Today, I set my eyes on some cool new products from Onkyo. The Japanese hi-fi gear manufacturer has recently launched three versions for an elegant home theater system, each including a flexible HDTV-capable audio-video receiver, along with five or seven surround-sound loudspeakers accompanied by a powerful subwoofer.

I decided to present the most powerful version - the 7.1 channel HT-S5100 system. This one includes the sophisticated HT-R560 receiver which has three 1080p compatible HDMI inputs and one output. The HDMI Pass-Thru capability provides optimal video quality with enough bandwidth remaining for the audio channels. The receiver certainly impresses with the inclusion of the Audyssey 2EQ room correction technology which automatically adjusts the sound character and time delay of each speaker relative to the listening positions. Audyssey also comes standard with a Dynamic EQ preset in order to adjust sound on the fly to optimize sound quality for any volume, particularly at low listening levels.

As far as the loudspeaker system itself is concerned, the HT-S5100 is compatible with Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound processing technologies. Each channel offers a total output power of 130-watts using Onkyo's Wide Range Amplifier Technology (WRAT), while the provided subwoofer outputs up to 290-watt worth of deep bass.

The HT-S5100 system even integrates a dedicated iPod dock and charging station, as well as the new Music Optimizer technology to enhance the dynamic range of MP3 and AAC files which are normally compressed for headphone playback. You can also choose among black or silver finishes.

Onkyo HT-S5100 is already available and you can find it online for about $579.