Some people love the thrill of building a home theater system from scratch. They love to meticulously make sure that they have every and any feature possible. For those that don't want to put in that sort of time (or budget), Onkyo has the HT-S6500 and HT-S7500.
Both of the newly announced home theater systems combine a lot of those sought-after features inside two instant, affordable packages.
Onkyo says that both systems have plenty of 3D-ready inputs and Audio Channel Return, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, networking features, and front-panel USB ports. Also, both models have a Marvel Qdeo video processor, which can upscale low-resolution video to 1080p for HD displays -- and even promises up to 4K for the future.
Another interesting addition is InstaPrevue. Developed by Silicon Image, this new source selection technology is designed to deliver a picture-in-picture display of programs available on connected HDMI devices. Onkyo says that the HT-S6500 and HT-S7500 are the first packaged home theater systems to include this feature.
The Onkyo HT-S7500 is 7.1-channel system, with two floor-standing speakers, a center channel, four surrounds, and a 120-watt powered subwoofer. This model also has Dolby ProLogic Iiz support, if you want the option of a front-height channel. It also has seven HDMI inputs.
For something a little smaller, there's the HT-S6500. This 5.1-channel system has the same subwoofer, but the speakers are more compact (and there's less of them, of course). Also, this one has six HDMI inputs.
Both systems are powered by an 80-watts-per-channel receiver with WRAT (Wide Range Amplifier Technology) and have TI Burr-Brown 192 kHz/24-bit DACs on all channels, a 32-bit DSP processing chip and a discrete amplifier design.
The Onkyo HT-S7500 has powered Zone 2 for sending the two additional surround channels into another room. The HT-S6500, on the other hand, has Zone 2 pre-outs. Both receivers have four DSP Modes for gaming and Onkyo's Advanced Music Optimizer.
Other features on both include Audyssey 2EQ for room acoustics, Audyssey Dynamic EQ for loudness correction, and Audyssey Dynamic Volume to maintain optimal listening levels. Each model also works with Onkyo's optional UWF-1 Wireless LAN Adapter, the upcoming UBT-1 USB Bluetooth adapter, and Onkyo's remote control apps for the iPhone and iPod touch, as well as Android smartphones and the Kindle Fire.
Onkyo says that the HT-S7500 and HT-S6500 home theater systems will start selling this month. Expect to see prices of $899 and $799, respectively.
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