Order Onkyo HT-S3200 5.1-Channel Home Entertainment Receiver/Speaker Package

After thorough research on the subject I decided to go with Onkyo. It was difficult to decide between models, but I decided to take a chance and get the budget model. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. The receiver and speakers are substantial, and the sound is very good. I expected that the speakers would be fine for tv use, but not for listening to music. When compared to my large Klipsch speakers they actually hold up quite well. One of the reasons that I wanted a receiver rather than a basic home theater in a box was that I could hook up a second set of speakers. While you cannot play different sources through A and B speakers, you can run them both at the same time on the same source, or switch between the sets. Since the sound quality of the Onkyo is so good, I find that I pretty much use them for all sources, including music. While not quite as good as the Klipsch speakers, they sound suprisingly full for the size and price. One downside is that you must run separate audio and video cables to the receiver, since the HDMI ports are pass through only, but I don't find this to be a big deal. I run an HDMI cable from my cable box directly to the tv, and an optical cable from the box to the receiver. That way I can use the tv with built in speakers if I don't want the receiver on, and I can use the receiver for bigger sound. If sending the video signal through the receiver via hdmi, I believe you need to always have the receiver on to run the tv. This way I avoid the problem, and the passthrough issue is not a factor. I only have a few minor issues. First, when playing music through the PS3 I cannot get the B speakers to work. I'm guessing it's because the system is viewing this as a video source rather than audio. Maybe I just haven't found the right setting. The B speakers work for radio and the ipod input just fine. I also find the manual a bit weak on explaining the different audio settings. There are many different settings such as surround, dolby, dts, etc and it's difficult to know which to choose. Those minor issues aside, I think this is a great system. I use the system with a 52 inch lcd tv in a large great room (26'X18'X18'high), and the sound is great. I personally wouldn't see a need to go to a more expensive system. Get more detail about Onkyo HT-S3200 5.1-Channel Home Entertainment Receiver/Speaker Package.