Onkyo HT-S9100THX 7.1 Channel Receiver and Speaker Package

5 Responses to “Onkyo HT-S9100THX 7.1 Channel Receiver and Speaker Package”

1. Marcio Barreto says:

   August 28, 2010 at 12:38 pm

   Review by Marcio Barreto for Onkyo HT-S9100THX 7.1 Channel Receiver and Speaker Package
   Rating:
   This is an AWESOME product. I’ve been using it for about 2 weeks now, and in my opinion it’s one of the best HTs I’ve ever heard. It’s much betten than the overrated BOSE systems, and 7.1 THX beats any movie theater.

   The con is that speakers are freakishly bulky (specially if you compare to a Bose). You might have some hard time finding a stand that will remain standing with one of those, so it’s a good bet to go with the ones from Onkyo itself.

   Universal remote works pretty well, although it could be better looking (go with the Philips Prestigo series for a nicer look and good funcionality).

   All and all, if you want a top-notch HT in a box system, you cannot go wrong with this. Plenty of digital inputs (both HDMI and Optical, unlike the previous 990 version).
2. J. Liou says:

   August 28, 2010 at 12:58 pm

   Review by J. Liou for Onkyo HT-S9100THX 7.1 Channel Receiver and Speaker Package
   Rating:
   Excellent sound quality for HTIB. Faithfully reproduces everything from music, to movies, to video games. Great surround sound accuracy/immersion. The speakers are well constructed and easy to set up… the Audyssey EQ microphone makes for quick calibration. I love the variety of inputs on the receiver… there’s also a great selection of decoders to choose from. Though I don’t use it, there is the capability to add a second Speaker group B to the receiver. You can output a different source to speaker group B, or use it for the rear surrounds.

   Video upconversion quality is nice (if you are using the HDMI output for your HDTV). The picture from my DVR box seems to have improved since running it through the stereo. There are probably many more PROS that I will find as I use this system over the years. I plan on upgrading the front speakers one day, and I think this receiver can handle them.

   WARNING! THe shipping box is HUGE… probably 5′x3′x3′!! FedEx sent over TWO guys to help bring this up the stairs to my apt.

   Buy your own speaker wires: Onkyo’s included speaker wires are very cheap.

   Also, the sound settings need to be tweaked even after running the microphone set-up utility. I had to turn up the subwoofer and the front L-R speakers. I also slightly adjusted the EQ for a fuller low range and a boosted treble. The “THX” setting on the subwoofer is not nearly powerful enough… I have it dialed up about 20% past that level. This could be due to the carpeting on my floors.

   The system is not as loud as 1200w implies. You may need to turn up the gain from your sources. Thankfully, the receiver makes that very easy, and you can set different gain levels for each input. I must say though, it is more than loud enough for my 1400sq/ft apt. Even at -20db, I have plenty of volume for movies with LOTS more headroom to go.

   For the last 4 years, I’ve been using a mediocre $400 HTIB and have waited for a good product to upgrade. I chose this setup for numerous reasons: 1) Speaker drivers are large, which is necessary for producing accurate low-mids. It would not have been worth the money to get another HTIB with small 3″ speakers. Even the surrounds are bigger than my old mains! 2) The included receiver is loaded with features equivalent to $700 receivers on the market right now. With its 1080i upconversion and TrueHD/DTS-HS decoding capabilities, this investment won’t be obsolete for YEARS to come.

   Overall, I spent more than $1100 including the ONKYO9100, Belkin 16 gauge speaker cable, Vantage Point SATS05B satellite mounts, and Lovan Affiniti 29″ Speaker Stands. Do not go cheap on the accessories… you may as well buy a lesser HTIB if you’re going cheap on the other stuff. I am running it with a 52″ Philips 1080p LCD, PS3, Blu-Ray, and TWC DVR and couldn’t be happier with my home entertainment system.
3. Nevada One says:

   August 28, 2010 at 1:24 pm

   Review by Nevada One for Onkyo HT-S9100THX 7.1 Channel Receiver and Speaker Package
   Rating:
   Onkyo HT-S9100THX 7.1 Channel Receiver and Speaker Package
   
   Onkyo’s HT-S9100THX 7.1 Channel Surround Receiver & Speaker package provides a solution for multiple HDMI devices to connect to a single input HDMI television. I have a DVR, HD DVD & 5 Disc DVD player all connected to my TV thru my Onkyo receiver and can control all the devices with the Onkyo remote!
   
   The receiver has 4 HDMI inputs with 1 HDMI output, 2 component inputs with 1 component output, 4 composite inputs with 2 composite outputs, 3 S-Video inputs with 2 combined composite & S-Video outputs, 2 Audio Coax & 2 Audio Optical inputs also.
   
   Onkyo provides an On Screen Display to help considerably ease the component to receiver setup. As well as a 7.1 Channel surround setup with microphone to optimize Audio quality from all speakers located anywhere in your room.
   
   Speakers are venier, particle board box type with beautiful grills labelled THX Onkyo and a Gray radius’d front complementing the Black venier. Onkyo provides color coded 18 guage speaker wire with the package and each speaker has color coded multi-purpose banana screw type connectors which will accept even 10 guage wire.
   
   Sound quality will be much better if you opt to wire your system with 12 or 10 guage wire. High quality banana jacks are a good purchase for at least the receiver end.
   
   The surround is clean, crisp and exciting while watching high quality DVD’s or HD DVD’s. If you have a good set of high quality stereo speakers the Onkyo receiver provides A & B speaker outputs.
   
   Now for the good part! The Onkyo upconverts poorer HDMI inputs 540P, 720P etc. to 1080I. You can also select to pass the poorer signals if you like. But, I now watch all TV in 1080 with 7.1 channel surround!
4. J. V. Gussev says:

   August 28, 2010 at 1:29 pm

   Review by J. V. Gussev for Onkyo HT-S9100THX 7.1 Channel Receiver and Speaker Package
   Rating:
   I recently added this product to my living room for my Sony 52XBR5 and PS3. I must say, after setting everything up, which did take quite a bit of time, I am stunned at the level of performance. I purchased this product for $750 and there is absolutely nothing I can say that could give this HTIB justice. Runs DTS-MA and TrueHD with ease through the PS3 w/ the use of an HDMI cable. Plenty of connectivity options w/ 4 HDMI-in so my PS3, Xbox Elite, DirecTV, and Wii and easily connected. I will work on getting a few pictures. I did however have to purchase 3 sets of stands (AS240B) for the speakers being that I did not want to wall mount. Sound is clear, crisp, distinguished, and mesmerizing; just as long as you know what you are doing during set-up. Compared to any other 2k-5k surround sound systems, this is clearly the best option.

   To sum up my thoughts and experience with the product: Simply Amazing!
5. Jason D. Player says:

   August 28, 2010 at 1:42 pm

   Review by Jason D. Player for Onkyo HT-S9100THX 7.1 Channel Receiver and Speaker Package
   Rating:
   I’m not an audiophile but a decent judge of quality and decided after a lot of research to buy this system. The only change I recommend is larger speaker wire and a higer quality sub woofer cable as the ones that come with it are crappy.

   The system was everything I had hoped for and gets lots of wows from everyone that experiences it.

   One “small” detail is the size of the surround speakers may make it difficult for some on the placement. I have a dedicated room for watching movies/gaming and mounted them on the walls.

   Strongly recommended. Don’t panic when the box shows up destroyed, just about everyone’s does. The interior packaging is pretty robust and I didn’t have any damage to the pieces.