Upgrading from z-5500 to Onkyo HT-S5305, worth it?

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Title sums up the subject really. I'm fed up with the lack of connectors on my rather old z-5500 set. Would the above (Onkyo HT-S5305) be a worthy upgrade? I'm dubious as the pricing is very close to that of the z-5500 so am worried it will offer little improvement.


Would it be best to just hold off until i can afford something a little better?
 
Remember, the Z5500 price has spiralled. It used to cost £180 at one point. I'd be surprised if the Onkyo system is not superior.
 
Remember, the Z5500 price has spiralled. It used to cost £180 at one point. I'd be surprised if the Onkyo system is not superior.

Yeah i'm a bit puzzled about the price rise in the Z5500's. I bought them when they were in the £180 zone, they're good, but they're not £250 good!

I've been looking around and have now seen that the next level up of Onkyo 'full sets' is only around £30 more. It looks much better in terms of the receiver which means it'll be upgradeable which would be great. Anyone have any experience with this set:

Onkyo HT-S6305B

Uses the TXSR508 receiver, any good?
 
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If they were not such a pain in the ass to sell, I would sell my Z-5500s in a heart beat and get a receiver and a couple of book shelf speakers.
 
Cheers guys.

Ok next question:

5305 with passive sub - £230
5305 with active sub - £300
6305 with active sub - £350

I can afford all three, but is it worth the extra £120 for the 6305?

Basically which is the best value for money out of those three?

Or is Onkyo not even the right way to go?

I'm so utterly clueless with audio equipment it's embarrassing :/
 
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Cheers guys.

Ok next question:

5305 with passive sub - £230
5305 with active sub - £300
6305 with active sub - £350

I can afford all three, but is it worth the extra £120 for the 6305?

Basically which is the best value for money out of those three?

Or is Onkyo not even the right way to go?

I'm so utterly clueless with audio equipment it's embarrassing :/

I'd say an active sub is well worth it, and then for only £50 more the 6305 is worth it. 7.1 (Will it do front bi-amp instead of the extra pair?), extra HDMI and audyssey makes it worthwhile imo.
 
Of the three Onkyo kits the 5305 (active sub) is perhaps the best value.

The 6305 gives you more power and some extra bells and whistles. The Audyssey room EQ potentially makes it a little easier to a better result. The extra coax input is useful.

Other brands
Yamaha used to be kings of the AV package, but they've gone a different direction of late so I'd say they're out of the running.

Denon is having a dabble with their DHT-1311XP AV package. It's competing with the 5305. The speakers in the Denon kit are a bit more substantial.

Pioneer does all-in-one kits based around a integrated DVD or Blu-ray player/receiver rather than an AV receiver. That's of less interest to AV enthusiast.

AFAICT Sony do Receiver & Speaker packages, but the receivers in those packages are more life-style focused. They don't do HD audio decoding, which puts them out of contention. They do have a range of conventional AV receivers with HD decoding, but not packaged with speakers or at prices to compete with the Onkyos.
 
I have heard the Onkyo with passive sub in a demo and it was rubbish, no bass at all, sounded like a cheap system tbh. I'd hope the active sub versions are better bit have a listen first.
 
I have heard the Onkyo with passive sub in a demo and it was rubbish, no bass at all, sounded like a cheap system tbh. I'd hope the active sub versions are better bit have a listen first.

I have the set with the passive sub and I really can't complain about the bass at all. I have no doubts the active ones are punchier and provide a far better effect, but the passive sub is seemingly still more than capable. Can only assume the demo set was configured badly or something.
 
I have the set with the passive sub and I really can't complain about the bass at all. I have no doubts the active ones are punchier and provide a far better effect, but the passive sub is seemingly still more than capable. Can only assume the demo set was configured badly or something.

Agreed.

It's not as bassy as more expensive pieces of kit but when i'm watching movies and there are explosions kicking off, it really is a fantastic piece of kit for the money.
 
If they were not such a pain in the ass to sell, I would sell my Z-5500s in a heart beat and get a receiver and a couple of book shelf speakers.

Not really a pain, bought mine for £160 used for 3 years sold for £150
gumtree, simple's
 
They sell for as much as £150? Holy crud, i bought mine for £180ish nearly 7 years ago!

I've decided i'm going to go for the 6305 as i like the idea of the amp with the extra oomph. Unless anyone thinks that's a massive mistake? Will cost £350 inc delivery.
 
Tbh go second hand with that budget ebay/gumtree = better system

AMP £100 (saw a denon 1707 go for just 50 quid few weeks back)
2 x Front Bookshelf's £60
2 x Rear bookshelf £40
Center £50
Sub £80
Cables Depending on room size £20
 
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