Review
Onkyo Home Theater Systems HT-S9400THX (March 20, 2012)
| Ease of Use |
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(4/5.0) |
| Value |
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(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(4/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(4/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Mark J. - Novi, MI
7.1 means that 8 total speakers comes in the box. They are pretty easy to set up and the receiver has many connections to plug in components. Had this system for about 10 days now. Therefore I only have newbie opinions at this time.
Sound is pretty decent for a normal size room. Radio sound is very clean and sounds good. The FM antenna strength is a little weak for some stations but notice that with another radio we have so it is probably the location more than anything else. The range of frequency coming from the speaker placement, meaning the 2 speakers in the rear for that style of a 7.1 setup verses those same 2 speakers mounted up high in front of the TV, still seems that the whole system is missing some of the balanced frequencies. Either that or may need to tweak the system a little bit more. This is even after performing the full audyssey calibration for the required 3 locations in the room and also after updating to the most recent firmware.
All that being said, how pleased am I with the unit? It is a definite keeper because of price, flexibility, appearance is good enough but not great, and of course the sound. This unit pretty much does it all for the general listener for radio and watching a show or a movie on TV.
Review
Onkyo THX HTIB (February 16, 2012)
| Ease of Use |
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(4/5.0) |
| Value |
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(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Mark F. - High Springs, FL
Pros good sound for a small room . . . remote easy to set up to control satellite box, TV etc. . . . am able to control the entire system with one remote! . . . it has been a long time since i have been able to do that. the powered woofer has as much bass as you can use . . . on screen menu is a useful application. enough connections for current and any future components
Con speakers are big . . . it is hard not to notice the black boxes on the side walls . . . had to do a little furniture modification to fit the woofer where i wanted it. no HDMI cable included in the box
Review
GREAT PRODUCT-GREAT SELLER (December 19, 2011)
| Ease of Use |
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(5/5.0) |
| Value |
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(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Brian - Fargo, ND
Not only did Vanns have the best price. They also had free 3-day shipping. I didnt really expect it to show up in three days. Especially since it was free shipping. The system showed up on time as promised and in perfect condition. This was my first purchase from Vanns. I promise it wont be the last.
This was my first home theater system. It was easy to set up and calibrate after studying the manual a little bit . I love the HDMI switching. I have only one cable going to my flat screen now. You will not regret buying this system, your neighbors might though when you turn up the volume - Best bang for your buck!
Review
Decent thx system (November 24, 2011)
| Ease of Use |
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(3/5.0) |
| Value |
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(4/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(4/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(4/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Christopher g. - Naples, FL
Great sound but finding proper balance is difficult. Dialogue is overpowered by music and sound effects on factory settings. iPod connection is cumbersome and not as easy as you might like but is useful. A little pricey considering but listen to thx intro on movies like Indiana jones and it will blow you away.
Review
Onkyo 9400thx Review (October 28, 2011)
| Ease of Use |
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(5/5.0) |
| Value |
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(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Seth B. - Dayton, OH
Great system for the cost! I researched products for a good two weeks prior to purchase. I couldnt find anything better to build or buy for a similar price. Vanns was very helpful in assisting with the purchase. The customer rep was very friendly and I called support after my product arrived to get some suggestions on additional accessories for hooking up my system properly.
Sound on the system is great. I use this with my PC mainly, but also have my tvxbox running thru it as well. I havent had any problems after a month and everything seems to be working perfectly for my usage. PC gaming and music sound great. I feel immersed in whatever I am watching or listening too. I know PC use is generally not the typical roll for a system like this, but with how easy it was to hook up it blows away any speakers that are made specifically for computers. I havent questioned by purchase at all, I am 100 happy with this. Now I have a system for all my entertainment purposes!
Review
Onkyo Home Theater Systems HT-S9400THX (October 20, 2011)
| Ease of Use |
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(5/5.0) |
| Value |
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(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Shane B. - Enterprise, AL
I have had this system for about 2 weeks now. The system was packaged very well. The box was damaged in transit, but everything inside was in perfect condition. The setup and wiring is very striaght forward. I did not use the included speakerwire since it was rather wimpy. All the set-up menus are on your tv screen and very easy to undestand. I only breifly glanced though the acctual manual, but really did not need it. The sound is amazing, better than anything I have owned before. I am using the built in wall mount instead of the universal set that I had purchased, because the speakers were a bit heavy for the ones that I had. The remote is fairly easy to prgram and works with all of my componets perfectly. Over all I am extreamly pleased with this HTS.
Review
Good value and service (August 31, 2011)
| Ease of Use |
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(5/5.0) |
| Value |
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(4/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Hanqing z. - Ashburn, Va
I am very happy with the value and service provided by vanns. The system I bought from vanns-onkyo ht-9400 thx is 20 percent lower price than amazons. When it was first shipped, ups had it damaged in transit and ups immediately contacted the seller and returned the merchandise. I called the vanns service agent and he assured me that I will be receiving a replacement 3 days later and i did.
Thank you for the excellent value and service.
Hanqing Zhou
Review
Best Seller Ever! (August 24, 2011)
| Ease of Use |
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(5/5.0) |
| Value |
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(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Sylvia H. - Hayward, WI
Many others will write in glowing terms about the quality, both picture and sound, of Onkyos latest Home Theater. Believe them, as this system equals or excedes anything in the market up to double or triple this price.
What I want to write about is the seller, Vanns. I did a lot of research before buying, looking not only at the product, but even more at the seller. There are a lot of places you can buy this HTIB, but Vanns is far the best. When you call, you get a friendly voice, in mid-Western English,. Real people who know their products, inside and out. Whatever questions you may have, they will have the correct answer. Their shipping is fast, UPS from centrally located warehouses, so there is no long delay for transcontinental shipping. Anywhere in the USA should be 3 days or less. Best yet, if you have a problem, these exceptional people will send you a pre-paid return lable, and even arrainge for the actual pick-up...at no cost to you. Beat THAT anywhere now days!
When great customer service seems like a thing of the past, its great to be able to find a place like Vanns...they even had the lowest price I could find anywhere.
Thanks for listening, Syl
Review
You won't be disappointed.. (August 10, 2011)
| Ease of Use |
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(5/5.0) |
| Value |
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(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Robert B. - Sioux Falls, SD
Rob from Sioux Falls, SD
First off Id like to thank vanns for the awesome deal, I was able to buy this model cheaper than last years display setup in a local dealer.
Packaging, I will admit the box was pretty beat up when it arrived but as many others have stated it is packaged very well. Not a scratch, dent, or even a roughed up speaker screen. And the box itself is almost intimidating. Im somewhat short and when I got to the sub I couldnt reach it without tiping the box over. I didnt cut the box open down the sides due to the fact that I needed something to keep my 2 year old busy and out of my hair while I set up this awesomeness in my living room.
The sound is awesome, great mid-range, treble, and the powered sub takes care of the low. Although with the sub gain set at THX sounded good I had to crank it up to about 34 or better, personal pref. I like to get the affect like I almost blew up with what ever did in the movie and it does do a pretty good job. No cone noise or puffy ported box air noise, just deep room shaking bass that you feel in your floor and seat, a little more than you actually hear it. As for the fronts and surrounds, they get loud with out any distortion and sound very clear. Nice crisp sound, not to sharp or to muddy. It sounds real, Ive actually thought Ive heard something in my house that actually came from one of the surrounds. Small speakers were ment for overpriced I-pod docs and bose systems..
Lots of listening modes, havent been able to decide on my favorite for movies as for all the THX modes sound somewhat close but each has its own great distinct sound output. I do seem to use THX cinema more often. For music my choice so far is All channel Stereo. It brings up the volume in the rear 4 channels and really fills the room. Classical music sounds amazingly relaxing. All other music, invite some friends over with some beer and crank it up. Youll get the dance club feeling with out the bar tab. Also for the gamers out there, youll get an extra edge. When some one is trying to sneak up on you its hard not to turn your head and look behind where your sitting.
The GUI is great, makes setting up your toys easy.
Havent had a chance to try out the online radio or pc in yet.
The only thing i didnt like were the wires that came with it. couldve been bigger and the surround back wires couldve been about 5 longer. I did get a free pair of sanus speaker stands with it but i would rather had an hdmi cable or something. The stands actually split on the front when I put them togeather, even with large pre-drilled holes. I actually used the wood screws it came with to temp. mout my speakers to the wall til I find some nice mounts so I can actually aim them.
Be sure to set aside some cash for a while for buying or renting movies.
Hope Ive helped.
Review
Onkyo Home Theater System HT-S9400THX (August 02, 2011)
| Ease of Use |
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(5/5.0) |
| Value |
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(3/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(4/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Graf S. - Germantown, MD
This is the latest version and far exceeds the capabilities of the previous 9300 model so I am glad I waited for Onkyo to iron out all the wrinkles and add the missing functionality in the old model.
First of all, Vanns were very easy to deal with, they matched Amazons price but added some free speaker stands for free.
Shipping was fast and the box arrived without too much outside damage. The contents were safe and secure though thanks to very effective internal packing materials.
Be warned though, from the size of the single box containing the Receiver and all the speakers, it looks like you have had a large refrigerator delivered - it is almost 5ft tall.
Review
Onkyo HT-S9400THX - Small Room (June 23, 2011)
| Ease of Use |
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(5/5.0) |
| Value |
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(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(5/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(5/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Ryan A. - Lebanon, NH
Speaker placement from the viewer
Center 10 - Ear level
Front LR 12 - Ear level
Surround LR 12 - 1 above ear level
Surround Rear 1 - 1 above ear level and 18 apart
I wasn't sure how the surround rears were going to sound, being as they're so close to the viewer. The Audyssey set up handled this well. It created the perfect listening experience for high def cable channels, blu ray movies and music, dvd movies and music including blu ray THX and dvd THX certified movies.
When the receiver is set for THX Cinema the volume must be turned up extremely high 70 for me and my wife complains. The receiver handles up conversion nicely for dvd viewing. Listening to music from my iPhone via usb on the front of the receiver is a great feature.
I haven't had a chance to connect to the internet to stream Netflix and other online content. I have no plans to convert my home theater for 3D, yet. So I'm unable to comment on that functionality. The box is hugh and comes with everything you need, including speaker wire. I recommend upgrading the speaker wire. I purchased 200 of 16awg from Monoprice httpwww.monoprice.comproductsproduct.asp?c_id102&cp_id10239&cs_id1023903&p_id2793&seq1&format2.
Bottom line If your'e looking for great surround sound for a great price look no further than Onkyos HT-S9400THX from vanns.com.
Review
Amazing Value (June 18, 2011)
| Ease of Use |
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(3/5.0) |
| Value |
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(5/5.0) |
| Performance |
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(4/5.0) |
| Overall Rating |
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(4/5.0) |
Reviewed By: Marc D. - Battle Creek, MI
Being a HTIB I was skeptical in considering this system after owning several HTIB set-ups before.
This is less a home theater in a box and more a great pairing of components that are high quality and work very well together.
This set-up has many features that I couldn't find on $2000 receivers on the market, like 4K upscaling HDMI for when that content becomes available, THX certification, iOS control app and many others.
Here are the Pros and Cons to this unit
Pros
-Excellent chasis construction.
-Powerful amp 130WPC
-Being able to use rear surround speakers as -High Channel speakers.
-Custom sound settings Direct decode, PL2z, hieght, etc depending on the source encoding.
-HDMI prioritization for switching
-Super easy Audio calibration that takes minutes
Cons
-Low quality speaker wires that are too short
-Confusing menus that you must pay attention to details or you might undo something you thought you set
-No paging function when going through digital media, only updown artist, album, genre, etc one at a time
-Confusing operation of remote with overlapping universal functions
Overall for a packaged system the speakers are tremendous, the customizability is great for fine tuning to your listening preferences, and comes with a receiver that is in a league of its own for this price point. It is highly recommended for anyone who is good with technology, has patience for fine tuning the preferences and needs a lot of connectivity.
