Customer Reviews

Onkyo HT-S3200 5.1-Channel Home Entertainment Receiver/Speaker Package

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

OK, first off, every previous reviewer did not research before buying the unit. "HDMI pass-through means" that the HDMI only produces video, not sound. Therefore, this system (if you are using HDMI) will transfer the video through an HDMI cable and the audio through a separate optical or coaxial cable.

That being said, the unit works flawlessly. I have used it for about 3 weeks and it is everything i expected. The speakers are a piano black, which match my Samsung DLP perfectly.

Set-up was very easy, though you may consider changing the included speaker wire (especially considering that the speaker wire for the rear speakers won't even reach). Another plus of the set-up was that the menu for the receiver is on the receiver's lcd itself, not shown on the tv.

If you are planning on using HDMI, and don't mind using optical or coax audio, this system can't be beat.

Bought this system from NewEgg, so hopefully my comments still apply.
Positives:
- Sounds beautiful
- Easy setup. The receiver, speakers and the entire wires are all color coded. No thinking involved at all, just match them up.
- Intuitive menus and controls. Simple to adjust the amount of bass, and switch between surround sound and music modes. All the functionality is accessible from the buttons on the receiver and the remote control.
- Large one line display is clear and can be read from afar.
- Receiver supports 7.1 if you ever want to get more speakers.

Negatives:
- Most connections are useless. HDMI passthrough defeats the purpose of making the Onkyo receiver the main hub of cables. Instead, I hook up all my systems to my TV using HDMI cables, and run one optical audio cable from my TV output to the receiver.
- Cables are short. Specs from the manual are: 11 ft (front), 10 ft (center), 13 ft(subwoofer), 26 ft(surround)
- Cables are very brightly colored. Its a little weird having bright red, blue, purple and green wires running all over the room.

All the shortfalls can be rectified by getting your own cables and wires. The rest of the system works perfectly and sounds great.

Pros:
- Good price for the features, tons of inputs
- highly configurable audio settings such as speaker levels,distance and size, and what inputs activate with which button press (eg, can route to "optical input 1" with press of "cd" or "dvd" or whatever you choose in setup)
- can use 3rd party speakers
- good center channel separation (clear dialogue on DVDs and TV)
- clearly displays audio type (Dolby PL II, etc) it's detected. Works great with my PS3; you see it switch over when a Dolby enabled game starts up
- low bit rate music (mp3, etc) optimization seems to work

Cons:
- HDMI passthrough means separately wiring audio, so you run out of optical inputs quick
- the many EQ presets are mysterious and seem to have little impact on the sound
- nighttime mode (lower bass?) only available in some inputs
- must hit the "receiver" button to access full audio options
- for all the cusomizeable features, very limited manual EQ choices (bass, treble)
- mediocre music performance overall

Overall, excellent value for the price. A little stronger on the TV/Movie side than for music listening, but I can't crank this thing up in my crowded apartment building, so that could be a factor.

When I read the product specs, I thought the HDMI support included audio, but it is only a pass through switch. If you want to use HDMI, you still need to run another cable for audio. That little kink aside, I am happy with the quality of this product. Great sound and great value for the price.

This is a very good system for the price. When you receive it, however, spend some time setting it up. Some of its default settings are just mind boggling. First and foremost, turn on Audyssey EQ and make sure Dynamic Volume is off (unless you like sloppy bass at the same volume as the other speakers.)

A few other things that are strongly recommended to get the best out of this system:

Make sure the front speakers are set to "small." I'm not sure why Onkyo would sabotage their own product like this by defaulting them to large, but the 3 1/4" speakers are not full range.
Upgrade the speaker wire to 16 or 14 gauge, or if you're going over 25 feet, 12 gauge. Again, I don't know on what planet Onkyo designed this thing, but the wimpy wires they included are a joke.

After a little setting up this can be a very good system, and a steal at 299.

Wow.

This system sounds great! When you get right down to it this is, after all, a SOUND SYSTEM and sound quality should be (IMHO) your first consideration. That is quite a challenge, I know, because I went around town to a half dozen retailers to listen to HTIBs and none of them had systems hooked up properly, if at all - sometimes only one or two of five speakers. So many of these things operate fully only with their remote controls, yet only one store had remotes available. I almost gave up in despair. One store had Onkyo; only one of the front speakers working, but I thought I could detect that it had a possibility of sounding good with proper support (the rest of the speaker package). So I took a chance and trusted the many reviews I had read - both expert and users - universally praising Onkyo's unsurpassed sound quality. I am so glad I did.

Amazon got this to me in two days - before my digital audio cables arrived. So all I could do the first day was listen to CDs and my IPod. Music sounded very, very good. One reason I chose the Onkyo route was that their receivers (you get an honest-to-goodness receiver) allow for a second stereo speaker setup ("Speaker B"), but these new speakers sound just as good as my old stereo! Don't get me wrong; the sound cannot be described as "breathtaking". I have friends who have invested as much in their Monster cables and speaker wires alone as this whole system costs ($299 on sale). But overall, the sound here is very, very good.

Digital audio cables came the next day, and I will only say that if you haven't had theater surround sound before (as I had not), it's worth it. Not quite as earth-shattering as getting your big screen HD TV, but it certainly completes the package. There's a reason all the rest of your gear has digital audio outputs. We were grinning ear to ear watching our first movie.

A word or two about a few of the choices Onkyo made in designing this system. Much has been made in some user reviews about "HDMI pass through". Yes, this requires a couple of digital audio cables. If this means you have to jump in the car, drive to the mall, and lay out $30 each (plus tax) at Big Box, you just might feel a little disgruntled. But buy what you need online; both my cables - one coaxial and one optical - set me back $7.72 with shipping, combined. And yes, "HDMI pass through" is the cheap way to manufacture; that's why they did it... "and pass the savings on to YOU!"

There is no nifty little setup mic to measure the relative sound of the different channels from your listening position. No, you make those measurements with your trusty old tape measure and log them in. Not sexy, but the same result... and once again, a money saver.

And of course, there is no DVD player included here. Most any DVD player of the past several years has digital output (generally coaxial). I was surprised to learn that mine did! Most of the other systems in this sub-$500 price range lure you with an upscaling DVD player - sometimes even with a 5-disc changer. Nice... but that's just money taken away from the sound quality. An upscaling DVD player can be had for $50, and then there's Blu-Ray...

All this adds up to a system that, to my mind, places its emphasis where it ought to be - the sound.

By the way, I found setup to be quite easy and straightforward - which surprised me after reading some reviews. Nevertheless, my maiden voyage produced no sound from the front speakers. This threw me for a loop, as I concluded that this was, indeed, hopelessly complex. A little troubleshooting revealed, however, that BOTH supplied, color-coded speaker wires were defective. What are the odds? Happily, I had some 16 gauge wire lying around, so in no time at all I found myself up and running. Now there is no looking back.

I have a very high-end home AV system in my living room. I wanted something inexpensive to use in our bedroom so my wife and I could watch movies while lying in bed. The Onkyo HT-S3200 home AV system is exactly what I was looking for.

Onkyo packs a lot of features and quality into such a low-cost system. The product specifications speak for themselves, so I won't post them here. This is not an audiophile system, so I would not compare it with one. That being said, this system provides a lot of features and very good sound for so little money spent.

The 110 watt per channel receiver has ample power to fill a bedroom or average-sized living room with sound. The subwoofer provides very good bass and compliments the smaller satellite speakers very well. The satellite speaker enclosures are plastic, but there is no rattle from these speakers even at high volume, and they provide very acceptable clarity. I used the included speaker wire for this setup, which looks like it is probably 20- or 22-gauge wire. Speaker inputs are color-coded to match the provided speaker wiring making connections very simple. Even better sound might be obtained using 14 or 16 gauge wire, but for my purpose it was unnecessary.

The receiver has two optical inputs for better sound. I used these for our satellite TV and blu-ray player. It would have been nice to have more optical inputs for other things, but that's a lot to ask for this price range. The HDMI input is pass-through -- it does not provide sound to the receiver -- so you will want to use either coaxial or optical inputs for best quality sound.

My only complaint with this system is the volume has to be turned up about half way to get good sound for movies. Playing CDs the sound is ample at much lower settings. But there is no sound distortion even at higher volume settings, so mine is a minor complaint.

If you are on a budget, or simply don't want to spend a lot of money, but want a good home AV system the HT-S3200 is well worth a look and listen. I have been very happy with this purchase. And after seeing the quality Onkyo builds into their low-end receivers I will definitely give their products a look if I ever decide to update my high-end audio system.

I just received the unit from Amazon. It was delivered a head of schedule. Took only a couple days on the super saver "no shipment cost" plan. Amazing speed! What a pleasant surprise.

Anyways, I set the system up with ease. It sounds fantastic. Great smooth base with clear highs and lows. Many inputs to choose from. Oodles of listening modes. Beautiful modern black sleek speakers. For the sound I will give it 5 stars. Over all only 4 because of the HDMI inputs which do not pass audio through the speaker system, only back to the tv speakers. A major flaw imo, because that's one of the big selling points of the unit. It renders the 3 HDMI inputs and single output basically useless. You have to use separate coaxial cables or optical audio cables to get real 5.1 Dolby surround sound.

But once getting passed that, the unit is still fantastic and a steal at $300.

I recommend this unit...but remember to order optical audio cables with it if you don't have them. You will need them!

The Onkyo HT-S3200 is a great entry level HTIB.Best bang for the buck.Has great sound. Only con is the need to use a seperate audio connection which isn't bad at all.

I've been wanting a decent surround sound system for awhile now, did not want another dvd/cd player, have done a little research and decided on the Onkyo HT-S3200. With free shipping, the Amazon price, and their reputation for great customer service helped me bite the bullet and go ahead and order. The system arrived in five business days. While the supplied speaker wires seem to be a bit flimsy, they drive the speakers just fine. I had thought the speakers on my 73" Mitsubishi DLP were pretty good and was more interested in the surround feature with the Onkyo system, but I was amazed at the difference in sound quality. Dialog is clearer, and background is distinct and much more meaningful.
The subwoofer as used with the default settings shakes the walls just fine. It can be cranked up but for my taste that would be too much. As for total volume, at the highest settings it won't quite drive you out of the house, you will be able to hear it in the yard comfortably and the quality is excellent right up to full volume. As I had to run the surround rear speaker wire thru my attic I upgraded to 12 ga. wire for all the speakers. The cost was minimal and I just felt more comfortable using a stouter wire.
The instructions are a tad difficult, this may just be that there are so many features icluded in this system it would be difficult to explain in detail every one of them. Patience will help here. I did'nt need to contact the manufacturer to get it working.
There are tons of inputs to use. While you cannot use the HDMI as an audio input, there are digital audio, optical audio and RCA inputs. Plenty.
For the price this is a great system. Sound quality is very good. The surround feature works great. I highly reccomend it.