Onkyo TX-8522 100 Watt Stereo Receiver

I needed a replacement for my college-era music system receiver (early 1970s Harmon Kardon 930, RIP)which could properly power my JBL Century speakers. I have enjoyed my Onkyo home theater A/V receiver for many years, and researched the current Onkyo line for a reasonably priced 2 channel unit. I was very pleased to see the option of the TX-8522, which provides all I need and more. Very easy to connect and use. In addition to my turntable, CD player, cassette deck, and 2 sets of speakers, I am now enjoying the XM Radio ready feature of my new receiver which was a snap to get up and running. It is a truly a bargain for the price.

I can only say good things about this receiver...a great buy for the money. Along with a good set of speakers, it's just like having live concerts in your listening room, and this even goes for the tuner. I like to sit back and use the remote to run through my favorite radio stations. You can cherry pick the songs and have a blow-away music festival whenever you want.

I was looking for a stereo receiver that was simple to use and
could power a decent pair of floor standing speakers (pair of
JBL Stadium dual 8's). This receiver was very easy to set up,
reception is good, and the sound is great. I have yet to reach
the half way mark on the volume due to how loud it gets.
Programing stations was easy, there are plenty of jacks to
connect additional componenets, and the receiver seems to
have been built with quality in mind. If you are looking for a
simple set up to hear your cd's or to blast your favorite radio
station, this receiver fits the bill. If there was anything to wish
for, it's that the display not be so plain and a subwoofer
output would not have hurt. All in all this receiver is a great
deal.

Overall the ONKYO TX-8522 Stereo Receiver was ok. If you are looking for a unit to produce ok to good sound that is easy to set up and use, I think the TX-8522 is great. But, if you are a serious music listener or musician, I feel that you will find the sound quality of the TX-8522 falls short. The new TX-8522 has built-in features and is mp3 and satellite ready which is nice! I also liked the switched power outlets and the TX-8522's ability/flexibility to drive multiple speakers. I have an older ONKYO TX-2500mkII (I got many years of good listening from the old ONKYO TX -2500MKII; that is the reason I purchased another ONKYO). But, I was under the impression that new unit would have sound quality comparable to or better than the older unit. I think the sound quality is much better on the older unit. The warmth of the bass and depth of the tone over all is missing on the TX-8522. Also, (for most people this won't be of concern) there is no stereo/mono switch on the TX-8522 which makes playing old 78 vinyl's annoying coming out of one speaker instead of two (unless I want to dummy wire my 78 cartridge to the inputs vs. the old unit's push button selector). I used the same configuration and location setup for both units when comparing. (speakers: a pair of Infinity Entra Sub Two and a pair of Infinity Alpha; and, two turn tables: Sanyo TP1010 and the Audio-Technica ATPL 120 which I have equipped with a 78 mono cartridge for really old vinyl) and a cd player (Sony CDP-CE375).

The Onkyo TX-8522 receiver lasted less than one month. I purchased it to replace a Fisher receiver I have had for 36+ years. Thought it was time to replace it. While listening to one of my favorite jazz tunes this new Onkyo receiver sparked - followed by the smell of a burning resistor. Needless to say I put my 36+ year old Fisher receiver back in service and continued listening to my favorite jazz tunes. They just don't make them like they use to. More to follow pending the results of the repair.