Onkyo M-282 2-Channel Power Amplifier
By: Onkyo Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 15
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 On: 2008-07-04
About the only thing I didnt like about my 40-inch Sony LCD HDTV (KDL-V40XBR1) was the undistinguished sound of its built-in speakers. I solved the problem with this Onkyo power amp in combination with a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 40 2-way bookshelf speakers. The audio output of the TV is fed into the RCA-type audio input of the Onkyo amp. I set Onkyos volume control (placed on the back of the unit) about a half-way point, and control TVs volume with the Sony TV remote. The resulting sound is much better than the low-fi sound from the TVs built-in sound system -- richer and better defined. The Onkyo amp just sits on a lower-level of the TV stand; I dont have to do anything with it. My black Onkyo unit is almost invisible. When I power up the TV, in a few unnoticeable seconds the Onkyo amps IDLE mode changes to ON mode, and the sound comes out of the Polk speakers. When I turn the TV off, the amp returns to the idle mode. Its as though the Onkyo power amp were built into the TV. I dont detect any noticeable hum from it, and it does not generate excess heat, as some reviewers complained about. For my rather basic needs, this is an ideal solution. I am totally satisfied with this Onkyo power amp.
On: 2008-05-15
I have been using this amplifier for more than 3 years and it has always provided excellent results for me. The sound is clear, neutral and has plenty of power. I use it with a pair of Infinity Beta 20. It may sound a little expensive for an amplifier, but I believe it has excellent value.
On: 2008-05-03
I just used this amplifier for one day but I must say that it certainly fulfills the need. I needed a "new" amplifier that wouldnt break the bank. I am tired of buying used equipment to save a few bucks initially, only to pay for repairs soon after the purchase.
This amplifier sounds good. It certainly is no giant killer, but it does sound better than any "classic" equipment that costs a couple of hundred dollars more. The sound is balanced. I was afraid the amp might be too bright, but no it was quiet flat. There is plenty of power with 100 watts per channel. I didnt notice any hum from the power supply. I am thinking that the people who experienced hum may be getting it from their AC lines.
Hopefully, this amp will run for many years without problems. If so, I will consider this purchase a screaming deal.
 On: 2008-04-11
I use this amp to power two pairs of outdoor speaker via a impedence matching speaker selector (Monster Cable SS-4). Normally, I only use it to drive one pair of speakers at a time but at times I have driven both pairs for extended periods of times. Overall, I am very happy with the amplifier. It does the intended job without a hiccup. FYI: by extended periods of time I mean 8-12 hours.
Here are a few observations:
Hum: I read a lot of reviewers complaing of a hum. I do not hear it. This could because the amplifiers drives outdoor speakers (where there is more ambient noise) or due to "dirty" power or poor cables. I do use a votage regulator and line conditioner and all my cables are by cobalt cable. I also have a Onkyo home theatre reciever and I observe no hum through that either.
Binding post do not Accept spades: This is true of most Reciever/amplifiers. I prefer spades to pin, bar wire or banana connectors.
Runs Hot: This is a characteristic of all Onkyo amplifiers. Read both proffesional and amatuar reviews on both Onkyo and Integra. I have an Onkyo and Marantz Home theatre reciever. Between the two the Onkyo runs hotter. This amplifier is no different. Just make sure you give enough air flow. I do have the amp in a cabinet with 8" of clearence and that seems to be good enough.
On: 2008-03-05
For this price it cant be beat. I have installed two of them as additions into friends home setups over the last couple of years and both are working great. One is paired with a Yamaha receiver and operates off the 12 volt trigger. I havent had the same issue with it taking a long time to turn on after being in standby.
Only gave it 4 stars because of the lack of tone controls. But then thats what the pre-amp is for!
On: 2008-02-14
Onkyo M-282 2-Channel Power Amplifier
The reviews by others of this product helped me decide to try it out, and Im glad I did.
Ive had a Carver 0.5t "Magnetic Field" High Current 2-channel Power Amp since 1988; serious power (220 RMSw/ch into 4 ohms....140RMSw/8 ohms)..driving my MAIN LEFT and RIGHT Front HT loudspeakers. And this was power back-in-the-day, when audio manufacturers followed "the rules"; disclosing continuous power into all channels driven, into a nominal impedance, over the entire audible frequency range, and specifying the THD applicable to all this as well.
The Carver was great.....that is, until it gave up the ghost a few weeks back! I was highly upset, but I did REALIZE I got 20 years outta the thing; you cant say that about a LOT of the consumer electronics being sold nowadays! Carvers been long gone...& even when they were STILL AROUND and owned by someone besides Bob Carver, the quality went down the hill...so I figured a worthy replacement would be some high-end esoteric amp...way beyond my budget.
I started searching and found good reviews on the Onkyo M-282, and I know Onkyo makes some high-quality Home Theater Receivers...but being a separates man..a HT Receiver was out of the question. So I ordered the product, it arrived a day earlier than expected, and I must say, it performs extremely well....considering the price.
Admittedly, Ive gotten used to the "warmer" sound of the old Carver amp, but the M-282 does bring out a few details (with the same loudspeakers), and it essentially pumps out the same quality and quantity of power as the Carver...because the Onkyo follows the old FTC "Power Ratiing" disclosure that MOST amplifier/receiver manufacturers today (making HT gear) have abandoned.
Im impressed enough, that Im gonna pick up 2 more M-282s...one for the Center Channel and 1 for my Rear Channels. And they only cost approx. $200. Not bad at all! The auto-signal-sensing-turn-on/shut-off feature is really nice, and outside of the POWER LED being "orange" when the amp is ON, I have no complaints.
For those still liking the flexibility & performance of separates, Onkyo gets high marks. I highly reccommend this product.
 On: 2008-02-12
Unit looks fine, fit and finish is good, but...I installed this unit onto a small home studio, powered it up, all was well. I was initially pleased with this purchse. Now the BUT. I didnt power it back on for over six months, and you guessed it, when I went to power it up, I was met with the blinking red pilot light of death. The owners manual says to "contact service center..."
The nearest service center is over 200 miles away, in New York. The shipping charges (round trip) alone will be 30% of what I paid for it (195+ at an online super-store) then the repairs will be a significant part of the original purchase price.
So, I am left with likely a $200 paperweight. I should have spent the extra $100, and bought a Crown D150 studio amp on ebay. Being an electronics technician, I will have no fear in diving into this thing, and trying to figure it out. Then theres the never availabe tech documentation...sigh.
My first, and last Onkyo purchase.
 On: 2008-02-07
Hello, For the price a great value. My Onkyo 501 sound exactly the same only at 3x the power. The hummmmmmmm when the main is off should not be taken lightly. Turn the units off manually or use an external switcher. The hummmmm when the unit is something shared by all Onkyo amps in my experience. The Rca inputs are well served with high power inputs if you can bear to cut rca cords.
 On: 2007-12-03
I mean sound is good but there is no volume control on the front, and when it closes itself down to save power, it is forever unless you turn it off and on again.
Id say its OK if you are looking for a simple amplifier for home use.
On: 2007-12-02
I mean sound is good but there is no volume control on the front, and when it closes itself down to save power, it is forever unless you turn it off and on again.
Id say its OK if you are looking for a simple amplifier for home use.
On: 2007-10-30
I purchased this amplifier about 1 year ago to bi-amp my Polk Monitor 60s along with my Onkyo TX-SR504 which produces 75 watts RMS per channel which I believe to be about 100 watts RMS per channel. This amplifier is QUITE a bit louder then my Onkyo receiver in terms of power and sounding clear. When Im not watching movies and Im playing my receiver for music I truly play it very very loud and the Onkyo M-282 seemed to be a good bit louder then my receiver. It will get hot but not more then a receiver after using it for a while and I find the Onkyo to be a superb buy. The price is right and the specs are real and are not over-rated like quite a bit of manufacturers these days. The specs with Onkyo are either exact or a little bit underrated in my opinion and for the price, this amplifier is such a great deal. I have been a fan of Onkyo for quite some time now and this M-282 only redefined my love for the brand!
On: 2007-10-29
I purchased this amplifier about 1 year ago to bi-amp my Polk Monitor 60s along with my Onkyo TX-SR504 which produces 75 watts RMS per channel which I believe to be about 100 watts RMS per channel. This amplifier is QUITE a bit louder then my Onkyo receiver in terms of power and sounding clear. When Im not watching movies and Im playing my receiver for music I truly play it very very loud and the Onkyo M-282 seemed to be a good bit louder then my receiver. It will get hot but not more then a receiver after using it for a while and I find the Onkyo to be a superb buy. The price is right and the specs are real and are not over-rated like quite a bit of manufacturers these days. The specs with Onkyo are either exact or a little bit underrated in my opinion and for the price, this amplifier is such a great deal. I have been a fan of Onkyo for quite some time now and this M-282 only redefined my love for the brand!
On: 2007-09-19
I bought this 2-channel amplifier to drive a pair of in-ceiling speakers in another room. For my application, this amp is perfection. Im certainly glad I didnt buy the similarly-priced but much-less-powered unit from Audio Research.
The output power is phenomenal - noticeably stronger than the 150w per channel output spec from my Sony ES reciever. Either Yamaha is being conservative or Sony is misleading. The sound quality is very clear, low noise, and free of distortion even at loud passages. Frankly Im stunned at the performance for this low a price point.
This unit is beautifully finished, and looks at home with the rest of my components. Its actually smaller than I expected as well. The front of the unit has a hard power switch, and a standby/on indicator that is red on standby (soft power off) and orange when on.
The rear of the unit has a 2-channel RCA input, a 2-channel RCA output (passthrough), one set of speaker connectors (accepts banana-type and wire), a 12v trigger input, and the power cord input. There is an input level adjustment (essentially a volume control) but in my application, I found it best to set this at maximum volume and let my in-wall volume control adjust the level. There is also a switch to control auto-power settings: disabled (power is controlled by the front switch), audio (front switch remains on, unit changes from standby to on when audio signal is detected), and 12v (external 12v trigger). There is quite a long delay from power-on to on, and in my setup, I chose the OFF mode - where I turn the unit on from the front when I want to use it. The supplied power cord is quite hefty and probably overkill.
Note that unlike several other reviews here, my unit did not get very hot - certainly far from the heat generated by my Sony ES receiver. Nor did I experience a 60Hz hum when the unit entered standby.
Finally, although some reviews say this unit has been discontinued, it still appears on the official Onkyo web site, and availability seems good. So I would say its not discontinued.
In summary, this is the "perfect" 2-channel audio amp - highly recommended without reservation. And an unbelievable value for near-audiophile performance.
On: 2007-09-18
I bought this 2-channel amplifier to drive a pair of in-ceiling speakers in another room. For my application, this amp is perfection. Im certainly glad I didnt buy the similarly-priced but much-less-powered unit from Audio Research.
The output power is phenomenal - noticeably stronger than the 150w per channel output spec from my Sony ES reciever. Either Yamaha is being conservative or Sony is misleading. The sound quality is very clear, low noise, and free of distortion even at loud passages. Frankly Im stunned at the performance for this low a price point.
This unit is beautifully finished, and looks at home with the rest of my components. Its actually smaller than I expected as well. The front of the unit has a hard power switch, and a standby/on indicator that is red on standby (soft power off) and orange when on.
The rear of the unit has a 2-channel RCA input, a 2-channel RCA output (passthrough), one set of speaker connectors (accepts banana-type and wire), a 12v trigger input, and the power cord input. There is an input level adjustment (essentially a volume control) but in my application, I found it best to set this at maximum volume and let my in-wall volume control adjust the level. There is also a switch to control auto-power settings: disabled (power is controlled by the front switch), audio (front switch remains on, unit changes from standby to on when audio signal is detected), and 12v (external 12v trigger). There is quite a long delay from power-on to on, and in my setup, I chose the OFF mode - where I turn the unit on from the front when I want to use it. The supplied power cord is quite hefty and probably overkill.
Note that unlike several other reviews here, my unit did not get very hot - certainly far from the heat generated by my Sony ES receiver. Nor did I experience a 60Hz hum when the unit entered standby.
Finally, although some reviews say this unit has been discontinued, it still appears on the official Onkyo web site, and availability seems good. So I would say its not discontinued.
In summary, this is the "perfect" 2-channel audio amp - highly recommended without reservation. And an unbelievable value for near-audiophile performance.
On: 2006-08-04
I have been using this AMP for the better part of three years. It has never failed, overheated, or given an unsatisfactory performance. It looks sexy and performes like a pro. You will not be dissapointed; Im not.
On: 2006-08-03
I have been using this AMP for the better part of three years. It has never failed, overheated, or given an unsatisfactory performance. It looks sexy and performes like a pro. You will not be dissapointed; Im not.
On: 2006-02-01
Onkyo is a relatively large japanese audio maker.
Onkyo is popular but middle class maker.
Accuphase and Luxman are the best japanese audio makers.
On: 2006-01-20
I was looking for a "cheap" amp to drive my 2nd zone "background" music speakers. My price point was around $200 and this unit has a good look to it, so it would fit in next to my more "up scale" B&K separates.
The Good:
It came double boxed and packed well, (always a good sign).
It has a hi-end look to it, (good fit and finish).
The sound is clear and clean, no hum, or hiss (from the speakers, see the bad)
It makes you understand why you spent 10 times as much for your main amp.
The Bad:
The thing is a space heater even when in "stand by" mode the heat is coming from the inexpensive power transformer.
The two tone LED is red when in "stand by" and a cheap orange when "on" I guess green or blue would be better for "on" for me.
I found that when I turned everything "off" to go to bed the transformer has a 60Hz hum to it that can be heard if you are standing a few feet away.
Conclusion:
It seems like a good amp, and if I compare it to the price I paid for my B&K amp it is a good value. Time will tell if the "budget" components will hold up over time. Because of the heat and hum from the transformer I would suggest not using this unit as part of your main music or surround system. I was going to give it 4 stars for looks and features but the heat and hum drag it down to an average 3.
On: 2006-01-19
I was looking for a "cheap" amp to drive my 2nd zone "background" music speakers. My price point was around $200 and this unit has a good look to it, so it would fit in next to my more "up scale" B&K separates.
The Good:
It came double boxed and packed well, (always a good sign).
It has a hi-end look to it, (good fit and finish).
The sound is clear and clean, no hum, or hiss (from the speakers, see the bad)
It makes you understand why you spent 10 times as much for your main amp.
The Bad:
The thing is a space heater even when in "stand by" mode the heat is coming from the inexpensive power transformer.
The two tone LED is red when in "stand by" and a cheap orange when "on" I guess green or blue would be better for "on" for me.
I found that when I turned everything "off" to go to bed the transformer has a 60Hz hum to it that can be heard if you are standing a few feet away.
Conclusion:
It seems like a good amp, and if I compare it to the price I paid for my B&K amp it is a good value. Time will tell if the "budget" components will hold up over time. Because of the heat and hum from the transformer I would suggest not using this unit as part of your main music or surround system. I was going to give it 4 stars for looks and features but the heat and hum drag it down to an average 3.
On: 2003-04-05
I bought this amp to drive a passive homemade sub and it has done nothing but please me. Im running it at 4ohms to each channel, and it pumps out serious power. Despite the lower resistance, its heat dissipation is lower than my receiver. I do not believe Onkyos numbers for this amp, they have to be higher. When I hooked it up to my main front speakers, it revealed an exellent range of frequencies at any volume. This piece is a great example of Onkyo quality for a low price, Im still curious as to why they discontinued it.
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