Attcny CS-445 CD Receiver System

I've been listening to my new Onkyo CR-445 since it arrived over five hours ago and I just can't stop. I've got my iPhone 4S plugged in and have been playing tunes from 1) iTunes via my iTunes Match catalog, 2) Pandora, 3) AccuRadio, 4) Slacker, 5) the CD, and 6) FM radio. I've put it through all of the genres in my catalog and it has done well with jazz, funk, classical, hair bands, jam bands, a little dead, and even sounds decent when I had the Beasties turned up, but that was pushing it.First and most important, the sound is incredible. I looked far and wide to find a smaller replacement for my 20+ year old Onkyo TX-866 and Bose 6.2 speakers which were showing their age and taking up a lot of space. The sound coming from the CR-445 is spectacular for a system with such a small foot print and the integration with the iPhone makes navigation easy. This isn't a massive system, so don't think you're going to be waking up the neighbors. I've got it in a kitchen/family room with an L shape that is probably 300 sq ft and it fills the room with a rich, thick sound. This isn't going to power a house party, but at my age, a good listening system that takes advantage of my available technology is what I was looking to find. Streaming music coming from iTunes Match and Pandora sound really good and the CD is, well a CD. I haven't tried to play MP3 or WMA files off of a CD, but I don't see the need when I've got it linked to my entire catalog.The front panel displays the song title when playing iTunes, Pandora, and Slacker. When using iTunes, the remote can move through songs in an album and to an extent navigate albums though it's easier to track down tunes using the iPhone navigation. The remote also lets you skip songs in Pandora which is great when I'm stuck on that annoying track. The radio will scan and automatically create presets which makes for easy skipping of stations using the remote. We've got an excellent Jazz station in Denver (KUVO) so having FM was important for me and some of the other systems out there either didn't have a tuner or it was deprecated with limited functionality.I've been an Onkyo guy for over 20 years and the build of the CR-445 doesn't disappoint. It feels and looks like a little sliver of a larger Onkyo receiver and the construction seems solid and doesn't look cheap. The receiver has heft when you hold it and it looks less like a micro receiver and more like its bigger brethren. It has a clean look with a scrolling display that is simple and not distracting. The dock on top is a logical place to put an iPhone and it makes for easy access. Some of the other products out there have the dock in an odd place that makes navigating the phone difficult. I wonder when they will begin making docs for iPads which in my house makes more sense, plus I don't have to hear the buzz every time an email arrives.The speakers are deeper than I expected and might get replaced over time, but they seem like good companions to the receiver. I am seriously considering a sub-woofer as there is a pre-out. I can only speculate that this would be nice addition.Overall, I would recommend spending a few extra dollars on this system to get quality sound, valuable functionality, and a solid looking receiver. I am satisfied that I found a system that will surely outlast the phone that I've got plugged into it and who knows, I may be listening to it in 20+ years.

I purchased the Onkyo CS-445 for my desk. I chose this unit over similarly priced Yamaha systems strictly by virtue of reviews. There were more positive reviews for the Onkyo. Not to say Yamaha does not make good products, but the general consensus of Amazon reviewers seems to be that, in this price category, the Onkyo is a better product.What I like about this system:The receiver is quite small, and blends in well on my desk. The speakers are crisp and clear. They are also ported, so they provide adequate low end for non "bass oriented" music. I don't use the radio on it, so I can't say how well it picks up signal. However, it comes with two antennae, so I guess that's a bonus for radio listeners?The CD player works as I would have expected it to. Mechanically, the CD player is also quieter than I would have expected from a unit this size. No disproportionately loud "whirring" or "drilling" noises. Anyone who's familiar with entry level mini-systems I'm sure will know what I mean. There is a subwoofer pre-out. This is ideal for anyone looking for extra low end. I had an older Yamaha 6.5" subwoofer handy, and they sound great together.What I don't like about this system:The volume adjusts from "MIN" (ostensibly 0) to 40. When the volume is set to 1 or more, the speakers produce a faint hiss. The hiss does not increase as the volume does. The hiss, however, becomes entirely inaudible when playing music. There is only one auxilliary input. There is an iPod dock, which is an attractive feature to some, I guess. I would have rather that the dock was omitted in favour of an optical input. I searched for similar model without an iPod dock as the sole digital input, but I couldn't find one in this price range. It seems that iPod docks are pretty much standard on entry level micro-systems. The lack of inputs is mostly just annoying because it necessitates additional hardware to have multiple devices connected simultaneously.There is a feature on this receiver called "S-Bass". Don't bother with it. Like many gimmicky bass-boost features, it makes most music sound as though it's being played through a puddle of mud. For those looking for more bass, get a small subwoofer. As noted above, I used an old Yamaha 6.5" sub. Finally, the body construction doesn't seem to be as solid as I would like. I have a tablet in its dock resting on the body as my music player, and the body of the receiver has noticeable give. I'm not overly concerned that it will break or bend, but it is worth mentioning.Most of the complaints are nit-picky, and should be taken with a grain of salt. Note that I rate the product 4 stars despite them. For this product to receive a 5 star rating from me, it would need to have an optical input, whether this would be instead of the iPod dock, or in addition to it.