Buy Onkyo HTS680S 6.1 Channel Component Home Theater Audio System (Silver)Onkyo HTS680S 6.1 Channel Component Home Theater Audio System (Silver) Product Description:
- Power Output - 100W/Channel; 750 Watts Total (100 Watts x 6 channels) and 150 Watts at the subwoofer
- Built-in Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES, DTS Neo - 6, Dolby Pro Logic IIx processing, for surround sound from DVD, VHS, and stereo sources
- THD (Rated Power) - 0.08 percent (all channels) / Frequency-Response - 20 Hz-20,000Hz
- 6-channel amplifier (100 watts x 6)
- Wide Range Amplifier Technology WRAT - delivers amplification consistently throughout the frequency-response range
Product Description
Onkyo 6.1 Channel HTIB HTS680S
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
26 of 32 people found the following review helpful.
By David Rolfe
I bought the system one grade above this, the Onkyo HT-S780 ($499 vs. $399) system. But the spirit of my comments apply to the HT-S680 as well, and it looks like a decent option if you want to spend less money, so I'm posting for this system also. Or drop one grade down to the HT-S580 ($299). The cheaper systems have lower power output, and the progression of surround sound is 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1. I figure that 5.1 is probably adequate surround sound for modern program material, so I wouldn't necessarily buy the larger systems for more than 5 speakers alone; it's the higher power and better speakers and subwoofer that is tempting. Anyway, remember that the following comments are about the S780, not the S680:I'll let others comment on their subjective reactions to this system versus other systems. Those comments are extremely important; however I don't feel qualified to offer contrasts, because I haven't carefully compared the systems. Instead I'm going to offer some broad observations, and you can get other insights elsewhere.With multi-channel sound becoming common, I became interested a sound system that could render it, but I wanted a flexible system that was neither expensive nor junk. After surveying the turf, I gravitated towards the Onkyo boxed systems. Here's why:First of all, I did not want a system that included a DVD player. It struck me as a bad idea to tie the sound system to a specific DVD player. I figure a DVD player, being mechanical, will have a shorter lifespan than a receiver. And I'd like to be able to upgrade my DVD player with a recordable unit or BluRay or whatever. So it's best to buy a separate DVD player, rather than a boxed system with an integrated DVD player. Let's focus here on decent audio rather than extras.It would also be preferable to have a theater system where the individual components are not tied together. That is, I'd have the freedom to use different speakers or the like. It makes the system more flexible if the components can stand on their own. By way of contrast, I had looked at some of the Panasonic systems, such as the HT-15 or HT-17. I rather liked the look and convenience of these systems (e.g., integrated speaker stands); however I noticed that the speaker amplifiers resided in the subwoofer enclosure. There's nothing wrong with this, and in fact you might even prefer it: Your controlling pre-amp box is smaller and generates less heat, while the clunky amplifiers are set off in the corner. But this means you don't have the option of upgrading your subwoofer unless you're replacing the sound system entirely. (Of course, the logical extension of this idea is to buy separate components in the first place; however being a newbie to the theater idea, I was tempted by the all-in-a-box package.)I'm amazed to see how cheap some of the low end home theaters are. For under $100, you can have 5 speakers, a subwoofer, and a receiver or maybe even a DVD player. Wow! Of course, these cheapest systems look sort of like toys. The speakers are tiny and have only a single driver, and the power isn't high. They probably won't produce great audio. But the price is very appealing. My worst concern is the cheapest units have cut so many corners that they'll fail soon, and the entire system will be trash.So my eye was drawn to the Onkyo systems, which offered separate components that appear respectable. Note that the receiver included as part of this package can be had as an individual component, the Onkyo TX-SR503 (retail $299). I liked this receiver; it felt solid and its control scheme and buttons struck me as relatively intuitive. And the 7.1 speaker combination is also sold as a package, SKS-HT530, for retail $279. The subwoofer is a solid unit, with 230 watts and a 10-inch down-firing woofer (when buying a subwoofer, size matters). The front and center speakers are 2-ways, each with 2 midrange drivers and 1 tweeter; the rear and surround speakers are also 2-ways with a single midrange and tweeter. The speakers and subwoofer are in wood cabinets, larger and heavier than the plastic that's more typical. This perhaps makes them more "real" but less stylish. The whole package (made in Malaysia, by the way) seems a good deal, by price per pound if nothing else. Onkyo includes a 2-year warrantee, which is encouraging; nobody else offers more than a year.I agree with others who note that upgrading to heavier speaker wires is a good idea. No point in paying for the Monster brand name; wire is wire as far as I'm concerned.Bottom line is you end up with a respectable small audio system that should give you decent surround sound, and you can later upgrade or replace the individual components if you choose to.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
By Dana Richardson
After heavily researching all of the home theater's in the 300 dollar range I found this one seemed to be the best bang for the buck. After receiving the stereo in only 3 days with the Shipper Saver! I was completely impressed with the clarity of sound and the theater like sound. Everyone i bring over is completely blown away with the crisp lifelike sound. I thought there would be no difference between 5.1 and 6.1, but the rear speaker adds so much to the surround effect. There are a multitude of sound options to choose from on the receiver and you can individually select each speakers db level. I replaced the speaker wire that came with the system with 16 gauge wire from RadioShack before I even hooked up the system. This is the best system I have ever purchased and can definatly push an amazing amount of sound out of it. This stereo is sufficient for the largest rooms (24' x 24'). Would recommend to anyone buying a budged home theater.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
By G. Morefield
In looking for a first home theater, I sort of stumbled across this one and liked it because it did NOT have a DVD player included. Sounds strange but I have DVD players already and found that so many offerings of HT systems made you take one with the package. So much for my idiosyncracies. I found this Onkyo system to be just what I needed.Some notes about the purchase process. Delivery (free via UPS) was earlier than Amazon's earliest promised date. A special note about the package. It really does weigh 70 pounds and has nothing to grab onto so some preplanning for the arrival is in order. A handtruck helps unless your delivery guy is especially cooperative.The packaging of the system is the best I've ever seen for electronic equipment. The outer carton is of especially thick stock. Inside are three separate styro moldings surrounding the 20-pound subwoofer, the receiver (with paperwork), and the six speakers (with cabling, antennae, etc.). Six bundles of molded, color-coded, 2-conductor speaker wire with pre-stripped and tinned ends are supplied. The three rear speaker wires are 30-ft. long each; the right and left fronts are 15-ft. each and the front center wire bundle is 10-ft. long. The powered subwoofer preamp RCA cable is about 8-ft. long. Matching color-coding is present both at the speakers and at the connection points on the receiver. OK, this is probably standard practice but, this being my first HT purchase, I was impressed.The 55-page manual is well written and is well illustrated. I was a bit taken aback by the number of alternative hookup arrangements but I found that I had inadvertently shortened the process by my selection of other components. My TV is a 42-in., 1080p LCD model with three HDMI in-ports and a digital optical out-port. The HD cable box, HD DVD player, and DVD recorder are all connected by HDMI to the TV. Due to this use of HDMI, the TV's innards contain the full spectrum of sound (as well as video) of anything that is sending program material. This results in the happy circumstance of being able to transmit full sound spectrum down a single digital optical cable to the Onkyo receiver. Pressing the right buttons on the receiver enable sending all the program sound to the speaker/subwoofer array.At first turn-on, a press of the Test Tone button on the remote sends a white-noise signal to each speaker, in turn, to ascertain balance at the viewing position. Imbalance is corrected manually, again from the remote, by adding or subtracting db's to or from each speaker. These settings are displayed on the receiver's LED screen. I was sure I would get a hiss or buzz from the system due to the rat nest of wires in back of the setup but the sound is pure as can be.I was a total newbie to HT, yet was able to get a great sounding system up and running in a short time with this 6.1 Onkyo HT system. I contacted Onkyo support by email twice with questions and received prompt, literate and helpful answers.Oh, BTW, I got a copy of "Home Theater for Dummies" by Briere and Hurley (also from Amazon) for a security blanket. It helped.
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