Since the current economic conditions have reduced quite a lot the market for high-end audio systems, the various manufacturers of home-theater systems are re-orienting their business strategies by going for more affordable, entry-level products, whose relatively advanced features and low price points will manage to prove the key elements in the purchase decision.

And that's also the case with the latest two products to arrive from Onkyo, namely the HT-S5200 and HT-S3200, home theater in a box (HTiB) packaged systems that comprise an HDMI-equipped audio-video receiver, five or seven surround-sound loudspeakers with subwoofer, as well as an iPod docking station for the top-range version, which is also the first one we'll talk about as follows.

Hence, the HT-S5200 is a 1200 watt, 7.1-channel behemoth, which makes very good use of its built-in 130-watts-per-channel amplifiers, whose audio frequency and behavior are matched to that of the built-in Onkyo Micro Fiber (OMF) speakers. Furthermore, the system includes a 10-inch, 290-watt bass-reflex subwoofer, a dedicated Onkyo iPod dock and charging station, besides being Sirius satellite radio ready.

The HT-S5200 includes Onkyo’s Music Optimizer to enhance the dynamic range of MP3 and AAC files that are normally compressed for headphone playback, and it has advanced Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES Discrete/Matrix surround sound processing capabilities. Moreover, it packs Audyssey 2EQ room correction technology to automatically adjust the sound character and time delay of each speaker relative to the listening positions, Audyssey Dynamic Volume, which maintains optimal listening levels and dynamic range and Audyssey Dynamic EQ that adjusts the loudness contour on the fly to optimize sound quality for any volume, particularly at low listening levels.

Next in line comes the more affordable 660 watt Onkyo HT-S3200, which is comprised of the HT-R370 5.1-channel AV receiver with 110-watts per channel, three HDMI pass-through inputs, DTS and Dolby Digital surround processing, five loudspeakers and an 8-inch bass reflex subwoofer that is powered by the receiver. The HT-S3200 utilizes Audyssey Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ technologies.

The HT-S5200 will be available in either black or silver finishes and will sell for an estimated 600 US dollars, while its smaller sibling, the Onkyo HT-S3200, will only be available in black and sell for a suggested retail price of $379.


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