Thoughts on Onkyo Brand?

[El Williams]

I was thinking of buying a lower end home theater system in the 300 to 500
dollar range. A couple of people have been trying to convince me that an
Onkyo system would be a good way to go in that price range. I went and
listened to the HT-S570 and HT-S770 and they both didn't sound bad for the
price. Is this a good brand? How is it for reliability? Anything that I
should be aware of?

Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. I also welcome
suggestions if there is a better way to go in this price range.

[Kevin McMurtrie]

In article
<sDhRd.234264$w62.185477@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
"El Williams" <ElWilliams@att.net> wrote:

> I was thinking of buying a lower end home theater system in the 300 to 500
> dollar range. A couple of people have been trying to convince me that an
> Onkyo system would be a good way to go in that price range. I went and
> listened to the HT-S570 and HT-S770 and they both didn't sound bad for the
> price. Is this a good brand? How is it for reliability? Anything that I
> should be aware of?
>
> Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. I also welcome
> suggestions if there is a better way to go in this price range.

I have the TX-SR602, a 7 channel home theater receiver. I'm using it in
5.1 + zone 2 mode, with zone 2 powering a large passive sub off the .1
low-level output. I was attracted to its sensible features when other
receivers are competing to have the most annoying DSP effects.

I worry a little bit about reliability. The build quality is excellent
but the insides are full of ribbon cables and daughter cards. Time will
tell if those hundreds of electrical contacts maintain good connections.
This is more a fault of it being a home theater amp, as they're pretty
much all like that due to the number of connections involved.

OK, so the brand seems very good for the price. I do not trust
home-theaters-in-box, though. The speakers are usually undersized to
reduce shipping costs. Onkyo's online specifications for the HT-S770
look good but they're mostly missing for the HT-S570. Listen to the
setup for at least 5 minutes. Flaws can take time to hear. Listen for
holes or resonation in the sound spectrum and listen for tonal changes
as sound effects move between speakers. Bring a CD or DVD that you like.

[Mark D. Zacharias]

The receivers are fine - the included speakers leave much to be desired. I
deal with Onkyo, since I'm an authorized servicer. Although this could
change, at present they are a fine company to deal with - they will go the
extra mile to help their customers.

Mark Z.


"Kevin McMurtrie" <mcmurtri@dslextreme.com> wrote in message
news:mcmurtri-A8C001.02015618022005@corp-radius.supernews.com...
> In article
> <sDhRd.234264$w62.185477@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
> "El Williams" <ElWilliams@att.net> wrote:
>
>> I was thinking of buying a lower end home theater system in the 300 to
>> 500
>> dollar range. A couple of people have been trying to convince me that an
>> Onkyo system would be a good way to go in that price range. I went and
>> listened to the HT-S570 and HT-S770 and they both didn't sound bad for
>> the
>> price. Is this a good brand? How is it for reliability? Anything that
>> I
>> should be aware of?
>>
>> Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. I also welcome
>> suggestions if there is a better way to go in this price range.
>
> I have the TX-SR602, a 7 channel home theater receiver. I'm using it in
> 5.1 + zone 2 mode, with zone 2 powering a large passive sub off the .1
> low-level output. I was attracted to its sensible features when other
> receivers are competing to have the most annoying DSP effects.
>
> I worry a little bit about reliability. The build quality is excellent
> but the insides are full of ribbon cables and daughter cards. Time will
> tell if those hundreds of electrical contacts maintain good connections.
> This is more a fault of it being a home theater amp, as they're pretty
> much all like that due to the number of connections involved.
>
> OK, so the brand seems very good for the price. I do not trust
> home-theaters-in-box, though. The speakers are usually undersized to
> reduce shipping costs. Onkyo's online specifications for the HT-S770
> look good but they're mostly missing for the HT-S570. Listen to the
> setup for at least 5 minutes. Flaws can take time to hear. Listen for
> holes or resonation in the sound spectrum and listen for tonal changes
> as sound effects move between speakers. Bring a CD or DVD that you like.

[neilnewsgroups@hotmail.com]

El Williams wrote:
> I was thinking of buying a lower end home theater system in the 300
to 500
> dollar range. A couple of people have been trying to convince me
that an
> Onkyo system would be a good way to go in that price range. I went
and
> listened to the HT-S570 and HT-S770 and they both didn't sound bad
for the
> price. Is this a good brand? How is it for reliability? Anything
that I
> should be aware of?
>
> Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. I also welcome
> suggestions if there is a better way to go in this price range.

Consumer Reports has done reviews of groups of Home Theater in a Box
(HTiB) systems. Suggest you call local library and ask if they have
back issues of CR or try:

www.ConsumerReports.org

(You may need an online membership to see everything, but give the
above a try.)

[Ian S]

"El Williams" <ElWilliams@att.net> wrote in message
news:sDhRd.234264$w62.185477@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> I was thinking of buying a lower end home theater system in the 300 to 500
> dollar range. A couple of people have been trying to convince me that an
> Onkyo system would be a good way to go in that price range. I went and
> listened to the HT-S570 and HT-S770 and they both didn't sound bad for the
> price. Is this a good brand? How is it for reliability? Anything that
I
> should be aware of?
>
> Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. I also welcome
> suggestions if there is a better way to go in this price range.

I had considered the S770 in light of reviews and it does sound quite
decent. However, I already had a decent sub, needed phono inputs and thought
the Onkyo speakers were a bit clunky so I went with the HSU Ventriloquist
satellite speaker system and a Kenwood 8070 receiver. Consumer Reports rated
home theaters in a box in November, 2004 and the top-rated one was the
Yamaha YHT-450. Neither of the Onkyos you mention were tested, only the
HT-5777c which was fourth in the ratings. BTW, the CU tests results are also
summarized in their 2005 Buying Guide that should be available in
bookstores.

[Gary Fritz]

I have the HTS-760, the model before the current HTS-770. The HTS-760
got rave reviews in the Home Theater forums I frequent. No, it's not
ultra-hi-end gear, but it delivers excellent bang for the buck. I
outfitted my HT for $350 for receiver, 6 speakers, and sub. (That was
for a refurb model.) For my painfully small budget, the HTS-760 was an
excellent choice. I have more problems with my room accoustics (which
I will be working on soon) than with the gear.

Gary

[The Man From Mars]

I have the Onkyo 670 ($399 @ HHGregg) and I absolutely love it. I use it
for my main system with my 55" Mitsubishi RPTV. Great system. So if you
are wanting something in between the 570 and 770, you can't beat it.

<><

[Ian S]

"The Man From Mars" <deaded77@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:111dejn6a7e8388@corp.supernews.com...
> I have the Onkyo 670 ($399 @ HHGregg) and I absolutely love it. I use it
> for my main system with my 55" Mitsubishi RPTV. Great system. So if you
> are wanting something in between the 570 and 770, you can't beat it.

The 770 can often be found for $400 or less.

[The Man From Mars]

>
> The 770 can often be found for $400 or less.
>


Over the internet but not in store.

[Ian S]

"The Man From Mars" <deaded77@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:111fgc73e6vi50b@corp.supernews.com...
> >
> > The 770 can often be found for $400 or less.
> >
>
>
> Over the internet but not in store.

Apparently, you don't have Fry's Electronics nearby. It was $399 in their
newspaper ad last week and shows up about once a month at that price.

[JohnR66]

My parents have an Onkyo Dobly surround receiver for 7 years. They have the
TV on 8 plus hours a day. They are TV freaks. They may not even be whatching
it!. Anyone else have parents like that? Me, I can't stand TV. I don't even
have cable. I digress...

The Onkyo works fine with all these hours of use. Prior to it, that had an
Onkyo 2 channel reciever. Nothing wrong with it either. They just wanted
surround.
John


"El Williams" <ElWilliams@att.net> wrote in message
news:sDhRd.234264$w62.185477@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>I was thinking of buying a lower end home theater system in the 300 to 500
>dollar range. A couple of people have been trying to convince me that an
>Onkyo system would be a good way to go in that price range. I went and
>listened to the HT-S570 and HT-S770 and they both didn't sound bad for the
>price. Is this a good brand? How is it for reliability? Anything that I
>should be aware of?
>
> Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. I also welcome
> suggestions if there is a better way to go in this price range.
>

[The Man From Mars]

Called the Frys in Duluth Georgia a few weeks ago and it was $469.
I know Frys on the internet it is $399 always.











Ian S <iws51remove@cox.net> wrote in message
news:mkSRd.96110$0u.46295@fed1read04...
> "The Man From Mars" <deaded77@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:111fgc73e6vi50b@corp.supernews.com...
> > >
> > > The 770 can often be found for $400 or less.
> > >
> >
> >
> > Over the internet but not in store.
>
> Apparently, you don't have Fry's Electronics nearby. It was $399 in their
> newspaper ad last week and shows up about once a month at that price.
>
>

[Ian S]

"The Man From Mars" <deaded77@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:111g1d928tt4ua9@corp.supernews.com...
> Called the Frys in Duluth Georgia a few weeks ago and it was $469.
> I know Frys on the internet it is $399 always.

Here in Phoenix and on the west coast it was on sale for $100 off the
regular $499 price
http://www.netaffilia.com/ad/electronics/frys/i/2005/02/11/8634.html

I have an Integra which is made by Onkyo.
Out of all of the mass market brands they tend to be very good, I like them
because they pay attention to things hi-fi enthusiasts like, like phono
inputs and "pure stereo" that cuts out the sub.
I have only had mine 6 months but so far so good
"El Williams" <ElWilliams@att.net> wrote in message
news:sDhRd.234264$w62.185477@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> I was thinking of buying a lower end home theater system in the 300 to 500
> dollar range. A couple of people have been trying to convince me that an
> Onkyo system would be a good way to go in that price range. I went and
> listened to the HT-S570 and HT-S770 and they both didn't sound bad for the
> price. Is this a good brand? How is it for reliability? Anything that
I
> should be aware of?
>
> Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. I also welcome
> suggestions if there is a better way to go in this price range.
>
>

[Ian S]

<steve99@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:jMXRd.15936$Rl5.780@bignews4.bellsouth.net...
> I have an Integra which is made by Onkyo.
> Out of all of the mass market brands they tend to be very good, I like
them
> because they pay attention to things hi-fi enthusiasts like, like phono
> inputs

not in their home theater products they don't. Unless you're looking at
their more expensive home theater receivers. It was one of the reasons I
opted against the HTS-770 system - no phono imputs. Actually, that seems to
be the approach of pretty much most of the home theater receiver
manufacturers. I guess they figure that us geezers with turntables have the
money to spend on the higher end receivers.

[The Man From Mars]

Wish I had one that close but the 670 has been great for me and it is in
between the 570 and 770. Do you own a 770? the only place here that
carries it is Circuit City and I could get it for $425 but it is in black
and I wanted the Silver version and that is another reason I got the 670
because it was in silver. What is the reason behind Circuit City only
carrying it in black? I have never understood that.

<><




Ian S <iws51remove@cox.net> wrote in message
news:OFVRd.96943$0u.25671@fed1read04...
> "The Man From Mars" <deaded77@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:111g1d928tt4ua9@corp.supernews.com...
> > Called the Frys in Duluth Georgia a few weeks ago and it was $469.
> > I know Frys on the internet it is $399 always.
>
> Here in Phoenix and on the west coast it was on sale for $100 off the
> regular $499 price
> http://www.netaffilia.com/ad/electronics/frys/i/2005/02/11/8634.html
>
>

[Ian S]

"The Man From Mars" <deaded77@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:111hvjlcf0d72ca@corp.supernews.com...
> Wish I had one that close but the 670 has been great for me and it is in
> between the 570 and 770. Do you own a 770? the only place here that
> carries it is Circuit City and I could get it for $425 but it is in black
> and I wanted the Silver version and that is another reason I got the 670
> because it was in silver. What is the reason behind Circuit City only
> carrying it in black? I have never understood that.

Perhaps Onkyo had extra systems in black that CC got a special deal on. I
don't own the 770 but I looked closely at it (at Fry's) a couple of months
ago when I was in the market to upgrade my ancient pro-logic system.
However, I already had a very good sub (HSU) then found a closeout at
CompUSA for the HSU Ventriloquist speaker system and decided to select my
own receiver in part because the Onkyo lacked phono inputs. I wound up with
the Kenwood 8070. On the black vs silver, I'm partial to black but can think
back to the 1970's and early 1980's when silver was "in". Kinda like men's
suit lapels - they go back and forth between wide and narrow.

Thats good to know since I purchased an Integra last summer.
For what its worth its weaned me off of Yamaha forever.
Really a first class product ;-)
"Mark D. Zacharias" <mzacharias@yis.us> wrote in message
news:37ltlaF5gbbudU1@individual.net...
> The receivers are fine - the included speakers leave much to be desired. I
> deal with Onkyo, since I'm an authorized servicer. Although this could
> change, at present they are a fine company to deal with - they will go the
> extra mile to help their customers.
>
> Mark Z.
>
>
> "Kevin McMurtrie" <mcmurtri@dslextreme.com> wrote in message
> news:mcmurtri-A8C001.02015618022005@corp-radius.supernews.com...
> > In article
> > <sDhRd.234264$w62.185477@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
> > "El Williams" <ElWilliams@att.net> wrote:
> >
> >> I was thinking of buying a lower end home theater system in the 300 to
> >> 500
> >> dollar range. A couple of people have been trying to convince me that
an
> >> Onkyo system would be a good way to go in that price range. I went and
> >> listened to the HT-S570 and HT-S770 and they both didn't sound bad for
> >> the
> >> price. Is this a good brand? How is it for reliability? Anything
that
> >> I
> >> should be aware of?
> >>
> >> Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. I also welcome
> >> suggestions if there is a better way to go in this price range.
> >
> > I have the TX-SR602, a 7 channel home theater receiver. I'm using it in
> > 5.1 + zone 2 mode, with zone 2 powering a large passive sub off the .1
> > low-level output. I was attracted to its sensible features when other
> > receivers are competing to have the most annoying DSP effects.
> >
> > I worry a little bit about reliability. The build quality is excellent
> > but the insides are full of ribbon cables and daughter cards. Time will
> > tell if those hundreds of electrical contacts maintain good connections.
> > This is more a fault of it being a home theater amp, as they're pretty
> > much all like that due to the number of connections involved.
> >
> > OK, so the brand seems very good for the price. I do not trust
> > home-theaters-in-box, though. The speakers are usually undersized to
> > reduce shipping costs. Onkyo's online specifications for the HT-S770
> > look good but they're mostly missing for the HT-S570. Listen to the
> > setup for at least 5 minutes. Flaws can take time to hear. Listen for
> > holes or resonation in the sound spectrum and listen for tonal changes
> > as sound effects move between speakers. Bring a CD or DVD that you
like.
>
>

[Mark D. Zacharias]

I like Yamaha also, though. Actually like them a bit better in the
reliability department.

Mark Z.


<steve99@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:A7oYd.14886$c72.332@bignews3.bellsouth.net...
> Thats good to know since I purchased an Integra last summer.
> For what its worth its weaned me off of Yamaha forever.
> Really a first class product ;-)
> "Mark D. Zacharias" <mzacharias@yis.us> wrote in message
> news:37ltlaF5gbbudU1@individual.net...
>> The receivers are fine - the included speakers leave much to be desired.
>> I
>> deal with Onkyo, since I'm an authorized servicer. Although this could
>> change, at present they are a fine company to deal with - they will go
>> the
>> extra mile to help their customers.
>>
>> Mark Z.
>>
>>
>> "Kevin McMurtrie" <mcmurtri@dslextreme.com> wrote in message
>> news:mcmurtri-A8C001.02015618022005@corp-radius.supernews.com...
>> > In article
>> > <sDhRd.234264$w62.185477@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
>> > "El Williams" <ElWilliams@att.net> wrote:
>> >
>> >> I was thinking of buying a lower end home theater system in the 300 to
>> >> 500
>> >> dollar range. A couple of people have been trying to convince me that
> an
>> >> Onkyo system would be a good way to go in that price range. I went
>> >> and
>> >> listened to the HT-S570 and HT-S770 and they both didn't sound bad for
>> >> the
>> >> price. Is this a good brand? How is it for reliability? Anything
> that
>> >> I
>> >> should be aware of?
>> >>
>> >> Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. I also welcome
>> >> suggestions if there is a better way to go in this price range.
>> >
>> > I have the TX-SR602, a 7 channel home theater receiver. I'm using it
>> > in
>> > 5.1 + zone 2 mode, with zone 2 powering a large passive sub off the .1
>> > low-level output. I was attracted to its sensible features when other
>> > receivers are competing to have the most annoying DSP effects.
>> >
>> > I worry a little bit about reliability. The build quality is excellent
>> > but the insides are full of ribbon cables and daughter cards. Time
>> > will
>> > tell if those hundreds of electrical contacts maintain good
>> > connections.
>> > This is more a fault of it being a home theater amp, as they're pretty
>> > much all like that due to the number of connections involved.
>> >
>> > OK, so the brand seems very good for the price. I do not trust
>> > home-theaters-in-box, though. The speakers are usually undersized to
>> > reduce shipping costs. Onkyo's online specifications for the HT-S770
>> > look good but they're mostly missing for the HT-S570. Listen to the
>> > setup for at least 5 minutes. Flaws can take time to hear. Listen for
>> > holes or resonation in the sound spectrum and listen for tonal changes
>> > as sound effects move between speakers. Bring a CD or DVD that you
> like.
>>
>>
>
>