ONKYOHTS5405Black 5.1 Package System inc Speakers excl DVD player

If you've already got an HD TV and Blu-ray or PS3, then all your need to add for convincing home cinema is a combined AV receiver and speaker package. A package like the popular Onkyo HTS5405 in fact!

Since Onkyo started selling matched AV receiver/speaker packs, quality home cinema has become a great deal more obtainable. Rather than worrying about mismatching styles or, worse, sound quality, an Onkyo matched system guarantees you the ideal sonic balance between AV receiver and speaker package. What's more, in terms of value for money there's usually an additional saving, too. With the Onkyo HT-S5405 that balance between value for money and performance is probably at its optimum.

Taking the AV receiver first, the packaged HT-R548 offers everything you'd expect from a quality, separates AV receiver. With a power rating of 85 watts (8 ohm) per channel, you can enjoy room-filling sound that's powerful enough to make even the best one-box AV systems sound weedy. Furthermore, unlike lesser AV kits, the Onkyo HTS5405 uses a separate, line level output for the subwoofer. This means that the subwoofer has its own built-in amplifier, leaving all the receiver's power free to fully control the surround speakers. In terms of digital processing, the HT-S5405 has everything you need. DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus are all standard. In addition to this you'll also find Dolby Pro Logic II which is ideal for listening to many of the new HD TV broadcasts on TV. The HTS5405 also benefits from the exclusive Theatre Dimensional technology. Should you ever find you're unable to accommodate the rear speakers in your room, then select Theatre Dimensional and it will give the effect of surround sound from just the front speakers and sub. Although not as good as the real thing, it certainly proves more enveloping than standard stereo.

In terms of connections, the HTS5405 has all you need for it to be at the heart of a home cinema system. Four HDMI inputs let you connect up all your HD sources. They're also 3D compatible, letting you loop through 3D images from a suitable Blu-ray player or Sky receiver. New to this year's Onkyo range is a front-mounted USB socket with direct digital connection for iPod/iPhones. This gives higher quality sound over the more usual analogue connection. Added to this you'll find a full range of digital and analogue sockets to cater for every source component you may have.

Coming packed with useful facilities, a couple of the best features includes RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI) and Cinema Filter. RIHD gives control of selected components from other brands, using the Onkyo's remote control. Such brands include Panasonic VIERA Link and Toshiba REGZA LINK. Cinema Filter scales back the sometimes brash and forward sound of films designed to be shown, not in a living room, but a large cinema. It gives a smoother sound that's more suitable in a home environment.

When it comes to setting the HTS5405 up, the standard Audyssey 2EQ system is there to help out. This not only automatically calibrates speakers, but also corrects room acoustic issues. The upshot of this hi-tech processing is ideal sound quality, whatever the room.

The Onkyo SK-548 speaker pack has been carefully selected as the best match for this AV receiver. The gloss black finished speakers not only match the receiver in terms of looks, but are the ideal sonic match, too. With a power rating of 120 watts each, they are able to handle the HT548's power. With 8cm cones, the speakers hit the ideal balance of not being too big and bulky but, equally, not so small that they lose out in terms of sound quality. They're also magnetically shielded to prevent damage to any stored data nearby. Finally, the satellite speakers can easily be wall mounted should you wish. Providing the bass is a separate subwoofer. With a built-in 80 watt amp of its own and a 16cm, down-firing cone, the subwoofer adds grunt to sound tracks.

For a simple introduction to home cinema without the compromises of one-box AV, the Onkyo HTS5405 has it all wrapped up.