Sure, I'm a hi-fi enthusiast and almost qualify as a hi-fi snob but I'll never tell you a quarter million bucks is required for perfect sound. Heck I'll take $5K worth of as-good-as-it-gets and die happy. But not so with you, yeah you John Q. Public. It seems you can't get enough of affordable HTIB (Home Theater In A Box) the most common question I get on the forums is people asking what a decent HTIB is these days. I must first qualify with saying that for the $300 - $500 you spend on a cheap HTIB system you can get your first real component and start building a system over time.  But you, John Q have said… yeah yeah, forget that, I want good sound now.  So rather than snub you I've promised to make recommendations anytime I see a decent HTIB out there.  And honestly they surprise me sometimes. 

Here is one I think you'll like for $300 that's peanuts for 5.1. Honestly I expected Onkyo's HT-S580 to sound like crap. This isn't Onkyo's top end HTIB system but a stripped down second or third fiddle. Seeing it at the local hi-fi store all setup I couldn't resist a demo.

Before I started listening I'm sneering at a $300 system expecting an acoustic hook that these el-cheapo systems usually offer as its excuse for "quality" audio.  Maybe this one will do the midrange bulge which panders to rock and roll and gives movies articulate dialogue. This is accomplished by blasting middle highs to make feel more detailed. Or perhaps it'll pull the current popular trick of inadequate sound systems by pumping up the 80Hz - 100Hz range to give us "boomy" bass. It gets the kids excited thinking they're hearing 50 Cent on a real hi-fi system.

Onkyo's newest HT-S580 HTIB is indeed a stripped down system. Onkyo managed to save on cost by declining a DVD player. This is actually a good thing, better to see extra expense used elsewhere than in sub-par optics by including a garbage DVD player. You'll have to furnish your own DVD player but that's not so bad these days. Who knows maybe in a few months your HTIB beer budget will change in coming months and you might find yourself in the market for a new HD DVD / Blu-ray combo player by the end of the year. Give Onkyo some credit for foresight.

The audio circuitry is the strength of this unit, end of story. A 5.1 system is bare bones these days when people like to see 6.1 / 8.1. When you're placing micro satellite speakers around a dorm room or a small apartment what are you going to do with 6 or 8 speakers? 5.1 are really all you need. A well placed five speaker surround system will give you all the effects and depth you can get from any soundtrack. Extra speakers might be good for larger rooms but since the extra "back" channels in a 6.1 system aren't discreet they're no more than acoustic reflections of the surround channels. 

100 Watts of continuous power graces all five micro satellite speakers on this HTIB system. It's a nice punch from such a small box. The sub is constructed of fiber board which is a nice break from the plastic "toy" subs you expect from cheapie systems in this price range. The sub's driver provides surprising ballast to the box weighting in at 20 lbs it feels like, dare I suggest, a real sub. All the digital decoding goodies you expect are present with Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital II, DTS. The crossover defaults to 80Hz and gives you flexibility to switch between 60/80/100/120 or 150Hz. It has four audio inputs including two of which are digital with one optical and one coax, not bad for such a lean system.

How does it sound?

I gave it a demo at a local audio shop and started off listening to one of those mix CDs featuring a bunch of high-brow musical recordings from people I've never heard of (what, no Sex Pistols?). One track was classical guitar the next had steel drums maybe you've heard what I'm talking about. The demo CD was obviously showing off detail and I was surprised at the quality.  Nicely detailed strings from an acoustic guitar drew me in and I forgot this was a deep discount budget system. It lacked the velvety smooth transitions as the guitarist's fingers ride the bridge of the guitar. I've heard classical guitar sound more complex on more expensive speakers but this sounded like a mid ranged bookshelf speaker system not a micro satellite HTIB. Then we played some rock. Yeah, there was a bit of a bulge in the deep lows and it gave the sound an illusory 'richness', an acoustic gimmick to be sure but it worked. It gave the system punch that makes you forget it retails for $300. Then I tested the opening scenes in Fifth Element which is a nice display of subtle intensity inside the pyramid with the archeologist and then it builds to a climactic sub thumping when you get to the aliens. It actually made me say "holy crap" or some similar explicative. The sub is truly the jewel of the system. I've heard 5.1 speaker systems that include an 8" sub that costs between $600-$800 that sound about the same. The five speakers around the room being fed a continuous 100 Watts Per Channel really keeps pace with the soundtrack and could probably fill a mid sized living - room.

Overall I was pleased with the acoustic quality. Another HTIB surprised me with how good it can sound. Surely you'd have to triple the meager $300 for the HT-S580 to exceed the quality with a component system.  That's a strong statement I won't give out lightly because I know I can probably price a damn fine component system at $1K that will rival anything.

Next stop, I promise to test out a non-Onkyo, non-Yamaha HTIB system and get a feel for its performance.