Onkyo C 7030 CD player

I picked up a 7030 at my local Essex Bargain Hunt for $38 with box, manual & remote. really like it. Had a Xamaha CDX-1100u for years and decided to update. The instruments are very distinct and localized and vocals are very good, not at all shrill. Glad I got it.

 

Are these Onkyo units enhanced by an outboard DAC? I mean, they've got Wolfsons already; would there be any improvement with (say) a Bitfrost or a DacMagic?

 

I would use it as a stand alone player. I would use a computer or a better transport with a DAC.

 

I have the C 7030 as well and think it's a very nice cd player for the money. So far it has worked great.

 

I think - IMO only - that the DACMagic would be a backwards step. Unless the latest incarnation has had a major rework in the audio department, I'd pass on this particular DAC. The one I had turned in a pretty clinical sound. Excellent connectivity, but definitely detracted in the sound department (for my tastes).

 

Well, I'm rather ignorant re: DACs. I think the Bitfrost would probably be one I'd consider - but I'm still breaking in my C-S5VL, so no changes in the immediate offing.

 

I thought the stock converters sounded "ok". Not bad, but just good, not great. It does take a bit of time to properly break in (in my opinion) the Onkyo.

I use my Onkyo 7030 as a transport only, into a Schiit Gungnir DAC.

It sounds ridiculously great! Smooth and detailed and very, very BIG. Makes cds sound less "digital" and more "musical". I would highly recommend this combo to anyone.

 

Dozens, or hundreds of hours?

 

I have no doubt it sounds great, but why match an $800 DAC with a cheap cd player?

 

You know. I don't really know. Out of the box it sounded pretty good but a little dark, hard and "splatty". Don't know if it was my own delusions, but I did not like it compared to a Denon DVD player I was using. The Onkyo sounded dull and un-engaging. I was going to send it back to Amazon... and truthfully, if it wasn't so cheap, I would have!

But I let it play on repeat for about a week without listening. When I sat down to listen (to the same material that sounded somewhat "meh" before) the cd player really started to open up. Still not great, but pretty good. Then I got the Gungnir, and WOW. It made a huge difference.

The Onkyo is such a well made player. Very solid and smooth and quiet. I'm glad I didn't bail on it. As a transport is rocks. I might have gotten a Rega instead if I didn't get the Schitt Gungnir. I think that's the real magic here. The Onkyo 7030/Schitt Gungnir combo is killer.

All in all though, the Onkyo is still great deal....

 

Because as a transport, it really shines! It's quiet and doesn't feel "cheap". Saves wear and tear on my Oppo. The only thing cheap is the non-removable power cord. Big mistake there.

But to answer your question, "bang for buck"! I didn't want to invest too much into a cdp only, since I use an Oppo too, but the Schitt was initially bought for putting together a computer based system. I figured it would be nice to have just a standard cd player as well as the Oppo/Mac Mini.

Sometimes a feller just likes to put a cd in the tray and hit play... you know, like the good old days...

 

2013, in my case!

 

I purchased the Onkyo C-7030 over a year ago to replace my Yamaha CDX-490.

The sound quality is not the least bit harsh. The entire bandwith is more detailed and the soundstage is more precise than the Yamaha.

 

Resurrecting this thread to see of anybody has opinions as to whether the Onkyo C-7030 would be a nice upgrade over a much older unit - Rotel RCD-950 or Rotel RCD-855. These units are still cranking adequately for me and sound pretty good with my Sansui 8080 DB. But maybe the Onkyo at 180 or so would be a cost-effective up grade? I would not be using a CAC - simply feeding the Onkyo into an integrated amp? Opinions?

 

For $38 I would be very happy!

To the above post. I haven't heard the Rotels, so I can't say if the Onkyo would be an upgrade.

 

For anyone who has this player when the the tray is ejected is there some play in the tray? If you jiggle the tray up and down is it somewhat loose?

 

I don't jiggle the tray. It seems like a good way to damage the tray mechanism. I don't expect a $200 cd player to have the stoutest tray.

 

Yeah, I'm not sure, when the tray is open I try not to touch it, so I haven't noticed if there is any play. Are you having an issue?

 

Yes. And you don't have to jiggle it.

 

After reading all the favorable comments about the Onkyo CD player here, I'm moved to add my comment about another older one that I've had since the 80s, a model DX-7210. It's now playing thru an Onkyo TX-8410R (remote) receiver. They're out in our little guest cottage, with a JBL sub-base and small speakers, from the same 80s vintage. I use it to play cds while I'm "walking" on the treadmill ... It was my only cd player for all these years, until I got a new Oppo BD-93 about a year and a half ago. It's still playing perfectly and never skips a beat. And the musical, sound, quality are very pleasing, and accurate, to my ears. The manual shows the DAC as a, "1 bit PWM Accupulse" with 8x oversampling (352.8 khz).
Like the old Timex ... it takes a licking and keeps on ticking ...!!

 

Bump ... Are we still liking our 7030s?

I'm thinking of getting a standalone CD deck after long absence; either high-priced spread (Ayre, Line Magnetic, Luxman, etc.) or something like this, Parasound Zcd or Yamaha 300 series.

 

No problems with mine...all good.

 

www.accessories4less.com has them.

 

Still running mine with a Teac UD-H01 DAC. Sounds very good and no issues. I though I had a problem with it, but it turns out the component I had stacked on top of it was causing the problem.

 

My unit is still fine, but it is not given heavy use in the winter.