Onkyo: Cheap, Yet Excellent THX 7.1 Home Theater In A Box

What's in a good sound system? A decent receiver? A powerful subwoofer? Crisp and clear satellites? My neighbor just recently bought a new Onkyo system and we decided to demo the system together and man, was I floored with the quality of the sound. Sure, it may sound like an Onkyo plug, but I assure you this isn't. It's just an honest recommendation towards one of the best sounding HTIB solutions I have heard in a while. More thoughts after the jump.

Of course, having a huge projection HD screen helped the experience too, but when we watched I Robot (yeah, a ridiculous choice, I know), it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had with a system for a while.

I've been an Onkyo fan for years now, but this time around, I truly think they've outdone themselves with this one. It's a great system. The speakers aren't super huge, but you can truly get a feel of space and rumbling bass when an explosion hits. If you don't believe me, take a listen at your local electronics shop and experience it yourselves. You'll never settle on second-rate speakers ever again.

The Onkyo HT-S9100THX 7.1 Channel Receiver and Speaker Package retails for $1000, but is available now tax-free (unless you live in NY) and with free shipping at $915 from Amazon. A steal for the price in my opinion!

Comments (7)

Hello,

this looks like a great system but will be an overkill for a one bedroom apartment. Can someone recommend something smaller with excellent sound and of course stylish? Not sure if there are good systems out there with wireless speakers but I'd like to avoid cable clutter as much as possible. Thanks!

posted by Bambolero on October 31st 2008 at 12:20pm
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You might want to consider a soundbar solution. It's a single bar that essentially tricks the ears into believing it's surround sound. Yamaha makes a great one and there will be several new ones released soon that were announced in September.

posted by techgirl on October 31st 2008 at 12:32pm
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Definitely overkill for a one-bedroom apt, but for a 2-3 bedroom one, it'd be an awesome addition to have friends over and experience Bluray and stuff the way it's meant to be heard!

posted by ekoshyun on October 31st 2008 at 1:24pm
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For an ideal (good-sounding and relatively inexpensive) setup for a small apartment I would suggest a two-channel system.

Perhaps a pair of bookshelf speakers from Axiom and a stereo receiver from Onkyo (TX-8255 or TX-8555). Great for music and movies, and wouldn't take up too much space.

www.axiomaudio.com
www.shoponkyo.com

A disclaimer, I don't own an Onkyo receiver, but have heard great things about them. I am an owner and big fan of Axioms.

posted by xtal on October 31st 2008 at 1:35pm
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Bambolero, I agree with tech girl on this one... I've seen some neat soundbar solutions from both Yamaha and Philips and I've been impressed with how well they can emulate surround sound without being too big/loud/expensive/etc

posted by matsayswhat on October 31st 2008 at 1:41pm
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Ooooooh, I'm looking at those Axiom in-wall speakers... they look sweet!

posted by ekoshyun on October 31st 2008 at 2:51pm
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*sigh* My ps3 NEEEEEEEEDS 7.1!!! But alas, the previous occupant of our new apartment was kicked out for being too loud. The rent is just too cheap to risk it...

posted by Stephie_is_a_dork on November 3rd 2008 at 6:13am
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