NEW Release! Onkyo HT-S5300...Any Good?

Looks like they added TrueHD and DTS-MA decoding.

Go to Onkyo's site and you can compare it to last year's model:

http://onkyousa.com/prod_class.cfm?class=Systems

They've been dropping the upconversion with a few of last years receivers.

Other than that, it looks like it'll take over the niche of last year's HT-S6200.

Now i wish I waited alittle before I jumped the gun on my purchase

That is an extremely good value for money. While the speakers may not be the best its a great starting point

So it looks like even the lowest Onkyo model, the 3300, even features TrueHD and DTS-HD. Now maybe people can focus on the components that really matter like receiver power and speaker/sub performance rather than obsessing if they can decode the latest codecs….

….or is HDMI 1.4 going to become the next “must have” feature?

The Onkyo 5300 still looks like it belongs in the same weak sauce category that has been offered over and over throughout the years – I wouldn’t pay $499.99 for it, that’s for sure.

according to Onkyo the days of HDMI pass through is over for all of their models.

It's probably not that bad and you could do worse.

My only criticism from just looking at the 5300 is that the speakers and sub don't look that great and I think one could do a little better for $500.

Yeah, you can probably shop around and do separate speakers and pick up the same (or roughly the same) Onkyo receiver. Sub might be tricky, but with patience it can be done.

The 5300 is a good one stop package, though. With all of Onkyo's systems now featuring HDMI audio it makes their lineup more compelling for budget shoppers.

I'd agree with that.

...and it does look good for budget shoppers since even the lowest Onkyo receivers have HDMI audio...and along with that comes convenient connections. Now you're paying extra for power, 7.1, and other features like Audyssey...etc. For a lot of people a simple, basic receiver like the Onkyo 308 and a modest speaker/sub package could be a good option.

As far as $500 go there is no other good systems. The only thing the Denon DHT-590ba has over this is a better speaker set

That reciever you are getting is very high end with hdmi 1.4 support

First do NOT go with the 5200 as it doesn't support HDMI audio which is needed to get the Blu-Ray audio

Personally I am of the notion that the reciever you get with the 5300 will be better than the 6200.

Personally I would go with the 5300. Where the 6200 use to be the best value for money 7.1 system the 5300 will takes its place. Supporting 1.4 HDMI will make your reciever ready for the long term

Keep up the good comments. I'm in the market for an upgrade (running a 6+ year old Sony 5.1 system now. No HDMI even). This is directly in my price range right now. My living room isn't that big (as it's a one bedroom apartment). I don't need anything too high end, but something at least I can get the Blu-Ray audio. Anyone have a estimate release date yet (other then end of month?)

Its not that huge of a step down you are making it out to be.

Infact you are steping down to the 6200 which its older HDMI inputs.

If you can wait I would until the manual is available to the ht-s5300 it will give you some insite. If you can't wait get the HT-S6200 and home HDMI 1.4 isn't that special

Stupid question here:
So since the HT-S5300 supports HDMI v1.4 does that mean that to use the Audio Return Channel feature I would have to use a 1.4 cable? If I use a v1.3 cable would I have to use a digital optical cable like on the HT-S5200 model to get audio?

Lets say you are hooking up a PS3 to the HT-S5200 that will require the HDMI for video and optical cable for audio

With the HT-S5300 it accepts HDMI audio so you will just need to run a HDMI cable from PS3 to HT-S5300

Thanks for the reply. Would the cable have to be v1.4 or could it be v1.3?

Anyone have any idea when these are going to start shipping?

Should be sometime in April, possibly early May, based on past releases. Beyond that, we'll know more the closer it gets.

I pre-ordered one on Amazon and from what the Onkyo website says, expect an April release date. Sounds like a nice entry level system.

Glad to find that topic as I am also waiting for 5300 and not sure if should just go with 6200.

Here is one more big difference that concern me between 6200 and 5300.

The speakers got much bigger. Can anybody tell if it's good thing or not? because I would rather go with smaller one in 6200, i do not have lots of space.

6200
-----
Dimensions (W x H x D) -
Front 4 3/4" x 9 1/8" x 4 13/16" (120 x 231 x 122 mm) 2.4 lbs. (1.1 kg)
Center 9 1/8" x 4 3/4" x 5 1/16" (231 x 121 x 128 mm) 2.4 lbs. (1.1 kg)
Surround 4 3/4" x 9 1/8" x 4 13/16" (120 x 231 x 122 mm) 1.8 lbs. (0.8 kg)
Surround Back 4 3/4" x 9 1/8" x 4 13/16" (120 x 231 x 122 mm) 1.8 lbs. (0.8 kg)

http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=...ss=Systems&p=s


5300
------
Dimensions (W x H x D) -
Front 6 1/8" x 14 13/16" x 6 11/16" (155 x 375.5 x 170 mm) 6 lbs. (2.7 kg)
Center 16 9/16" x 4 1/2" x 4 3/4" (420 x 115 x 121 mm) 5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg)
Surround 4 1/2" x 9 1/16" x 3 3/4" (115 x 230 x 96 mm) 2.2 lbs. (1.0 kg)
Surround Back L/R 4 1/2" x 9 1/16" x 3 3/4" (115 x 230 x 96 mm) 2.2 lbs. (1.0 kg)

http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=...ss=Systems&p=s

Soundwise, they're probably the same, or close enough. Speakers are always the weak link in a HTIB. Onkyo is a fine receiver company, but their speakers are and always will be a side project for them (I doubt they even make their own.) So if you want the smaller speakers, you can get the 6200 and not lose much, if anything.

but some spec are different as well

5300
------
Front L/R 130 W/Channel (8 ohms, 1 kHz, FTC)
Center 130 W (8 ohms, 1 kHz, FTC)
Surround L/R 130 W/Channel (8 ohms, 1 kHz, FTC)
Surround Back L/R 130 W/Channel (8 ohms, 1 kHz, FTC)


6200
------
Power Output -
Front L/R 130 W/Channel (6 ohms, 1 kHz)
Center 130 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz)
Surround L/R 130 W/Channel (6 ohms, 1 kHz)
Surround Back L/R 130 W/Channel (6 ohms, 1 kHz)


what is "6 ohms"?

also

5300
------
Front/Center 2-way, bass reflex

Front 5" (12 cm) cone woofer,
1" (2.5 cm) balanced-dome tweeter
Center 3 1/4" (8 cm) cone woofer x 2,
1" (2.5 cm) balanced-dome tweeter


6200
------
Front/Center 2-way

Front 4" (10 cm) cone woofer x 2
1" (2.5 cm) balanced-dome tweeter
Center 4" (10 cm) cone woofer x 2
1" (2.5 cm) balanced-dome tweeter


Does anybody understand this? Please advise.

Thanks

Let me dust off my electrical engineering knowledge in my head. The ohms is the impedance of the speaker. Simply, it is the resistance to the signal, in this case an audio signal. A high number means more resistance.

Simply put, higher impedance will mean your amplifier has to 'work harder' to produce the sound.

Any can feel free to correct me, no hard feelings. My electrical knowledge hasn't been used in quite some time.

@ bellorusha - There's not really that much to look at with those specs. Like Tulpa said above the speakers are the weak link in the Onkyo systems. The bottom line is that in both cases you get a complete system with a competitive receiver for such a low price because corners are cut in the speaker area. They'll work and sound OK but they both contain inexpensive speakers enclosed in thin plastic, full range speakers only for surrounds, and a pretty low quality subwoofer. It's an easy buy, and probably fine in most cases, but you can do better even by buying a receiver and a 5.1 speaker package off the shelf.

Yeah, you're basically looking at the difference between a Kia Rio and a Daewoo Lanos when speakers from dedicated companies are at Honda Civic level or higher.