CES 2009

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the number of techy terms that go into the latest speaker systems and A/V receivers. But Onkyo takes the guesswork out of choosing a quality HD-capable system with its HT-S9100THX HTIB ($1,099). The model features a tonally matched 7.1 speaker system and an A/V receiver with 130 watts per channel. Onkyo’s quality A/V receiver boasts THX’s Integrated System Plus certification and claims to be compatible with just about any component you can connect it to. It features four HDMI v1.3a inputs and a number of legacy connectivity options. The HT-S9100THX also has Faroudja DCDi video upscaling along with Audyssey 2EQ and Dynamic EQ, and it provides decoding for the latest audio codecs.

The speaker system isn’t here just to keep the A/V receiver company either. Its front and center-channel speakers incorporate a 1-inch soft-dome tweeter and two 5-inch woofers that are made from the company’s signature Onkyo Micro Fiber (A-OMF). A 12-inch subwoofer with an integrated 290-watt amplifier rounds out the speakers. This HTIB has the potential to deliver power and performance that’s well beyond what you’d expect from an HTIB package.