ONKYO 5.1-Channel Home Theater System HTS-670

Rating:
Summary: THE best budget system for the not-quite-ready-for-HDTV
Review: I'm not quite ready for HDTV. Plasma screens still a bit too pricey for my tastes and HD rear projection telvisions just too large and space-dominant. I've got a decently-large tube, but the rear inputs only go "up to" s-video. After getting a [...]DVD changer from Amazon.com for Christmas and a bit of extra spending money, I decided it was time to get a home theater package... but the problem was that, while I wanted quality sound and all the hookups, I didn't want to bust the bank. After reading a bunch of reviews on home theater packages, I came to the conclusion that Onkyo generally had the best budget-conscious HT packages without including a DVD player. I'd thought about getting the HTS-770 but I didn't have the component inputs in the television to make it worth the extra money. Plus, after buying all the extra cables I'd need (coaxial digital audio cable, fiber optic digital cable, brand new S-video connetor for my XBox, s-video cables for the dvd changer and television) I'd knew I'd be spending even more money. The 670 was definitely THE system for me... and I love it.

PROs:

1. Great sound and a number of surround options to suit the medium.
2. No included DVD player means they focused on the sound and not on selling an all-inclusive package.
3. Fine-tuning adjustments really help set the right balance in any room.
4. DTS and Dolby digital both sound amazing (what was I doing watching movies without this?!?)
5. Music is just as clear and rich as movies, provided you use the music surround setting.
6. Great price for value.
7. All the right hookups for someone with no HDTV.
8. The remote control controls most of my components.
9. No included DVD player (I've already got enough, thanks)
10. The subwoofer pumps out a thunderous rumble without distortion

CONs:

1. The included speaker wires are really thin and a bit too ugly to get strung along the wall (I ended up buying some white high-gauge wire from Amazon.com to run to the rear surround sound speakers.
2. Only one component input meant I had to downgrade my XBox video cable from component to s-video.
3. It can get a bit warm, but never overheated, even in a "closed" cabinet. Make sure to ventilate the back of any closed cabinet space.
4. There's nothing to fix the included FM antenna wire to the back of the receiver. I kept having to put it back in whenever I moved the receiver to adjust something else in the back.