Onkyo HT780 Home theater system 439 free shipping

[Jokersmoker]

Text
Enjoy
jokersmoker

 

[blckgrffn]

Nice

 

[Lyfer]

How does this compare to the Logitech 5300-Z with a Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS?

 

[Bruce Lee]

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/502005404

$10 more but with a free set of speaker stands. Free shipping, too.

I ordered this last Monday, and it just came in this morning via Fedex. I did my homework, and it seems like a really nice system. Reccomended on Cnet, too.

It just came in this morning, but I had to go to work.

Will setup tonight and let you know how it goes.

*Edit: fixed URL

 

[ebaycj]

Originally posted by: Lyfer
How does this compare to the Logitech 5300-Z with a Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS?

you're kidding, right?

 

[Steelerz37]

i have been looking at this set.. it seems really nice and gets good reviews. Any chance this will drop after xmas? thats why I have been holding off.

 

[shock311]

hmmm, looks good

 

[masteraleph]

Originally posted by: Lyfer
How does this compare to the Logitech 5300-Z with a Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS?

Well, let's see here...

This system would blow the Klipsch Ultras out of the water, not to mention anything by logitech.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

This set goes on sale for under $400 from time to time at Circuit City.

 

[swamyg1]

GOTO ONKYO AND YOU CAN GET A FREE 6 DISC DVD CHANGER, but it's for a refurb w/ 1yr warranty... price is still good at $450 seeing how the dvd player is worth $200

http://www.shoponkyo.com/detail.cfm?pro...delid=67&group_id=1&detail=1&ext_war=1

 

[hornet2060]

i own the S780 and it is hooked up to my 50" sony DLP tv, this system is one of the best HTiB' s for the money. there are better out there for a lot more, but in this price range, the Onkyo is hard to beat. Subwoofer alone is 30lbs, the speakers are not small, but sound is very good for a HTiB.

 

[shagman]

I picked this set up at CC... have the store match the website on one of the days the website has a % off or MIR, in my case they PM'd AND matched the rebate, got it for under $500 out the door with tax.

 

[Solarium]

Originally posted by: Lyfer
How does this compare to the Logitech 5300-Z with a Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS?

That's like comparing apples to oranges, except this is more like comparing a mercedes to a army tank... the Logitech 5300-Z's are like the mercedes in cars, which may be the best in its class, but will be crushed easily by any tank Computer speakers ranges from 30-500 bucks for a 5.1 system, while HT speakers range from 300-20k, totally in different classes.

However, if you can use these as computer speakers that would be totally kick ass

 

[McPhreak]

How about comparison to the Fluance HTIB (other than the fact that it's 7.1 vs. 5.1)?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: McPhreak
How about comparison to the Fluance HTIB (other than the fact that it's 7.1 vs. 5.1)?

And the Fluance doesn't come with a receiver or sub either....

Add in a $120 12" dayton sub, a $170 Pioneer 515, speaker wire / cables, and you have a Fluance system going for about $700. Not really the same pricerange.

 

[Bruce Lee]

Originally posted by: shagman
I picked this set up at CC... have the store match the website on one of the days the website has a % off or MIR, in my case they PM'd AND matched the rebate, got it for under $500 out the door with tax.

$449.99 delivered with free stands, and no tax

Originally posted by: Solarium
However, if you can use these as computer speakers that would be totally kick ass

The receiver has a digital coax input - I was able to plug my Asus A7N8X-E coax out from the Soundstorm right in - sounded wonderfull. A HUGE step up over my PC speakers - Logitech z640s.

Now for my review:

This is my first home theater system, so I don't have much to compare it to. But DAMN, it's dope! I didn't have a coax at first, and Frys was closed, so I made do with the Red/White RCAs the first night from my DirecTV (only has RCA audio out) and my DVD player. The Dolby Prologic IIx sounded good, but not a lot of deffinition or spacialization that I would expect from this system. However, after reading up a bit on the subject, I guess that is how this is supposed to sound.

On the way home from work tonight, I stopped by and picked up the Digital coax cable (After the idiot sales guy tried to sell me stereo and video RCA cables). I plugged it into the DVD player and receiver, then searched my shelves for a DTS movie. The first thing I grabbed was LotR - 2towers. This is actually a DTS-ES title, so it makes (mostly) full use of all speakers (the 2rear surround are actually the same channel). This was a great experience (minus my old SD TV). I really liked the way this sounded - hearing the gates of Mordor close behind me was very imersive and really brought me into it. I had the volume at 45 in my big living room, but it could be heard upstairs pretty loud also. At this level, the speakers were still firing away just find, and no issues with the sub, either.

I popped in another disk - Face/Off. This one is only Dolby Digital, but it did sound very good. I watched this for a bit last night also, and the difference between the Pro-logic and actual digital are very apparent. First off, in pro-logic mode, the sub doesn't seem to be utilized as much. Secondly, the surround is no where near as active or immersive in Pro Logic mode. This receiver is also capable of playing Dolby Digital EX encoded movies - this can sepperate a rear center channel of audio for an even more surrounding experience. However, this is not a discreet channel, as in DTS-ES. It takes sounds from both rear speakers and plays it out of 1 rear (6.1) or 2 rear (7.1) surround speakers.

One thing to note is that Dolby Digital and DTS, and all their supported varrients will only work on this receiver through digital coax (1 input) or optical (3 inputs), or the multi-channel input found on some DVD players. Any sound pumped in through the red/white RCAs will be stuck in Pro Logic IIx mode, or one of the other matrixed/simulated surround sound options. I deffinately prefer the DTS sound the best. The Dolby Digital is also high quality. Both of those options are far better than Pro Logic, IMO.

When I first setup my system, all of the presets were actually very good. The only thing I really adjusted was the crossover, turning the sub up to 120Hz. This is a very good level for my room and setup, and sounds good to me for movies, TV, and music.

Another thing to mention - the best TV/Monitor out options on the box are Component. There is 1 output, and 3 inputs. There are also the same ammound of Composite/RCA and S-video input/outputs. However, inputs are only viewable on the TV/Monitor using the same input. For example, my S-video DVD player can't be viewed on my TV if connected to the receiver over Composite/RCA. I'm not sure about S-video to Component though.

The remote is hit or miss so far. Some functions I'd think are important, like digital input and changing radio stations aren't possible to do from the remote. Also, it controls my JVC tv just fine, but won't play nice with my DirecTV receiver or cheapo DVD player... I guess I shouldn't complain too much about that, but there were a ton of codes included that were possible for both of these devices, but none worked...

In conclusion, I'd say these are very nice speakers. I did my homework and checked around, and for a simple HTiB, these really take the cake. They're a bit big, and not as stylish as those flat speaker packages, but very affordable and sound great (using digital inputs) Now I just have to get a TV to match...

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Bruce Lee

Originally posted by: shagman
I picked this set up at CC... have the store match the website on one of the days the website has a % off or MIR, in my case they PM'd AND matched the rebate, got it for under $500 out the door with tax.

$449.99 delivered with free stands, and no tax

Originally posted by: Solarium
However, if you can use these as computer speakers that would be totally kick ass

The receiver has a digital coax input - I was able to plug my Asus A7N8X-E coax out from the Soundstorm right in - sounded wonderfull. A HUGE step up over my PC speakers - Logitech z640s.

Now for my review:

This is my first home theater system, so I don't have much to compare it to. But DAMN, it's dope! I didn't have a coax at first, and Frys was closed, so I made do with the Red/White RCAs the first night from my DirecTV (only has RCA audio out) and my DVD player. The Dolby Prologic IIx sounded good, but not a lot of deffinition or spacialization that I would expect from this system. However, after reading up a bit on the subject, I guess that is how this is supposed to sound.

On the way home from work tonight, I stopped by and picked up the Digital coax cable (After the idiot sales guy tried to sell me stereo and video RCA cables). I plugged it into the DVD player and receiver, then searched my shelves for a DTS movie. The first thing I grabbed was LotR - 2towers. This is actually a DTS-ES title, so it makes (mostly) full use of all speakers (the 2rear surround are actually the same channel). This was a great experience (minus my old SD TV). I really liked the way this sounded - hearing the gates of Mordor close behind me was very imersive and really brought me into it. I had the volume at 45 in my big living room, but it could be heard upstairs pretty loud also. At this level, the speakers were still firing away just find, and no issues with the sub, either.

I popped in another disk - Face/Off. This one is only Dolby Digital, but it did sound very good. I watched this for a bit last night also, and the difference between the Pro-logic and actual digital are very apparent. First off, in pro-logic mode, the sub doesn't seem to be utilized as much. Secondly, the surround is no where near as active or immersive in Pro Logic mode. This receiver is also capable of playing Dolby Digital EX encoded movies - this can sepperate a rear center channel of audio for an even more surrounding experience. However, this is not a discreet channel, as in DTS-ES. It takes sounds from both rear speakers and plays it out of 1 rear (6.1) or 2 rear (7.1) surround speakers.

One thing to note is that Dolby Digital and DTS, and all their supported varrients will only work on this receiver through digital coax (1 input) or optical (3 inputs), or the multi-channel input found on some DVD players. Any sound pumped in through the red/white RCAs will be stuck in Pro Logic IIx mode, or one of the other matrixed/simulated surround sound options. I deffinately prefer the DTS sound the best. The Dolby Digital is also high quality. Both of those options are far better than Pro Logic, IMO.

When I first setup my system, all of the presets were actually very good. The only thing I really adjusted was the crossover, turning the sub up to 120Hz. This is a very good level for my room and setup, and sounds good to me for movies, TV, and music.

Another thing to mention - the best TV/Monitor out options on the box are Component. There is 1 output, and 3 inputs. There are also the same ammound of Composite/RCA and S-video input/outputs. However, inputs are only viewable on the TV/Monitor using the same input. For example, my S-video DVD player can't be viewed on my TV if connected to the receiver over Composite/RCA. I'm not sure about S-video to Component though.

The remote is hit or miss so far. Some functions I'd think are important, like digital input and changing radio stations aren't possible to do from the remote. Also, it controls my JVC tv just fine, but won't play nice with my DirecTV receiver or cheapo DVD player... I guess I shouldn't complain too much about that, but there were a ton of codes included that were possible for both of these devices, but none worked...

In conclusion, I'd say these are very nice speakers. I did my homework and checked around, and for a simple HTiB, these really take the cake. They're a bit big, and not as stylish as those flat speaker packages, but very affordable and sound great (using digital inputs) Now I just have to get a TV to match...

You could have used an RCA cable as a digital coax cable.

Usually it's best to keep the crossover at 100hz or lower when your speakers are capable of playing a little lower than that. Do you know what adjusting the crossover is doing?

I don't think it can do upconversion at all, so s-video to component also probably doesn't work.

 

[Bruce Lee]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Usually it's best to keep the crossover at 100hz or lower when your speakers are capable of playing a little lower than that. Do you know what adjusting the crossover is doing?

Thanks for your concern. I actually do understand the concept of a crossover. I adjusted to what I felt sounded the best. I thought that other people who end up buying this may want to know that the system sounds best with the LPF adjusted as so, but what do I know, eh? I only own the system and did the testing myself. It's not like I have ears or something...
:roll:

 

[Nohr]

Originally posted by: Bruce Lee

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Usually it's best to keep the crossover at 100hz or lower when your speakers are capable of playing a little lower than that. Do you know what adjusting the crossover is doing?

Thanks for your concern. I actually do understand the concept of a crossover. I adjusted to what I felt sounded the best. I thought that other people who end up buying this may want to know that the system sounds best with the LPF adjusted as so, but what do I know, eh? I only own the system and did the testing myself. It's not like I have ears or something...
:roll:

Defensive much?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Bruce Lee

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Usually it's best to keep the crossover at 100hz or lower when your speakers are capable of playing a little lower than that. Do you know what adjusting the crossover is doing?

Thanks for your concern. I actually do understand the concept of a crossover. I adjusted to what I felt sounded the best. I thought that other people who end up buying this may want to know that the system sounds best with the LPF adjusted as so, but what do I know, eh? I only own the system and did the testing myself. It's not like I have ears or something...
:roll:

You didn't know that a digital coax cable was just a 75ohm RCA cable and called the Radioshack and employee an "idiot sales guy" when an RCA video cable would have worked.

Your own red and white RCA cables although technically not the exact spec (probably) would have also worked just fine.

You also didn't know the term "upconversion"

You went in depth at the difference between digital and analog.

All this made me think this was your first HT system, and I wanted to ask you if you knew what adjusting the crossover was in case it wasn't set up optimally for your system.

Using the term "turning the sub up to 120hz" and "good level" made me think you might have it confused with gain controls. Generally 80hz is a standard place to set the crossover and 120hz is fairly high getting to the point where you'll be able to tell that bass is coming from the sub rather than an omnidirectional effect.

Just trying to help you get the most out of your system.

 

[boles]

This deal is hotter now....

You can still get the free 6 disk DVD changer and now there is a coupon code for Home Theater 20% off.

Deal is now: $350 shipped......

 

[masteraleph]

Originally posted by: boles
This deal is hotter now....

You can still get the free 6 disk DVD changer and now there is a coupon code for Home Theater 20% off.

Deal is now: $350 shipped......

Darn it! Now I'm really tempted, and I don't really need them even :-\

 

[RyBoy]

This system looks awesome with so many digital outputs, dolby digital everything, and the black set on onkyo's website is SICK!

BUT, How do you get the 20% off?

EDIT: Also, how good is the subwoofer, does it really boom, or would an upgrade be needed?

And, how do you get the 6 disc dvd player free?

 

[RyBoy]

HOW DO YOU GET 20% OFF?!?

 

[Reckoner]

Just picked it up for $350... That's MOLTEN LAVA HOT!!!


Since I'm new to HT, what will I need (for cables) to get my HT up and running once it arrives?


Edit: Do a search for "Onkyo Coupons" via google and you'll find the 20% off coupon