Onkyo HT-S5405 or Yamaha YHT-296 HTiB (1 Viewer)

[Ammaad]

please suggest which one is better. Where I live there are no shops where I can check them out for myself. So I am asking for someone's expertise who can guide me. Once I decide, i'll be ordering it online. Thanks

 

[Jason Charlton]

Both of those systems are very comparable to one another.

• Both have pre-outs for powered subwoofers.
• Both come with 6 ohm speakers, and would work with upgraded speakers down the road.
• Both have 4 HDMI inputs, as well as component video and composite video inputs for a variety of devices.
• Both feature auto-setup/configuration utilities with external microphones (Audyssey for Onkyo, YPAO for Yamaha).

• Neither one will upconvert analog video sources (component and composite) to HDMI.
• Neither one comes with great speakers (typical of HTiB systems) - the Yamaha has a 100W subwoofer compared to the Onkyo's 80W model, but neither one will really rock the house. Both speaker sets have low sensitivities - 82/83dB (they require more power to be loud).

Bottom line, I don't think there's an overwhelming reason (based on specs alone) to choose one over the other. Lots of folks really prefer Audyssey compared to other setup utilities, but YPAO isn't too bad, either.


Both receivers will serve you well into the future, and will continue to work should you decide to upgrade the speakers (clearly the weakest link in both systems).


I have personal experience with Onkyo and have been very satisfied, but that's just my experience - there are plenty of folks who can say the same about Yamaha (it's a quality brand). Personally, I would lean a little bit to Onkyo, just out of brand loyalty, but if the Yamaha system is the better bargain (i.e. cheaper) then I might go with that one.


Good luck!

 

[Ammaad]

Thanks Jason for your detailed reply. I have another deal offered by dealer Onkyo TX-NR509 Reciever with the following speaker options: 1. Onkyo SKS-HT528 or 2. Onkyo SKS-HT728 or 3. polka audio Tsi200, cs10, Owm3, Psw-110 The combo TX-NR509 with Onkyo SKS-HT528 is being offered to me in the same price range as Yamaha YHT-296 and Onkyo HT-S5405. Can I ask for your guidance again? What are your thoughts regarding these new options?

 

[Jason Charlton]

The Onkyo 509 is pretty much functionally identical to the receiver that comes with the HT-S5405 (i.e. no upconversion for analog video sources) and it's power ratings are for 8 ohm, rather than 6. I can't find any direct comparison, but from all that I can gather, they are virtually the same.


As for the speakers, the HT528 speaker system, again, seems to be almost identical to the speakers that come with the HT-S5405. This is not too surprising, as companies like Onkyo often assemble their HTiB systems from other components (with some very minor modifications to bring the price down).


The HT728 speaker system is really not much improved over the 528 system. Yes, the 728 system includes tower speakers, but they aren't much better performers than the smaller satellites of the 528 system (they actually have LOWER sensitivities, so they require a tad more power). With towers, you're often paying a premium for the extra materials required to build them, rather than getting a true dollar-for-dollar bump in audio quality.


The Polks, on the other hand are MUCH improved over anything Onkyo (or Yamaha, for that matter) will eve offer. The Polk Subs are OK, but not great. You can get much better value by purchasing a subwoofer from a dedicated subwoofer manufacturer (subs don't need to "match" the other speakers) but I'm not sure what options you have available. The bookshelves and center need to be matched to each other, and the TSi200 and the CS10 are "matched" to each other.


The Onkyo 509/Polk speaker system will be a vast improvement over the other HTiB systems, but it will most definitely cost a good bit more, too. If you can swing it, financially, it's the best option of the lot. If that doesn't work out for you, all the other options you've listed are more or less equivalent in performance, so you can base your decision purely on cost and it will all work out.

 

[Ammaad]

Thanks Jason for your in-depth reply. Your posts are really helping me. I came up with this combo and wanted to know what you think: Onkyo Reciever TX-NR609 with Front Polk Audio Tsi200 center Polk Audio cs10 or cs20 Rear Polk Audio Tsi200 Subwoofer Polk Audio psw110 or Kef C-4 If you can lend me your expertise again, I would be truly grateful. Thanks again!