Accessories

4 stars, Could have been better.
I was under the impression that all units could be "direct connect" into the back. Sadly I was wrong. I needed to buy a COAX and optical. Sucked. I was pissed knowing I had to venture out to Best Buy just to get this think hooked up.
Could have been easier. And to the louse that said it took 30 min to set up...yea eat a dick. It was about 2 hours.

Awesome!
This system is insanely incredible.

I baught this system with both eyes open. I knew the HDMI connections were video pass-through only. I knew the connections available weren't up to snuff with the 'bigger boys' (Onkyo 606 and on). But I didn't care... The quality I get for the price tag is a complete steal.

In this package, you get 7 speakers and a beasty powered subwoofer (290 watts). The receiver has 2 HDMI inputs and 1 output, 2 component ins and 1 out, 2 optical inputs and I believe 1 coaxial. There are a bunch of extra connections for VCR's, DVD players, game consoles, etc.

Now, for quality....
This system is LOUD!!! I owned a sony htib before this and they're child's play compared to these. After some manual calibrating, I popped in the HD DVD version of 'Transformers' and... WOW!! I was hearing stuff I didn't know was in the sound field. Music is very crisp and clear. You could hear every instrument during jazz or acoustic sessions. Games are unbelievable on this setup.

The calibration mic setup didn't sound too good to me. It was a bit flat for my standards. But, to each his own, right?

One last thing, for people who say, 'this system runs too hot', gimme a break. IT'S SUPPOSED. For the amount of things the receiver does, be happy that it doesn't blow up. Just be sure have it in a property ventilated area and you're good for 20 years.

Overall, I highly suggest this system. It even comes with an iPod dock. Oh... and be sure to upgrade to 16 guage or lower wires. The ones supplied are crap. =]

excellent system
set up is a little complicated, and you do need a separate fiber optic cable for audio for your devices that use HDMI inputs. The receiver should be described as a HDMI switching device since you do need a separate audio cable. The audio for the most part it is amazing! Sometimes the base is a little overwhelming but that can be easily controlled and modified. I would strongly recommend a smart remote from Harmony to accompany this device so you don't have to have seven different remotes to do very simple task. It's nice to be able to turn everything on by pushing one-button. Although I have the Harmony 550 and I would recommend going to the next step up if you can.

Good, but not great
This is the 2nd Onkyo system I have owned. The sound is good, makes watching movies even more realistic. I would have rated higher but I was unable to get the auto sych to work with the enclosed microphone.

Excellent value for the price
I was originally intending to buy the Onkyo receiver and/or the 5.1 speaker system but then ended up buying this one. Excellent buy at the price, when I ordered the system earlier on. Easy to set up, the automated speaker calibration works cool and it indeed helped. I did not use the speaker wires provided with this system but instead bought 14 and 16 gauge wires from the local Frys instead, since in some cases the length of the wires exceeded 20-30 foot when run through the walls. The only problem as many folks have stated here is that the receiver becomes hot but so far I have not been witness to system shutting down automatically as a few of them have observed here. The speakers (all 7 of them) are not that heavy and can be easily placed on the wall. Overall, we are extremely happy with the system so far.