Rating: 
Summary: Don't even THINK of another system.
Review: As others have said, this system is a great value. The receiver is excellent and the speakers aren't bad.In this price range, most other companies give you a lower quality receiver with less flexibility. The Onkyo receiver has low distortion, plenty of power, and a large number of inputs (including component video) for greater flexibility when integrating with your other AV components. The receiver is good enough to keep even if you later decide to upgrade the speakers. The speakers are good considering the price, but don't compare them with audiophile grade speakers. The speakers are much larger than those in most other home theater systems in this price range. Due to the physics inherent in sound reproduction, it's easier to make a good speaker in a reasonably large package than it is in a tiny package. These speakers aren't trading off sound quality and level just to make them small. The center and two front speakers have bass ports in the rear, so they sound best when not placed against a wall. Also, the tweeters of the front speakers should be placed at ear level, which might require the use of speaker stands (generally true for any speaker system). When I raised or lowered my head signifiantly above or below the tweeters, I could easily notice a decrease in clarity. It's also good to have the speakers pointing at the listener, but this is less critical due to the vertical arrangement of the tweeter in between the two mid-ranges. The three surround speakers has a forward facing bass port, so it's fine to set them against the wall. I just hang them on the wall using the mounting hole on the back of each speaker. As another reviewer has mentioned, the speaker cables that come with the system are 24 gauge, which is rather thin. It's worth upgrading to better wires. No need to spend a lot on the cables though. 16 gauge copper wires from the local home center should do fine. I set up two speakers next to each other, one with the 24 gauge wires and the other with 12 gauge copper wire, and listened to the pink noise outputted by the receiver. The difference between them was easy to discern, with the thicker wire giving a stronger high end. The subwoofer is fine for watching movies but can be somewhat boomy for listening to music. When reproducing explosions in movies, boominess isn't a bad thing, but when reproducing organ tones, the subwoofer has a tendency to boom on the low tones. I managed to reduce the boominess by filling the subwoofer with one pound of polyester fiberfill (available at the craft store). I opened up the subwoofer by removing the screws holding the bottom board and then removing the screws holding the speaker driver. Then I lifted out the driver and placed it to the side of the hole (being careful not to pull on the wires). Then I evenly stuffed the subwoofer with the fiberfill, being sure to keep the fiberfill away from the end of the port and from the heat sink on the amplifier. This helped to reduce the boominess without reducing the overall sound pressure level. The subwoofer still isn't able to reproduce the lowest organ tones (~20 Hz) but that's to be expected of any subwoofer not costing many times more. I found that the bass sounded stronger and more even when I set the subwoofer crossover to 100 Hz instead of the default 80 Hz. I think the main speakers have trouble reproducing sounds much below 100 Hz, so it's better to send those to the subwoofer. Overall, this is a great system, and even if you just set up the system out of the box (read the manual), it'll still be better than most others in this price range. But the system can be made even better with just a few tweaks.
Rating: 
Summary: Good system, but can be even better with a few tweaks
Review: As others have said, this system is a great value. The receiver is excellent and the speakers aren't bad. In this price range, most other companies give you a lower quality receiver with less flexibility. The Onkyo receiver has low distortion, plenty of power, and a large number of inputs (including component video) for greater flexibility when integrating with your other AV components. The receiver is good enough to keep even if you later decide to upgrade the speakers. The speakers are good considering the price, but don't compare them with audiophile grade speakers. The speakers are much larger than those in most other home theater systems in this price range. Due to the physics inherent in sound reproduction, it's easier to make a good speaker in a reasonably large package than it is in a tiny package. These speakers aren't trading off sound quality and level just to make them small. The center and two front speakers have bass ports in the rear, so they sound best when not placed against a wall. Also, the tweeters of the front speakers should be placed at ear level, which might require the use of speaker stands (generally true for any speaker system). When I raised or lowered my head signifiantly above or below the tweeters, I could easily notice a decrease in clarity. It's also good to have the speakers pointing at the listener, but this is less critical due to the vertical arrangement of the tweeter in between the two mid-ranges. The three surround speakers has a forward facing bass port, so it's fine to set them against the wall. I just hang them on the wall using the mounting hole on the back of each speaker. As another reviewer has mentioned, the speaker cables that come with the system are 24 gauge, which is rather thin. It's worth upgrading to better wires. No need to spend a lot on the cables though. 16 gauge copper wires from the local home center should do fine. I set up two speakers next to each other, one with the 24 gauge wires and the other with 12 gauge copper wire, and listened to the pink noise outputted by the receiver. The difference between them was easy to discern, with the thicker wire giving a stronger high end. The subwoofer is fine for watching movies but can be somewhat boomy for listening to music. When reproducing explosions in movies, boominess isn't a bad thing, but when reproducing organ tones, the subwoofer has a tendency to boom on the low tones. I managed to reduce the boominess by filling the subwoofer with one pound of polyester fiberfill (available at the craft store). I opened up the subwoofer by removing the screws holding the bottom board and then removing the screws holding the speaker driver. Then I lifted out the driver and placed it to the side of the hole (being careful not to pull on the wires). Then I evenly stuffed the subwoofer with the fiberfill, being sure to keep the fiberfill away from the end of the port and from the heat sink on the amplifier. This helped to reduce the boominess without reducing the overall sound pressure level. The subwoofer still isn't able to reproduce the lowest organ tones (~20 Hz) but that's to be expected of any subwoofer not costing many times more. I found that the bass sounded stronger and more even when I set the subwoofer crossover to 100 Hz instead of the default 80 Hz. I think the main speakers have trouble reproducing sounds much below 100 Hz, so it's better to send those to the subwoofer. Overall, this is a great system, and even if you just set up the system out of the box (read the manual), it'll still be better than most others in this price range. But the system can be made even better with just a few tweaks.
Rating:
Summary: Don't even THINK of another system.
Review: Bought this system's equivalent from Onkyo about a year ago. Unless you are a true audiophile with hearing surpassing a cat's--and don't kid yourself that you are---then you will NOT tell the difference between this and a Bose system at three times the price. Or any other system, for that matter [yes, I know that Bose is not well regarded by cognoscenti despite their well crafted rep]. As long as Onkyo is willing to put this out for the price, then BUY it. Had my system professionally installed by a Circuit City contractor. Did an AMAZING job, know their stuff. Their home theater system? From Onkyo. Maybe a bit higher on the specs scale, but still.
Rating:
Summary: Great value for entry level home theater
Review: I bought this system because I didn't want to spend a lot of money, but I wanted better sound than I was getting from my big-screen. I wasn't disappointed. The system arrived in a gigantic (5 feet tall) box, which holds the receiver, a center speaker, a left speaker, a right speaker, two rear speakers, a base unit, a remote control, and a bunch of wires. The receiver is the hub of the system and allows you to switch between AM/FM, several audio units, and four different video inputs (one of the four video inputs is on the front, so there are really only three full-time video inputs to choose from). One of the three full-time video inputs will support a VCR (or a DVD recorder), so that you can use the receiver to control what your VCR sees. Your VCR sees whatever you are watching. The receiver supports composite video, S-video (which is what I use), composite audio, and one coaxial and one optical digital audio connection (which you want to use to connect the audio on your DVD player to the receiver in order to get surround sound). If you connect your DVD player using a digital connection (coaxial digital works fine), and play a DVD encoded with surround, you'll hear real surround sound. Otherwise, the receiver has several options to emulate surround sound using a conventional stereo signal. The center and front speakers are very large. This is unique because most inexpensive systems (i.e. Bose) come with very small speakers. I don't know if bigger is necessarily better, but when I was growing up, good stereo systems had humongous speakers. I consider myself to be fairly critical when it comes to sound quality, and I like the way these sound. The receiver does get quite warm when its turned on, so make sure you install it somewhere that has adequate ventilation. Finally, a word about remote controls. Between the DVD player, the DVD recorder/VCR, the TV, and the satellite system, and now the receiver, I have five remote controls to juggle. When you have more than two remote controls, its time for a universal remote control that can learn and control everything. The Universal MX-500 (which you can buy on amazon.com) is the best I've found, and I use it every day (you can read my amazon.com review if you search for MX-500).
Rating:
Summary: Great value for entry level home theater
Review: I bought this system because I didn't want to spend a lot of money, but I wanted better sound than I was getting from my big-screen. I wasn't disappointed. The system arrived in a gigantic (5 feet tall) box, which holds the receiver, a center speaker, a left speaker, a right speaker, two rear speakers, a base unit, a remote control, and a bunch of wires. The receiver is the hub of the system and allows you to switch between AM/FM, several audio units, and four different video inputs (one of the four video inputs is on the front, so there are really only three full-time video inputs to choose from). One of the three full-time video inputs will support a VCR (or a DVD recorder), so that you can use the receiver to control what your VCR sees. Your VCR sees whatever you are watching. The receiver supports composite video, S-video (which is what I use), composite audio, and one coaxial and one optical digital audio connection (which you want to use to connect the audio on your DVD player to the receiver in order to get surround sound). If you connect your DVD player using a digital connection (coaxial digital works fine), and play a DVD encoded with surround, you'll hear real surround sound. Otherwise, the receiver has several options to emulate surround sound using a conventional stereo signal. The center and front speakers are very large. This is unique because most inexpensive systems (i.e. Bose) come with very small speakers. I don't know if bigger is necessarily better, but when I was growing up, good stereo systems had humongous speakers. I consider myself to be fairly critical when it comes to sound quality, and I like the way these sound. The receiver does get quite warm when its turned on, so make sure you install it somewhere that has adequate ventilation. Finally, a word about remote controls. Between the DVD player, the DVD recorder/VCR, the TV, and the satellite system, and now the receiver, I have five remote controls to juggle. When you have more than two remote controls, its time for a universal remote control that can learn and control everything. The Universal MX-500 (which you can buy on amazon.com) is the best I've found, and I use it every day (you can read my amazon.com review if you search for MX-500).
Rating:
Summary: Great value for entry level home theater
Review: I bought this system because I didn't want to spend a lot of money, but I wanted better sound than I was getting from my big-screen. I wasn't disappointed. The system arrived in a gigantic box, which holds the receiver, a center speaker, a left speaker, a right speaker, two rear speakers, a base unit, a remote control, and a bunch of wires. The receiver is the hub of the system and allows you to switch between AM/FM, several audio units, and four different video inputs (one of the four video inputs is on the front, so there are really only three full-time video inputs to choose from). One of the three full-time video inputs will support a VCR (or a DVD recorder), so that you can use the receiver to control what your VCR sees. Your VCR sees whatever you are watching. The receiver supports composite video, S-video (which is what I use), composite audio, and one coaxial and one optical digital audio connection (which you want to use to connect the audio on your DVD player to the receiver in order to get surround sound). If you connect your DVD player using a digital connection (coaxial digital works fine), and play a DVD encoded with surround, you'll get read surround sound. Otherwise, the receiver has several options to emulate surround sound using a conventional signal. The center and front speakers are very large. This is unique because most inexpensive systems (i.e. Bose) come with very small speakers. I don't know if bigger is necessarily better, but when I was growing up, good stereo systems had humongous speakers. I consider myself to be fairly critical when it comes to sound quality, and I like the way these sound. The receiver does get quite warm when its turned on, so make sure you install it somewhere that has adequate ventilation. Finally, a word about remote controls. Between the DVD player, the DVD recorder/VCR, the TV, and the satellite system, and now the receiver, I have five remote controls to juggle. When you have more than two remote controls, its time for a universal remote control that can learn and control everything. The Universal MX-500 (which you can buy on amazon.com) is the best I've found, and I use it every day (you can read my amazon.com review if you search for MX-500).
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I have been into home theater since the days of HI-FI stereo, Beta VCR's. I graduated to Dolby Surround, and then Pro Logic. And at one point I probably had $3000 invested into my system. Then I got married and had kids, and traded the big stereo for a mini- system. I have also had the experience of working for a large local electronics retailer part time for the last few years when I needed a little extra cash. So when I decided to upgrade my home theater system, I started reading. I wanted the most bang for the buck, and from everything I read, I felt that this system was the way to go. But we never carried it at the store where I worked. And do you know why? They felt that the product was way too good for only $500, and would limit their ability to sell, separate component systems, at much higher prices. They never had a problem carrying and selling other HTIB's, because none of them could compare to a nice component system. Some sound ok for movies, but most fall short in the music department. So if you wanted a system good for movies and music, you bought separates. Well, I went over to the local Circuit City, and bought one of these without even listening to it in the store. I also bought the Onkyo 6 disk DVD player (DV-CP701). Then I hopped over to the Shack and bought some 16ga. mega cable(way better value than monster cable), and a nice sub cable and digital coax cable, and headed for home. Now, I don't know how Onkyo did it, but you could not assemble a component system for double or even triple the cost of this one, that sounds this good! I put in the pod race from Phantom Menace, and I was grinning from ear to ear the whole way through. I was amazed! After cranking up a few more of my favorite movie sound scenes, I threw in some Luther Vandros for my wife. I put the receiver in DTS Neo:6 music mode, and I felt like Luther was standing in my living room. Now I'm not trying to say there is not better stuff out there, because there is. But if you want the best for the money there is no comparison. You just have to remember to take the time for proper setup, and I promise, you will be amazed. And to any of you negative reviewers out there who say the sound is not up to par, I don't know where you are coming from?
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I have been into home theater since the days of HI-FI stereo, Beta VCR's. I graduated to Dolby Surround, and then Pro Logic. And at one point I probably had $3000 invested into my system. Then I got married and had kids, and traded the big stereo for a mini- system. I have also had the experience of working for a large local electronics retailer part time for the last few years when I needed a little extra cash. So when I decided to upgrade my home theater system, I started reading. I wanted the most bang for the buck, and from everything I read, I felt that this system was the way to go. But we never carried it at the store where I worked. And do you know why? They felt that the product was way too good for only $500, and would limit their ability to sell, separate component systems, at much higher prices. They never had a problem carrying and selling other HTIB's, because none of them could compare to a nice component system. Some sound ok for movies, but most fall short in the music department. So if you wanted a system good for movies and music, you bought separates. Well, I went over to the local Circuit City, and bought one of these without even listening to it in the store. I also bought the Onkyo 6 disk DVD player (DV-CP701). Then I hopped over to the Shack and bought some 16ga. mega cable(way better value than monster cable), and a nice sub cable and digital coax cable, and headed for home. Now, I don't know how Onkyo did it, but you could not assemble a component system for double or even triple the cost of this one, that sounds this good! I put in the pod race from Phantom Menace, and I was grinning from ear to ear the whole way through. I was amazed! After cranking up a few more of my favorite movie sound scenes, I threw in some Luther Vandros for my wife. I put the receiver in DTS Neo:6 music mode, and I felt like Luther was standing in my living room. Now I'm not trying to say there is not better stuff out there, because there is. But if you want the best for the money there is no comparison. You just have to remember to take the time for proper setup, and I promise, you will be amazed. And to any of you negative reviewers out there who say the sound is not up to par, I don't know where you are coming from?
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for the Price
Review: I'm a raw audiophile. My "music" system has no remote(creates motor noise)
straight pre-amp, cd, Amp.
ALL my components cost more than this whole system easily.
(even my speaker wires cost almost as much.)
In fact I got rid of my Yamaha dolby ProLogic Reciever
years ago when I bypassed my receiver straight into amp and
realized how the rec. with all the processing RUINED the quality
of sound out of the CD player. That's what sold me on quality
and simplicity. I know good sound when I hear it. However, I watch more movies again and I was getting sick of sound through the TV speakers. My current speakers are not magnetically shielded and I don't have enough room to avoid interference with my older TV(35in. tube). So I looked around and found a number of good reviews on Onkyo Home Theater Systems (HTS's).
I wasn't looking for perfection just better than what I had. My experience also sold me on this system because I know goofy looking(some Panasonic, Sony, etc.) and small speakers either sound bad or cost a fortune(Bose). Larger speakers like these require much less SPECIALIZATION allowing for OFF THE SHELF speakers and boxes. Therefore you get better sound for less money. If size is VERY important better SEE these speakers before buying. Now my review. Even with cheaper speakers than I had 6-7 years ago. I'm really impressed with the newer digital surround formats WOW! so much better than old ProLogic. The separation of the rear speakers(not MONO anymore) really makes a big difference. You also get much better channel separation. The receiver is decent quality and the remote is OK. I'll be using the Famous Sony 2100 universal remote instead(when I program it)
Remember not ALL DVD's use true Dobly Digital. Check the box and the audio options. Also the reciever does not alway shift to digital "EX" by itself. The REAL issue though are the speakers. The rears are fine. The fronts pretty good. But as usual the center is lacking. Why they didn't just give you another front I don't know. They are almost the same size anyway. The sub appears to be sufficent. It is rather boomy.(not surprising for the price) I heard another guy who put some fiber fill inside and that took care of it. Make sure to get speaker stands they(fronts)will sound better at ear height. If you are expecting really "good" sound; look elsewhere.
If you want pretty good sound and excellent upgrade to the new surround formats this is it. Most people will be very happy with the sound. You WILL have to buy a coaxial or optical line for digital use from the DVD player.
And PLEASE replace the horrible speaker wire(22-gauge) they give you. You WILL get better sound if you replace them. Also replace the sub mono RCA wire with better wire.(this is some of the stuff you deal with for the great price) ALL the speakers use basic spring clips(bare wire). I recommend putting banana plug ends(buy the better ones; trust me) on the receiver side of the speaker wire. Just push then in the back center hole of each terminal post(incredibly easier). The best thing about this system is that it is a "separates" system. So you can replace EACH piece for better components if and when you choose to. If I have quality problems I'll be sure to post. Good luck.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for the Price
Review: I'm a raw audiophile. My "music" system has no remote(creates motor noise)
straight pre-amp, cd, Amp.
ALL my components cost more than this whole system easily.
(even my speaker wires cost almost as much.)
In fact I got rid of my Yamaha dolby ProLogic Reciever
years ago when I bypassed my receiver straight into amp and
realized how the rec. with all the processing RUINED the quality
of sound out of the CD player. That's what sold me on quality
and simplicity. I know good sound when I hear it. However, I watch more movies again and I was getting sick of sound through the TV speakers. My current speakers are not magnetically shielded and I don't have enough room to avoid interference with my older TV(35in. tube). So I looked around and found a number of good reviews on Onkyo Home Theater Systems (HTS's).
I wasn't looking for perfection just better than what I had. My experience also sold me on this system because I know goofy looking(some Panasonic, Sony, etc.) and small speakers either sound bad or cost a fortune(Bose). Larger speakers like these require much less SPECIALIZATION allowing for OFF THE SHELF speakers and boxes. Therefore you get better sound for less money. If size is VERY important better SEE these speakers before buying. Now my review. Even with cheaper speakers than I had 6-7 years ago. I'm really impressed with the newer digital surround formats WOW! so much better than old ProLogic. The separation of the rear speakers(not MONO anymore) really makes a big difference. You also get much better channel separation. The receiver is decent quality and the remote is OK. I'll be using the Famous Sony 2100 universal remote instead(when I program it)
Remember not ALL DVD's use true Dobly Digital. Check the box and the audio options. Also the reciever does not alway shift to digital "EX" by itself. The REAL issue though are the speakers. The rears are fine. The fronts pretty good. But as usual the center is lacking. Why they didn't just give you another front I don't know. They are almost the same size anyway. The sub appears to be sufficent. It is rather boomy.(not surprising for the price) I heard another guy who put some fiber fill inside and that took care of it. Make sure to get speaker stands they(fronts)will sound better at ear height. If you are expecting really "good" sound; look elsewhere.
If you want pretty good sound and excellent upgrade to the new surround formats this is it. Most people will be very happy with the sound. You WILL have to buy a coaxial or optical line for digital use from the DVD player.
And PLEASE replace the horrible speaker wire(22-gauge) they give you. You WILL get better sound if you replace them. Also replace the sub mono RCA wire with better wire.(this is some of the stuff you deal with for the great price) ALL the speakers use basic spring clips(bare wire). I recommend putting banana plug ends(buy the better ones; trust me) on the receiver side of the speaker wire. Just push then in the back center hole of each terminal post(incredibly easier). The best thing about this system is that it is a "separates" system. So you can replace EACH piece for better components if and when you choose to. If I have quality problems I'll be sure to post. Good luck.
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