Jan 16, 2011 01:20 PM
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(Updated Jan 16, 2011 01:25 PM)
One of the best entry level 5.1 channel Home theatre system from Onkyo to hit the market. Though it is a entry level Home theatre in a box (HTIB) it can be assigned to mid level HTIB when comparing the features of it's competitors. I did a lot of research before buying this model. I am not a expert or a `audiophile'.
I went around auditioning the system couple of times to get the best out of it. It is an awesome system for watching movies through DVD or Blu-ray players. Also please keep in mind this system does not come with a DVD or Blu ray player.
It is an AVR with two front speakers, one center speaker, two surround speakers and a passive subwoofer. There are 3 HDMI in jacks and 1 HDMI out. There are also Digital IN Coaxial and Optical jacks, Component and Composite jacks.
One of the important and very useful addition to this AVR is that it passes both audio and Video through HDMI cable. It is also a HDMI 1.4a which supports 3D video and Audio. So if at a later stage if you buy a 3D Blu-ray player this AVR would support it without any problem.
The following audio codec are supported - Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD.
So much for the technical details. I bought this AVR around first week of December'10. The total weight of this system including the AVR would come around 25kgs. Connecting the system is just a breeze. Each of the speaker wires provided are color coded and I just had to pin it at the back of the AVR according to the color code mentioned in the AVR.
However, I should add the speaker wires provided along with the AVR are very thin and some `audiophile' people would be thinking of changing the wires. I used the same wire. For best sound output this AVR 5.1 channel system can be used for a room dimension of 100 to 170 sq.ft.
The subwoofer also packs a punch and there are various setting to increase or decrease the volume of the subwoofer. The surprising thing even though it is a passive subwoofer there is a lot of punch but I felt it lacked the clarity and the sound from the subwoofer is sometime very boomy.
Luckily the sub can be turned off or volume can be reduced. I have this installed in my living room and even with the volume of 25 to 30 the volume was good (the max volume is 60). The AVR automatically detects the audio codec if it is a Dolby or DTS whenever a DVD or Blu ray disc is inserted. I have also connected my WD Live Media player and LG Blu-ray player to this AVR through HDMI.
The sound effect when I watched Resident Evil through Blu ray was awesome and certainly can vouch for a near theater effect. The DTH set top box can also be hooked to this AVR and we can select various level of audio output. I forgot to add theat the AVR also has FM/AM radio.
Through HDMI the screen setup of the AVR can be viewed through TV. I could list some cons here but it could be subjective as I think if it had active subwoofer, this might have been a complete AVR system. As far as listening to music is concerned I would again add that it may be subjective as personally I think this is much more good for watching movies but I am not saying that it is bad for listening to music.
If you prefer to listen to music alone there are better systems that are available for that. This listing price of this system is Rs.25000/-.
I bought it around Rs.23000 in Chennai. All in all if you would like to spend some time watching movies through DVD or Blu-ray and if you think that you need something that would come close to watching it in a theater, Onkyo 3300 - 5.1 channel HTIB is the one you should go for.
