Onkyo C-S5VL C-S5VL Super Audio CD/CD Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I listen to classical music and have almost a thousand CD collections. I own a number of CD players as well as dedicated DACs. To my ears Onkyo C-S5VL is the first CD player that is able to reproduce the violins in orchestra as "violins". You could almost hear them being played individually as a group without sounding harsh nor bright. My Spendor BC1 now sounds almost up to its full potential. Many believe Wolfson WM8742 DAC is the best there is in terms of digital to analog conversion. Oh did I say C-S5VL also plays SACD. IMO a good recording of SACD disc with Onkyo C-S5VL is hard to beat. Heads off to Onkyo for the making of a good sounding affordable CD/SACD player.
**update**
I have this player for about 4 months. The strength of this player is its ability to select and use one of five different advanced digital filters that come with WM8742 (applicable to CD only, SACD uses different filters). Out of the five filters, the most notable one is Minimum Phase Anti-Alias Apodising filter (FIL 4). Minimum Phase Anti-Alias Apodising filter is regarded by many as a major break through in improving digital media play back quality in recent years (a filter of a similiar kind is implemented in Meridian 808.2 by a 150 MIPS processor and expensive customary circuitry). This particular filter not only removes the pre-echo artifact that is commonly associated with conventional CD players but also sweep away the digital "glare" that we have almost come to accept as inevitable when listening to music of digital media. To my ears when FIL 4 is employed musical instruments exhibit consistent and substantial improvement in timber, clarity, definition, and tonality. The resulting sound signature is close being analogue. Onkyo C-S5VL enables me to enjoy the music even after hours of listening.

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Sampling audio signals at a rate 64 times higher than CD, Super Audio CD gives you the closest possible approximation of being in the same room as the musicians. Little wonder, then, that it has established itself as the audiophiles\' format of choice. Now, with the C-S5VL, Onkyo makes quality audio more accessible than ever. The C-S5VL is a stellar playback solution for Super Audio CD—as well as regular CDs and WMA- or MP3-encoded discs—and makes an ideal partner for Onkyo\'s slimline A-5VL integrated amplifier. The C-S5VL incorporates Onkyo\'s VLSC\' technology, along with high-end Wolfson DACs, to ensure a pristine conversion of the audio signal from digital to analog. Meanwhile, a high-precision crystal oscillator and jitter-cleaner device work together to stabilize the clock frequency. You get meticulous timing for all digital signals and hence beautifully clear separation of musical instruments. So, if you want to get serious about digital audio playback, open your ears to the C-S5VL.

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