Home > Consumer Reviews > Onkyo HT-SP908 7.1 Channel Home Theater System

This is by far the best Home Theater in the Box you can buy. Unlike most HTITB, the Onkyo 908 comes with a "real" receiver, the Onkyo 605. I decided that since this was my first attempt at building a home theater in my family room, I'd go with the simple all-in-one solution. I am very pleased with the purchase. The speakers are great, and the receiver has all sorts of neat features that are detailed in the product description. The best function is that everything I plug into the receiver can be passed through one HDMI cable to the TV. My Xbox 360, Wii, Cable Box, DVD player, and iPod are all hooked in. Having the "real" receiver makes upgrading the speakers in the future an easy task. Heat hasn't been a problem for me as I have it in an open air TV-stand.

Some Pros:

-Best Home Theater in the Box out on the market (My opinion)
-"Real" receiver
-Ease of setup/installation

Some Nitpicking:

-Comes with terrible speaker wire (Most do, just go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy some)
-No ability change display names on receiver (I just need to remember my Wii is on VCR/DVR)

I bought this system for $748 with the free speaker stands. I have had this system assembled and operational for over a week now. Truly one of the best values for a HDMI up-conversion receiver and 7.1 SS system. Only 3 very minor cons:

1) The DVD player is a single DVD player, not 5 DVDs (but it is HDMI);
2) The subwoofer is humongous (but stylish)
3) 3 optical inputs, one in the front. A 4th wouldn't have killed Onkyo.

Honestly, this is all nitpicking. It's a great value, and a no-brainer if Amazon is still offering the stylish stands, which retail for $150 alone. If you're a true audiophile, you will not regret this purchase.

This was my first Home Theater System purchase. After a lot of reading and comparison I decided to go with the Onkyo HT-SP908, it seemed like it would integrate well with my 52" Sony LCD TV. It was in my price range and had all the options I was looking for. Hookup was fast and easy. The only problem I have is not being able to contact Onkyo support. After all the setup, calibration and configuration I don't seem to be getting the sound I was expecting from my surround and rear speakers. Tried to contact Onkyo at their 800 number on two separate occasions but was never able to speak with a support representative. One time I was on hold for over an hour and a half, at 8:00PM EST when hours of operations is over everyone waiting in the queue gets cut off regardless of how long you were on hold.

When building our house last year, we opeted to wire a "media room" for a 7.1 system. I had been in a Bose store in 2006 and learned about 7.1 systems, but naturally couldnt afford Bose. The store itself was using an Onkyo receiver to power their systems. From that point on, I knew Onkyo was a brand I would enjoy.

Anytime I spend upwards of $500, I do my research. Both Consumer Reports and CNET had very positive things to say about the HTSP908, and even the previous model that came with a multi-disc DVD player.

Setup wasnt bad, but you truly have to take it step by step according to the manual. Despite the urge to slip in Saving Private Ryan and watch them storm Utah Beach in glorious 7.1, I had to set things up properly. In order to get the best sound, I did the auto setup Audessey thing and then tweaked it so that my rear speakers were louder. My room dynamics of course will e different from everyone elses, but I wanted to have a more complete sound rather than minimal echoes.

Like previous reviewers, I too found the DVD player slow to load. But like all good things, its worth the wait. My Subwoofer hums a tiny bit, but that might be due to its proximity to electrical wires.

Since very few TV broadcasts come in 5.1, let alone 7.1 using Onkyo's predetermined sound options has been great. The HDMI hookups are nice, but I wasnt able to get Dolby Digital sound through that connection. I had to "double up" and use an optical cable. For my setup it wasnt a big deal as I am playing everything on a DLP. My stand hides all the wires.

If you need HDMI cables, ignore the temptation to buy them from any big box store and go to monoprice. com. The savings will make you think its a rip off, but I cant find any valid reason to pay through the teeth for cables.

All in all, the HTSP908 is worth the money and time. Its loud, its got the ipod hook up, and price wise it cant be beat.

My parents wanted a better system for watching movies so they financed the purchase and I picked this system and installed it for them. The receiver/amplifier gets really hot when running, but all the literature and the Onkyo website says this is normal. I made a computer case fan modification for their stereo cabinet just to be on the safe side and get some air flow.
The sound out of this system is incredible, as is the picture. I used an HDMI cable to connect to the HDTV and the upconversion from the system makes a regular DVD look high-def or close enough for me (and definitely looks good enough for my parents). My only disappointment was the lack of mounting hardware for all the speakers, which have a kind of strange shape to the back of them. They have the standard threaded hole for a mounting bracket, but no mounting bracket included. I bought some universal mounting brackets, but they didn't have a way to "universally" attach to the threaded hole that I've seen on every small satellite speaker I've laid eyes on. This just added to my discouragement as my parents just decided to set the speakers on some small end tables around the room.
Overall, the system is incredible. I did my research for the type of system I would need and this one is a step ahead while allowing future compatability for a HD-DVD and/or blu-ray along with the HDMI 1.3. Not to mention looking around for the best price, I found some that were lower, but not by enough to justify the added wait for shipping.