Onkyo Introduces 3 New Entry level HTiBs

[McBain]

Press release:

Onkyo Introduces 3 New Entry level HTiBs

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NJ (04/17/08) -- Onkyo has introduced three new packaged home theater systems, each consisting of a flexible HDTV-capable audio-video receiver, five or seven surround-sound loudspeakers, powerful subwoofer, and an included iPod docking station on two of the systems. These systems, popularly called HTiB for "Home Theater in a Box," can be combined with a video display, Blu-Ray or DVD player, and cable/satellite TV box to provide a complete home theater surround sound experience.

The 7.1 channel home theater receiver included with top of the line HT-S5100 offers an amazing range of capabilities at such a modest price point. The HT-R560 receiver has three 1080p compatible HDMI inputs and one output. The HDMI Pass-Thru provides optimal video quality with separate connections for the audio channels. For optimum sound quality, the highly regarded Audyssey 2EQ room correction technology automatically adjusts the sound character and time delay of each speaker relative to the listening positions. Additionally, Audyssey's Dynamic EQ adjusts sound on the fly to optimize sound quality for any volume, particularly at low listening levels.

The HT-S5100 includes advanced Dolby and DTS surround sound processing capabilities, a powerful 130-watts per channel using Onkyo's Wide Range Amplifier Technology (WRAT), seven loudspeakers with outstanding sound quality, and a powerful 290-watt subwoofer and is Sirius Satellite Radio ready. The HT-S5100 system also includes a new dedicated Onkyo iPod dock and charging station, plus the company's new Music Optimizer technology to enhance the dynamic range of MP3 and AAC files which are normally compressed for headphone playback.

The more affordable Onkyo HT-S4100 and HT-S3100 are 5.1-channel systems with HDTV-capable component video switching, DTS and Dolby Digital surround processing, and five loudspeakers. The HT-S4100 has a 200-watt subwoofer and included iPod dock. The HT-S3100's subwoofer is powered by the receiver, and there is no iPod dock with this system.

All three systems include full-function remote controls, and are available in either black or silver finishes.

The Onkyo HT-S5100, HT-S4100 and HT-S3100 will be available in April with suggested retail prices of $579, $479, and $379 each, respectively.

Onkyo, which takes its name from the Japanese "On" meaning 'sound' and "Kyo" meaning 'harmony,' has been producing precision audio components for over a half-century. The company's philosophy is to deliver products that are superbly designed and built to a consistently outstanding standard of excellence. Today, Onkyo is at the forefront of the home theater and digital revolutions. For more information about this and other fine Onkyo products, visit www.onkyousa.com or call 800-229-1687.

[blitz6speed]

the best of the 3 only has HDMI PASSTHROUGH, so no lossless audio. Pass on all of them. SP908 is still the best HTIB Onkyo offers.

[fighthefutureofhd]

is this true?

[Driver_King]

Which part? The SP-908 still being the best or the others not doing HD audio via HDMI?

[fighthefutureofhd]

the latter in your question and the fact that the onkyo ht-s5100 flat out sucks. i was under the impression that hd audio can be played on the onkyo ht-s5100

[aramis109]

Not with HDMI passthrough, no... it can't.

I wouldn't say they suck, but they're not getting HD audio, which seems like a waste when purchasing a new system to me.

[fighthefutureofhd]

can you get lossless audio without hmdi passthrough? as for the system itself, i woudn't call it a waste. it was a christmas present and i'm more than certain a lot of money was spent and a LOT of thought went into it. a guy who owns and runs (he does all the work) a business that sets up home theater systems picked it out. i can't believe i'm defending my christmas present online. the crazy things we do.

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by fighthefutureofhd

can you get lossless audio without hmdi passthrough? as for the system itself, i woudn't call it a waste. it was a christmas present and i'm more than certain a lot of money was spent and a LOT of thought went into it. a guy who owns and runs (he does all the work) a business that sets up home theater systems picked it out. i can't believe i'm defending my christmas present online. the crazy things we do.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to belittle your gift. I meant no disrespect there. I was just simplifying for those looking to purchase an upgrade.

You CAN get lossless audio without HDMI- there are a couple options for lossless:

1. HDMI
2. Optical/digital coaxial can do 2.0 lossless.
3. Analog outputs can do up to 7.1 lossless depending on your player and receiver capabilities.

[fighthefutureofhd]

oh i know you weren't. it was more of a general rant. if you can even call it a rant. no harm, no foul. as for my system, i have the onkyo ht-s5100 and the following:

1. sony bdp-s300
2. jvc 32" flat screen

is there anyway doing what you mentioned above will get me lossless with what i have? if so, sweet. if not, then i'll be content with what i have.

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by fighthefutureofhd

oh i know you weren't. it was more of a general rant. if you can even call it a rant. no harm, no foul. as for my system, i have the onkyo ht-s5100 and the following:

1. sony bdp-s300
2. jvc 32" flat screen

is there anyway doing what you mentioned above will get me lossless with what i have? if so, sweet. if not, then i'll be content with what i have.

Well, your receiver does have analog inputs, and your player has 5.1 analog outs. It looks like you could set your player to LPCM (it'll decode that way) and hook up the analog outputs to the receiver and it'd work. Apparently you wouldn't get DTS-HD MA because it doesn't look like the player can decode that.

Before you get excited, a guy on Amazon says that Onkyo support told him that won't work. I can't find any reason why it shouldn't. You should get some RCA cables and try it.

[fighthefutureofhd]

cool. i'll try that. i'm not going too excited anyway. if it works it's just icing on the cake. just having the audio that i have is incredible. for my little place in the world it will do very, very nicely. by the way would it be possible to get some of the 7.1 surround sounds that are available on some movies? i've got 7 speakers. thanks for all the help.

[aramis109]

Nope. The limiting factors are:

1. Lossy audio is almost always 5.1. There are some movies, like LOTR, that have DTS 6.1, but not enough to be worth it.

2. Lossless, if the suggestion I posted works, is coming in at 5.1. That receiver surely won't be able to matrix it out to 7.1.

You'd be better off saving your scratch for something else (new receiver down the line? )

[fighthefutureofhd]

no new receiver down the line. just got this one for christmas. that'd be a nice thank you. i liked the receiver you got me for christmas so much that i went out and bought another one to replace it with. again thanks. this is the system that i have. for better or worse. for richer and poorer. it's cool though cause i actually think it's freakin' sweet. it may not do lossless, but what it pumps out is fantastic in it's own right. i'm good. i'll try those suggestions. thanks.

[doctorsteve]

Originally Posted by aramis109

Not with HDMI passthrough, no... it can't.

I wouldn't say they suck, but they're not getting HD audio, which seems like a waste when purchasing a new system to me.

I'm under the impression that with HDMI passthrough on the 5100 you can get lossless as long as the player is decoding it and sending it as PCM, is this wrong???

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by doctorsteve

I'm under the impression that with HDMI passthrough on the 5100 you can get lossless as long as the player is decoding it and sending it as PCM, is this wrong???

This is wrong. It doesn't touch the audio at all. It just "passes" it "through".

[Ex Accountant]

Originally Posted by aramis109

This is wrong. It doesn't touch the audio at all. It just "passes" it "through".

So if the Blu-ray player sends lossless audio to the receiver, are you saying the receiver won't "pass" the lossless audio "through?" I know I am very ignorant on this topic (ok on many topics - don't tell my wife ), but if the receiver won't pass through the lossless audio signal being sent to it, then it seems as though it would be touching it, yes?

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by Ex Accountant

So if the Blu-ray player sends lossless audio to the receiver, are you saying the receiver won't "pass" the lossless audio "through?" I know I am very ignorant on this topic (ok on many topics - don't tell my wife ), but if the receiver won't pass through the lossless audio signal being sent to it, then it seems as though it would be touching it, yes?

You won't get any audio at all from an HDMI source with this receiver, or any passthrough receiver. It's basically just acting as an HDMI switch but is doing nothing at all with the signal but sending it on along it's HDMI out.

[Ex Accountant]

Originally Posted by aramis109

You won't get any audio at all from an HDMI source with this receiver, or any passthrough receiver. It's basically just acting as an HDMI switch but is doing nothing at all with the signal but sending it on along it's HDMI out.

I see. So if you send audio to a passthrough receiver via HDMI, you get no sound? I'd like to shake hands with the person responsible for creating that concept.

But wait. Your first sentence says you will get no HDMI sound. Your second sentence then says (or at least implies I think) that you will indeed get HDMI sound, just that the receiver doesn't change anything itself. Thank you for helping to educate the ignorant bastard that is me.

[dhitoshi]

Originally Posted by fighthefutureofhd

no new receiver down the line. just got this one for christmas. that'd be a nice thank you. i liked the receiver you got me for christmas so much that i went out and bought another one to replace it with. again thanks. this is the system that i have. for better or worse. for richer and poorer. it's cool though cause i actually think it's freakin' sweet. it may not do lossless, but what it pumps out is fantastic in it's own right. i'm good. i'll try those suggestions. thanks.

To do Dolby TrueHD or dts HD-Master with the HT-S5100 I would recommend the Sony BDP-S550, it can decode all the lossless formats and send them out via the 8-channel analog outputs. Yes, the Panasonic DMP-BD55 can also do this, but I prefer how the Sony has external flash memory in case future firmware upgrades need more memory. The Panasonic's SD slot is not for firmware updates since Panasonic's use internal memory the SD card is for JPEG or AVCHD playback. If you wait until January 11th the price will drop to $329 on the BDP-S550 after the instant rebate for a 2 weeks promo.
If you are doing 7.1 you will need 4 pairs of analog cables, and I do recommend a quality cable. As much as people want to debate HDMI cables, analog cables sound quality varies greatly. Monster Cable I can say if a HUGE rip-off, stay away from Monter Cable. If you want an amazing affordable interconnect, check out the Audioquest Alpha-Snake. The Alpha-Snake at 1m is $20.00 a pair (about what someone would pay at any big box store for a crap cable) and is solid-core copper. It is identical to the G-Snake internally, the G-Snake has a nicer RCA connection and a braided jacket, but they sound the same because they are the same internally. Basically Tweeter and Magnolia never carried this entry cable so most people never see it displayed. Check out Audioquest.com for more info.
If you do get a Sony BDP-S550, in the set-up menu you will need to set audio out priority as analog multi channel outputs. On the Onkyo AVR you will need to select multi input for you blu-ray players audio in.
I am sure 10 people will instantly respond with their monoprice rants saying buy the cheapest cable on the market, but none of them usually have 12 years experience selling gear and actually listening to gear all day. The Audioquest G-Snake actually beat out many $200 plus cables when it was reviewed by Stereophile magazine 4 years ago in their buyers guide. Not bad for a 1M $35 cable and the Alpha-Snake is basically a no frills look version.

[fighthefutureofhd]

thanks for all the advice. i will look into that and try it all out. so far what i've got coming out of my receiver sounds nothing short of excellent. really impressive stuff here.

Originally Posted by Ex Accountant

I see. So if you send audio to a passthrough receiver via HDMI, you get no sound? I'd like to shake hands with the person responsible for creating that concept.

But wait. Your first sentence says you will get no HDMI sound. Your second sentence then says (or at least implies I think) that you will indeed get HDMI sound, just that the receiver doesn't change anything itself. Thank you for helping to educate the ignorant bastard that is me.

you actually do get sound, so i'm not sure how that works really. you raise a lot of valid points. thanks for the imput.