Entered CNET Catalog: 01/05/2006
SKU: CS-V720
Manufacturer: Onkyo USA
Manufacturer description
Looking for the perfect combination of style and performance? The CS-V720 is just the answer! It not only delivers the high quality video your looking for from the progressive scan DVD player. Thanks to proprietary technologies like Onkyo's Wide Range Amplifier Technology it's also the ideal platform for today's high-resolution formats such as DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD, as well as for regular CDs. And the high-quality 2-way bass reflex speakers ensure that you will hear every detail from your favorite music and movies. The CS-V720 is packed with features, from the XM ready tuner that gives you access to over 150 channels of digital quality audio to enhanced control of your iPod when used in conjunction with the optional DS-A1 Remote Interactive Dock. All of this technology is available packaged in a sleek looking, compact system that can be used in any room of the house or office. Audition one today to hear and see what you have been missing.Product summary
The good: Stereo home-theater minisystem; can be upgraded to full 5.1-channel sound; plays CDs, SACDs, MP3/WMA CDs, DVDs, and DVD-As; compatible with Onkyo's iPod dock; XM Satellite Radio ready; stereo two-way bookshelf speakers; virtual surround mode.
The bad: Lacks the muscle to provide full-scale home-theater thrills and chills; iPod and XM features require accessories sold separately.
The bottom line: Onkyo's affordable, full-featured CS-V720 is a great do-it-all option for bedrooms and dens that are too small for full-size home-theater systems.
Average user rating: 
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 01/27/2006
At a petite 8.1 inches wide, 5.8 inches high, and 13.8 inches deep, the CS-V720's sleek and stylish combo receiver/DVD player is less than half the width of a standard A/V receiver. The small size didn't stop Onkyo's engineers from squeezing in a 30-watt-per-channel stereo amplifier with Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, and DTS surround processing for music and movies.
This leads us to the Onkyo CS-V720's generous connectivity suite. You can hook up a power amplifier and a powered subwoofer to the receiver's preout jacks to get full 5.1-channel sound from DVDs, DVD-As, and SACDs. You also get two sets of analog audio inputs and one out, so you can simultaneously hook up a digital audio player (an iPod, for example) and another external device. A full complement of video outputs (composite, S-Video, and component) and an optical digital audio input round out the rear panel.
The Onkyo CS-V720's DVD transport plays DVD-Audio and DVD-Video discs; CDs; SACDs; and discs encoded with MP3, WMA, and JPEG files. In addition to AM/FM radio, the CS-V720 is XM Satellite Radio ready. Just plug in an XM Connect-and-Play antenna (such as the $50 Audiovox CNP1000) and subscribe (for $13 a month) to receive dozens of channels of music, news, talk, sports, and entertainment over the CS-V720. We found XM's sound quality to be comparable with FM's but totally noise-free. The full-size remote is well laid out and a pleasure to use.
The Onkyo CS-V720 can take full advantage of Onkyo's recently introduced iPod dock, the DS-A1 ($99). The CS-V720's remote will then control all of your iPod's functions, such as play, pause, stop, skip, and shuffle/repeat, while the dock recharges the iPod's batteries. But even though the DS-A1 will pass iPod video output, you'll need to connect the dock directly to your TV, since the CS-V720 lacks video inputs. Moreover, the CS-V720 doesn't provide a nifty onscreen display like the one on Denon's much more expensive S-301.
The stereo bookshelf speakers' solidly constructed medium-density fiberboard (MDF) cabinets have a 1-inch soft-dome tweeter and a 5.2-inch Micro Fiber woofer. The speakers are finished in a black wood veneer and measure 9.5 inches tall, 6 inches wide, and 10.5 inches deep.
The CS-V720's CD sound had a presence and fullness that surpassed those of the better tabletop radio/CD players from Cambridge SoundWorks. And since the Onkyo CS-V720 has separate speakers, stereo imaging was excellent. Bass was surprisingly deep but far from the room-shaking low-end response we associate with subwoofers. SACDs and DVD-Audio discs were also satisfying, though they sounded no better than CDs. We didn't really expect full-size sound from this microsystem, so we weren't disappointed when it failed to deliver the fury of a full-size home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) system. While our Woody Allen and Sopranos DVDs sounded awfully good, Flight of the Phoenix caused audible distortion when played at anything louder than moderate volume. On a more positive note, we liked the virtual-surround mode; Onkyo's Theater Dimensional Circuit opened up the sound beyond stereo imaging.
It's not fair to judge the $400 Onkyo CS-V720 as an alternative to the amazing--but four times as expensive--DVD shelf systems we've tested, the Onkyo CS-V720 is one hell of a deal.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 1 user reviews
Great for 2-channel theater and audio.
Pros: Well made and feature packed.
Cons: Lack of foreign market peripherals
Review: This is a great and well engineered little system with 2 minor downsides. There is an audible fan hum, even when the amp isn't driving the speakers and the fact that Onkyo USA has no interest in releasing their ingenious UWA-N7 and UWA-9 3.1 channel amp/subwoofers in the States.
