Home > Consumer Reviews > Onkyo HT-S990THX 7.1 THX Home Theater Entertainment System

I purchased this product about 3 weeks ago, and have now come to fully experience what it can do. It is a wonderful piece of equipment that is worth the money.

Pros:
The system is cost effective. For the money, you get a very good system. Sure, it's not as good as one that costs several thousand dollars, but it's much better than the standard HTIB you can find at a retail store. Remember, you always get what you pay for. If you want a cheap system that will need to be replaced often, this system is not for you. However, if you are like me and are just looking for a good system that's not going to break the bank, consider this as one of your options.

The system is also easy to set up. It comes with color coded wires and connections. The back of the receiver has all speaker connections color coded, and the colors match the wires and speaker terminals. Also, unlike most HTIB systems, the surround wires are long enough to support the room size this system was designed for. Remember, this is not a THX Select or Ultra system. It's not designed to play in large spaces (Select is for 2000 cubic feet, a 250 square foot room with an 8 foot ceiling; Ultra is for 3000+ cubic feet, about a 375 square foot room with an 8 foot ceiling). This system is designed for a smaller room (such as an apartment or small home). My living room is about 170 square feet (I live in an apartment).

The system is also easy to use. Just a glance at the user's manual will let you navigate through the configuration menu with no problems. Unlike other HTIB systems I have seen, the speaker distance is fully configurable, in standard or metric units. Other systems I have seen do not understand that your front speakers might be closer than your rear speakers. Instead, they would assume that this could not be possible, so if your application called for a front speaker distance of 7 feet, and a rear speaker distance of 10 feet, the receiver could not configure it. Therefore, the system did not sound correct unless you rearranged the room, or knock down walls. This system allows you to input any variation of measurements, but it's always in feet or meters. For once, I would like to see a system that had precise control of the delay, to the inch. 6 inches difference is about 0.5 milliseconds. Even though it's a small number, it seems as if the front soundstage is drastically different with differences as small as an inch between the FL/FR and center channels.

Cons:
Receiver does not support HDMI. This is both a pro and a con. First, I priced a Monster HDMI cable. There was one cable at Best Buy for $80. The good stuff started at $120. I didn't even look for anything THX certified. On the other hand, you can get a THX certified Component Video set for about $40, and a THX certified optical audio cable for about $38. From other reviews I have read, there is no noticeable difference between using HDMI and component connections.

Another con is that THX specifications call for a dipole side surround speaker, where as this system comes with a monopole side surround speaker. The side surrounds appear to be the exact same as the back surrounds. THX calls for monopole back surrounds and dipole side surrounds. This can make a difference in how enveloping the surround information is. Even though this system has monopole side surrounds, the surround effect is enveloping, but I've seen $10,000 setups that sounded much better. And this system doesn't cost $10,000 does it?

Yet another con has to do with the crossover point of the system. Ideally, you want all frequencies to blend together properly. In my setup, when using the THX demo disk, I notice a slight dip in bass output when transitioning from the main speakers to the subwoofer, then the subwoofer picks up the volume to normal as the frequency decreases. Now I'm sure I could compensate for this by spending thousands of dollars treating my room structures, purchasing equalizers, and moving the subwoofer around...but I don't want to do that...and probably neither do you. The system does not give perfectly flat response, but is withing 6 dB all the way through the transition. Also, the subwoofer is not the best suited for music. I cannot tell what class box is used (I don't want to take it apart), but it lacks the impact of a sealed box, and acts more like a vented or bandpass box. It delivers a rumbling impact when watching movies, but lacks accuracy for music reproduction. It seems as if there is a very sharp curve as the frequency gets lower, similar to a bandpass box. Listen for yourself and see what you think. Be sure to use music that has various bass frequencies.

Overall, I say this is a 4 out of 5. For those of you that want a dedicated movie theater in your house, this system is probably too small for you. For the rest of us, this is a great solution. It's an entry level high end home theater system, and the best HTIB on the market today. If you are considering going with something cheaper, consider this: This system comes with everything you need to play every audio format widely used today. It does both Dolby Digital and DTS, and adds THX to both standards (you can also listen in the native format being broadcast, with no THX). You can play this system in 2.1, 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 configurations, and comes with everything necessary to matrix stereo signals into all configurations, as well as matrix 5.1 signals into 6.1 or 7.1. Basically, it's a one-stop-shop. It's one system, in one box, that plays everything. I think that's why it was designed. Maybe more consumers buy HTIB systems rather than seperate components. As far as value, I'm sure if you shop around, you might find a better seperate component system for the same money, or close to it. But what does the average consumer want? Simplicity. This one word best describes this system. Given proper speaker and seating arangements, the system does exactly what it was designed to do, yet it's simple. And what was it designed to do? Bring the movie theater experience to your living room. It does that, without any problems.

I've been a fan of Home Theater for close to twenty years now, and during that lengthy span have put together many a system -- not just for myself, but for family and friends, who trusted my expertise on the matter. Most times I've gone with the separate components rout, as I was always less than impressed with the offerings in the HTIB market. Although I did purchase Dream System (Sony) and an offering from Yamaha for less demanding installations -- meaning a small, secondary living room in one case and a bedroom for the other.

I'd had my last assembled system for a couple of years now, well, the receiver anyway (a digital offering from Panasonic), the rest of the components were older. Anyway, when the receiver conked-out on me, I decided to upgrade the whole system. After much reading and speculation, I thought I'd save myself the time and trouble it took me to put together all those other systems in the past and "gamble" on the Onkyo set. Boy was I amazed once I hooked and fired this bad-boy up! I doubt -- not really, I don't -- that there's anything that comes even remotely close in value per dollars spent. Sure, snobs may point at their $ 6,000 and up systems and laugh. Meantime, as someone whose been down that route before (Infinity speakers, Pioneer Elite receiver, etc. etc.) I can only smile while I crank this amazing system and watch an HD DVD on my 62" JVC Pro set. For the clarity, loudness, involving, neat sound and sheer power and numerous settings of the Onkyo S990THX -- the only change I made out of the box was to use quality speaker-wire as opposed to the flimsy 18 gauge, color-coded stuff that comes with the set -- is simply amazing.

Never mind the fact that the thousands I saved only add to that smile -- use them to upgrade your TV and/or DVD player if need be, you'll still have cash left over. Simply can't go wrong with this set.

Oh, and for those that complain about the lack of HDMI inputs, no big for me, as I am perfectly content to send the sound through the digital inputs (1 coax, 3 optical) and the video straight to the TV set via component cables. Not a bit of difference that I can discern from my HDMI hook-up with the Panasonic.

Congrats, Onkyo. Well done. Trust other owners of this system are enjoying it as much as I am.

When looking for a system from my new home theater, I read so many reviews and articles about the best product in relations to costs. A good place to review products in person is Best Buy or Circuit City, while online, Crutchfield is the Consumer Report's best pick for chat support. Amazon.com had the best price, and got the system to my house in 2 days. Nice work! The system itself is a true 7.1 sound, which works both well with movies and music. I am not an audio addict, but I like a strong system. Coming from a Cerwin Vega and Bose background, this system is dollar for dollar much better. The only negatives in the system is the lack of HDMI, which I had to go with composite and fiber optic wiring, and the totally worthless THX test DVD. In addition, Onkyo could have made a little better remote control as well. I especially liked the look of the speakers--they are heavier but I like that since it makes for a harder time in stealing them :) , and the nice features on the receiver itself. Great deal for $699!

The other review issues the size of the speakers. And I agree but for the quality and volume of sound you aquire, you really won't care. THX is as good as in any movie theater. If you are looking for sound quality instead of looks, this is the way to go.

The only way you'll get better sound is going with Denon, or other much more expensive brands.

I have a 5 thousand dollar system in my media room. I bought this for my living room which is 15 by 20. The sound, clarity, bass are incredible and equal the system which I paid 10 times more (paid 568.00) The speakers are huge so if you don't have the room pass this by. The pictures in the room have to be straightened almost after each use. My complaint to Amazon is... I just bought this system and UPS damaged it. I have yet to hear by from them although its only been 4 days since my complaint. Sure it lacks HDMI which is no big deal due to optical out. I'm a relative novice so if anyone were to care to comment on whether the average person can hear the difference HDMI hook-up or optical sound please join-in.
I think for the price I paid which included S&H and no tax it was a great bargain. I just hope Amazon responds soon to the speakers that were damaged upon delivery by UPS. The box weighted about 150 pounds and looked like it had been rolled from NJ to Florida. If you buy one and you should, just check the box and don't be like me, refuse delivery if the box is severely damaged. And to those who think BOSE makes the best HTIB ...WRONG....ONKYO does....period! And PS no DVD player so at least you get to buy the one of your choice, HD is the way to go.