July 2001 Reviewed by John Potis	Onkyo TX-DS989 Audio/Video Receiver

Description Price: $3200 USD Dimensions: 17.125"W x 7.7"H x 17.75"D Weight: 48.5 pounds Warranty: Two years parts and labor Features THX Ultra certified THX Surround EX 7.1 decoding Dolby Digital and DTS decoding

Features (continued) Open Architecture for updates and upgrades Linear PCM 192kHz/24-bit DACs for all channels RS-232C port for control, communication and upgrades Optimum Gain Volume Circuitry Digital Upsampling mode Nine digital inputs (eight assignable) Two digital outputs (one coaxial and one optical) Dual subwoofer outputs Multi-room/Multi-source capability Component video switching 7.1 channel inputs/outputs IEEE 1394 upgradable

My very first audio purchase once I was out of college was of a system I picked up off the shelf at a local discount-electronics hut. It was a big mistake, and my fascination with it wore off very quickly. Shortly after that came my first researched audio purchase: a bunch of boxes labeled "Onkyo." I’m talking about the very early '80s here, and at the time Onkyo was not a very widely known name. I was only able to find Onkyo products at one specialty store in my area. Since that time, Onkyo has made it into Circuit Cities all over, and the name is much more well known. Wondering if Onkyo’s engineering department had managed to keep pace with their sales department, I was anxious to review the TX-DS989 receiver.

My first impression, as I strained to lift the almost 50-pound receiver from its packaging, was that this was one sturdy unit -- good-looking too. My second impression came while splicing it into my home-theater system: I was impressed with how easy the task was. Labeling on the back of the unit was easy to read and straightforward. The remote, as well, was handy and intuitive.

Within minutes, and never having cracked open the manual, I was up and running. I was ever so grateful when I got to the setup menus to find that the level-setting procedure put me in complete control of which speaker the setup noise was sent to and for how long it was to stay there. Thank you, Onkyo. I’m more than sick of trying to adjust channels at the receiver’s pace, trying to dial in just the right amount of signal before the receiver decides that I should have it by now and moves onto the next speaker. Also, unlike with some other units, I also had the capability to adjust the level of both the right and left speakers independently. Some processors and receivers assume that you have perfect right and left balance and demand that you set everything else relative to them. You know what they say about assumptions.

Something else that the Onkyo TX-DS989 gets high marks for is the adjustment procedure for setting the delay for the center and rear channels. I didn’t have to dig up the manual, look at a graph and try to calculate the delay times for each of my speakers. Instead, I was able to measure the distance from my seat to the speaker in question and dial that distance (again very easily) into the receiver via the remote control. From there, the receiver took over and performed the calculations for me. It was the next best thing to the Parasound AVC-2500u surround processor that I reviewed in January, which uses a calibrated microphone and makes all the adjustments. The Onkyo TX-DS989’s procedure probably took less time! One quirk I found was that once I adjusted a parameter of performance, I had a hard time getting back to the starting place on the on-screen menu. I had to turn the menu off and then on again. Eventually, I discovered the logically placed button on the remote that solved this problem. The moral? Read the manual, no matter how simple things seem.

One thing about the Onkyo TX-DS989 that I suspected might become a problem never did. Some people see a cooling fan on a receiver and cross the receiver off their list, figuring that the fan would be a noise problem. Not here. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t even tell you what it took to get the fan going because never once did I hear it! And I pushed the amps hard. I also left the receiver turned on for days at a time, with a DVD player perched on top of it, no less. As the receiver sits about six feet from my seat, I can pretty much testify that fan noise is a non-issue.

Getting down to it (finally!)

I used the Onkyo TX-DS989 with three different speaker systems in my home-theater room. Each system was helpful in identifying at least one sonic attribute.

The AAD Q-series system, specifically the AAD Q40s, proved that the TX-DS989 can do bass. These large floorstanding speakers utilize dual 10" bass drivers and posed no opposition to the Onkyo receiver’s 130Wpc of muscle. Gladiator is a great demo disc with lots of good bass. Fortunately, it’s not all of the boom-boom variety (though there’s no shortage of that too). I was particularly impressed by the double basses in the musical score; not only was their rumble deep and solid, but it was stirringly musical and melodic. The Onkyo TX-DS989 reproduced the bass drums from the same movie with awe-inspiring ease. I also recall the sound of the attack on those drum skins. You could sense the reflexive nature of the skin as it repelled the drumstick back into the air, and that’s an impressive feat. It means that the transient of the strike is cleanly reproduced and quickly decays only to be followed by the resonation of the drum, once again immaculately reproduced with no overhang at all.

The DTS soundtrack from the Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over DVD is a much-improved version of the PCM track. Bass, in particular, is much better represented. The drum kit, though somewhat unevenly miked, is recorded very well. It is uneven because as the drummer moves down the drums, specifically as he moves from tom-tom to floor-tom number one and onto floor-tom number two, the sound not only gets deeper but much more powerful. It was impressive as reproduced by the Onkyo/AAD system. Bass power, control and tone -- it was all there.

The Tannoy Saturn system demonstrated just how rich and warm the Onkyo TX-DS989 sounds. The Onkyo TX-DS989 followed my own Yamaha DSP-A1 into the system with the Tannoys, and the difference was not subtle. The TX-DS989 was warm, bass-rich and very refined. I credit the Onkyo receiver for doing its part in earning the Tannoy Saturn system a Reviewers' Choice designation. They were a synergistic team. With this combination, midrange detail was remarkably good and the treble refined. Particularly on music, the Onkyo/Tannoy system was very open, airy and detailed. Some may fear that the warmer a system’s sound, the less transparent and less detailed it may be. This combo proved that this is not the case. The Negotiator is one of my favorite demo discs not only because I enjoy the movie, but also because it contains so many very different acoustic settings. Throughout the movie, dialogue was always open and airy, and the differing environments were as keenly portrayed as one would expect from such a transparent system. Die Hard With a Vengeance ends with a sonic spectacular that pairs exploding bass with the shrill metal-on-metal screech of helicopter blades against overhead power lines. The scene was every bit as successful as I’ve ever heard it, but the warm and smooth balance of the Onkyo receiver made all that squealing a little easier on the ears -- and this without even using the THX re-EQ feature.

Later when the Tannoys were removed and a Paradigm system based on the floorstanding Monitor 9s was inserted, the sound was open and spacious. As the Paradigms are smaller speakers than those previously used, I returned to the setup menus and set all speakers to "small" (even though the Monitor 9s could have been set to "large"). I then adjusted all levels, including the subwoofer, using the Onkyo’s test-tone generator and an SPL meter. Upon returning to some music, I found the system integration to be very good. The Onkyo meshed the subwoofer with all the other speakers for a seamless sound. In particular, the chanting and choral-like male vocals on "Homeless" from Paul Simon’s Graceland: The African Concert DVD sounded rich and warm with no undue bass emphasis, chestiness or other discontinuities.

Comparison

Comparing the Onkyo TX-DS989 to some of the better units I’ve tested lately proved somewhat interesting. For music decoding, the Onkyo receiver would have to face off against the Parasound AVC-2500u, a preamp-processor that sells for about the same price as the Onkyo but requires five channels of outboard amplification. I have to admit that the Onkyo receiver wasn’t quite the equal of the Parasound on music reproduction, due to the Parasound unit's enjoyable music modes and exemplary Pro Logic decoding, but I certainly wasn’t disappointed either. This is good news in light of the price difference, and I have to think that the ease of use and setup of the Onkyo TX-DS989 will go a long way toward getting the most out of it, and this must be kept in mind when comparing it to receivers or processors/amps in its price class.

The best movie reproduction I’ve experienced lately was from the Yamaha RX-V1. With its Enhanced versions of both DTS and Dolby Digital, I thought it was a great unit for the cinema as it expanded the soundfield appreciably. The Onkyo TX-DS989 didn’t have all these features, but it countered with a warm, powerful portrayal of movie soundtracks sans extra processing. And for those who are interested in what the director wanted you to hear and only what he wanted you to hear, the Yamaha’s Enhanced modes are a moot point anyway.

One last thing that I haven’t discussed is that the Onkyo TX-DS989 is a THX-certified receiver and thus it includes the THX Decorrelation circuit, which is a real boon for those with a large collection of VHS and laserdiscs encoded with good old-fashioned Dolby Pro Logic. The effect of the circuit is to largely prevent the localization of the rear-surround speakers for those seated off-axis. To my mind, it’s worth the price of admission for a THX-certified product, and for many people, it just may be the element that tips the scales in favor of this receiver.

So, in the end, we have a very smooth and powerful-sounding receiver that bridges the gap between the best music performer I’ve tested and the best cinema performer. In the end, the TX-DS989 didn’t drop the ball in any way. It must be considered a very solid performer because I’ve not encountered another receiver/processor that beat it on both counts.

Conclusion

While I usually dig into a review piece to try to decipher what it is that sets it apart from the pack, this was particularly difficult with the Onkyo TX-DS989 because it was an excellent all-around performer. I would have to say that the TX-DS989’s overall refined yet powerful sound is the main characteristic. That is not to say that the TX-DS989 was what I would call exceedingly neutral. On the contrary, it was decidedly warm-sounding. But given the bright nature of a lot of home-theater speakers out there, not to mention the preponderance of movie soundtracks, the warm-sounding Onkyo TX-DS989 should appeal to many buyers looking to tame a harsh home-cinema experience.

The Onkyo TX-DS989 is for someone looking for a well-balanced performer with plenty of power, slightly on the warm side sonically, and with an intuitive setup procedure. This is a good combination, I’d say. 

Manufacturer contact information

Onkyo U.S.A. Corporation
18 Park Way
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Phone: (201) 785-2600
Fax: (201) 785-2650

E-mail: onkyo@onkyousa.com
Website: www.onkyousa.com 

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