Price Paid:  $699.00 from Circuit City

Summary:
It's a decent bang for the buck. I've had it almost two years and no problems.
Over all a very nice system, the newer model 790 sells for less then I paid, maybe those speaker are better. Would I buy this again....no...might shop for better speakers.

Strengths:
Respectable clear thumping base and pleantly of overall volume. DVD's sound very good, TV shows broadcast in HDTV, or sports events are OK. Very good control over volume to each channel, and various Surround formats.

Weaknesses:
The speakers lack a crispness and the treble/bass controls are limited. At lower volumes the center channel seems a little muddy to me.
As for audio CD's, again I think the "highs" and a bright, crisp sound are absent.

Similar Products Used:
None

Price Paid:  $400.00 from Circuit City

Summary:
For an initial home stress test, I ran this system using NEO6:Music Surround at nearly full amp and 3/4 sub volume for a whole Rage against the Machine song, about 4 min, it was very loud with minimal distortion. For a video test this system was playing The Last Samari. The first fight scene was great and rumbled my mid size living room. The dynamic range of digital sound really showed with the first crack of the rifle firing in the Indian dream fight scene.

Has a built in crossover along with speaker size selector in the Amp. There are several settings for the crossover but you can’t just turn it off if you want to hookup some full range speakers. Is it a subwoofer or speaker crossover? Not enough control over bass and treble, needs a mid control at the very least. No EQ hookup. With all the different speaker and surround settings, you will be able to find a sound that suits you. The manuals are pretty good, they are also vital with all the functions built into this amp. Specs for as low as 3-ohm speakers but every instruction says use 8-ohm minimum. FM reception is average in my opinion. Amp gets hot just being on. It doesn’t get much hotter when it is cranked up for a while though. No onscreen display. Dolby Pro Logic IIx is built in, but not mentioned in nearly any of the reviews I read.

The six included speakers seem very adequate for music and great for movies. The 220 watt sub box puts out great thump. I had to take it apart to get a toy out that my son dropped into the port. The subwoofer speaker is made of paper. Also the ratings on the speaker itself say it’s a 4ohm 80 watt speaker. The included speaker wires are too thin. I like that this system has larger speakers than most all HTIB systems also.

Can’t control non Onkyo CD players with the “programmable” remote. The remote is not fully backlit either. Can adjust each speakers volume individually and bass and treble with the remote control. The remote is big and can control nearly every feature on the amp. It even controls some settings that aren’t switchable on the amp itself, like CINEma FILTeR and OptiResponse-EQ. None of the codes for a Panasonic VCR worked for me either

The Subwoofer and Amp/Receiver are the strengths. This system absolutely has the best and most bang for the buck “about $400" compared to anything available right now. It not as loud as my Carver TFM-4.0 Amp and 15" Infinity SM-152 Speakers. I never considered myself a audiophile, I just liked my music very loud and clear. It is really a different sound and hard to compare the sound of a 2 vs 6.1 channel system. Overall, I’m glad I made the switch because I’m not trying to blow the windows out anymore.

After using this system for about 6 months. I’m not thrilled with the crossover options in the amp. After about a year I'm not even noticing, it sounds better than when I first brought it home. The fact that the remote isn’t as programmable as it should be seems senseless, what’s so hard that Onkyo won’t supply codes for other brands of CD players? I got the sub to bottom out pretty quick when watching Soul Plane. I do like all the surround settings, they really helped out my regular TV viewing. I’m really enjoying this system and truly feel the only way to get a better system is to buy each component individually. At moderate to loud listening levels this system works together great. I just wanted a really nice looking and affordable surround/stereo sound system that sounded good, this fits the bill perfectly. This is one of the best deals on HTIB. I compared this to everything Circuit City, Best Buy and SAMs had in the price range and am happy 1 year later

Strengths:
ONKYO had a great reputation. I love the amp. The sub really thumps and rattles the walls on DVD or Audio. More inputs and bigger speakers than anything in this price range.

Weaknesses:
No DVD player included. Remote: 1 year later and I still hold it backwards sometimes. It's to big to hold comfortably, can't be programed to control alot of mainstream equipment. Thin speaker wire. Amp runs warm so give it lots of room. Now theres a 7.1 HTIB by Onkyo for only a few $$$ more.

Similar Products Used:
Compared in stores to Sony, Pioneer, Yamaha, Sharp, Hitachi, Samsung.

Price Paid:  $450.00 from Onyko factory

Summary:
After a few days of setting up the Onkyo HTS770 home theater system, I
could not be happier. The sound is
fantastic as long as you make the effort to position the speakers optimally. The unit and speakers are
available in either black or silver
(silver is the HT-S770S).

Have the system delivered since the box is huge and heavy. Set up
went very quickly. Initally, I used the thin
speaker wire that came with the system to set up the unit and speakers
on the floor to test out the system. The
wires and connectors are all
color-coded, so attaching the speakers to the
receiver is straightforward.
However, to get much improved sound, I
ended up using Radio Shack’s "In Wall" speaker wire
(16 gauge) that was about $19 per 100
feet.

The manual and Onkyo website go over
the myriad connection types with which
you can connect your other audio-visual equipment (e.g.
VCR, Tivo, DVD, Stereo, Cable Box, Game
device) to the receiver. Be careful here: The 770 does not convert between video formats, so you might find it, as I did, easier to bypass the 770 for video and use it only for audio. The receiver
also has an AM/FM tuner with an antenna
input. A simple indoor plastic loop
antenna is supplied.

At first, I had the surround speakers
sitting on the floor around the couch to
hear how this system performed, and I was
very impressed. Next, I
placed the front left and right
surrounds on either side of our 42"
plasma TV, about 2 feet from the TV's
edges and the center surround on a shelf
right below the TV. I mounted the back
surrounds dropped down 5 inches from the
ceilings using adjustable speaker
ceiling mounts (max 8 lbs.) I purchased
at Fry’s to point the speakers toward
our couch. All this effort was worth it
as the 770's sound became even more full
and sounded just like an actual movie
theater.

The remote has minor issues - it is not
entirely backlit and because of its poor
layout and shape, it is easy to pick it
up upside down. Also, the remote is not one that
learns in case your other
devices do not appear in the remote's
programming list, so some of your other devices
may not be fully supported. For example,
although it operates my Philips DVD
player, it cannot bring up the DVD menu.
But you know what? It may have been
economically unfeasible for Onkyo to
make a truly universal remote (the Harmony
remote sells for $200), so given
that you probably will not be getting
rid of your other remotes, what they
provide is actually okay since it can
set all of the 770's surround settings
and remotely start and stop the systems
speaker sound check.

Overall I think this is one of the best
system for the price that I found in my
research. My suggestions are to set up
the system quickly on the floor to check it
out, then replace the speaker wire as you
mount the speakers in optimal locations,
adapt to the remote, enjoy your new
system, and save $$ by not going to the movie theaters as much!

Strengths:
1000W for all seven
speakers, supports newer formats including DTS and
Pro Logic IIx which intelligently
converts 5.1 to 6.1. Component and
S-Video inputs. Great resolution on volume
levels.

Weaknesses:
Supplied speaker wire
too thin. Large speakers. Remote not fully
backlit, hard to orient, and does not
have a learn mode. No conversion between video formats.

Similar Products Used:
Onkyo HTS-S660