Excellent sound quality, quiet operation, Gold RCA outputs

No CD TEXT (But that's OK)

I purchased this CD player because it was the best that Circuit City had to offer. The sound that I get from this product is very good and clear. When compared to the Onkyo DX-C370 there is a slight difference in sound quality. There is no reason for anyone to not like this CD player.

System:
Onkyo TX-8511 Receiver
Onkyo DX-C730 CD player
Polk RT55
Velodyne CT-100
Monster Interlink Reference II RCA Cable
Monster XP Navajo White Speaker Cable

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo DX-C370

Very quiet platter operation, jog shuttle on front panel for track skip/search functions.

Only one set of analog stereo outputs, only optical digital output. Lightweight (but functional) remote.

After researching many CD (and DVD) changers I decided to give the Onkyo DX-C730 a try. My goal was to try and surpass the sound quality of my 12 year old Sony 507ESD ES series single disc CD player with a CD changer. Unfortunately the Onkyo did not meet my expectations for sound quality or reliability.

The first unit I brought home did not work right out of the box. The manual said that upon powering up the unit it will search all disc trays for a CD and then stop when it finds one (or no CD's). The player wouldn't stop searching! Also, the tray would not open no matter what I tried. I returned this unit and let the dealer convince me to try another unit.

The second unit worked fine but I was disappointed by the sound quality. I read in another review of Onkyo CD changers that they required a lot of burn in time before they sound good. After listening for a few days I could tell that this unit definitely sounded different (worse) than my Sony. On the positive side, the bass extenstion was great. Very tight, defined bass reproduction. On the negative, there was a considerable loss in soundstage depth, width and presence. Imaging was also lacking. Instruments seemed to sound congested rather than open and airy. I had my Sony hooked up as well so I could do A/B comparisons and my Sony blew the Onkyo away in every respect. I don't know if this unit needed more burn in time but I am not that patient. If I don't notice a considerable improvement after a week of continuous listening then I don't think the unit is going to satisfy my needs. I returned the second unit as well. On another note I realized that the units cover did not line up with the front panel. There was a very noticable gap. I did not feel confident that the unit was well made (although it looks very nice). I think I will try the NAD 515 which was really my first choice but for $369.00 at a local dealer the Onkyo seemed like a good deal. I guess I will have to fork out the extra $140.00 for the NAD or Rotel models and give them a try.

Similar Products Used:

None.

6 cd's - exchange ability

carousel doesn't work

I purchased this unit to replace a burned out single cd player. Since the first day, it has given me problems. The cd carousel does not stop searching for cd's. It doesn't matter if there are none, one, or five on the platter. It was sent to an authorized repair shop three times, and finally to Onkyo who had it for three weeks and told me there was nothing wrong with it. Two months later, same problem, and Onkyo will not replace it. So much for standing behind your product. I guess I'll look at Denon or Yamaha to replace it.