Onkyo HT-S5200 vs HT-S6100 vs HT-S7100?

[ak_ka]

Hi Guys,

Need your help. I'm trying to figure out which one of these offers most bang for buck.
Following is the price as of yesterday on Amazon :-
HT-S5200 - $494.00
HT-S6100 - $528.00
HT-S7100 - $585.00

I'm actually looking just for a 5.1, but can't think of any better options than these. The good thing about HT-S7100, besides a few more features, over 6100 is that it comes with speaker stands, which alone cost $140 a pair.

PS: I'd originally planned on Energy Take Classic + a decent receiver, but it seems to be shooting out of my budget, and these options seem to offer a really good value from a trusted brand.

Any help/pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

AK

[Bizdady]

I got the S7100 and love it. The stands really look nice. Keep an eye on Onkyo website, sometimes they sell restock for cheap. I got a really good deal on my system this way.

You can see a couple shots in the my gallery.

[ak_ka]

Originally Posted by Bizdady

I got the S7100 and love it. The stands really look nice. Keep an eye on Onkyo website, sometimes they sell restock for cheap. I got a really good deal on my system this way.

You can see a couple shots in the my gallery.

Thanks for the reply. BTW, since you have it already, how well does the upscaling work? I've read that its not the best, but an actual user's perspective is much more credible

Yeah, I'm leaning towards the 7100 too. Thanks for the tip, I'll keep an eye out for the restock

[Bizdady]

Originally Posted by ak_ka

Thanks for the reply. BTW, since you have it already, how well does the upscaling work? I've read that its not the best, but an actual user's perspective is much more credible

Yeah, I'm leaning towards the 7100 too. Thanks for the tip, I'll keep an eye out for the restock

Sorry, I really cant comment on upscaling I run everything as passthrough. What are you trying to upscale?

[ak_ka]

Originally Posted by Bizdady

Sorry, I really cant comment on upscaling I run everything as passthrough. What are you trying to upscale?

I have a slightly older DVD player right now, haven't upgraded to BD yet. So probably regular DVDs.

What about SD cable TV, since I'll use HDMI to connect my cable box, it will be passed through? (I guess I answered my own question there)

Nice pics of your setup. Must sound amazing..

[mugupo]

Is better off buying the receiver and speaker seperate, cause hitb often has bad quality speaker, much lower db compare to most speakers. I had s9100thx and i am not totally happy with it cause i has to turn volume very loud in order to get the bass moving.

[ak_ka]

Originally Posted by mugupo

Is better off buying the receiver and speaker seperate, cause hitb often has bad quality speaker, much lower db compare to most speakers. I had s9100thx and i am not totally happy with it cause i has to turn volume very loud in order to get the bass moving.

Yeah, I know. I'm a bit skeptical about the speakers too. But my budget is about $500-550. I'm thinking a pioneer 919 with Polk RM6750 should fit the bill.
I guess I gotta head to Fry's this weekend to audition the polks and the onkyo.

Yeah, 9100 ventures into a $1000 territory, which would fit nicely for a custom setup(Definitive Tech ProCinema 600 + pioneer 919)

Thanks for the advice

[RBBrittain]

To me, it's a tossup between the 6100 & 7100 (which are being replaced by the 6200 & 7200, respectively); but I voted for the 7100 because you wanted the speaker stands. (The 7200 replaces them with "tallboy" speakers.)

The important thing, however, is to avoid the 5200 like the plague, because it has "passthru" HDMI ports; that means you'll need separate audio connections limited to DD/DTS 5.1 or LPCM 2.0 (the limit for optical or coax), no better than DVD except perhaps higher bitrates.

The 6x00 & 7x00 models will handle HD audio (multichannel LPCM, TrueHD, or DTS-HD MA) via the HDMI ports; that's true Blu-ray audio. For the two lossless formats, you can either decode to LPCM in the player *or* bitstream them to the AVR for decoding there (same difference IMO, though others will disagree).

One last thing: You'll probably need to replace the speaker wire; Onkyo is notorious for putting too small a grade of wire in the box. If you can get a similarly-featured Yamaha for the same price, go for the Yamaha as you won't have to replace the in-box wire.

[thePhoenix]

Go with the S7100.

I recently got the HT-S3200. I wanted to get the S5200, but it was more than I could spend. Plus, I kinda wanted to stick to a 5.1 system. I gotta say, the 3200 is the shiznit! The 7100 has got to be freaking awesome!

[ak_ka]

Originally Posted by RBBrittain

To me, it's a tossup between the 6100 & 7100 (which are being replaced by the 6200 & 7200, respectively); but I voted for the 7100 because you wanted the speaker stands. (The 7200 replaces them with "tallboy" speakers.)

The important thing, however, is to avoid the 5200 like the plague, because it has "passthru" HDMI ports; that means you'll need separate audio connections limited to DD/DTS 5.1 or LPCM 2.0 (the limit for optical or coax), no better than DVD except perhaps higher bitrates.

The 6x00 & 7x00 models will handle HD audio (multichannel LPCM, TrueHD, or DTS-HD MA) via the HDMI ports; that's true Blu-ray audio. For the two lossless formats, you can either decode to LPCM in the player *or* bitstream them to the AVR for decoding there (same difference IMO, though others will disagree).

One last thing: You'll probably need to replace the speaker wire; Onkyo is notorious for putting too small a grade of wire in the box. If you can get a similarly-featured Yamaha for the same price, go for the Yamaha as you won't have to replace the in-box wire.

Yeah, I read that on the 5200 about HDMI not supporting audio. The only reason I was considering it was because I'd heard not so good things about the x100 line speakers. So thought Onkyo might've amended that. But it seems from the responses here that its not so much of an upgrade

Thanks for the tip on the wire. Surprisingly, the wire i have for my speakers right now( a $50 Sony), is much better. So I might actually swap it with the Onkyo before offloading it :devilish laugh:

Thanks a lot for your input I'm gonna audition them, along with another set I have in mind - Onkyo HT-RC160 + Polk Audio RM6750, which should run close to the 6100. Should give me greater flexibility

[ak_ka]

Originally Posted by thePhoenix

Go with the S7100.

I recently got the HT-S3200. I wanted to get the S5200, but it was more than I could spend. Plus, I kinda wanted to stick to a 5.1 system. I gotta say, the 3200 is the shiznit! The 7100 has got to be freaking awesome!

I'm in the same boat. I really don't want to invest in a 7.1 system right now, so was looking for a decent 5.1.
I looked at the 3200 too, but the receiver has some major limitations for me.
I checked last evening, and the deal on S7100 has gone away(was getting it for $585 when I posted, should've gotten it goin for $679 right now )
So it s a toss up between 6100, and the one I mention in my post above..

Will update here after next weekend (I'll be murdered if I take the wife to Fry's on a long weekend )

[DerrellB]

Originally Posted by ak_ka

I'm in the same boat. I really don't want to invest in a 7.1 system right now, so was looking for a decent 5.1.
I looked at the 3200 too, but the receiver has some major limitations for me.
I checked last evening, and the deal on S7100 has gone away(was getting it for $585 when I posted, should've gotten it goin for $679 right now )
So it s a toss up between 6100, and the one I mention in my post above..

Will update here after next weekend (I'll be murdered if I take the wife to Fry's on a long weekend )

I say go for the 6100. I just helped a friend hook a 6100 up and it sounded pretty darn good. More than I expected. His name is Tbatts on here. Check his gallary out

[ak_ka]

Originally Posted by DerrellB

I say go for the 6100. I just helped a friend hook a 6100 up and it sounded pretty darn good. More than I expected. His name is Tbatts on here. Check his gallary out

Wow.. Coming from someone who has KEF and Martin Logan in his setup, the 6100 does sound tempting.. Thanks for the input

[ak_ka]

So..
I finally went out this weekend to a few stores(Best Buy, Ken Cranes, Fry's etc) and auditioned a few systems.

1. Didn't like the sound of the Onkyo HTiBs too much.. The Bass was a bit muddy, and mids were slightly tinny (maybe it was the Fry's setup)
2. I liked Polk's Bookshelf speakers (TSi 100), and was thinking of coupling them with a nice Center to start-off (CSi 10 maybe?), but I think the Wife didn't like the idea

So now, I've got to get a satellite based system(which is fine coz I'll be using it mostly for movies).

I really likes the Def Tech ProCinema 600 series, though they're way over my budget. Has anyone seen/heard the ProCinema 60? They're $300 cheaper, and not too much down on the specs.
How would they compare with the Energy Take Classic? (DT has a 150W sub compared to 200W for Energy, but it goes down lower)

Thanks all for your suggestions.

AK

[zombeaner]

I am debating the merits of the ht-s6100 v. ht-s6200. Right now, the 6100 is winning because I just bought a Wii and it has no HDMI output, but it does have a component output. I understand that the 6200 is HDMI video passthrough, but the 6100 upscales. Would it upscale from component or only from HDMI sources?

[tidus12]

Originally Posted by DerrellB

I say go for the 6100. I just helped a friend hook a 6100 up and it sounded pretty darn good. More than I expected. His name is Tbatts on here. Check his gallary out

You just helped me made a decision on which to purchase. Thank you. I have been deciding on which one to buy for a long time..