I admit I shop.
And one of the things I’m shopping for is an affordable CD player for our home hifi. While I toyed with the idea of a turntable for the home rig, it’s simply not practical for all of the obvious reasons.
Nostalgia is one of the beautiful things about the passage of time and enough time has passed since the bull(shit) in a china shop introduction of CD’s “perfect sound forever” that I’m ready to embrace the format with open arms in our home for all of its plastic-y convenience coupled with the experiential benefits of having to actually get up and move to play an album. Heck, curating a CD collection involves considered thought! How old school.
Enter Onkyo’s $349 C-30 CD Player, which will be on active display at this weekend’s Audio Advice Live in an Onkyo Icon/Klipsch system. Color me interested….
Here’s the press release:
Onkyo Introduces C-30 CD Player, Expanding the Striking New Icon Series Hi-Fi Lineup
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 29, 2025) — Onkyo®, an innovative premium audio solution provider, is pleased to announce a welcome addition to its all-new Icon Series lineup: The C-30 High-Performance CD Player, designed for music lovers seeking a premium, solid playback solution for their CD collections.
The C-30 Hi-Fi Grade CD Player delivers outstanding performance and value in a refined, audiophile-grade design, retailing at just $349. Engineered for discerning listeners, it features Onkyo’s exclusive VLSC (Vector Linear Shaping Circuit)—a proprietary technology that removes pulse noise from the signal path using advanced algorithms. The result is a clean, distortion-free analog output from its premium 24-bit/192kHz DAC, revealing every nuance of your music with breathtaking clarity.
With an impressive 107 dB signal-to-noise ratio, the C-30 offers exceptionally quiet backgrounds and richly detailed audio. A high-precision ±10PPM clock ensures remarkable timing accuracy and a focused, stable stereo image, elevating your listening experience to true high-fidelity standards.
Engineered for exceptional sonic purity, the C-30 boasts a vibration-resistant, blast-finished aluminum front panel designed to reduce resonance and deliver cleaner playback. On the rear panel, Hi-Fi-grade RCA, optical, and digital coaxial outputs ensure effortless integration with a variety of premium audio systems.
Compatible with standard CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs, the C-30 also supports MP3 and WMA file playback, giving you versatile access to your entire music collection—always with uncompromising sound quality.
Explore the all-new Onkyo Icon Series — a masterful high-fidelity Hi-Fi lineup that seamlessly blends cutting-edge technology with impeccably refined modern design. Unveiled at CES 2025 and launching this October, it sets a new standard for premium audio excellence. Crafted for discerning audiophiles, the Icon Series delivers powerful, ultra-pure sound from sleek, contemporary chassis engineered to house advanced technologies for uncompromising performance.
The Icon Series features the Icon A-50 2-Channel Integrated Amplifier, Icon P-80 2-Channel Network Pre-Amplifier, and Icon M-80 2-Channel Power Amplifier. Each model is offered in your choice of elegant silver or bold black finishes, perfectly complementing any high-end listening environment.
The Icon A-50 is a Class AB integrated 2-channel stereo amplifier delivering 110W at 8 ohms (20Hz～20kHz THD 0.07%) and 180W at 4 ohms (1kHz THD 0.7%). Outputs include RCA, optical, USB-A, and phono (MM/MC). It comes with DIRAC Limited room correction—with an optional paid Full Band upgrade—and retails for $1,599.
The Icon P-80 is a 2-channel network pre-amplifier featuring RCA, optical, USB-A, phono (MM/MC), and XLR outputs. It supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth streaming, is Roon Ready, and includes DIRAC Limited with paid upgrades for Full Band and bass control. The unit has a removable power cord and retails for $1,999.
The Icon M-80 is a Class AB 2-channel Hi-Fi power amplifier delivering 130W at 8 ohms (20Hz～20kHz THD 0.07%) and 200W at 4 ohms (1kHz THD 0.7%). It features XLR inputs, analog volume unit meters, and a removable power cord. The MSRP is $1,999.
The all-new Onkyo Icon Series goes beyond sleek aluminum and glass meters—delivering high-current, high-speed, high-resolution performance that sets a new standard in audio. Backed by nearly 80 years of audio innovation, it’s built for audiophiles who demand full-range sound and next-generation technology.
About Onkyo – www.onkyo.com
Backed by nearly 80 years of audio innovation, Onkyo products have been at the heart of the finest audio-visual experiences. From the dedicated entertainment enthusiast to the discerning hobbyist, Onkyo is synonymous with unmatched reliability and exceptional quality. We fulfill a promise of auditory and visual perfection through Japanese technical precision – as the trusted centerpiece in the delivery of awe-inspiring sensory experiences. Onkyo is the Heartbeat of Entertainment. Onkyo®, registered in the U.S. and other countries, is a trademark of Premium Audio Company Technology Center K.K., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gentex Corporation (NASDAQ: GNTX).