Onkyo DWS-500 Audio Shelf System

Known as the CR-N1 by Onkyo, this small and very modern looking bookshelf system sounds great for a small system, but may leave you too frustrated to want to turn it on!

Features

- 4 ohm Low-Impedance Drive
- USB Port
- 2-Mode Acoustic Presence Function
- 30 FM/AM Random Presets
- FM Auto-Scan Tuning
- 8-Character Alphanumeric Display
- 3-Mode Timer (weekday, weekend, sleep)
- 3-Mode Repeat (entire side, memory, random)
- Optical Digital Output
- Line-Level Input & Output
- Subwoofer Output
- Mini-Jack Headphone Output
- Battery-Free Memory Backup
- Full-Function Remote
- D-N1 2-Way Bass Reflex Loudspeakers
- High Efficiency 3.5? Exclusive OMF (Onkyo Microfiber)
- Cone Woofer
- Wide Dispersion Neodymium-Powered 1? Soft Dome Tweeter
- Magnetically Shielded
- MDF Cabinet
- 1 Meter High-Purity-Copper Speaker Cable Supplied (x 2)
- 4 Ohm Impedance
- 30 W Max Input Power

Amplifier

Power Output 9.5 W/ch
Freq. Response 10 Hz - 50 kHz
S/N Ratio 95 db

FM/AM Tuner

Usable Sensitivity (FM Stereo) 17.2 dBf
S/N Ratio
FM Mono 73 dB, IHF
FM Stereo 67 dB, IHF
Harmonic Distortion
FM Mono 0.2%
FM Stereo 0.3%
Dimensions (W x H x D) 8 x 10-5/8" x 9-3/16"
Weight 7.5 lbs.

CD Unit

D/A Converter 1-bit
Frequency Response 5Hz-20kHz

Speakers

Woofer 3.5" OMF Cone
Tweeter 1" Soft-Dome
Impedance 4 Ohm Nominal
Max. Power Input 30 W
Frequency Response 63 Hz-35kHz
Dimensions (W x H x D) 6-1/2" x 10-3/5" x 6-3/10"
Weight 3.7 lbs.

Manual

http://63.148.251.135/redirect_service.cfm?type=own_manuals&file=CR-N1(E)B.pdf (PDF - 2432 KB)

I've had the system for about a year, and I purchased it the speakers for my computer, an alarm clock, and a nice sounding stereo for my room.

USB Connectivity

With the USB connectivity, the stereo works well with any PC, although I haven't found much benefit to using the USB port. I could have just as easily connected the stereo's RCA inputs to my computer's sound card and accomplished the same thing, but I suppose using the USB cable may save a person a few bucks by not having to have a sound card. You can opt to hear your computers normal beeps and system sounds in combination with any music you are listening too, or turn the computer's sounds down (or off.) I wish there was a magic way to turn-on the stereo via it's USB connection, but no such luck.

Sound Quality

This is one area I really can't complain. I'm not exactly an audiophile, so I won't bore you with all sorts of details, but the stereo does sound good for such a small unit. I typically listen to big-band music, hard rock, or pop music, and the stereo seems to handle all of them well and gets louder than my apartment neighbors would probably like. It won't make you deaf, but if you want that kind of volume, a bookshelf stereo isn't for you :)

The "Acoustic Presence" mode help to enhance the bass output of the system, and I typically have the Acoustic Presence turned on or else there isn't much bass response (and who would expect that from such small speakers!)

If you really want bass, there is a subwoofer output which is a definite plus.

Appearance & Functionality

As you can see by the picture, the stereo looks cool... probably at the expense of making it user friendly :( Even after owning it for a year, I have to keep the manual close-by as it's not easy to remember how to make all the features on this thing work, which seems like a bad design to me.

As with many stereos these days, unless you are a foot away from it, you can't read labels on the buttons (I'm 29 and have good eye-site!) Even when you can read the labels, it's not obvious as to how to make the stereo do basic functions, such as scan radio stations, or even change between preset stations. You also have no idea how many preset stations you have even set... there are apparently 30 presets available.

The display is rather dim... too dim for my liking. The clock/display is difficult to read from more than a few feet away.

I'm not sure what the "Energy Save Mode" is really for... does this thing use that much power to run the clock??? Energy Saver Mode turns off the display when off in an effort to save power... I guess that's a benefit if you're pinching pennies and are highly concerned about your kilowatt hours :)

Despite the specifications *claiming* the stereo has a "battery free memory back-up", that's misleading to me. With even the slightest blip in it's power supply, the clock (and hence your alarm clock) is wiped-out. Don't rely on this stereo if getting out of bed on time is absolutely critical! To my surprise, the station presets don't get erased with power problems, but resetting the clock all the time is highly annoying.

The alarm clock is pretty functional (when it works) in that there are two alarm settings (one for weekdays and one for weekends) and you can decide which days are weekdays and which are weekends. You can then opt to wake-up to the CD, radio, USB, or line-in connection.

Remote

I hate the remote. Perhaps I'm just used to Sony remotes or something, but to me, this remote makes no sense. Even when I'm staring right at it, I can't always figure-out how to make the stereo work. You can't scan radio stations from the remote, so if the station you want isn't preset, you'll have to find it by touching the unit itself. The remote's signal also seems very weak... unless I have the remote aimed directly at the stereo within a few feet and no obstructions, it may or may not work. The on/off button also seems annoying... I have to press it several times on occasion to turn the stereo on or off (the stereo seems to take an unusually long time to turn-on.)

Conclusion

I guess this stereo does everything I planned it to do... it works well with my computer, it acts as an alarm clock, and it sounds good. However, I think Onkyo engineers need to take a class in ergonomics! That, and a battery back-up (or capacitor, or whatever) is a must for the clock... duh! If you can get a good deal on this stereo, it's probably worth having, but the $400 MSRP is absolutely insane, there is no way I'd pay that much for this stereo.