Onkyo release new Affordable Home Cinema Kits

Hi-fi and home cinema makers Onkyo – known for high-end audio equipment and selling the UK’s most popular receivers have released a few more budget and affordable home cinema systems.

[NB: What’s a receiver? – a receiver takes the audio and images fed in from somewhere like Sky or a DvD player and amplifies them: improving both sound quality and image definition to cinema standards.]

For those with a bit less time to lavish on reading receiver and speaker specifications, Onkyo have put together some budget packages including both meaning that you only need to sort out the screen yourself and you’ve got a high quality cinema experience for your sitting room.

Their three speaker plus receiver packages:

HT-S6305 – 5.1-channel Home Cinema receiver/Speaker package with iPhone/iPod dock – £500
“Our top of the range package offers a specification that’s bleeding edge in every respect. Comprising the TX-SR508 7.1-channel receiver (see separate release for full details) and gloss-black finished HTP-638 5.1-channel speaker system (with wall-mountable satellites) this high-performance combo will leave your senses dizzy with excitement when fed a Blu-ray with a HD audio soundtrack.”

HT-S5305 – 5.1-channel Home Cinema receiver/Speaker package – £400
“Don’t need all the power and features of the HT-S6305? This option will save you a tidy sum of money while delivering all the essentials for a knock-out home cinema experience. Based around the HT-R538 5.1-channel receiver and HTP-538 Gloss Black 5.1-speaker system this option is slightly more modestly powered, offering 5 x 100w plus 100w from the active subwoofer.”

HT-S3305 – 5.1-channel Home Cinema receiver/Speaker package – £330
Calling this an entry-level package really doesn’t do it justice. Built to the same impressive standards as its two higher-end cousins this package is based around the slightly simpler HT-R380 5.1 channel receiver, delivering a hefty 5 x 100w of power.
The accompanying HTP-338 5.1 speaker system features a slimline, slightly less substantial active subwoofer than found with the HT-S5305, making this well-specified package eminently suitable for smaller rooms.

Available in Black or Silver from April 2010: purchase on Onkyo or from most other retailers