7.1-channel home theater system with receiver, subwoofer, center channel speaker, and six satellite speakers
1200 watts of total power (130W x 7 channels plus 290W subwoofer)
Four 1080p capable HDMI inputs (V1.4a) supporting 3D video and Audio Return Channel
1080p scaling via Faroudja DCDi Cinema
WRAT technology and discrete amp construction for cleaner sound
This review is from: Onkyo HT-S6300 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver and Speaker Package with iPod DockThis model is basically the same as S5300, with extra features:1. Can up-convert all video inputs to 1080P and output through HDMI. S5300 can't do this.2. Comes with a setup mic for Audessy to set up speakers automatically.S5300 doesn't have it.3. Front Speaker is smaller than those of S5300. I hooked them up on wall they look better. The front speakers of S5300 are much bigger and the rear speakers are much smaller.4. Subwoofer is taller and narrower than that of S5300. To me that is better.5. Total weight is like 10lb less than S5300.It is about $100 more than S5300. You can go with S5300 for cheaper if you don't mind those points above....
This review is from: Onkyo HT-S6300 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver and Speaker Package with iPod DockFirst off, I should say that I bought this from Newegg, since - at the time - Amazon had an estimated ship time of 1-2 months. I see they now have it back in stock for immediate delivery (at time of writing, anyway). Overall I will say that for the reduced price they have it at (less than $500) it's quite a bargain - and worth every penny.PACKAGING:I've included pictures of the packaging, since I assume that this doesn't really change much between either seller. Everything is packed and separated pretty solidly in thick styrofoam, the TX-SR680 receiver is located at the top, the subwoofer is at the bottom, and all speakers, accessories and cables are in between. There was some slight damage to the box in UPS shipping, but nothing out of the ordinary. The equipment inside was fairly pristine.SETUP & PERFORMANCE:The included wires with this system are 22-Gauge (for the front and center channels) and 24-Gauge (for the surrounds and rear surrounds) respectively. I replaced these with 14 Gauge wire purchased at Monoprice. That being said, I found it much simpler to use cheap banana plugs from Home Depot for connecting the wires to the receiver, since the binding posts in the back of the receiver are fairly closely placed and it's fairly tricky to thread the bare wire into the connections. The banana plugs allowed me to plug into the front, minimal fuss. I also used speaker pins for the spring clip connections in the speakers themselves, but that's a personal preference, since I like the neater look and I'm too lazy to strip wire :-). You should also know that I'm using this as a 5.1 system, I'll figure out what to do with the rear surrounds later I guess.The system worked like a charm out of the box, I have a DVD player and my PS3 connected via HDMI and use an HDMI out to the Plasma TV. Upconversion works flawlessly, picture and sound are excellent. My Blu-Ray of Serenity sounds and looks amazing through this system. Also popped in my Star Wars DVDs to see the upconverted 1080p signal at work - again, quite excellent and smooth picture. The HDMI connection carries both video and sound to the receiver from the PS3, so it's one less cable to deal with - 2 if you count the absence of a corresponding HDMI output to the TV :)I used the Audyssey setup afterwards, it matched my manual estimations fairly closely and I can definitely say I noticed an improvement in surround sound speaker volume after I did it. Sound is quite clear, system has good loudness to it and the bass sounds great in my apartment. For larger, hall-like rooms, however, the bass may not be sufficient. Movies - as stated - sound excellent.Another great thing is the on screen displays for setup functions and listening mode adjustments while the TV is switched to the HDMI input from the receiver.CONS:As awesome as this system is, I will point out a few things -1) The center channel is obviously made to lie horizontally, and yet the speaker is not shaped any differently than the front or surrounds i.e. the surface on the side is slightly curved and will rock unless you use some of the included rubber "feet". I had to pretty much guess where they should go on the underside of the speaker, which is fine since the system comes with like 20 of the things and I don't need them for any of the other speakers.2) BE VERY CAREFUL handling the subwoofer. The speaker fires down and there literally is NOTHING protecting the underside of the cabinet, which means your fingers can poke a hole quite easily through the cone if you don't watch out. Not quite sure what the Onkyo engineers were thinking when designing this, but it's a bit too easy to ruin your new purchase that way.3) iPod Dock works pretty nicely but the instructions on how to truly take advantage of it aren't very clear (press DISPLAY to get an On Screen Display of your Music and folders from iTunes). I haven't tried playing video on this yet but I did notice it detected Apple's "TV Shows" folder - perhaps I can use this instead of getting an Apple TV? Any feedback here will be welcome in the comments.4) This is my 2nd Onkyo unit so I'm used to this, but the remote can take some getting used to. There's a little bit of a lag when you navigate the on screen displays.SOME OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:I did notice some hiccups when playing sound from my TV. I don't have a set top box, signal is just basic cable coming from the wall and I have a Digital Out (Optical) running from the TV to the receiver. This could very well be the fault of the cable signal or TV since the PS3 audio comes in perfectly fine. We'll probably end up with an STB (or maybe Apple TV/Boxee) soon enough, so this should no longer be an issue.The receiver does run hot - but it ha...
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