Onkyo HT-S780

[5.1 DTS guy]

I do consider myself an audiophile, or atleast an amateur audiophile, but spending well over a grand for a home theater system is not gonna happen anytime soon. We're upgrading to an HDTV pretty soon, and I was wondering if the Onkyo HT-S780 HTiB (no dvd player which is good) is a good buy? It got pretty good customer reviews off circuitcity.com, has 1,000 watts, 7.1 setup. Seems pretty good, especially for it's 420-500 dollar price. Anyone have experience with this system and anyone think this is a good buy?

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-Home-Theater-System-HT-S780-/sem/rpsm/oid/119865/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

 

[Nomo]

I can only comment on the speakers: They do OK for movies and TV. The sub is better than you may think. For music, you'll yearn for something better very quickly.

 

[ltheis]

If i am not mistaken that system has a passive sub, and if it was the same sytem I heard at CC I was not impressed. If I were you and looking in that price range i would check out on of the Yamaha packages, I bought the YHT-160 5.1 system for my living room and love it.

 

[Leprkon]

if you have $ 1,000 to spend, here's one decent solution:

a pair of towers ($240 for the pair):
http://www.thetwistergroup.com/product/DV-64 D00805.html

a decent center (you can go one size up from this for an even better speaker, but your TV probably won't hold the weight and you'll need to build a shelf) ($ 90)
http://www.thetwistergroup.com/product/DV-53CLR D00813.html

two pair of surrounds ($ 53 per pair)- go up to the 5 1/4's if the wife will let you
http://www.thetwistergroup.com/product/DV-32W D00802.html

subwoofer ($ 173)
http://www.thetwistergroup.com/product/V-1220 D13266.html

leaving a little under $ 400 for receiver and cables. you should be able to do your cables for under $ 100 with some research.

at that price, your best bet might be something like this:
http://www.ubid.com/actn/opn/getpage.asp?AuctionId=10600750

or maybe
http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-bin/item/MARSR4500

or if you want to play it safe and buy new, one of these:
http://www.electronics-expo.com/product.jsp?x=HTR5860&zipz=11001

this would get you a lot better sound than any HTIB.

 

[Rocky]

I tend to try and stay away from any HTIB's whatsoever. For the price, or a bit more, you can put together a much better sounding setup. BTW, don't ever buy Bose

 

[CaliHwyPatrol]

If i am not mistaken that system has a passive sub, and if it was the same sytem I heard at CC I was not impressed. If I were you and looking in that price range i would check out on of the Yamaha packages, I bought the YHT-160 5.1 system for my living room and love it.

The 780 has a 10" powered sub. That system is decent for the money. The only thing I would change right out of the box is the speaker wire... I think it comes with 20 guage, so I'd throw some 16 on there. The cool thing about that system is it is essentially a receiver that comes with speakers. That means that down the road you can change out whatever you want on the system. The speakers, receiver, sub, and wire are all able to be changed out to fit your fancy. The receiver is comparable to the TXSR503, which is a decent receiver for 300 bucks.

~Chuck

 

[5.1 DTS guy]

Thanks for the help, I think this is probably the one to go for. I can't spend more for a system at this time. Is there a system I can build within a 500 dollar price range that would end up being superior to the Onkyo?

 

[5.1 DTS guy]

BTW, don't ever buy Bose

Ya, haha, i've heard there systems and know that Bose is highly overated. I will never buy Bose.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I think the 770/780 from Onkyo are both killer bang for the buck products. Don't confuse it with systems costing 50%+ more money. It isn't THAT good. But, it is a good bit better than anything else at that price that I know of. Real speakers, real sub, real A/V receiver. All entry level stuff, but at least you have a upgrade path and if you wind up with some decent speakers in a year, then you can just put them on with no problem.

Good choice!

Many people absolutely hate that system - but I'm not sure what truly compares AT THAT PRICE. Everytime I hear someone complain about it, they recommend stuff 50 to 100 percent more money. That's not a comparison, that's an upgrade.

 

[audio ninja]

Buy it. I bought the Onkyo HT-S770 in July 2004 form circuit city for $405 plus tax. Consumer reports rated it as their #3 HTIB. I found the receiver extremely easy to navigate through when setting it up whether by remote or the receiver face. The sub does very well when placed near a corner. Flimsy metal poles won't hold these surround speakers, unlike small satellites speakers. The remote isn't backlit, an acceptable sacrifice at this price point. Not sure if this will replace your existing set up or be an addition to. Strongly recommend to purchase 12 gauge speaker cable to replace the twisty-for-your-bread cable they include. Also, look into a good sub cable if you don't already have one. I know you're on a budget, so wait until circuit city puts it on sale again for $400. Sometimes you can get a better price if you buy it from circuit city online than inside the store. The price on this HTIB seems to change every 2 weeks or so. With the $$ you save, visit Blue Jeans cable online for 12 gauge speaker cable (product 5000UE) ;only 40 cents a foot! http://bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/index.htm
For a sub cable, visit Impact Acoustics for a Sonicwave sub cable
http://www.impactacoustics.com/product_list.asp?cat_id=804

A friend of mine purchased the HT-S780 for his house and loves it. The 770/780 systems are great systems for the money. I like that the 780 can utilize an $80 docking system from Onkyo to integrate an ipod.

If you buy it online and pick it up at the store like I did, prepare to handle a box the size of a small refridgerator. Happy listening!

 

[CaliHwyPatrol]

Buy it. I bought the Onkyo HT-S770 in July 2004 form circuit city for $405 plus tax. Consumer reports rated it as their #3 HTIB. I found the receiver extremely easy to navigate through when setting it up whether by remote or the receiver face. The sub does very well when placed near a corner. Flimsy metal poles won't hold these surround speakers, unlike small satellites speakers. The remote isn't backlit, an acceptable sacrifice at this price point. Not sure if this will replace your existing set up or be an addition to. Strongly recommend to purchase 12 gauge speaker cable to replace the twisty-for-your-bread cable they include. Also, look into a good sub cable if you don't already have one. I know you're on a budget, so wait until circuit city puts it on sale again for $400. Sometimes you can get a better price if you buy it from circuit city online than inside the store. The price on this HTIB seems to change every 2 weeks or so. With the $$ you save, visit Blue Jeans cable online for 12 gauge speaker cable (product 5000UE) ;only 40 cents a foot! http://bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/index.htm
For a sub cable, visit Impact Acoustics for a Sonicwave sub cable
http://www.impactacoustics.com/product_list.asp?cat_id=804

A friend of mine purchased the HT-S780 for his house and loves it. The 770/780 systems are great systems for the money. I like that the 780 can utilize an $80 docking system from Onkyo to integrate an ipod.

If you buy it online and pick it up at the store like I did, prepare to handle a box the size of a small refridgerator. Happy listening!

I don't forsee the 780 hitting the $400 mark at CC any time soon. The only time I've seen it go that low while I've been there has been for the Thanksgiving sale. Usually if it is on sale, it will be in the 450 to 475 (most likely 475) range, which is still not bad. Also, if you see it on the CC website cheaper and you don't want to buy it online, just go into the store and they will price match it.

Haha, like Ninja said, the box is pretty good size, so be prepared. I'd say get it on sale then spend the 25 bucks you saved on replacing the speaker wire.

~Chuck

 

[audio ninja]

I don't forsee the 780 hitting the $400 mark at CC any time soon. The only time I've seen it go that low while I've been there has been for the Thanksgiving sale. Usually if it is on sale, it will be in the 450 to 475 (most likely 475) range, which is still not bad. Also, if you see it on the CC website cheaper and you don't want to buy it online, just go into the store and they will price match it.

You're probably right about the price. I forgot to note that the HT-S770 is a 6.1 system rated at 130 watts per channel and the HT-S780 is a 7.1 system. Maybe that extra speaker and ipod connectivity may be the culprit of the higher price. Just checked circuit city online, price is 450 plus tax right now.

 

[CaliHwyPatrol]

You're probably right about the price. I forgot to note that the HT-S770 is a 6.1 system rated at 130 watts per channel and the HT-S780 is a 7.1 system. Maybe that extra speaker and ipod connectivity may be the culprit of the higher price. Just checked circuit city online, price is 450 plus tax right now.

When the 770 was the current model, it was the same price. You can still get a 6.1 system, the 680.

If it is at 450 right now, grab it, because you aren't going to see it lower than that in any store.

~Chuck