i auditioned this cd player in my home along with a denon 370, harman kardon 8350 (i paid for all three players in advance and used the thirty day return policy for the two i didn't like-got excellent service from both circuit city and the good guys). i felt it sounded way too bright, although cleaner than a kenwood/sony/technics level cd player. very coloured... just didn't feel accurate to me. i ended up with the h/k - sounded much more detailed, with a more subdued, truer sound. i also liked the denon over the onkyo... i think it has something to do with the higher bit dacs (16bit=h/k, 20bit=denon). i always test audio equipment with "complicated" cd's because a)measures how well it seperates instruments/soundstage b)great way to test accuracy and c) it's the music i listen to. let's face it rap and pop isn't a true measurement of a system, just of lower bass and upper midranges. the onkyo is a step up from a low end sony, but there's better values out there. extra disk is a nice plus though...
test cds:
NIN: the downward spiral
Radiohead: ok computer & the bends
REM: up
Deftones: around the fur
Beck: mutations & odelay!
Garbage: version 2.0

6 discs

all the rest

Well, I must say, that after listening to this thing for a while, I've come to the conclusion that I hate it. I never noticed any of the problems (noise, thin sound, etc) until I bought these beautiful Snell E5's. What a difference these speakers have made. For $225, it's ok, but I would look elsewhere. Buy a good player ($600+) and save the multiple disc crap for the 200 cd megachangers (and then only with the digital out).

Picked this unit up last week after doing exhaustive online research ($350.+P&G). The DX-C540 was a tremendous favorite with both review mags and discussion group participants, making me look at Onkyo. The only serious competition to this CD player (through my ears) was the Yamaha unit, but the Yamaha had many problems mentioned by multiple posters (motor burnout just after warrantee expires, control buttons under cd tray hard to access, "natural sound" leaves ringing in ears after half hour of listening, ...).
The DX-C340 uses the same parts as the 540, but you lose a little functionality. The sound is very crisp and neutral. The display is in green which I prefer over the stark white colour used by so many manufacturers. This is also a taste thing.

I have had good Sony CD players in the past and this unit is also head and shoulders above those as well. I may rate it differently after a year, but right now I'll give it 4 stars.

6 CD carousel, silent motor, short time between disc changes

Remote, small LCD, no delete function

I looked for a CD player that was very durable and not to expensive. The ONKYO blew everything out of the water in its price range. Of all carousel players, it had the shortest time between disc changes and made the least amount of noise. As far as sound quality, it probably won't be noticeable unless you're upgrading from something in a lower class. It also plays discs with scratches a lot better than my former CD player (Pioneer 6 disc magazine) which I had shot.

I have owned the C340 for over a year and have only good things to say. First and foremost is the crisp, dynamic smooth sound. No harshness at all, very pleasing to the ears. I replaced a cheap Sony with this unit, and there is NO comparison sound wise. Highly recommened for the price.

quiet operation, disc changes quickly, carousel is more stable than most changers

Display is small and hard to read. Nothing else

Onkyo has taken a giant step forward with this model. For price conscious consumers this unit is hard to beat. I recently returned a comperable Yamaha CDC-675 in exchange for this one. The sound equaled that of the Yamaha. Period. The highs where crisp and distortion free. The midranges were clear. My sub-woofer sounds were distinct and lacked exageration. The ease of operation surpassed that of the Yamaha as well. This is a 6 disc changer ulike the Yamaha's which was a five. (not terribly important however) Most carosel drawers tend to wobble. The Onkyo slides in and out with virtually no "up and down" or "side by side" wobble. This is important in that it will it will be less likely to fall off the tracks when knocked. Disc changing while the carosel is open is made easy by simply pushing a button that will rotate the carosel. The Yamaha never rotated and you had to labor with your fingers to add and remove discs to the various numbered positions. The memory function holds up to 40 tracks and can be operated from the remote. Also for those of you who DO NOT want to rely on the remote all the time, all operating options are located on the unit itself. Therfore you DO NOT have to use the remote for such things as operations in the "repeat" and "random" modes. With the Yamaha, you could only use the remote. All in all, you get a lot of bang for your buck.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha CDC-675