Comparison Onkyo TX-NR656 + Dali Pack vs Onkyo HT-S7705

Rated power of the subwoofer supplied with the home theater. See "Front" above for details on power rating; here we note that subwoofers often have a fairly high power, because. they are designed to cover low frequencies in all audio channels.

The range of audio frequencies reproduced by a home theater speaker system. The wider the range — the richer the sound, the less likely it is that the acoustics will “cut off” part of the low or high frequencies. When evaluating this indicator, one should proceed from the fact that the range perceived by the average human ear is from 16 Hz to 20 kHz. However, modern home cinemas for the most part cover this range completely or almost completely.

The sensitivity value determines the volume of the speaker system when an external signal of a certain power is applied to it. With the same signal strength and resistance (impedance), more sensitive acoustics provide greater volume.

Rated power delivered by the built-in home theater power amplifier per subwoofer (low frequency) channel. For more information about this characteristic, see "Front" above.

The range of audio frequencies that the built-in home theater amplifier can produce. This indicator is similar to the speaker range described above: the wider it is, the more part of the sound is covered by the device, the less high and low frequencies are outside the operating range. At the same time, it is worth noting that the frequency range of the amplifier, usually, corresponds to the capabilities of the complete speakers. Therefore, usually, you have to pay attention to this parameter only when connecting "non-native" acoustics: it is desirable that its range is not narrower than that of the amplifier, otherwise the latter will not be able to realize all its capabilities.

Home theater support for progressive scan, namely, the ability to output a video signal with such a scan.

Initially, scanning was called a method of constructing an image on the screen of a kinescope TV. In such screens, an electron beam is responsible for the image, running around the screen and drawing each frame line by line. Different types of scanning differ in the order of these lines: with the interlaced method, the beam first draws odd lines (1, 3, ...), then even ones (2, 4, ...), and with progressive — each line in turn. The second option is considered more advanced, because. improves image quality and reduces the chance of noise and artifacts. Liquid crystal displays use other imaging methods; nevertheless, the visible features of both types of sweep are preserved for them.

Note that progressive scan is only available if progressive scan is supported not only by the home theater system, but also by the screen on which the images are displayed. On the other hand, most modern TVs meet these requirements; therefore, although it would not hurt to clarify compatibility, most likely there will be no problems with it.

— Smart TV. This function actually turns the home theater into a networked medical centre with Internet access. Specific Smart TV capabilities vary by manufacturer, but in most cases they include at least access to branded online content repositories and/or Internet services (like YouTube). In addition, games, educational programs can be provided, and the most advanced models even allow you to install additional applications at the request of the user. To connect to a network, a Wi-Fi module(see below) or a LAN port (see "Inputs") is usually used.

— Connecting an iPod. A special dock connector for connecting iPod family players to the acoustics of a home theater (except shuffle, which does not have a dock connector). You can also connect such players to play music through a regular line -in, however, connecting via a dock connector provides more additional features — for example, you can switch tracks from the home theater control panel.

— Wireless playback (AirPlay). The device supports AirPlay wireless playback technology. AirPlay was created by Apple to replace AirTunes proprietary wireless technology. Wi-Fi technology is used to transfer data, and in this way you can broadcast not only music, but also additional data (song titles, album covers and even videos). A...irPlay is especially useful for portable devices (iPhone, iPod touch, etc.) as allows you to play music without placing the gadget on the docking station. Although the technology was originally created for Apple devices, it is not completely closed. Not only portable devices and Apple computers can serve as music transmitters, but also PCs with iTunes installed, and receiving systems of various classes (from acoustic sets to music centers) are produced by several third-party manufacturers.

— FM tuner. The presence of an FM tuner allows the home theater to receive and play FM radio broadcasts through its own acoustics — that is, in fact, turns the device into a full-fledged receiver (however, an external antenna may be required for reliable operation). This feature is relevant in light of the fact that it is the FM band that the vast majority of modern music radio stations prefer.

— TV tuner. With a TV tuner, your home theater can receive cable, over-the-air or satellite television broadcasts. This option can be useful given that not all TVs come with their own built-in tuners (especially for wall panels). When buying a cinema with a TV tuner, you should separately pay attention to the standard of the received signal. Main signal standards:
DVB-T (Terrestrial) — conventional terrestrial television signal;
DVB-C (Cable) — cable TV;
DVB-S (Satellite) — satellite TV.
In addition, it should be taken into account that all these standards are digital, and analogue broadcasting is still very common in the post-Soviet space.

— Bluetooth. Wireless communication technology between different devices. In home theater systems, Bluetooth can be used, for example, to play music from a Bluetooth device (such as a mobile phone or player), copy files from such devices to the home theater's own storage, connect wireless headphones, etc.

— Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi technology is most often used to wirelessly connect a home theater to local computer networks. In this way, you can access content that is stored on the hard drives of computers on your home network, and even access the Internet — for example, to update the player's firmware. In addition, such a connection can be used to use DLNA features (see DLNA Support). And more recently, many Wi-Fi modules also support other accessibility features, such as Direct mode (a direct connection between two devices that does not require a computer network). Such a connection can be used, for example, to operate a smartphone as a remote control, to wirelessly connect a video signal using Wi-Di or Miracast technology, etc. Specific Wi-Fi capabilities vary by home theater model.

— Card reader. A memory card reader that allows direct playback of memory card content on your home theater system, such as photos taken with this digital camera or video from a camcorder. Note that at the present time several types of memory cards are actively used, and not all of them are mutually compatible; therefore, when using a card reader, you need to pay attention to the type of supported cards.

— NFC. NFC technology is intended for direct wireless communication between various devices over short distances — up to 10 cm. Theoretically, the applications for this technology are very diverse, but in home theaters it is most often used to simplify connection with an external device (also with NFC support) using Wi-Fi technology and bluetooth. The chip is most often installed in the remote control, and to establish a connection, it is enough to bring the connected device to this remote control so that the chips “see” each other and confirm the connection via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. This is much more convenient than digging into the settings and establishing a connection manually.

— Karaoke. A popular entertainment that gives users the opportunity to sing their favorite songs themselves: under the appropriate musical accompaniment (the so-called phonogram — “minus”, in fact, a composition with a cut out vocal part), lyrics are displayed on the screen, highlighted as they need to be sung. A mandatory attribute of a home theater with a karaoke option is a microphone jack; sometimes there can be two such connectors.

— Karaoke Mix. A system that provides advanced features for using karaoke (see Karaoke). So, participants can be given points for the quality of performance, it becomes possible to arrange team competitions. There is a function of creating and editing a list of favorite songs, sorting them by a number of parameters (title, artist, genre), etc.

— DVI. Digital connector, used primarily to connect external devices to monitors and projectors; almost never seen on TV.

— SCART. An obsolete, but still widely used connector for connecting external signal sources to a TV and analogue audio and video signal transmission. The largest connector in consumer video equipment has a characteristic rectangular shape.

— Component. An analogue three-cable connection (red, blue, green) used to transmit video from the player to the TV. Provides a very high, by the standards of analogue interfaces, signal quality; on the other hand, the audio signal is not transmitted over the component connector — it requires a separate connection.

— Composite. One of the simplest and most common analogue outputs. It consists of three connectors, one of which is responsible for the output of the video signal (coloured yellow), and the remaining two are for audio (1 channel of stereo sound per connector). Thus, the composite output allows both video and audio to be transmitted over the same interface. Another advantage of this standard is its prevalence, including on older TVs. On the other hand, the composite output is not suitable for working with HD video, and the picture quality is noticeably lower than with a component connection (see above).

— Linear. Outpu...t for analogue audio transmission. It can be used both for connecting a speaker system and for outputting an audio signal to musical equipment — for example, for recording. Usually, the line output provides sound transmission in stereo format. It can use different connectors; most often there is either a 3.5 mm mini-Jack or a pair of RCA jacks (“tulips”, one for each stereo sound channel).

— Dolby Digital 5.1. A set of connectors for connecting a six-channel (5 satellites + subwoofer) audio system.

— Dolby Digital 7.1. A set of connectors for connecting an eight-channel (7 satellites + subwoofer) audio system.

— Headphone output. Standard headphone jack. Most modern technology is equipped with plugs with a diameter of 3.5 mm; plugs of most modern headphones are also made for this output. The 6.35 mm jack remains the prerogative of high-quality Hi-Fi and Hi-End technology. There are adapters between connectors of various diameters.

HDMI is a comprehensive digital interface designed to transmit HD content (including multi-channel audio) over a single cable. Today, it is actually the generally accepted standard for HD-compatible video equipment, and is also found in audio devices. In home theaters, such outputs are most often used to connect a TV, monitor, projector or other device for playing video (the audio signal goes through other interfaces to standard acoustics). However, there are other applications — for example, broadcasting sound to an external amplifier, through which regular speakers are connected. Accordingly, the presence of several HDMI outputs allows you to keep several signal receivers constantly connected and not fiddle with reconnecting cables. In the most advanced models, the number of such connectors can reach 8.