A35 vs Onkyo 805

[Jaws17]

I have both and may want to sell one (I have too many players still).

Which is the better machine, I believe the Onkyo but I know some prefer the A35.

Thanks

[bettzysdaddy]

Edit: I completely forgot he's comparing the A35 and not the XA2. I withdraw my previous statement.

[Splicer]

I had both the 805 and A35 and I sold the 805 because I felt then (and still do) that the A35 is the superior unit at the end of the day...

[Cochise]

Interesting you two prefer the A35.

I bought an A35 in October 2007, as an upgrade to my XA1 I bought within weeks of the format launch. I liked the bitstreaming of high-def audio, but I thought the drive was much more finnicky - I had more disc glitches in the few months I had the A35 than in the year and a half I had the XA1. Then, right after Toshiba threw in the towel I was able to pick up and XA2 for a great price. I thought the XA2 was leaps and bounds better than the A35, which almost immediately was retired as a backup player. On my old 1080i rear projection CRT TV, the Reon processor and Picture button adjustments made for a noticeably sharper HD DVD PQ, and DVD upconversion. I eventually sold the A35 when prices rebounded and I was able to get almost what I paid for it.

Then I got an Onkyo 805 when they blew them out as refurbs for around $120. Yeah, the lack of a backlit remote and the Picture button to fine tune the Reon output was a glaring omission, but I liked the 805 more than the XA2. I actually preferred the slimmer design and disc load time seemed faster , especially for DVD. But the big improvement was my old TV only had a DVI connection, and every so often the XA2 would fail to synch up, resulting in a blank screen and I'd have to power down & back up. The 805 never had that issue.

So, I'd rank them Onkyo 805 > XA2 > A35.

But, these days my LG BH200 does me just fine for my remaining HD DVDs, with the added bonus of multi-region blu-ray, region free DVD, and handling PAL content. I have 2 of them.

[The Limey]

IMHO the DV-HD805 is the better machine of the two by far. Better upconversion due to the Reon chip and is a very stable platform for playing from around the world on. My EP35 (A35) could not play discs on such as Stalingrad full stop, and was hopeless with combo discs (i.e. kept freezing up).I get around the remote issue by using the XE1 (XA2) remote for the Reon settings on the DV-HD805.

Getting rid of my EP35 was definitely a good decision.

[chris gerhard]

I had both and sold both as I prefer the HD-XA2 which I have no plans to sell. The DV-HD805 performs identically to the HD-XA2 but I like the heavier case and better remote with the HD-XA2. Between the DV-HD805 and HD-A35, I say keep the DV-HD805 unless you are interested in selling the player that will bring the higher price, then sell the DV-HD805. Both are great players in my opinion but I have a clear preference for the DV-HD805 due to better DVD performance and perceived better build quality.

Chris

[Jaws17]

Thanks everyone, I may be posting a player and some movies next week, I need some camera equipment!