Today we’re going to take a look at the Onkyo HT-S7300 receiver/speaker home theatre system, which also features an iPod Dock for your tunes, DTS-HD Master Audio for great sound quality and Faroudja DCDi Cinema for high-quality video processing. The system throws out 1200W of sound, with seven 130W speakers and a chunky 290W subwoofer. Here’s the full low-down on the HT-S7300 from the manufacturer Onkyo.

Onkyo HT-S7300 reviews

CNet - 4 out of 5
NewEgg - 4 out of 5
Amazon - 4 out of 5

Featured Tags onkyo, receiver, speaker-system


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We like space-saving hardware and that’s why we decided to take a closer look at the KEF T205 speaker system. Their satellite speakers are a mere 1.4 inches thick and look neat hanging off your wall next to the flat screen, especially with the centre speaker under the display too. You can also get stands (sold separately) for the rear speaker pair and of course the sub-woofer can hide away just about anywhere. Their price tag may baulk some customers, currently $1,349 at Amazon but that’s what you get for ‘different’ design. Of course the main thing with speakers is how do they sound? Whilst we’ve not heard the KEF T205 system in full-blown action we tracked down a few online reviews to see what they said about them

Trusted Reviews - 9 out of 10
TechRadar - 5 out of 5

Overall the sound quality, as judged by these reviews, was excellent for movies, however TechRadar has some reservations on the sudio quality for music

However, the audiophile in me did feel it was missing something on these tracks. I wanted more transparency from the KEFs. Don’t get me wrong, you can hear a lot of low-level detail, but I felt as if there was a bit of veiling of the music.

That aside, the reviewers did seem to think you were getting value for money with the KEF T205 speaker system, sound quality had not been comprised for space saving design and the price tag recognises the R&D put in by the backroom boys at KEF.

KEF T205 Specifications

T301 Satellite Speakers
• Ultra-slim bass driver offering clean, forceful response that brings the action vividly to life
• New large vented tweeter provides warm, natural sound that’s so real you feel you’re there
• Can be mounted on the wall or on the T Series floor stand (sold separately)
• Floorstands utilize Selecta-Mount technology which include extra crossover components to adjust each speakers sound balance for free space vs. wall mount
• Speakers come with wall mount brackets and desk stand
• Two and a half-way closed box
• Two 4.5″ dual layer MF, 1″ aluminum HF
• Frequency response 80Hz - 30kHz
• Magnetic shielding: yes
• Amp requirements: 10-150w
• Weight: 3.3lbs
• Dimensions: 23.6″ x 5.5″ x 1.4″
• Finish: High gloss black

T-2 Subwoofer
• Closed box powered subwoofer• Driver Units: 1 x 10″ LF
• Frequency response: 30Hz - 250Hz
• Maximum output: 110db
• Magnetic shielding: yes
• Amplifier: 250W Class-D built in
• Weight: 28.6lbs
• Dimensions: 15″ x 14.6″ x 7″
• Finish: Classic black

Featured Tags kef, speaker-system


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We confess that we like Creative gear especially Creative PMPs and today we took a look at a great addition for your PMP, the ZiiSound D5 BT wireless sound system. This little unit sports a 2.0 speaker system of high performance 2.75 inch drivers which will connect to any of your toys that support Bluetooth connectivity. Got a toy with no Bluetooth support, then you can still get connected to the ZiiSound by using Creative’s BT-D1 Bluetooth USB transmitter. Here’s a list of features and details on the ZiiSound D5 BT

* Wirelessly stream music from any Bluetooth-enabled device
* Awarded the prestigious red dot award for product design
* apt-X audio codec
* high performance 2.75″ full range drivers with efficient digital amplifiers
* touch-sensitive volume control
* charge your iPhone or iPod by docking it
* AUX-in port for other portable devices
* integrated bass port at the rear
* Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR connectivity
* Supported Bluetooth profiles - A2DP & AVRCP
* Operating Range Up to 10 meters
* 42.5cm x 11cm x 9cm
* 3.8 kg

Whilst it may not be the greatest sound system in the world, it may be a great addition to your gadget list for those of you with a bluetooth PMP/smartphone. We couldn’t find any hands on reviews of the ZiiSound but we reckon that it could be a winner for Creative and it’s available at Amazon for $300 at the moment. If you happen to have heard what the Creative ZiiSound sounds like, feel free to let us all know in the comment box below.

Featured Tags creative, speaker-system


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Seems like these sound projectors are all the rage at the moment, especially with people limited for space for their surround sound thrills or those of use fed up with speaker cables adorning their lounge floor. Well Yamaha have released an entry level unit, the YSP-500, for 75,000 yen about US$640, no news on a US launch but with Santa revving up the reindeer watch this space.

As befits an entry level model, the YSP-500 sports unremarkable specs at a mere 62W total output but does spread this over eighteen speakers of which sixteen are supposed to bounce the audio around your lounge to give a surround sound effect. The ‘IntelliBeam Automated System Calibration’ feature sets up these speakers to produce the ‘surround sound’ effect and not unsurprisingly an uncluttered room assists in this success of this process.

Although I’m all for getting rid of speaker cables and saving space around the home, I would want to test one of these systems out before purchasing as my lounge tends to be a little on the ‘cluttered’ side! Anyone out there have one of these systems? If so let us know what you think.

Source: electronista

Featured Tags speaker-system, yamaha, ysp-500


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This little sucker only seems available in Europe, but its looks and price tag got my attention. The Logic3 SoundStage certainly looks the part and will fit snugly underneath that LCD unit hanging from your lounge wall. No more trailing wires for your rear and side speaker units and a simpler setup you could not find, with just one optical or coaxial cable required to fire this puppy up, oh yeah and a power lead!

The 15 speaker system pumps out 150 Watts RMS and according to Logic3 will provide ‘a room filling sound’. It supposedly lifts up the sound to be level with your head as opposed to waist or ankle level, well since I tend to be sitting rather than standing when I watch a movie or sports event, I think waist level will suit me fine!

Marketing hyperbole aside this speaker system is a steal at 250 sterling (US$500) and certainly would be a benefit in any spatially challenged room. As always I would be concerned about the actual quality of the sound reproduction and the system’s ability to provide true surround sound. Whilst audiophiles may prefer a wireless option with individual speakers, the price tag and looks of the SoundStage certainly make it worth considering.

Source: PocketLint

Featured Tags logic3, soundstage, speaker-system


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