Eric W.

Nov 8, 2008

Since I am the first to review this system on electronicsforless.ca, I'll try to do it justice... PURCHASE EXPERIENCE 1. The web-transaction was flawless and I received the system in perfect condition (box look untouched) within a few days of placing my order 2. I had also sent a question or two to EFL (electronicsforless.ca) and they answered within a day both times - now that's great customer service!! HOME THEATER IN A BOX 1. The entire kit was extremely well packed utilizing a lot of styrofoam, plastic wrap, and shipping ribbons to keep everything in place 2. The receiver alone is fantastic and can be paired-up with a lot of independent speakers if that is your kind of thing. Personally, I wanted all Onkyo since I figured they would balance the speakers to the receiver 3. I found the speaker wire a little on the cheap side so picked-up a heavier gauge since I had some long runs of wiring. I suggest even if the stock wires reach/meet your needs, don't cheap-out and get yourself a thicker gauge like 16 or 14. 4. Mounting was super easy since you could do it with just a single screw in the wall or go with brackets... You can also just have them standing... pretty versatile I guess. 5. The auto audio calibration was very good overall, detected each of my speakers and adjusted the sound accordingly. The only catch for me was that I found the center channel was a little low. The good news is that you can adjust the sound levels of EACH speaker... so I basically bumped-up the sound level the center channel to something I liked more... 6. Overall the performance of the receiver is very strong and have not had any heat issues (people are always concerned about that) and switching between inputs is easy.. 7. Last but not least, I love the sub... what more can I say other than if you want it to shake the floor, jiggle your innerds, or want to show it off to your friends, it will do that and more. That being said, when you want it balanced with the rest of the movie, tv show, etc... it does it nicely and is not knocking you around... So, overall I'm really happy with the system for the price. Yes you could go out and wait for a special on a yamaha receiver, and then wait again for a set of polks but for someone who wants the more simple life, a great bang for the buck, and a system that rivals a lot of more expensive sets out there, this is it by far.... From one guy to another, it's a great purchase, will always have more power than you need, and will reward you with great sound and a award winning receiver.