Many home theater speaker systems appear to have been punched from the same mold. Bucking the trend is the Onkyo SKS-HT240, a unique-looking system with a sound that stands out from the crowd as well. What sets this system's styling apart are its chrome accents contrasting the smooth black grill covers that will look good in any room. It also doesn't hurt that the SKS-HT240 is a 6.1 system, ideal for Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES playback.

The SKS-HT240 consists of two front speakers, a center channel, three rear surrounds, and a bass reflex powered subwoofer. The front and center speakers use similar components for a smooth transition across the front soundstage, although all the speakers should ideally use identical components. As it is, the front left and right speakers each have three 3-1/8-inch woofers and a single 1-inch dome-style tweeter. The center has a pair of the same woofers, plus a single tweeter.

The three rear speakers use a single 3-1/8-inch woofer and the same 1-inch tweeter. All of the speakers are magnetically shielded. The 8-inch subwoofer is powered by a 150-watt amplifier, and it has an automatic shut-off function.

Six-channel home theater speaker systems are currently relatively uncommon in the marketplace, but the SKS-HT240 shows that Onkyo is giving this configuration the respect it deserves.

Warranty
2 years