Onkyo CBX-300 CD Receiver System
by Onkyo
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List Price: Category: Receiver or Amplifier See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Onkyo CBX-300 CD Receiver System
Customer Review: Not a bad radio for your bedside or your office; listen to it before you buy.
Summary: 3 Stars
The featureset of this unit is pretty good but it has nothing more really than the standard CD bedside radio these days. The iPod dock is a nice feature but again, it's not unusual enough to receive a higher than average score. If you are going to use this unit as a bedside alarm clock, be warned! The battery backup keeps only the audio and FM radio presets... when the power goes, the clock resets IMMEDIATELY and your alarms are silenced. There is no battery backup for the clock!!
Your perception of the sound quality depends on your reference point and the type of music you play. If you compare it to your average clock radio, the sound quality is AMAZING! If you compare it to even a modest home theater setup, the bass and the overall dynamic range is underwhelming. As such, I'd suggest this unit for background listening only; critical listeners need not apply! Overall however, the sound is very balanced. It sounds best when you are sitting *directly* in front of it. The strength of high-frequencies drop off noticeably once you sit at an angle so for the best listening experience, set it up where you will be directly in front. The number 1 recommendation I could give for this unit is do not buy it either (a) before you listen to it yourself or (b) you can return it easily with no penalty. Depending on your expectations, you could be disappointed.
BTW, please check the dimensions of your bedside table before you buy this unit.. it's pretty big!
Customer Review: Solid Well Designed iPod Player
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this item because I was looking for a multi-function iPod player with decent sound that I could sometimes use as an alarm clock. This was the cheapest of the bunch and I've used and liked Onkyo products in the past.
I offer only one cautionary note. Don't even think that this item will replace your home stereo. No portable iPod player will do that. You can only pack so much sound quality in a portable box plus the iPod music files often are 128 mp3s, which don't come close to having decent fidelity. That said, the sound here is more than adequate for listening in a bedroom.
Overall, this is a well designed box and the remote is easy to use. I've put my old 3G iPod in the dock as well as my iPod Touch and they both work fine. Onkyo states up front that the video out on this model is not compatible with iPod Touch videos, but the audio is completely compatible. The ability to play mp3s from a CD is also a nice feature. There are more expensive devices like this out there. I have no idea why you'd spend the extra bucks to buy one. This item is definitely a best buy.
*Note. The week after I wrote this review the price for this item went up 50 percent. It's still a solid piece of equipment, but I would not have bought it at the new price.
Customer Review: No "video out" capability when used with newest iPods
Summary: 3 Stars
I must begin by stating I don't own this product. My comments are based solely on the published specs.
Since getting my 4'th gen Nano I've been looking for a way to conveniently listen to material on it through external speakers. So I've been looking at a lot of "docking FM radio" type products.
The reason I took a pass on this one is because it does not support video out for my Nano 4G. Apple changed the video out capability of the iPod a gen or so previous. The newer iPod's apparently require an Apple authentication chip to enable video out. (For more info try Googling the phrase "ipod locks TV out")
Looking at the specs at www.us.onkyo.com I found the qualification of "audio only" for the iPod Touch, iPod Classic, iPod Nano (3rd gen), and iPhone. (And, of course, this also applies to any iPods newer than these).
Just wanted to point out the "audio only" limitation so others would be aware of it when considering it. Frankly I'm puzzled why the manufacturers do not upgrade their products so that they will work with the newer iPods. But since they often do NOT do this, you have to check the fine print to see if you're getting all the functions you think you are buying.
Customer Review: Good value but....
Summary: 3 Stars
First of all, the unit I received was made in China and not in Malaysia as one of the other reviewers indicated. Personally, this is irrelevant.
The sound was pretty good but not what I expected from an Onkyo system even though this is a relatively small size all-in-one shelf system. I wasn't very impressed by the preset equalizer settings. The sound generally felt hollow compared to the Panasonic SA-PM15 that I wanted to replace and I wish it allowed independent adjustment of the base and treble settings. Generally sound fidelity was not super impressive and the very high frequencies appeared muted. However the sound quality was adequate for its class. Also it's one of the few better quality ipod docking systems available with an integrated cd player and has a radio, which is nice to have. The design is very pragmatic and Amazon.com's current price tag of $139.00 is nice. Overall a pretty good deal.
Customer Review: Good Price, Good Sound, Good Looks, Good Design, Good w/ Ipod, Good Radio, Good Remote, Goodness Gracious Good Lord!
Summary: 5 Stars
Got mine for $175 delivered. Real happy with it as noted in my heading. It won't blow your necktie over your shoulder, but the sound fills my big living room with vaulted ceilings. Has a feature that pre-sets all the FM stations to the tuner, which is handy, and it set 17 FM stations for me, and they sound great. Remote works great from 15 feet. Setup was easy. And I LOVE the clean lines, unobtrusiveness and simplicity.
**NOTE**: Some reviewers are disappointed in the volume - be sure to read the manual, which explains how to reset the max volume from factory setting of #44 up to as high as #50. #45 and 46 are good and real loud, distortion takes over at 47 and up.
Overall, I'll have a lot of quality listening and fun with this thing for the money - chump change, really. I don't see how you can go wrong with this unit.