For those of us who want a home theater
system but have a more budget-friendly solution in mind than the larger
brand-name systems on the market, an
Onkyo Home Theater
system may be a
good bet.
Onkyo is a Japanese company that began its
audio
manufacturing business in 1946. You can find an Onkyo system online,
consisting of a receiver, subwoofer, and five speakers, for as low as
$240. This compares to other systems that range from $800 to many
thousands.
Of course, for a price that low, you
can’t expect the best quality sound on the market. Onkyo does
have other systems as well, with more options and higher sound quality.
The lowest-priced theater system model
(HT-SR600) made by the company
is a 5.1-channel receiver and speaker system and is iPod compatible,
and the features go up from there. Onkyo makes several models of home
theater systems.
The next model, the HT-SR700, adds a 230
watt down firing powered subwoofer. The HT-SR750 boasts auto room
calibration with microphone and HDMI Pass Through with separate audio
connection. The HT-SR800 has all of this, and it is also XM and Sirius
Satellite radio ready and upgrades you to a 7.1 channel receiver.
The
HT-SR904 adds an iPod dock to the package (but it’s back to
5.1-channel), and the 908 (7.1-channel) has Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby
TrueHD, and DTS-HD decoding. The cream of Onkyo’s crop is the
HT-S990THX, the world’s first THX Certified home theater
system.
Online reviews of the Onkyo Home Theater
systems reveal that they are not as high-quality, in terms of sound, as
some other systems on the market. However, they are solid for the
price, and people are often surprised by the good quality they do get
for such a low price. Reviews at epinions are mostly five-star, with a
four-star one as well. The same pattern occurs at Amazon, with mostly
four- and five-star reviews.
You can purchase Onkyo Home Theater products
at Amazon, Circuit City, and Crutchfield. Make sure to check places
like eBay for discounts.