Onkyo HT-S5100 7.1 Channel Home Entertainment System
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend home theater system with receiver, 7 speakers, and subwoofer * includes iPod dock * satellite radio ready (requires SiriusConnect home tuner) * remote control * 1080p-compatible HDMI digital video switching (3 in, 1 out) -- pass-through only (a separate cable connection is required for audio) * built-in Dolby® Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic® IIx, DTS-ES® Discrete/Matrix, DTS® Neo:6, and DTS® 96/24 processing * 65 watts x 7 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.9% THD *… Product details and pricing info |
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22 Customer Reviews Posted
- Onkyo HT-S5100 7.1 Review
- Not knowing much about home electronics, I was a little reluctant to purchase any Home Theater system. I installed this Onkyo HT S5100 in my new sixteen seat four tier theater and am very happy. I am using two larger front speakers from a different Onkyo system, and the new front speakers are doing a wonderful job placed in the back of the theater. I am sure they would sound great in the front also. Do not let the so called experts persuade you from the 7.1 to the 5.1 system. Even though movies are usually formatted in 5.1, the extra side surround speakers you get with a 7.1 system give that extra sound where it is needed. It is worth the few extra bucks you will spend. When I opened the box and took out the sub-woofer, the back said it was 165w and not the 290w I was expecting. I did write Onkyo about this, and they gave me some mumbo-jumbo about dynamics and RMS. All that matters is when I got it hooked up, this sub will vibrate the marrow in your bones. Final word - Before I installed the Onkyo, my theater was awesome to look at. After I installed my Onkyo, my theater is a place to watch movies.
- 2008-07-13, 6 of 6 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- You don't actually want this
- Yeah, it's a 7.1 system in the sense if you have a decoded 8 channel analog output you can get a full 7.1 surround as it was intended.
But, for any other source, there's no real 7.1, end of story. Optical and coax inputs can only handle encoded formats with more than 2 channels. So any Dolby True HD or DTS HD Master 7.1 sources you may have will not work over optical or coax. Sure, you can get 5.1 through them and setup the Onkyo to "fill in" the missing speakers, even though you actually have the data for them on your source. That's not what you want, though.
The reason is the HDMI Pass Through, which, ironically is touted as a feature. The only way to get 7.1 digital audio is over HDMI, and this Onkyo receiver cannot process HDMI audio of any format. It simply passes it through to the TV, acting like an HDMI switch. Your TV ultimately demuxes the audio: displaying the video, and sending the audio back to the Onkyo through an optical or coaxial audio cable.
So, unless you have a standalone Blu Ray player with 7.1 analog outputs or a PC with a 7.1 surround sound card and are going to use the analog outputs (over 4 mini stereo to RCA cables), keep on looking for a receiver that decodes HDMI audio rather than passes it through. You simply cannot get 7.1 audio from this over a PS3 or a cable box. Blu Ray movies would need a standalone BD Player, and not a cheap one that only decodes to 5.1.
On the other hand, if you were looking for a 5.1 system, this is a pretty good 5.1 system. The speakers are pretty nice, and the subwoofer is more than capable. It has no problems playing 5.1 through optical and coax sources, and has 2 of each, which is plenty for most people. And you get a free HDMI switch with it, if your TV is short 1 HDMI input, that's a good $150 savings over a seperate HDMI switch. - 2008-07-09, 102 of 119 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- I Like My Onyko Ht-S5100
- I had enjoyed my Onyko HT-S5100 since i installed it 1 month ago. I did not use the supplied speaker wire since they were not long enough for the Surround and Back Speakers. I purchased the Monster XP Speaker Wire and my system sounds Great.
- 2008-07-05, 2 of 4 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- CRISP!!!!!!!
- Recently purchased and I pretty much love it. Sound is clear/ bass
solid. The receiver is clean and laid out nicely w/ plenty of connection
jacks for all of you other equiptmnt. does not hdmi upconvert (pass through only) but waaaay makes up for that w/ the super loud clean sound,
the layout of the receiver, sleek sexy speakers and the very reasonable
price for what i consider a solid well made product by a company w/a
solid rep. Will take a little tweaking to choose preferred settings for
your personal space. has a mic unit that it comes with and instructions
to optimize sound (auto) haven't tried it. compared side by side w/
polk speakers. If there was a diff i couldn't tell. so for about the
same price as the polk speakers buy this complete sweet receiver and
Crisp!! speakers!!! only draw back seems to put out a good bit of heat:
runs hot. but there is a sticker on it telling you that that is normal
for this unit. just hope it doesn't affect the units working life cuz
it sure sounds good!!!!!!! - 2008-07-02, 4 of 4 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Excellent HT at a reasonable price
- Crisp and clear sound, setup required 30-45 mins....there is a caliberation mike which I have not used but even then the quality is pretty good, Only missing thing is bravia sync which is not an issue for non Sony user, also its an HDMI PASS THROUGH only and requires sepertae audio connection, 3 HDMI input so you can connect all your components....Overall very good ONKYO HT system at an entry level price
- 2008-06-27, 5 of 8 people found this review helpful, Rated:
