Have your say & ask the experts

Not sure if any owners within these forums have had any issues with these models. But in another well known UK AV forum, there are 2 very large threads on both models. A senior guy from Onkyo UK has been posting in those threads and has issued the following statement. It might be a good idea for What Hi-Fi to contact Onkyo and maybe put something in the next magazine.

[quote]Hi all,

Here we go, this is what I have decided to do as regards the firmware issue's with the 905 and 875 to give improved functionality and to give the ability to adjust the black levels to the desired levels along with other improvements and corrections to make to Reon VX the ultimate in video processing.........

FIRST the BAD news .....
The firmware update unfortunately cannot be done by yourselves due to the fact that a capacitor has to be removed to enable the main DSP chipset to be updated, Along with the Video main processor, because if its not removed it go bye bye

So because of this I have (along with my bosses) decided to do a .............

THE GOOD NEWS..........
Swap over system, this will hopefully make this as painless as possible .
And heres how we are going to do it .

Firstly I have ordered a number of 875/905's for this , they will then be fully checked and tested .
2) I will be creating an excel form and posting it on both this thread & the 875 thread where you will have to download it and send it back to me along with a scan of the original bill of purchase ( I will be completely straight with everyone here, we will NOT support any units that have not been purchased within the UK and has the UK warranty).

When I receive the completed form this will then be sent to our service agent who will allocate a replacement to you and contact you to arrange a direct pickup & deliver ( at the same time ) only to unit will be changed all of the accessories you will need to keep hold of them all, we need just the AVR the packing and the cardboard box(helps for transport).

If you do not have the original packing then that will be no problem because on the form you would have told us if you have the packing or not ,and the packing will be automatically be sent out ready for the swap over .

I as always, am being honest in what I am trying to do.So I will tell you all now we will be rotating the units so some of you will not be getting a brand new unit but one that is in perfect condition with all of the relevent modifications made to it ( so with this in mind on the form ,there will be an area where you can tell me if there is any cosmetic damage to it . Please be honest and tell me so we can get the parts ordered and on the way before we need them ) this will keep everything as fast paced as possible . Also all of the units will be re-serial numbered so you can go back online and register your replacement unit for the 3yr from the date you do it , so in fact some of you will be receiving more than a 3yr warranty.

I am of the opinion that we are going more than the extra mile on this , and for all of the people that have been cool and calm about this and waited, I personally I thankyou.[/quote]

Switched my 875 on the other day and the display on the front of the machine has disappeared!!

Waiting to get a replacement, hopefully the new one will have the mods mentioned above.

Has any one else experienced a similar fault with the display going ?

No not had that problem with my 875! but am trying to decide whether to send mine back to get firmware update! to cure video judder + poor black levels. thing is although its great service by onkyo i dont know if i want another unless its new! i guess there no pleasing some folk. But a big thumbs up to onkyo anyhow

TBH you may have a legal right to a new unit depending on how long you have had it.

The Sale of Goods Act (1979) states that goods must be of satisfactory quality and fit for the purpose for which they were intended.

Clearly if Onkyo supplied you with a faulty unit, then the unit didn't comply with the terms and conditions of the Sale of Goods Act and you may have an absolute right to a refund although this right is against the shop and not Onkyo. The only caveat here is the length of time you've had the unit. If you've had it too long then it may be the right is instead one of damages and / or repair.

 http://www.dti.gov.uk/consumers/fact-sheets/page38311.html

Got my 875 replacement, and its got the mod.

Do anyone know what the latest firmware number is ?

I have had my 875 since Dec 07, I'm a bit worried that I might have a faulty unit as it takes ages to switch between source and make my speakers pop when switching, what do I need to be looking for ??.

And  finally how do I get an exhange if there is a promblem ??

I'm intrigued. I've not noticed a problem with my 875............. but if there is a recognisable fault with the unit, I would like to have it sorted out.

Is there any way to determine if my unit is affected by this and in fact needs updating? Perhaps a list of affected batch numbers? production dates? or maybe just firmware version numbers? Basically anything I can check when I get back home tonight.

Bit of a relic here, but sadly I have to report that after 8 months of use, I'm one of the unlucky ones whose display has packed up.

:-(


Came home on Saturday to be greeted with a blank display. Did the rudimentary checks, but to no avail.

Gonna give Onkyo-Now.com a ring after 9 and see what they say.

Bugger......


UPDATE: Contacted the NOW group, they put me on to Genserve. Genserve are gonna pick it up this afternoon and deal with the problem. They're also gonna stick the latest firmware on it too.

So in all, it may have been a blessing in disguise. I would have been gutted to have sent the amp off for a firmware upgrade before now, but not sure if I'd have ever bothered with sending it off if something hadn't actually gone wrong.

:-)

Should get in back in 7 days. So glad I decided to keep the box!!

Is it legal for Onkyo to refuse to honour the guarantee against goods purchased outside of the UK?

(Not that I have one I might add).

I was under the impression that now by law goods purchased anywhere within the European Union have to have the warranty honoured by the manufacturer irresepective of the country of origin within the EU. ie. Warranties have to be pan European.

Wasn't this brought up in respect of imported cars and their warranties some years ago and ruled as such?

Can someone from What Hi-Fi contact Onkyo and confirm this, Thanks

Yes, sir, will get roight on to it (touches forelock).

But confirm what, exactly? 

doesn't this just relate to the very early units that were running firmware 1.2 or something - i thought any machine later than that was fine?

I took mine back to my dealer (sevenoaks bromley) who swapped it for a new one with latest firmware. The screen had gone on mine also. Very happy with it now though.

Onkyo's attention has been drawn to this thread. Hopefully the company will respond to - ummm - whatever it is it's supposed to be responding to.

I also read somewhere that the latest firmware update allows you to change (hidden) settings on the video processor. Black levels, contrast etc. I'm not sure if this is a US update or UK though. If it is UK then it's well hidden as I've tried to find new options and failed. I'm on firmware version 1.07.