Owner's Reviews of HT-S780:

Thank you Onkyo for a great home theater system!

You can't match this sound quality for less than 2 to 3 times the price.
 

Very happy with this system. I am looking at getting a second

system for the Game room. The Receiver and speakers were

like new. Highly recommend system
 

This is the best HT system in that price range and above:) U will not be disappointed.

Thanks Onkyo
 

The first DVD movie I watched was Star Wars 3:Revenge of the Sith. The sound was simply amazing. My wife ask me to turn it down because it was shaking the house.

The system has plenty of power to fill a fairly large basement rec area, 15'x36'.

Another thing I like about this system is how configurable it is. You can adjust the volume level of each speaker to suite your personal preference.

I haven't upgraded my speaker wires yet, but I can't imagine it performing much better.

I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking for a home theatre solution that won't break the bank.
 

The Good; Excellent sound quality for a HTIB. The speakers are not as small as others, but sound rich and full toned. I bought a refurbished and still have not found any damages cosmetic or otherwise.

The Bad; Way to heavy to pack it all in one box! The Fed Ex guy looked real mad.

Onkyo should break it up into two boxes. Also it does get real hot i am thinking about adding a fan to the unit.

The Ugly; The speakers. Just not as minimal as others.

All in all this is a outstanding value! A lot of sound for a very fair price. I am very pleased with my purchase, My only real complaint was on the length of time it took to arrive from the purchase date but as I listen to the system more and more I am starting to forget that part of the deal! As others have said buy heavy wire for the speakers the supplied wires are a joke.

The bottom line.... I am happy and would buy Onkyo products again for certain!
 

Hooking it up was a snap. Everything is labeled well and the instruction manual covers everything you need to know. The only thing I did not like was the supplied speaker wires. Too thin. I bought 16 gauge speaker wire to use with this system. There is a difference in using thicker speaker wires.

So far I am impressed with the sound. DVDs, Games, TV all sound great after tweaking the levels and playing with the speaker distance setup.

Thanks Onkyo!
 

From it's discreet final output stages to it's power supply section, you simply do not find this "old school" mentality to building audio products, which by the way is a shame in todays lineups. You cannot find a product out there on the market selling for even as much as 3 times the HT-S780's price that comes close to the bang for the buck you get for less than $500.00. It is well balanced with adequate punch to produce over 110db in my theater room, which is quite impressive to say the least.

Invest a small amount of pocket change in using banana jacks for your speaker cables as you attach them to the rear of this amp and you will make it ever so easy to manage your speaker leads. My personal suggestion is to use 14 guage or larger fine stranded speakers connects for the fronts and center, and 18 guage or better for the rears to provide the finest amplifier damping factor ratios as possible. (Amplifier damping is the ability not to drive a speakers cone outward, but to provide damping to stop the cones and to handle the residual voltage of the cones movement over the magnet, which itself produces voltage)

Onkyo, you have me as a customer, and after 8 months of owning this product, I give you a 10.
 

The Bad: This system is less than a month old and I will be taking it into the repair shop due to a buzzing noise on the rear channels- and it isn't the speakers, wire or even outside electrical interference because I tested for all of it. The system also runs hot given the ultra thin 20 AWG wire, way too thin to pump out the power this system pushes. Spend the extra $50-$100 for a minimum 16 AWG for moderately sized rooms. Lastly, surround sound speakers are a little on the large and bulky side, but the sound they produce make up for that!

Overall; a great improvement over my previous Samsung system that was just too underpowered and couldn't hit the high notes as clearly and crisply as this Onkyo system. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this buzzing sound will easily be repaired. All in all, for the $430 plus tax I paid I am more than satisfied.
 

I do agree that the supplied speaker wire is really weak and needs to be replaced. I'm also surprised that Onkyo hasn't changed the jacks on the back of at least the front speakers to something a bit more robust. Although when you look at the price point it is difficult to imagine there is much of a margin here for Onkyo.

The only other complaint I have is that one of the covers for the Optical inputs has fallen off. I've only had the system for about 2 weeks and finally got all of the wiring set-up. Unfortunately, without the cover for the optical port, an optical audio cable doesn't positively lock into the channel.

Other than that I would recommend this system to just about anyone looking for a decent Home Theatre set-up without spending a bundle. For the cost, if you don't like it you can put it in a den or your bedroom.
 

The good;

Great Value, Great Performance, Quality Construction. Plenty of options for hookups for now and in the future. (double check for your particular system as there always might be something you need more of). Good manual. Remote works great to replace all I had into one.

The not so good;

My only dislike is the size of the sub. Does perform good but a like bulky for my taste.

Great job.............Thanks Onkyo
 

PROS:

* Amazing sound and clarity. Very powerful (110 w per channel).

* Bass is just right -- given that Subwoofer is 250 watts, it just doesn't blare. It is a bottom firing subwoofer.

* Perfect surround.

* Equalizer rocks - And, there is a night mode, CinemaFilter and an OptiResponse equalizer. They are all good. Note: you also have complete control over the bass and treble.

* Remote looks awkward, but it actually works right.

* I can even control my iPOD using my remote (thanks to the RI interface). Buy the iPod dock (DSA1) and you are good to go.

CONS:

* Clumsy wiring at the rear of the receiver (inspite of color coding, etc) -- especially when you do the initial wiring.

* The back and side surround speakers follow the traditional design. But sounds good though. Front and center speakers have a newer design.

* FM reception is just okay. May be it is just the antenna.

* Wish there were more digital coax audio inputs. There is just one Coax. But there are three optical... so better if your devices support optical cables.

In short, this system is really worth the money. Eventually, I might upgrade my speakers to something even nicer (say Polk, Bose). But the receiver is just top notch.

One thing I did not catch the first time and caused me to re-read the instructions...although all kinds of audio can be processed and sent to the speakers....only like-kind video can make it to the TV. My newer DVD player had component connections and S-Video. My TV has S-Video and the regular dreaded yellow plug RCA connector (and antenna co-ax). Thinking the component connection would be even better....I used that to enter the DVD into the system. Audio via digital was spectacular....but no image. As soon as I tossed the $ component cable and used a S-Video....we were watching DVD's!

Of course...the VHS has RCA plugs only....so looks like the video portion will need to bypass the system and plug directly into the TV for now....until I get an S-Video capable VHS!

Oh yes....just about to purchase another Onkyo component!
 

I am going to buy another one soon for my son....

great power, great sound......

unlike other systems, the levelling of this system is stunning....A++ from me..
 

I hooked up the Onkyo set with the Athena fronts and center and was blown away. Then decided to see if the Onkyo fronts and center were as bad as that "audiophile" review had said. To my surprise, they sounded better than the athenas! I couldn't believe my ears. I had to connect both to the receiver to hear the difference.

The receiver does the job, and the speakers are better than a $1000 system. I put the system through its rounds with everything from crappy Hollywood blockbusters to jazz, hip-hop, Pink Floyd and classical are amazing. This is a true audio lovers' dream. As a testament to how good the 780 is, I'd like to add that this is the first product I've ever bothered to sit down and write a review for. Its just that awesome. Don't waste your money on a four-digit system; this will do the job just as well, if not better!
 

We love this system. Very easy to setup. All wires and contacts are color coded. You can't go wrong. Great sound. I wasn't happy with regular stero (R/L) input. Switched to optical input and it was awesome. I would definetly recommended this system. Watching DVD's at home is totally different now.
 

I bought it from circuitcity, paid under $350 and very satisfied with the performance.

System setup was as easy as 1.2.3 and I used optical connection for best audio results. So far the system performace is simply amazing though I haven't explored all the features yet. I'm fully satisfied with the system and would highly recommend to other buyers.

My hats off to ONKYO. This is a prime example of MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCKS!!!
 

Well worth the trouble!

The system is excellent. The sound is great and makes good use of the speakers, and appears to be as good or better than higher priced systems. The universal remote was easy to configure for my whole TV, DVD, VCR, Cablebox system.

The one downside, is that it took a bit to figure out most of the features. Basic cabling is straight forward, but getting my head around which buttons to push to make certain features work was more complex. I am happy with the system, but there are many more features I have yet to learn how to use.
 

I have a X-box Cable Box and a Mac Mini connected to the system an via digital input and the results are better than I expected the sound is great and maybe more than I need but when can you really have to much. The HT-S780 also has another leg or 2 up on the Bose system 7.1 sound and an interface option for the Ipod. This system gives me everything I needed and wanted and much more.
 

I was in a hurry to get mine fired up and at first I threw it on my big Fishers and Polks with nothing but the subwoofer turned to low put in "Lord of the Rings" and it blew me away! I was fascinated with the experience of being in the film! As good as any theater experience! This unit does its job very well. I finally hooked it up right and after a little "burn in" time for the speakers it has really come alive!

You would have to spend a lot more money to even match this system much less surpass it. With all the many hookup options and setup scenarios for Dolby, etc., I don't know what else one would look for. Onkyo has really impressed me with the quality of their merchandise! Sony, Bose, wake up!

You can't go wrong with this system. I love it! Enjoy!
 

With dual 5" cone and 1" tweeter in front speakers and dual 4" Cone and 1" tweeter the sound is crisp and clear. Very good surround from all other speakers. Receiver has generous Audio/Vedio connections. 230 Watt power of the sub and power of the whole system in general is excellent. With 50% of the max volume it shakes my living room when Harry Potter travels using Floo powder to Diagon Alley in Chamber of Secrets. I could hear all little sqeaks of gollum in Lord of the Rings which i could not hear earlier.

I could not be more happier. Highy recommend.

Thanks ONKYO !! Fine product !!