Onkyo CR515DAB Shelf System

In today’s hi-fi market buyers are spoilt for choice - a confusing amount of choice, some might say. You start by identifying what you think you need, then reading the reviews and comparing functions against prices. Finally, making a shortlist and listening to the products (if you’re able). Having done all that, you’ll discover that in this sector of the market there’ll be three or four mini systems that will suit. Within my budget the choice narrowed down to the Onkyo and the Denon DM35DAB, both without manufacturer’s speakers. But the Onkyo was the one with all the audiophile awards and recommendations. So I bought one on eBay from Gloucester Hi-Fi. (Great deal, thanks.)

Dimensions:
205 mm wide by 116 mm high by 353 mm depth - but in use you’ll have to add on, say, another 30 mm to the depth when you’re attaching aerials & leads at the back. If depth is critical be sure to check this out.

Taking it out of the box, hooking up the three indoor aerials supplied (dab/fm/am) and a decent pair of speakers (Castle Warwick/QED Silver Anniversary cable - for those who want to know), I turned it on and waited for the system to go through its auto checks and tuning. No problems there and easy to set up. Decent instructions. Happily, I live in an area (east Devon, Stockland antenna) which has good dab reception and got a full quota of stations. Crystal clear. Then I tried some CDs. My collection ranges from Zevon to Zelenka and all points between (rock, r&b, pop, soul, chamber, choral, orchestral, opera). I was struck by the clarity of sound. A friend, a music teacher, popped in the other day while I was listening to Ali Farka Toure (The Source, cd) and was amazed by the quality. He wanted to know more about the set-up - on which he never commented with my old separates system.

So, am I happy with the Onkyo? Yes. My wife enjoys using it too. I freely admit there are features and functions that I’ll probably never use (like the ability to link up an ipod/mp3 dock - which some see as essential these days). It comes with a remote control which, frankly, doesn't match up in design terms - not even close (Onkyo could do better)! But the sound is superb - and that, after all, is the main thing. The output is more than adequate for my domestic situation - I don’t need my music to fill a church hall. The one note of caution I add is that you should get a decent pair of speakers and cable. The Onkyo deserves to be matched with similar quality - not something that costs twenty quid at the corner shop and attached with bell-wire. Bearing this in mind, if you buy the Onkyo CR515DAB, I doubt you’ll be disappointed. I wasn’t.