Onkyo LSV-900 DVD/AM-FM/Surround-Speakers Home-Theater System
Written: Jun 25 '01 (Updated Jun 25 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: DVD player, CD player, AM/FM tuner, surround speakers, center speaker, subwoofer.
Cons: Expensive.
The Bottom Line: Complete home-theater setup needs nothing more than TV. Stylish design.
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| radioguy's Full Review: Onkyo LSV900 Theater System |
Just add a TV to Onkyo's LSV-900 system, and you will have a complete home theater. The LSV-900 includes a combination DVD/CD player, AM/FM tuner, A/V receiver, a set of surround speakers (four satellites and a center-channel), and a subwoofer. You can find similar systems selling for quite a bit less, such as Panasonic's SC-HT80 ($600 vs. $1,000 for the LSV-900), but the LSV-900 has somewhat better specs and sharper styling.
Compared to the Bose Lifestyle systems, which don't even include DVD playback capability (such as the $1,800 LS12), the LSV-900 is a very attractive option. This is a product for people who want simplicity, fairly good performance, and good looks, and who are willing to pay a premium for these qualities.
The LSV-900 vs. Panasonic's SC-HT80
While the specs and features of the SC-HT80 (as well as Sony's DAVS-300) and the LSV-900 have much in common, Onkyo's system has a powered (with integral amplifier) subwoofer, while the Panasonic system has a passive subwoofer (as does the Sony), powered by the amplifier in the receiver unit. One other fairly major difference between the LSV-900 and the SC-HT80 (and DAVS-300) is that the less-expensive units lack the LSV-900's component video output (see below for explanation of component video output).
Handsome Design
The LSV-900 has a very solid feel, with its front panel made from a handsome plate of steel which has an outward curve along its left half. The brushed steel panel gives the unit a sleek, hi-tech look which would not be out of place amid Eurostyle decor. This is the perfect home-theater unit for those days when you want to come home, kick back, and pop a Kraftwerk CD into the player.
Disc Playback Capability
The single disc player in the LSV-900 will handle DVD-Video, CD-Audio, Video-CD, CD-R, and some CD-RW discs. The AM/FM tuner has 30 presets. There is a single audio L/R input (plus output) to allow connection of a tape deck. There is also a single TOSLINK (optical -- fiber optic) output, which will let you feed the digital output from the LSV-900 to another audio device, such as a MiniDisc deck, with TOSLINK input.
Inputs/Outputs
The Video 1 (composite, S-Video, L/R audio) inputs and outputs will let you connect your VCR to the LSV-900. The Video 2 (composite, S-Video, L/R audio) input will take the signal from you're a second video device, such as a satellite receiver. There are assignable digital-audio inputs (one optical, one coaxial) to take the digital-audio datastream from an ATSC digital tuner or a satellite high-definition digital tuner. A final set of L/R analog inputs will take the audio signal from your TV or any other line-level device. There is a headphone jack on the front panel.
To feed the LSV-900's video output to your monitor, the unit has the following outputs, in order of ascending quality: composite, S-Video, and component. You should use the highest-quality input available on your TV for the video connection. If the best your TV has is composite, use that for the connection. If the best it has is S-Video, use that. If your TV has a component-video connection, use that (a component-video connection is actually three jacks, used for the three separate cables which will carry the signal from the three component-video, Y-Pb-Pr, outputs on the LSV-900).
The LSV-900 will handily perform as the video switcher for your home theater system. This is facilitated by its remote control, a fairly large, backlit learning remote which will also control some models of TV's and VCR's. You would connect your VCR (and possibly a satellite receiver) and TV to the LSV-900 and use the input selector to choose between these sources. Of course, you would also activate DVD playback through the LSV-900. Whatever video source you choose will then be output from the LSV-900 to your TV. Your TV audio, via the analog L/R audio inputs, can also be played, in surround-sound with shows encoded with Dolby Pro Logic soundtracks, over the LSV-900's speakers.
Audio Performance
The LSV-900's amplifier puts out 25 watts to the center channel and the four surround channels. The subwoofer's integral amplifier pumps out 50 watts. The receiver unit decodes Dolby Digital (DD), Digital Theater Sound (DTS), and Dolby Pro Logic signals. To keep things cool, the LSV-900 has a cooling fan on the back panel of the main unit. Speaker connections are handled with spring-clip connectors, which are fine at these power levels. There is an additional set of L/R speaker outputs from a "B" set of stereo speakers.
Speakers
Each of the four video-shielded satellite speakers (front-left, front-right, rear-left, rear-right) has a single 3.5-inch full-range driver. The video-shielded center-channel speaker has two of the 3.5-inch drivers. The 50-watt powered bass-reflex subwoofer has a single 6.5-inch driver.
Features
Features include an LCD display on the main unit, plus menus which display on your video monitor. There is a late-night mode, sleep timer, repeat play, program play, and random play (play modes are for audio and video discs).
Performance
The LSV-900 is a good looking all-in-one home-theater unit. This is an excellent unit for somebody who has limited space, wants a straightforward product with high performance, and does not mind paying a bit of a premium for it. However, if you have enough space for separate components, you might want to consider purchasing a DVD player, A/V receiver, and speakers separately. By carefully shopping, you could get more power and better speakers, for the same price, by purchasing separate components.
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Recommended:
Yes
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