Is the Onkyo C-N7050 a CD participant that may stream, or is it a high-res streamer with a CD participant inbuilt? Irrespective of which angle you have a look at it from, this £350 networked CD participant goals to provide you entry to each worlds – for a gorgeous value.
It’s a pleasant stepping-stone into the world of hi-fi separates, whereas giving individuals the liberty to experiment with completely different sources earlier than deciding on a selected path – a super answer for burgeoning hi-fi aficionados.
Efficiency
The C-N7050’s sonic presentation is upbeat and clean, however edges aren’t softened a lot that element is obscured. The Onkyo doesn’t make a fuss with file varieties, both, having a forgiving steadiness that makes probably the most of low bit-rate MP3s whereas nonetheless retaining sufficient transparency to make listening to 24-bit/192kHz FLAC recordsdata a worthwhile expertise.
Element is crisply drawn and plentiful. You may hear taut strings being plucked in Public Service Broadcasting’s funky monitor Gagarinwhereas the layers of harmonics surrounding piano notes in The Unthanks’ Gan To The Kye are conveyed with ardour.
Voices are direct and expressive, and it’s straightforward to get caught up within the beautiful melody. It’s a neat and tidy presentation with sufficient drive and dynamic variation to maintain the music satisfying. There’s a delightful cohesion all through the frequency vary and a properly judged tonal steadiness that refuses to emphasize one frequency band above one other.
There’s an excellent degree of composure too, so when the music will get complicated the Onkyo has the expertise to maintain each instrumental strand in place and below management. Judged towards a class-leading devoted CD participant such because the Marantz CD6005 the C-N7050 lacks a bit chew, authority and rhythmic drive.
However, importantly, it stays an satisfying pay attention, and let’s not overlook streams music throughout a community too. That nice sonic character stays fixed whether or not you are listening to CDs or streaming.
Nonetheless, we did discover that The Imitation Recreation soundtrack sounded only a contact extra spacious and dynamic when streamed from our server than performed on disc.
Options and connectivity
Apart from the CD drive, the one different bodily inputs are two USB ports. The entrance USB is Apple-approved, and can play music saved in your iPhone, iPod and iPod, whereas additionally charging them.
You may hearken to different radio or music streaming apps, so long as your supply system is hard-wired to the port. There’s no Bluetooth or AirPlay to stream by means of, so third-party apps – comparable to Spotify, Soundcloud and BBC iPlayer Radio – will be performed solely by means of wired means.
The USB port on the again, in the meantime, will play recordsdata saved on a stick or flash drive. To plug the C-N7050 in to your amplifier, you possibly can select between optical, coaxial and line degree outputs.
The streamer aspect of the C-N7050 has loads of tips up its sleeve. DLNA assist means the Onkyo streamer can play music saved on laptops, sensible units and NAS containers, so long as they’re all linked to the identical community.
There’s no wi-fi, so that you’ll should plug the Onkyo to your own home community utilizing the ethernet port. It connects immediately, and recognises all units on the community and not using a hitch. You too can tune into a whole lot of radio stations by means of the vTuner web radio service.
The Onkyo’s file compatibility is in depth. From MP3 and AAC to excessive decision 24-bit/192kHz FLAC and WAV (and 96kHz ALAC), the C-N7050 will play all common music codecs. It helps DSD recordsdata, too, though, oddly, doesn’t spin SACD discs.
MORE: Excessive-resolution audio – all the pieces that you must know
Management app
In case you’ll be streaming recordsdata from quite a lot of sources, we’d suggest you obtain Onkyo’s Distant 3 app.
It isn’t the slickest of apps, however the easy interface makes it straightforward to scroll by means of lengthy lists of songs, whereas the drop down menu helps you to leap between numerous sources with ease.
We discovered utilizing the distant handset when altering CD tracks extra pure, although.
The app is free to obtain, nevertheless it’s at the moment obtainable just for Apple iPods and iPhones – there’s no iPad model, and Android customers must wait just a bit bit longer for the most recent model.
Construct and design
The C-N7050 is nicely made with a pleasant end in both black or silver. Construct high quality is decently strong contemplating the worth. The CD loading tray operates easily, with no judders or stutters, and the mechanism is fairly quiet.
The fascia is neat and orderly as an alternative of flashy, with solely primary controls planted on the brushed-metal entrance panel. The three essential buttons – one every for CD, USB and Community – make switching between inputs fast and simple.
The Onkyo responds swiftly to any instructions, whether or not from the unit’s buttons and dial, or those logically laid out on the distant management. We’d undoubtedly preserve the distant in shut attain – it’s easy but intuitive to make use of – even when now we have the management app at hand, too.
We’ve got some niggles, although. The participant’s massive show is straightforward to learn from a distance, however its single line of scrolling textual content appears meagre. It scrolls very slowly, and the cut-off textual content will be irritating to learn. We’d like a extra refined show – two traces, at the least – that provides extra data in a single look.
Verdict
We are able to see the Onkyo C-N7050 having a large attraction. There aren’t many merchandise that may spin CDs and stream recordsdata from one field, and never for such an inexpensive value both.
Our standard beginning value for particular person CD gamers and streamers is £350 every, which makes this two-in-one machine so engaging as a gateway to constructing your hi-fi system.
It’s a intelligent, feature-packed performer that we urge you to contemplate.
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