Opinions about the Onkyo HT-S7100 HTIB (1 Viewer)

[rng9598]

Hey all,

My inaugural post in these forums, please be gentle

I'm a complete newb at HT setups, but I've been reading enough the last couple of weeks to at least get a sense of what I am looking for. My current setup is comprised of:

46" Sony XBR2 Bravia LCD
PS3 Blu-Ray
Sony 720/1080i upconvert DVD player
Scientific Atlanta HD-DVR (Cox Cable)

I am looking for a decent AVR and speaker combo to put with my existing components. After giving a price range and general idea of what I was looking for to a Crutchfield.com rep, he suggested the Onkyo HT-S7100 HTIB headlined by the TX-SR606 receiver. The only show stoppers I've seen with this HTIB is that (1) it doesn't do 1080p upconvert on non-HDMI sources (which isn't a huge problem, but having a receiver that can do 1080p upconvert would be nice) and (2) no wireless speakers.

I found a Sony ST-DG920 receiver that does the 1080p upconvert on all sources and also has 4 HDMI inputs like the Onkyo, but then I'd have to deal with trying to find a matching set of speakers.

The Onkyo package is $799 retail, so perhaps a little cheaper if I hunt around. The Sony AVR is around $400 alone.

Any opinions on either sets of equipment? If you feel that option 2 is better, then could you suggest a decent set of 7.1 speakers? My budget is only around $1000-1500 for the entire setup, so I know I won't be getting a high end setup, but it would be great to see how much better watching blu-ray or football games would be with an HT setup. Thanks!

 

[David Willow]

Hi Gabe, welcome to the forum.

You have $1500 for the AVR and the speakers? If so, you can do a whole lot better then a either.

BTW - Of the 2, the Onkyo will be much better then the Sony.

 

[rng9598]

Hi David,

Thanks for the reply; I am rapidly finding out that yes, I do have a wealth of options with even just a $1500 budget

I am now considering one of the higher end Onkyo receivers, the TX-SR706, since it does 1080p upconversion on non-HD sources. That's going for around $500 or less, so that leaves me with around $500-1000 for speakers. I am looking for a 7.1 speaker setup, but the Polk R50's really caught my eye.

You mention I could do a whole lot better than my original choices... is the SR706 a decent choice for AVR? And what would you recommend for a 7.1 set of speakers?

 

[David Willow]

There's not too much difference between the 606 and the 706. The up conversion in the 706 may not be better than just allowing you TV to handle it. If it comes down to choosing it over better speakers, go with the speakers.

For about $1200 you can get these - SVSound - Complete Systems. You may be able to put something together from Axiom or Ascend as well. It will be hard to find something in a B&M store for that price, but it doesn't hurt to look (and listen

).

How big is your room?

 

[JamDawg]

I would go with the 705. It is last years model and you can get it for $400 if you look around. The addtional options are not worth the price. Here is what I built for 1200 dollars

onkyo 705
Boston Acoutics vr975 fronts
Boston Acoutics vr902 center
Infinity CSW10 sub
Infinity IL10 rears
Flunce Bipolar surrounds

I bought last years receiver to save money. Used center, fronts and rears from craigslist in perfect condtion. Original retail value 5k and it still sounds like it was worth the 5k at new retail price. Good Luck. Check our bensbargains.net also for deals on spakers and receivers. They will show up everyonce and a while.