Onkyo HT-S3300 – A Good Entry /Mid Level 5.1 Home Theater AV System

With the advent of HDMI, just about every video game console and audio/visual system is starting to require this type of input in order to function, so if you are in the market for a home theater system you need to consider one that has plenty of HDMI ports.

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And with 3d televisions just emerging and electronics companies planning to unleash their huge marketing budgets upon us in order to convince us that 3D really is the best thing since slice bread, it is also important that the home theater system supports 3D through the use of HDMI 1.4a – thankfully the Onkyo HT-S3300 is one such beast.

If you have a small to medium sized apartment or main room and you want a step up from the default built in speakers of your television then the Onkyo is what many people plan to buy. Yes, it is possible to buy better quality amps with superior speakers, but to match all of the features that are present in the HT-S3300 you would have to spend at least $400 more. The HT-S3300 has various DSP audio modes that adjust to whatever type of game that you are playing, it has 3D video and an audio return channel, and it also support lossless audio formats. On top of all this, the 5.1 surround sound is far superior to any other models around the same price point.

While the amp only outputs 5.1 audio, for those that only have small to midsized rooms then this is more than adequate, and many people actually prefer it over 7.1 audio as it is less hassle to set up and the difference only really becomes noticeable in larger rooms in any case. In addition, most DVD’s are coded to 5.1 audio in any case, so a 7.1 system would just be using the existing signal and faking true 7.1 audio – not really giving the perfect sound quality that the director intended.

Lossless Audio

The Onkyo also supports lossless audio formats from Dolby and DTS, so the sound fidelity will be crystal clear. If you are wondering if lossless audio is really needed then you should know that it does make a difference, and the speakers that come with the  HT-S3300 are good enough that you will be able to tell the difference.

The speakers, especially the subwoofer than comes with the Onkyo, is also of excellent quality, while the other speakers are good, but not quite as high quality as the subwoofer and amp. But again, you get what you pay for, and for the price you are getting an awful lot for your money, and the 5.1 speakers that are included are well balanced for a great sound.

Little Touches

The attention to detail is also present in this model – the HDMI in the amp is an HDMI repeater instead of a pass-through, the on screen display overlays seamlessly with the video onscreen, so you can quickly change the settings while getting immediate feedback, and there are plenty of sockets on the back for all your gear.

For the price and range of features, it would be hard to find a comparable home theater system, making it great for those that are still stuck with the built in audio of their television, or for those that want to upgrade from their old system.

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