Onkyo TX-DS989 Receiver. (Equipment).

Manufacturer: Onkyo U.S.A. Corporation, 18 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458; 215/785-2600

Price: $3,199.95

Software Upgrades: $49.95 plus shipping, handling, and tax

Source: Manufacturer loan

Reviewer: Kevin East

One of the problems with being "me" is that, unlike the redoubtable HF, the ever-dependable TM, and proud papa TL, I'm an audio slug. I get stuff to review, it gets plugged into whatever's available, and I promptly forget about it--that is, until a publicist politely inquires, "Uh, do you still have the Gonzo 9000-ZIT Maestro we sent you two years ago? Did we miss the review?" And of course the memory modules are jiggled, and by golly the unit is still where I left it. Does this mean that the Onkyo TX-DS989 (henceforth, the "989") is suddenly passe or out of production? Happily, no. What it does mean, however, is that by now you've gulped down HF's monumental review of the Onkyo TX-DS787 receiver (Issue No. 86), and my innate dilatory nature has been rewarded with an article of simple contrasts versus a full-blown review. Thank you, Howard, thank you.

Like with all emerging technologies, when the consumer -- that's you -- considers purchasing audio equipment from one of a number of competing formats, deliberations require intensive research, mystic clairvoyance, and not a little bit of luck. Otherwise, one is saddled with an 8-track tape player or a BetaVision VCR. While the video side of the A/V ledger seems to have settled on the digital video disc (DVD) format, audio is quite another matter. Competing formats abound: Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Digital, DTS, MPEG, and those newly emerging. DVD manufacturers so far have found room on the DVD's audio bands to encode at least two, and less frequently all, of the first three formats. Needless to say, the formats are incompatible. So, if for some reason your A/V receiver doesn't decode one format or another, your audio options for any one DVD may be limited. There's always a stereo soundtrack, and most offer Dolby Pro Logic. But true multi-channel surround sound belongs to Dolby Digital and DTS.

Receiver and DVD manufacturers have responded by offering multiple decoding capabilities, so it really doesn't matter how a movie's surround sound is formatted. And you can expect to pay for those selfsame multiple decoding capabilities. Manufacturers must license the decoding algorithms from the software manufacturers, and, brother, them ain't cheap. And of course the cost is passed on to you.

The problem with the multiple decoding solution, however, is that when a new format comes along, presuming that one can't live without it, it's necessary to upgrade one's hardware to accommodate it. Just ask all those folks who have Dolby Pro Logic receivers. Onkyo may have found the solution to the solution's problem. The 989, besides offering every current commercial decoding capability, has included the capability to upgrade software developments without having to necessarily upgrade the hardware. How? The same way you upgrade your PC's software: on line.

The 989 is Lucasfilm THX certified "Ultra", versus the 787's "Select", which means not only will it deliver 130 watts per channel RMS to each and every one of its seven--count 'em--satellite speakers, but implements THX Surround EX, which sends discrete signals to each of the two rear surround channels. That's right, boys and girls, just like the 787, your home theater rig will now deliver seven-dot-one channels of sound. But instead of a matrixed or arithmetically reconstructed signal, the rear channel signals are separately encoded. So, instead of having a mere five or six channels of Gladiator gore, now you can have seven. It boggles the imagination. It will also require you to buy, yep, seven speakers and a subwoofer.

The 989 doesn't stop there. It also includes an RS-232 port, otherwise known to PC geeks as a "serial" port. To purchase the upgrades (no, they're not free), you log on to Onkyo's web site (www.onkyousa.com), provide Onkyo with the 989's serial number, and pay with a credit card. In return you receive a password and via UPS a CD-ROM that contains the software upgrade and a serial cable to connect your PC with the 989. Onkyo's first set of upgrades for the 989 includes decoding software for DTS-ES Discrete, Neo 6, and Dolby Pro Logic II signal processing. Once you've received the CD-ROM, you link your PC to the 989, invoke the CD-ROM's installation software, and you're in business. Onkyo supports the Windows 98, ME, and 2000 PC platforms.

I received Onkyo's e-mail notification of the first software upgrades after I'd completed the initial version of this review and after I'd returned the 989 to Onkyo, so I was not able to test the upgrade procedure. So I cannot conjecture about its ease of use or installation. All in all, upgrading a component merely by importing software, something that elicits a big yawn to computer users, is an attractive idea here in audioland. It could address some of the concerns consumers have over the advances in technology versus the capabilities of their equipment. Since upgrading presumes Web access, it seems Onkyo could investigate taking a page from the software mavens and offer its upgrades on-line.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves. First and foremost, the Onkyo TX-DS989 is one monster of a fire-breathing A/V receiver.

The Basics. The 989 is not for the faint of heart, nerve, or raw sinew. The 17.13"W x 7.69"H x 17.75"D box weighs in at a hefty 48.5 pounds and requires two sets of well coordinated hands just to unpack. The Onkyo's sheer size is a factor that one needs to confront early on. While the industry has traditionally settled on a 17" width for most separate and/or integrated components, height and depth vary by function and need. For instance, in the main listening system, widths are a uniform 17", give or take a couple of tenths. Height varies from 5.5" for the Sunfire amplifier to a mere 3.75" for the Parasound C/DP 1000 CD player. Depth, however, ranges from a full 15" for the Sunfire and 13.5" for a vintage Technics turntable to 11.25" for the Parasound. What we found was that the Onkyo unit did not fit inside the built-in cabinets in the den that house our A/V equipment. Once one allows for clearance behind the unit for interconnects, speaker connections, and the power cord, a good 21" of depth is necessary to properly house the unit. Well, our built-ins offer only 19" on the open top shelf and 16.75" in the cabinet underneath. While placing the Onkyo on the top shelf was briefly considered, it would have required drilling some sizable access holes in the shelf -- a lovely solid, blond ash -- a permanent solution to a temporary problem, which also elicited a disapproving frown from Mrs. Lizard. So underneath it went, and the door was open until the unit went back.

The 989 can accommodate up to eight speakers in a 7.1 configuration: two front channel, two surround channels, two rear channels (more about this in a bit), a center channel, and a subwoofer. It pumps a prodigious 130 watts RMS into each save the sub, easily enough power to handle the most demanding DVD audio track into some fairly sophisticated speakers in an equally generous environment. Inputs are plentiful: a stunning nine preamp inputs, two tape loops, CD line level input, a phono input including ground, audio and video outputs for remote or zoned components, two audio and video input and outputs, three audio and video inputs only, and a dedicated DVD input. Each of the six audio and video inputs has a coaxial digital counterpart plus one coax digital output. There are also a dedicated laser disc AC-3RF input, three Toslink optical digital inputs, and one Toslink optical digital output. There are three component video inputs and one component video output. The six sets of stereo speaker connections are all five-way binding posts that will accommodate large spade lugs, banana plugs, and bare wire. The posts are spaced so that one may use dual banana plugs.

The rear panel also includes two switched AC convenience outlets, a dedicated connector for running additional Onkyo components from the 989's remote control unit, and two infrared inputs for connecting auxiliary remote controls. The latter two are useful if your unit is enclosed in a cabinet where the onboard remote sensor is not accessible. One controls the receiver, and the other can control a remote or zoned amplifier. The latter will handle Niles, Xantech, and other controllers besides Onkyo's. Some of the newer DVD players have multichannel outputs -- one for each of the speakers. The 989 receives those through a DB-25 pin DIN input. Onkyo supplies a 25-pin to 6-RCA jack (front, center, surrounds, and subwoofer) cable.

The front panel is a neatly arranged array of source selection buttons beneath a generous display area, and a master volume pot. The 989 has two sets of power switches, one that operates the main power, and one that, once the power's engaged, switches from "stand by" mode to operation. Onkyo intends that the 989's main power is on pretty much all the time and encourages the user to power up and down from "stand by" mode. Another button switch, merely labeled "Open/Close" slides open a door at the bottom the panel revealing another row of button switches, which control radio presets and modes, a second zone signal, DSP options, and the 989's On Screen Display menu, or OSD. There is also a standard headphone amp input. Why hide all this stuff behind a door? I suppose they don't function any better, but the unit certainly looks better.

The remote control, however, is the instrument with which one conducts business. It replicates every function on the front panel, controls other components by "learning" the functions of their remotes, learns and invokes macros to perform series of commands with the touch of just a button or two. The magic in the latter two functions is that the 989's remote can absorb the commands of another remote, say that of a DVD player, so then it can start itself, turn on the DVD player, play the DVD, and turn everything off when done. The remote, like so many of them, also contains functions that are not in the unit's array: muting, re-equalization (takes the "brightness" out of movie soundtracks), pink noise speaker test calibrators, and independent playback mode convenience buttons.

The user's manual is as complete and comprehensive as any I've seen. Every function is explained in considerable detail, except of course those options (i.e., the RS-232) that haven't yet a function, in this 76-page tome. It's essential that you read every section through even if you have experience with this brand of high-end, programmable component. A case in point: I discovered, er, some time after I'd set everything up that I could calibrate the speakers from the remote without invoking the OSD menu. Onkyo even supplies a number of blank grids and diagrams to help you remember exactly what you've programmed into both the machine and the remote.

Associated Equipment and Ephemera. The 989 was auditioned in our den, the erstwhile A/V salon. The room is a rectangular 14' x 9' with a longish (8' x 2') alcove in which we've built cabinets and bookcases. All the equipment is installed in the alcove.

An Integra DSC 5.1 DVD changer, a Toshiba M-659 VCR, and the venerable Rotel RCD-955AX compact disc player supplied sound and picture sources. The speaker system, all eight of 'em, was an Atlantic Technologies System 170. The video interconnect was an S-video cable supplied with the DVD changer. The primary audio (i.e., for the DVD player's audio) interconnect was a Radio Shack Toslink optical cable, supplemented by a hash of manufacturer-supplied cables and Radio Shack stuff. The eight speakers required over 100 feet of Radio Shack 14AWG flat wire. Our television is a 10-year-old-plus 26" Mitsubishi.

Setting Up. The 989 allows the user to set the speakers' levels according to an optimal seating/listening position. A menu option generates -20dB of pink noise through each successive speaker, starting with the front L/R (i.e., stereo) channels and working its way through the center channel, surrounds, and rear channels. Theoretically, the user evaluates the relative loudness/intensity of the pink noise while in the optimal seating/listening position and sets the level of noise so that the incoming signal/sound is roughly equivalent. Now, if you're a silly equipment reviewer like me and have a Radio Shack digital sound pressure level (SPL) meter lying around (or a serious equipment reviewer like HF and have a spectrum analyzer nearby), you're going to turn a guessing game into less-than-rocket-science and end up with a more or less well-balanced speaker array. But, alas, you -- the user/consumer -- don't most likely have esoteric testing equipment alongside your armchair. This means that you need to trust your ears. It turns out that this isn't such a tragedy.

On the theory that The Sensible Sound is in the business of providing you, the user/consumer, with sufficient information that you can make informed buying decisions, this silly equipment reviewer eschewed the Radio Shack digital SPL meter and (shudder) trusted his ears to evaluate the relative levels of pink noise being received at the optimal seating/listening position. Of course I cheated and supplemented ear evaluation with SPL measurements. The point and objective of this two-step exercise was (1) to determine if the pink noise placement methodology that Onkyo offers is good enough to enable the ordinary user/consumer to set reasonably accurate speaker levels, and (2) to see if my ears haven't lost a step.

Once you've calibrated your audio playback, next comes assigning your various audio and video source inputs and outputs. The 989 achieves this with a series of on-screen menus that allow you to select the video playback modes. Generally, playback defaults to whatever the default signal is supplied with the source material. That is, if all a DVD (or more frequently a VHS tape) offers is Dolby Pro Logic, that's what the 989 will play back. However, if both Dolby Digital and DTS are offered, then the 989 automatically selected generally the Dolby format first. If the DVD offered DTS, we had to direct the 989 to play back in that mode. However, from the remote control unit, that's a one- or two-button procedure, which can easily be stored as a macro function if you want to.

One note: the on-screen menu access depends on how your components are arrayed, especially if your television signals are received via a cable service. Our cable service precluded, without a huge amount of self-defeating rewiring, accessing the on-screen menus on the television screen. Happily, the menus are replicated on the 989's display panel, and, once we got used to them, access was as smooth and unfettered as HF described his on-screen access to the 787's menus.

Performance. Without having had the opportunity to test the 989's capabilities in a B-I-G room, my guess is that they are better suited for a B-I-G room. In our modest little corner of the planet, they were for the most part neutral and in particularly bombastic theatrical passages, well, annoying. Yes, Virginia, you can have too much sound, and our experience with the maximal deployment of speakers supported by the 989 reinforced that notion. The rear channel speakers, virtually barking into the back of our heads until we backed them off considerably, added little to the theatrical ambiance and, in fact, could detract from any given movie's enjoyment.

Does any of this mean that the movies were bad? The speakers were bad? The 989 didn't perform? With respect to the technical merits of the equipment involved, the answer is an ambivalent "no." Why the ambivalence? I believe that a monster unit like the 989 is better suited to B-I-G rooms, B-I-G applications, and B-I-G movies. While we couldn't have been more pleased with the 989's performance -- the movies that we did like were gloriously rendered -- its capabilities were wasted in our dinky, odd-sized room.

A Brief Intermission. Does all this "dot one" nomenclature have you confused? Me, too. Therefore, a brief primer is in order. First the easy one: the number to the right of the dot, always a "1", is the subwoofer. You can have more than one subwoofer, but the configuration is always "X.1", because the additional subwoofer is an option, not a configuration requirement. The number to the left of the dot is usually the number of satellite speakers a configuration requires. So, if you see "5.1", it means that the configuration is/requires two front channel (i.e., stereo) speakers, a center channel speaker, and two surround sound speakers. If you see "7.1", you get all of the above and two rear channel speakers. "6.1" requires only six speakers, but the newer receivers, including the 989, have leap-frogged from five to seven speaker outputs. Let's explain.

With the 5.1 configuration, the audio signal is divided into six slices, one for the subwoofer and five for the satellites. "5.1" is a digital (Dolby Digital or DTS) configuration, and therefore does not include Dolby Pro Logic, even though the latter also requires five speakers. The difference between Dolby Pro Logic and Dolby Digital and DTS is that Dolby Pro Logic sends an arithmetically "matrixed" signal to the surrounds, while the other two send discrete and distinctly different signals to the surrounds. In fact, the Dolby Pro Logic surround signal sums the two stereo signals and sends identical monaural signals to the surrounds.

The 6.1 configuration, so far only Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES, sends the arithmetically derived sum of the surround channels to a single rear channel in mono. If you deploy seven satellites, the rear channels both receive the same signal -- sorta like Dolby Pro Logic. With a bona fide 7.1 application, you get seven discrete signals sent to all seven satellites. Of course, so far the rear channel signal is identical to the surround channel signal, but there's room within the DVD protocol, and therefore on a DVD disc for an extra two channels of different sounds. Sounds like overkill to me, but, hey, what do I know?

And Now Back to Our Feature. The 5.1 movies, either in Dolby Digital or DTS, seemed to replicate the surround signal -- in proper "stereo" -- to the rear channel speakers. We had the 5.1 configuration in for some time before Atlantic Technologies sent along the rear channel speakers. Without re-renting the movies we'd slogged through in 5.1, the movies we watched in 7.1, despite the fact that the only one that wasn't 5.1 was really configured in 6.1, added a bit more space to the rear, naturally, of the listening area. And with action thrillers, with sound designed to complement the on-screen, special effects wizardry, the sound was truly spectacular. If you're into this stuff, and you think 5.1 is a killer app, wait 'till you hear 7.1. All that slashing steel from Gladiator and slobbering velociraptors from Jurassic Park will indeed have you looking over your shoulder.

HF devoted a significant portion of his 787 review to its ability to play back music, especially dwelling on the effect of DSP on different kinds of music. Howard is a DSP devotee, and frankly I am not. I ran through the DSP algorithms, and "Orchestra" mode indeed made the music sound like it was coming from, well, an orchestra hall -- not the same hall the symphony was recorded in, mind you, but an orchestra hall nonetheless. However, the playback of plain, old ordinary pop music -- even with DSP modes like "Unplugged" or "Studio Mix" switched in -- was less than satisfactory, at least in this little room

In all fairness, though, HF's experience with the 787 was very positive, and I suggest that the problems we had with the 989's music reproduction were a function of the speakers and the room, and that if your configuration is more like HF's and less like ours, the 989 is fully capable of offering a highly pleasing musical experience.

Conclusion. It seems as if the 989, with its 7.1 capability, is a significant upgrade from the 787. HF noted that to take advantage of rear channel speakers with the 787, it would be necessary to install an additional stereo amplifier. This is not necessary with the 989. Further, the 989 offers THX "Ultra" versus the 787's THX "Select", which HF described as "somewhat less rigorous than the more upscale, more costly-to-implement 'Ultra' certification". I accessed the THX web site (www.thx.com) to figure out exactly what the differences were. Lucas Labs, which runs the THX certifications, have the "Ultra" and "Select" standards arrayed on the same page. Basically "Ultra" is the original THX certification, modeled on their studio editing standards. "Select" is a slightly modified version, more compatible with home theater applications. Without having auditioned the 787 or any other component with the "Select" certification, I'll leave the sonic differentiation to those who have.

Although this is my first foray into the hoary world of audio/visual systems and home theater, I'm drawn to the somewhat puckish conclusion that A/V receivers are probably much like solid state audio-only amplifiers: with the exception of features and power, one can expect largely similar performance. I have a friend who orders nothing but bacon and eggs when he's on the road. His theory is that it's pretty tough for even a short order cook to screw up breakfast. I feel much the same about solid-state amplifiers. Over the past 30 years, engineers have worked out the technical kinks, so today it's pretty tough to screw up solid-state amplifier design.

The Onkyo TX-DS989 is a marvelous unit with seemingly limitless capacity to accommodate the next generation of sound, and maybe picture, upgrades via its serial port. And it will be interesting to see if its upgrade capacity is stressed, like today's personal computers, with compatibility and data storage limitations. Can you imagine opening up an audio component to install a bigger storage module (i.e., hard disk)? Puh-leeze. But watch it happen. Additionally, the 989 will accommodate almost any combination of audio and video sources the average or even above-average user can throw at it.

Indeed, despite the cautionary flags I raised in the introduction to this review, I laud Onkyo's foray into software upgrading. It signals an initial step into a much larger and very, very exciting world of audio playback via data management. And as much as hardcore audiophiles dismiss (1) the "gimmicky" world of home theater, especially DSP, and (2) the "unstable" (operating systems are unstable, not zeroes and ones -- but let's not go there) world of personal computing, it is precisely these technologies, whether or not they include multichannel, audio-only sound reproduction, that are pioneering what I believe is the next generation of audio.

Finally, the bugaboo of all Sensible reviews: price. For an additional 30 wpc into seven channels vs. five, a more "rigorous" THX certification, and the privilege of paying for software upgrades, you're going to plunk down $2,000 more for the 989 than the 787. With virtually all new technologies, version 1.0 carries a hefty price tag, and the 989 is no exception. The cutting-edge technology is exciting, the execution and performance flawless, and the movie sound glorious. But this is technology that will soon be replicated, and once competition is introduced, prices will fall. But if you have the money, your passion is home theater, and you require the ne plus ultra -- no pun intended -- in receiver support, go for it.

--KE