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A home theater in a box is something that home theater purists just are not ever happy about but in reality this is a great way to get into the home theater marekt without having to know too much and to have something really quite good to see and hear.
Some people describe the Onkyo HT-S990THX as the first THX-certified home-theater-in-a-box system. Before I go any further, please note that I’m using the HTIB moniker just this once so you’ll know what I’m talking about. The Onkyo and THX people prefer, not unreasonably, to call this an “integrated home theater system.” Their nomenclature rules from this moment forward.
Is a THX-certified integrated system the electronic equivalent of high-end chocolate? It’s a tempting analogy, with your average compact system as the humble Hershey bar and the Onkyo HT-S990THX as, say, Côte d’Or Noir de Noir Intense. But I’m going to walk away from this analogy for one simple reason: There’s nothing wrong with a Hershey bar, even if the cocoa content is on the light side. But the integrated-system category is riddled with inadequacy, and, short of banning the nasty things by legal fiat, the only way to improve the situation is to invent a better mousetrap.
I’m talking about an integrated surround system that transcends its genre by performing up to THX specifications. It should have monster bass, a credible soundfield, good dynamics, and an affordable price. Not ridiculously affordable—Onkyo’s list price is still in the low four figures. But the street price might well be in the high three figures if you look around.
Great Big Boy
The HT-S990THX came, indefensibly, in a single 143-pound carton. Don’t try to handle it by yourself. If one lands in your front yard, open it there and carry the pieces into the house.
It is a 7.1-channel system with three woofer-tweeter-woofer speakers for the front left, center, and right channels. Four smaller monitors using similar drivers—except with just one woofer each—handle the side surround and rear surround channels. All of the midwoofers are made of A-OMF (Advanced Onkyo Micro Fiber).
The receiver is an Onkyo HT-R940. Not sold separately, it has a higher power rating than most budget receivers and a features set that’s stronger in some areas (cool THX listening modes) than in others (no onscreen menus or HDMI). A DVD player is not included—add that to your budget if you’re starting a system from scratch. XM plug-and-play compatibility is a plus—to take advantage of it, add $20 for the antenna.
Read the rest of this review at Home Theater Magazine
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