Customer Reviews

Onkyo HT-S6200 7.1-Channel Home Entertainment Receiver/Speaker Package with Dock for the iPod

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Pros

* Has the latest HD Decoders for Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio (lossless audio for bluray movies).
* HDMI passes through sound, therefore no need for extra audio cables (unlike the HT-S5200)
* Sound gets very loud, but maintains clarity. Bass response, tonal balance, dynamic range are very good.
* Several listening modes that enhance your experience (Virualize stereo sound into surround sound, i.e. DTS Neo:6)
* IPOD dock included. This is normally a seperate item to purchase. Get more use out of your IPOD.
* Quality product all around, solidly built. Sleek piano black finish for the speakers. Receiver, clean and simple. Not too large or heavy either, unlike past Onkyo HTIBs.
* Affordable! (Amazon had the cheapest price, plus free shipping, plus no tax!)

Cons

* Does not upconvert sigals to 1080P. Therefore, if your Nintendo Wii displays 480P, then this receive will not upconvert and you will still see 480P.
* Does not convert analog signal to digital. Basically, does not convert component signal to HDMI. Therefore, if you have a component connection like an old DVD player, you will need to install component out to the TV as well. You cannot connect all connections to this reciever, and have them output through the HDMI. No conversion between signal types. Component in/Compononet out, HDMI in/HDMI out, Composite in/Composite out.
* Remote control is average at best, which is to be expected. Currently working with Onkyo support to use remote as universal remote for all components. I just dont want to invest in an expensive universal remote :-)

Additions

* Bought my own speaker wire and speaker stands from [...]. Very cheap, good quality products.
* Ran speakerwire under carpet and baseboards. Suprisingly, very clean, although its not the most ideal.

Overall, I am very pleased with this purchase. I recommend this to everyone is looking to install a quality HTIB, that sounds as good as more expensive custom systems. Of course, you can get better sound, but you maybe paying three to four times more. Therefore, for the price and features, you are getting a great value. Five stars.

I spent a couple months researching various components, HTIB packages and every option in between for a combination of good quality, upgradeability and low to mid price range. I finally decided on this because of the reputation behind Onkyo, the 7.1 package and component style receiver which was missing in most of HTIB I found. Set up was with a Sony 42'' Bravia LCD and PS3, which turned out to be super easy. Speaker wires were of good length but may decide to upgrade to better ones later down the line. The auto calibration mic was simple to use and essential for someone like me who isn't the greatest with sound setup.

The receiver has everything you'd need for any basic setup you have including a couple game consoles, tv, stereo equipment, ipod dock (really great addition), etc. The audio presets work wonderfully, the menu is easy to navigate even if you can't control it on your tv screen.

The speakers sound phenomenal! Coupled with any blu ray movie, they are a world of difference between any other HTIB or low end component systems I've tried out. If this is your first surround sound system, trust me this is a huge upgrade from a 2.0 system! The sub has great boom, tons of power to handle even the most bombastic soundtrack. The speakers themselves are crisp, clear, aesthetically attractive and sound great when turned up loud. I've tried them out with dialogue heavy movies like Casablanca, action flicks like Live Free or Die Hard, concert movies like Los Lonely Boys (Live in Texas), games like GTA4 and Killzone 2, and they all sound absolutely incredible.

Music when played through the system sounds really incredible. The receiver comes with various settings for different listening modes, all of which have their own unique character and enhance the listening experience.

If you are looking for a great start to surround sound systems cheaply priced and not cheaply made, BUY THIS!!! 7.1 receiver means you can upgrade as need be in the future, but imo most everyone would be more than happy with what you get right out of the box. Highly recommended.

After doing endless research on quite a few systems I ended up choosing the Onkyo HT-S6200. There's only one word to descibe it. (Phenomenal) This system is unreal! Most HTIBs are pretty much junk. Not Onkyo. Most of my equipment is fairly highend so I really wanted an audio system that would prove itself. I have this badboy feeding out True HD/Master DTS audio from my DMP-BD80 via bitstream to a TC-P54S1 Plasma. Note: I also have a PS3 running through it and as you may know already it won't show your HD codecs lit up as the PS3 sents out audio via PCM. I prefer letting this receiver decode the audio so I'd advise getting a standalone BD player also. Unless you have a slim PS3. It outputs bitstream. Anyways, back on subject. Set up for me took a few days as I mounted all 7 speakers on the walls of my theater space. I also recommend Sanus wall system speaker mounts. One 5 pc kit and one 2 pc kit gets the job done and they give you endless mounting options. Also, I used about 200 ft of 16 gauge wire. They wire they give you is cheesy. Ok, nuff with the mumbo jumbo... This system is every thing you can dream of! I couldn't decide between the 6200 or the 7200. With my setup the tall boys in the front just would not fit in. That's the main reason why I ended up with the 6200. The 7200 has a little better receiver that upconverts (the 6200 does not) but that was useless to me cuz my equipment does that anyways. Also, the 7200 has another out for secound sub. No biggie cuz the one it comes with is nasty! Its huge, so beware! The speaker setup tuner it comes with is a breeze and works great. Trust me, if you've never heard HD audio your in for one hellva treat! 5.1 7.1 whatever you throw at the puppy it sounds amazing!! If I had one nitpick it would be the fact that you can't rename any of the inputs. It would have been a nice feature... If your looking for a HTIB for under $600.00 look no further. The HT-S6200 has it all. No contest. When it comes to a HTIB with the budget in mind you can't beat the performance of Onkyo!

Highly Highly Highly Recommended!!!

I am very pleased with my purchase it sounds great and was not that hard to set up.

It comes with a mic for the audesy auto tuning it took about 10 min but now they sound great.

All of the speakers except the sub which is very large are made to hang on the wall but they do come with little rubber stickers for the feet it you want to place them on something.

The system is very loud putting it above 50 is sure to upset the neighbors.

But it is very clear and the dialog in movies is much easier to hear than just my normal tv.

The ipod dock is nice the remote will control some basic ipod functions.

It makes my ps3 sound great also it gave a level of depth to games i play that i have not experienced before.

I would recommend this system to my friends.

I will edit this review if there are any problems.

I have had this system for about a month now and I am very impressed by the sound quality. I truely enjoy listening to Music, TV and movies. Initially I noticed that the unit was getting hot right under the power supply even when the unit was supposed to be off. I called Onkyo Customer support and the very un professional person who attended my call told me that that is the way it is and you will have to live with that. I was getting ready to return the unit and dreading packing this whole thing back in the box. This was un acceptable for the unit to get this hot when it was supposed to be off. I sent an email to Customer support with this same problem and bingo, this time around a very knowledgeable person told me to check two things under hardware.
"The unit may get hot in the standby, mode if you have the setting under hardware, HDMI, audio out tv, ON< and Power Controll ON, this will still keep some things on in the unit.
david, "
I turned off these two things and now the unit remains cool to the touch under the Power supply unit when off. This was the only issue I had and now I am loving it. Saved me a lot of hassle of returning the product.
I did upgrade my front and center speakers with polk Monitor 60 and CS1 but the stock speakers were also adequate. My surround and back speakers are stock and I am planning to move stock fronts as surround (since they have the 1" tweeter) and move the surround as Front Highs. I also upgradeed wiring with 16 gauge monster speaker cable. I have programmed the remote to control my TV as well as cable box so now I only need one remote.
The system extracts sound right off of hdmi signal while acting as a repeater so no other audio cables are needed. This keeps the cabling very simple. Excellent HTIB and upgradeable as you go along. I would highly recommend this unit.

Pros
+ Amazing sound details - excellent sound processor
+ Woofer producing good bass
+ Maintains perfect balance of sound quality for different modes: Music, Movies, Games (This you find not in all HTIBs)
+ Full HDMI support (both audio and video).
+ Music:
* The detailed original sound from every instrument is great
* Very good voice level and quality
* The drums and the bass guitar sound is very real.
+ Movies/Games:
* Nice voice clarity
* Explosion, gunshots, accident sounds are great

Cons
- Not the best looking overall
- Could have had a better display
- Auto calibration reduces bass (so I turned down the woofer before calibrating and it is much better)
- Expensive
- Neighbors are not happy

Other thoughts

* Heavy! 70lb
* It warms up a bit, but I live in Buffalo so that is not a problem...,lol
* I noticed a little delay (may be in few milliseconds) when I connect and play my Yamaha keyboard. Then I turned down something like a sych settings and it is much better.
* So far I am satisfied

How long do I own? 2 Weeks
Would you recommend to a friend? Yes

PS: This is not a complete review as I am using the product for 2 weeks only. I ordered 6 speaker stands and I need to set it up and have to observe surround effects more. Most probably I'll update this in a month or so.


UPDATE: Its been a month now and it is a phenomenal audio system, I brought some cheap speaker stands from e.b@y and it sounds and looks even better.

To test this product out i put in one of the battle scenes from Lord of the Rings. My roommate ran upstairs and in my room because he thought someone was being raped. It is awesome. I could feel every step that an ork was taking. This is my first home theater system and honestly i couldn't ask for any more. Setup was fairly easy, speaker wires are colored coded to the speakers that they go to, but the wire is very thin and I think i will upgrade to a 16g wire. If you have a small to average sized room then this is the product for you. It will blow you away.

I am usually budget minded when it comes to purchasing electronics and I usually prefer to purchase at a local retailer where I live. However, I took the plunge and purchased a Blu-ray player without thinking about upgrading my current Onkyo receiver. When I started getting familiar with Blu-ray discs, I noticed the new audios that are out there now and I started thinking about upgrading my theater system. There was no contest as to whether are not I was going to purchase another Onkyo system; instead it was a matter of which one and where to purchase. I didn't need a lot of speakers hanging around since I purchased three HTS in the past. Now the debate was to purchase here at Amazon or at another local retailer. Well I decided to purchase my Blu-ray player and this system here at Amazon. I decided to purchase this yet another HTS since it was the lowest price that I was interested in. One receiver alone I was interested in was around $800. The experience was better than I hoped for. I've had this for a couple of days now and I am satisfied with my decision. Both items I purchased had the lowest price here at Amazon and so I was able to keep within my budget.


Pros:

4 HDMI inputs so that all my equipment is connectors are connected with their own HDMI cable - nice.

Basically a swap out (old) swap in (new)

Remote is better and even more functionally laid out. Getting the other components intergrated to this was a snap. All I wanted was to turn them on in one click; however all the other functions appear to be working correctly. It's also a little bigger so I don't actually hit something else accidentally (like zone2 - was always a problem with my prior system).

Speakers were a snap to hook up especially the second time around. I used the 4 back speakers that came with the set. I have two floor standing 100w Optimus speakers from RadioShack and 1 100w center speaker by Kenwood. Like I've stated earlier I have a number of speakers from other sets. I usually set the back speakers a little higher than the front so as to have back sounds jump out a little more without any distortion. I have 700+ square feet of space to fill with sound. Having the volume turned at 36 it fills the room completely without disturbing the neighbors.

Cons:

I really cannot find any.

The only minor thing is the mute is not located on the receiver itself. Not that big of a deal however.

I wish the lettering for the stuff on the receiver was lettered in white or yellow so it would be easier to read.


Basically a great experience with Amazon and the delivery system I won't hesitate to purchase other electronics in the future. Especially not having to pay shipping - handling fees and tax saves money too.

Recommendations:

I would recommend this to my friends and all who will listen. I only hope that if there is ever a problem with this set that it will be resolved quickly and fairly through SquareTrade, the company I purchased my warranties from.

Price is reasonable. Shipped fast and FREE
Setup is simple - but don't rush it. I'd advise ordering banana plugs, and better (longer) speaker wire, 16ga max.

Watched '300' Ultimate on PS3 in TrueHD.... WOW!
The sound is amazing, the lttle sub is brutal, it really thumps strong and clean. 2.0, 5.1, 7.1, etc. they all sound great, excellent seperation from all speakers, mp3s & CDs are awesome too.

-A sad tale with a happy ending-
The unit switched into 'protect mode'. Tried all the fixes that I could google, 'cept for opening the unit myself, but why risk voiding the warranty, I'd only had it for 1-2 weeks. Onkyo tech suggested I call Amazon, and without hesitation Amazon sent a replacement, no questions asked. Another 70+lb box arrived 2 days later. I replaced the receiver and a rattling speaker that worked, but had some loose parts inside, the speakers seem sealed. No issues with the new receiver so far. I'm very pleased.

As expressed in an earlier review (Gladiator, Blu-ray Sapphire Edition), I do not have a dedicated home theater nor do I have an exorbitant amount of space or money to push toward making my movie space any more than my living room. However, this system is phenomenal. The sound quality is literally floor-shaking (pier-and-beam house...makes for great bass-heavy thrillers). The set up was quite easy as well. Decent gauge speaker wire is included, plus they're color-coordinated for those of us with honey-do's that don't have the desire to be seen buying the Home Theater for Dummies book. After the set up, you run through a fairly long (but seemingly effective) Audyssey Equalizer. From what I garnered from actually going through the set up, the receiver is simply balancing sound to the seven speakers based on the top 3 locations where people will be watching movies (ideal for a set up where you're not a home theater pro tweaking every bit to your own specifications). All in all, there is not a complaint I could possibly make. Sound quality is terrific, finish is really quite attrative (gloss black). 3 movies in and many more to come.