the box and one was a refurb replacement for the first crapped out one... These things just are not built to last... I was initially happy with the sound and interface for my Onkyo units, but I don't intentionally pay for disposable electronics - which is what I consider units that last less than a year...

After the first one bombed, I sent it into the NY repair center and broke out my Sony that I purchased in 2000 (which is still kicking like a champ). It was more than 3 months before I got a unit back from the repair center... While at the repair center, I had to call every couple of weeks for an update on where my unit was as they just don't let you know what's going on with your repair (3 months in all).. One day, out of the blue, I am sent a completely different (newer) unit without explanation or notice... Of course, I was at first to have this newer unit - even though it was clearly a refurb... My happiness only lasted about 4 months, as it was about 4 months before this replacement unit bit the dust (again - from a failure in the HDMI out - which was the problem with the initial unit)...

Like an idiot, thinking that I just had bad luck the first two times, I bought another Onkyo that was on a great sale... This unit lasted about 6 months... This time, the unit just would not start up... Keeping in mind - I have a lot of electronics, all of which are on Monster surge protectors, none of which were failing (only the Onkyo units).

So... Take my advice for what you think it's worth... Perhaps you will have a better experience than I did, but this company won't be getting another penny from me...

Quote from Parachute07 : In December when they had a similar sale, I bought the HT-S7409 HTIB. After points and the sale, I paid about $244. I didn't buy it to keep it -- I bought it hoping to sell it or trade it for something more expensive -- which I did. A couple of weeks ago, I traded it for a camera lens that I sold this week for $800. Looks like it's a little more expensive now. However, it's still cheaper than a bunch of the other home theater in a box setups -- which is nuts. The HT-S7409 comes with an actual receiver -- the TX-NR609. It's an actual network 7.2 channel receiver. In fact, if you bought that receiver by itself in this sale, it would cost $240.....which is the price is constantly seems to hit in this sale, which is an excellent price (a lot of bang for the buck). I use that receiver in my home theater setup. Anyway, you get that same receiver and some Onkyo 5.1 speakers for just a little bit more. Granted, the speakers aren't high-end speakers, but they'll blow a sound bar out of the water if that's all you've had to this point. Or, if you're patient like I am, it's a setup that you might be able to trade for something of much greater value. I bought it figuring that it wasn't a huge investment and I didn't think I would lose money on it, anyway. There are definitely some deals in there -- but I would repeat the OP's word of caution on this year's line of receivers. I keep seeing complaints on them overheating. I'd stick with the previous year (TX-NRXX09) receivers. That said, if you buy ANY Onkyo receiver, you should know that it will run hot. They need to be well-ventilated. You just can't put one on a closed shelf and expect good results. I have mine on an open-air glass shelf where it has plenty of space for ventilation and it's still hot to the touch after just a few minutes of use. I've been using it for almost a year and a half with no issues -- but I do attribute that partly to my placement of it. If I tried to put it in some sort of cabinet, I bet it would have overheated and stopped working. Keep that in mind.

Ok, I am dumb when it comes to figuring it out. Do you happen to know what receiver comes with the HT-S5500? It's the 7.1 system

For me...it seemed like the 616 was the best deal. As a new member it gave me $10 off so I netted $253 with no tax and free shipping. This was the cheapest refurb price I could find (plus it gave me some assurance that it was coming direct from the manufacturer).

Also, I suspect most issues have been addressed via production changes and firmware. I've got a 1 year warranty, so minimal risk.

I dare you to find something with this level of features for $250!