Hey Guys, I thought I'd do my homework before getting ready to buy a HTIB; and I've read dozens of reviews saying Onkyo's the best for the $400-500 dollar price range. So my problem is that there's the Onkyo HT-S780 and the Onkyo HT-S790--they have the same features except the 790 has HDMI connections..........now, I also wanna future-proof my system, so the 790 seems like a wise choice. But, I just wanna know if anyone's seen some solid Yamaha systems in my price range that are worthy to compete against the Onkyos mentioned here. Lastly, the cheapest price I've found on the Onkyo HT-S790 is $400 from Circuit City (that's brand new.)--if you find a better price please let me know!! P.S. I'm going for a 7.1 surround system, not 5.1 or even 6.1....... P.S.P.S. Also, anyone got some tips on what kind of music to play in a home theater system when testing it out for sound quality?? (I've heard before that organ music really pushes it to the max!?) Okay, Thanx everyone! p
Hello Halen5150! I'll leave others to handle your questions; I just moved and don't have the time to do the homework but you're right about organ music being a good test...not just any organ, but pipe organs. I teach organ and piano on the side and finding speakers that can properly handle pipe organs is every organist's nightmare. I tried system after system that could push out the heaviest metal really nicely but put in a disc or a blaring pipe organ and they whimp right out with poor reproduction across the board. Imagine the bass sound of trying to blow into a coke bottle 50 feet hight LOL! But its no joke, that's what pipe organs are like. Pipes so tall and wide that you literally don't hear any note but feel the note(s) through your feet or butt...or the high sound of a pipe as thin as a refill for your pen and only two inches tall. Pipe organs will have as many as 40,000 pipes. With the stop setting, szvorando pistons, couplers, boxes open etc, literally hundreds of pipes can be playing at the same time even if you only have two hands and two feet with which to play. Very few speakers can reproduce it properly. There have got to be a lot of DVDs with which to check effects; I rather liked the back and forth vollying of gunshot and explosions in the first ten or fifteen mins of "Saving Private Ryan" the effects were pretty spectacular.
@Gerry1 Hey Gerry1!! I give you very much thanx for answering my post!!! Anyway, about that pipe organ music........do reccomend any organ CD's in particular that I should listen to in order to really test out this system? Also, as for DVD's I was thinking that possibly the Battle scene @ Helm's Deep in Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers would be a good choice to pick for a DVD movie sound test? Lastly, Once you're done looking up this system, let me know if you've found a better price at any other place. Also, a recent assumption I've made is this: I've researched the availability enough on the Onkyo HT-S780 enough to know that it's rarely seen nowadays..........but in this week's Circuit City ad; they showed a new model (called the HT-S790) for $500 WITH HDMI inputs!! So, my two final questions are this: 1. Do you think that Onkyo has (sort of) replaced the HT-S780 with a more future proof system (which is the HT-S790) for the days when it's time to upgrade to the HD age? (Which will be a while for me.) 2. Since consumer reports rated the S780 as the #1 choice; I've been really into looking at the Onkyo brand HTIBs. But just to make sure I'm not missing out on anything that's got a better bang for your buck-- have you seen any systems better than my current two choices right now? 3. And to make my homework is done right I want to make sure I've got these facts straight (correct me if any i say are wrong): -For a future proof system, you want a system w/ HDMI connections which provide the best quality for a true theater experience. -Second to the HDMI input, in terms of quality, are the component and digital optical/coaxial connections for 2nd best optimum audio and video experience. **--So, after all that said here, do you think the Onkyo HT-S790 is a wise choice for a future proof system for when it's time to upgrade to Bluray or HDDVD?? and, is it a reliable system in which you think I will have not wasted my money on? P.S. I just want to thank you right here for all of your help at the present and future with me. P.S.P.S. How would you compare the sound quality of this to the higher priced Onkyo model (it's THX certified receiver, so it ought to be better) , the HT-S870?? And a final note, the S790 i've been thinking about will be bought in the black color (not silver), if it matters at all.
@Halen5150...hmmmm....I'm not too sure where to begin with all this LOL! First, while I understand where you are coming from and what you mean, there is not such thing as a "future-proof system"; it's impossible without the proverbial crystal ball. You choice or the Onkyo HTS790 was certainly correct of the two. HDMI is digital to digital and carries both video and audio but I hate to rain on your parade here; none of those you mentioned have HDMI...not the 780, 790 nor 870 but you're splitting hairs here, my friend. I run hi def through both component and HDMI and I can't tell the difference in the picture; they're both awesome. I know people will yell and scream when I say that and technically they're right; HDMI is better and you can pull out all the gadgets to prove it but you'd have to have the eyes of a friggin eagle to tell the difference. Perhaps when you read high def, you assumed HDMI but it carries hi-def signals on component cables. I've read numerous reviews and they all had high praise for it as one of the best home theater in a box systems that you can get...the lowest price I say was $375 dollars but it was at a web site that isn't manufacturer authorized and you want to avoid those like the plague. The only audio complains I read said that its a bit weak in the mid-range which doesn't surprise me for reasons I'll explain below. The best organist with which to test a system is actually my second favorite organist...Michael Murry...he's not my #1 but he's a serious ham who loves to push the best and biggest pipe organs in the world to their limits but I can tell you right now that the Onkyo won't do it...it will distort...particularly in the lower mid-range and the bass but, my friend, how often do you even listen to pipe organs? ...I'm probably the only guy in aD who does LOL! The truth is, the Onkyo HT-S790 may sound awesome with DVDs (I never heard it but the reviews are good as you mentioned) but it won't be awesome with music ... all things are relative and it may sound very good but it WON'T be awesome with music ... DVDs will be much better. This has little to do with the quality but rather speaker size ... they say on both models that these are "bookshelf" speakers but they're speaking only of cabinet size, not frequency response; given the frequency response cut off points, they're really small satellite speakers in disguise and I'm sure the avr automatically sets the fronts to "small". While I guess there is a bit of visual deception at work here, this doesn't mean that its bad; they make small main fronts that sound awesome now and the way they do it is by clipping the lower mid-range frequency responses and sending it to the subwoofer which is actually pretty clever because it means that "bigger is better" just isn't (necessarily) the case anymore. My fronts could double as a volkswagon if you put wheels on thsm LOL but the same company makes these fronts the size of a baseball and the sound will knock your socks off and it does that by sending the the lower half of the midrange as well as all the bass. You see, trebel is totally directional, the higher mid range is directioal, the lower midrange is hardly directional at all and bass is nondirectional...so the latter two frequency responses coming through the sub is fine because your ears don't perceive the direction from which the sound comes (well, perhaps a bit with the lower mid range). As a musician though, I have a very demanding ear when it comes to music and the reviews on the system were really good. Tell me, have you heard the system yet?
To be honest, I have not heard the system yet. And yes, you my friend, are exactly right about it not having HDMI inputs; what happened was that I wasn't wrong--the local CC ad made a mistake saying it had HDMI connections!!! (dumb idiots,LOL) So, what I've decided to do now is to go with the 780 because by the time I actually am ready to buy; the 780 will have gone down in terms of price significantly! (I've found an authorized dealer that's got it $300 refurbed!) Also, when you were talking about that 'bigger is not always better' and how the speakers send some of the lower frequencies to the sub etc.,,,...-- that really reminds me of the design of Bose's crappy HTIBS (overpriced as far as quality IMO) I don't know if you read my 'Is bose overrated?' post but another AD friend posted this site: http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html Anyway, adding on to that; I have been delving into the Audioholics and AVS Forums (that's why it took so long for me to post again; I kinda left AD for awhile and now i'm back--cheers buddy!!) for a while and attained a wealth of info compared to what I had about a month ago. Also, back to buying the 780--unless I ever find myself a really good deal around a holiday sale, I'll buy the 790 (people say there's not much diff. between the 780 and the 790) for the sake of it's A/v sync feature; the only prob. is; how do I know if I need the A/V sync feature. ('cause i don't wanna watch movies that look like they're in foreign language!LOL) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Okay, so besides all that crap here's what I've got so far. 1. In order to receive DTS or DD or any other of the like; I need to connect the audio from my DVD Player with an optical/coaxial connection (i'll be using coax) 2. As for speaker cable, Monster is way overrated marketing hype for pricing; sticking with some stuff from Home Depot or Lowes will do just fine 3. for speaker stands, (if i ever get any)make sure they include those little spikes on the bottom so the sound doesn't travel into the ground (??Don't really remember where I heard that, but I read that you lose some of your sound out of the speakers if there's no spikes??) 4. For rear/surround speakers or long cable runs, 12 gauge wire is the way to go. (What size wire do you use for all of your diff. speakers?) --Thanx Gerry!!! You've been a great help! Let me know what you think. Also, I just want this Onkyo for and entry level HT; not permanent (duh) later on I'll be upgrading the speakers (soon after buying, i hope) and the subwoofer. P.S. How are the SVS Cylinder subwoofers; I really dig the look of them and the construction. They sound pretty good to me because of their INCREDIBLY high praise. Lastly, I probably should have told you in an older post; it just so happens that I'm a musician too (a guitar player); probably not advanced as you are with theory; but I am definitely into it...(thought I'd let ya know>>)) Peace Gerry, --Jake-->(my real name as opposed to Halen5150)
Yamaha RX-V2600 and RX-V1600 Receivers Introducing the RX-V2600 and RX-V1600 - the world’s first receivers in their class to offer 2-in/1-out HDMI switching with up-conversion features. This process provides the most advanced method of delivering high-quality video to a home theater system that allows the user to enjoy DVD and satellite TV with HD quality. Compatible with the HDMI Ver. 1.1 format, they can also decode digital audio signals including DVD-Audio, PCM, Dolby Digital and DTS. Both receivers allow video composite, s-video and component signals to be up-converted to HDMI output, with a TBC (Time Base Corrector) that stabilizes the video signal. A video de-interlacer superior to any other in this class of receiver effectively delivers best-quality progressive video images. The RX-V2600 can convert 480p signals to HD resolutions (720p, 1080i), and is the first and only receiver in its class to offer the benefits of superior up-scaling technologies. These models also include HDTV (720p/1080i) compatibility via a (component video) upconversion feature, which can upgrade composite and s-video signals to component video format for ease of installation. The receivers allow users to plug an XM Connect-and-Play home antenna and activate the XM Radio service to receive more than 150 news, sports and entertainment digital radio channels. The XM Connect-and-Play home antenna is capable of receiving XM’s satellite and terrestrial signals as well as channel tuning, decoding and audio transmission. It is the only accessory needed to receive XM Radio through the Yamaha XM-ready AV receiver. For multi-room custom installations, power amp channels can be assigned in two ways: The first uses five channels for the Main Zone and two channels for Zone 2, for enjoying 5.1-channel sound in the main room. The alternative would be three channels for the Main Zone and two channels each for Zone 2 and 3, allowing users to enjoy music in all three rooms without the need for extra amplifiers. Music can even be heard in Zone 4 by using the Speaker B output function. Other features include Main/Zone 2/Zone 3 power switches on the front panel, a Zone Control button for source selection and volume adjustment, Zone 2/3 on-screen information display (RX-V2600 only), Zone 2/3 tone controls, RS-232C interface for an AMX/Creston touch panel controller and a separate Zone Remote Unit. Worthy successors to the RX-V2500 and RX-V1500, the mid-priced RX-V2600 (130W x 7) and RX-V1600 (120W x 7) feature powerful 7-channel amplification and employ Yamaha’s Digital ToP-ART (Total Purity Audio Reproduction Technology) design concept to maximize digital sound quality, with several operation modes that provide short, direct signal paths for even greater sound clarity. For true audiophiles, Yamaha’s upgraded Pure Direct Switch now has a zero Intermediate Frequency (IF) and low-jitter Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) circuit, and provides high quality stereo sound reproduction. Yamaha Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer (YPAO) simplifies the home theater setup process by automatically analyzing room acoustics and setting parameters for optimum sound quality at the listening position, all at the touch of a button. The entire process takes less than three minutes. Six YPAO settings can be stored in the receiver’s memory. The digital home theater receivers feature a dynamic surround sound performance through a choice of 22 (RX-V2600) and 19 (RX-V1600) surround programs including all the Dolby and DTS formats, CINEMA DSP programs, HiFi DSP programs and five THX programs including Select2. In addition, the RX-V2600 has an On-Screen GUI Display, which makes operating the receiver easy and intuitive. Five languages, including Spanish, are available. The 1600 you should be able to pick-up for $650-$700 a little more then Onkyo but well worth it.
