Onkyo SKS-HT690 5.1-Channel Home Theater Speaker System (Black, 6)

I don't think I have much to add to the other reviews posted. But I'll confirm what others have said. These speakers are a bit large - but I have a black TV with a black TV stand. In fact, the finish on these speakers matched my basic black wood finish TV stand from WalMart perfectly. Yes - they didn't blend in very well with the walls on the surround, but we are more focused on enjoying the sound than looks, so it worked for us. Overall, I would say that the extra size of these speakers is the key to their great sound and low price. Trying to engineer a super-tiny speaker with huge sound means exotic materials, high-priced design and testing, advanced electronics, and so on. These are based on time-tested speaker design principles and really do an amazing job. We replaced our 10 year old Bose Lifestyle system with this $169 set and I have to say the sound is actually superior by a good margin. These speakers really shine when reproducing high-impact, high-volume sounds. Think about the rumble and crackle you might associate with something like the space shuttle launch. Those types of sounds come across with clarity AND punch. I did have trouble with the subwoofer - the level control seemed to have no effect and it was like the control was stuck on the lowest setting. I called tech support (on a Sunday), got right through to a person, and was told I could drop the unit by a local authorized repair shop just a few miles from my house. I took the unit in on Monday and I think Wednesday the repair was complete. We paired these with a Yamaha AV receiver (RX-V867) with the "YPAO" automatic calibration system - basically a small microphone that plugs in to the front of the receiver and some internal software. It sends out test tones to all 8 speakers and automatically adjusts the levels and verifies polarity. After that, we popped in a movie in the blu-ray player for a test drive. The sounds was really impressive, especially on new sci-fi movies like TRON or the new Star Trek movie. The supplied speaker cables are rather wimpy, but I'd bet my paycheck the average person couldn't tell the difference between these and jumper cables in a double-blind study. Use them or not - you'll most likely be happy either way. My only other gripe with these are the keyhole-style mounting brackets that come pre-attached. These work ok, but I found it hard to find a screw long enough to go thru the drywall to the stud that still had a screw head small enough to fit thru the opening on the bracket - the brackets need to be a tad larger so that a regular drywall or similar screw can be used to mount them. That matters more for the surround speakers as you probaby WILL be mounting them - less so for the fronts as hopefully you can put those on the TV stand or shelf or something. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning. You can easily come up with a workable solution... As others have noted - the speakers are well packed. The box is heavy - ours arrived with the yellow "Two Person Lift" stickers all over it. But the free shipping from Amazon was perfect. Just my opinion, but I wouldn't waste your money paying up for the "latest and greatest" model of the Onkyo HTS speakers. For less than $175, I SERIOUSLY doubt you'll find ANYTHING close. Yes, these are not audiophile or studio grade speakers, but placement and tuning will make as much difference as anything.

Once you realize, Home-Theatres-In-A-Box (HTIBs) just won't do because their sound quality is mediocre at best, you realize that separate speakers and AV receivers run the gamut from reasonably expensive to unbelievable. And buying 7 speakers and a subwoofer can quickly cost you over $2000 dollars. When I was looking at putting together a home theatre system, I wanted an AV receiver with future compatibility that was also fully featured (I settled on the Onkyo TX-SR605). For speakers, I wanted reasonably priced quality. Despite the fact that these speakers were originally part of a HTIB they are of surprisingly good quality for the price. The Onkyo SKS-HT540 7.1 speakers are neither stylish nor ugly. They are functional looking with black wood grain cabinets and removable covers. I like their looks because they are classic and not flashy. I wanted quality over looks. When it comes to low-to-medium priced speakers, stylish looks usually mean a drop in performance and sound quality. These speakers don't try to look trendy, they just produce great sound. If you're going for styling in your speakers to match your decor, look elsewhere. Another feature of the Onkyo SKS-HT540 speakers is that they are large. And I mean large. These would not be too small to be used in a huge great room. I have them in a cramped little apartment, but I love them anyway. You need large speakers to produce fuller, deeper sound and these have no trouble doing that. The speakers are well made in that they have wood cabinets. Read up about materials and you'll learn this is great; most HTIBs and speakers at this price are usually made with plastic cabinets. The Onkyo SKS-HT540 use spring clips as connecters, which don't give the best possible sound, but few speakers in this price range offer banana clips. Overall, the Onkyo's give surprisingly clear, deep, and rich sound for the price. These are very affordable speakers that give great sound. Sure there are speakers that give better sound, but they will cost you over a $1000. These speakers are the best quality sound you can get for the price. (And Cnet agrees. Check out their review.) They are powerful and the sound they produce is realistic and varied. I use my 7.1 system to play video games on my XBox 360, PS3, and PC gaming system. This is where these speakers really shine. Few DVDs or Blu-Ray discs take advantage of 7.1 yet, but many games do. Guns and explosions sound insane! on these speakers. I mean it. The subwoofer is huge and provides plenty of sound for a room of up to 800 sq feet. I've heard musical instruments I didn't even know were there in my music while listening on these speakers. I'm an audiophile and I'll admit there are much better speakers out there, but not for anything near this price. So if you want an affordable surround sound system these speakers are it. Get them now. Oh and the included subwoofer cable is kind of short (8ft). I bought an extension for about $5. Very worth it.

producto muy bien fabricado, solo los escuche una vez para probar su fidelidad y fue bastante agradable su sonido, nitidez y calidad. Debido a que mi casa se encuentra en remodelación las guarde.

Good sized subwoofer, about 50% bigger than our old one. Good price, great product for a smaller living room or den

Great sound. Good bass

Speaker wires are too short

I've had numerous 5.1 sound setups, but none that sounded this good. Phenomenal audio quality. And with the extra two speakers for the full 7.1 system, the experience is even better. Base can shake the house if you want it to. Well worth the price!