Onkyo DW-S500 review

Revving up the S500
It shouldn't come as a surprise that head bangers won't be satisfied with the S500's meager power reserves--just 9.5 watts per channel--but the system's loudness potential will probably be adequate for everybody else. We set up the S500 in our kitchen, then bedroom, and finally in our office. Radio reception was good overall, but difficult-to-receive college stations were fairly noisy.

CDs offered the best sound, so we used them for most of our sonic evaluations. The S500 excelled at retrieving Fred Hersch's exacting piano fingerings on Thelonious, his amazing tribute to jazz pioneer Thelonious Monk. The speakers purred on the lower registers and sounded very alive and present as Hersch all but danced over the keyboard.

We rocked out with a bit of Fleetwood Mac's live CD The Dance. The S500 summoned up a nice helping of Mick Fleetwood's pounding beat and John McVie's irresistible bass lines. Yes, once we pushed the volume up, the sound grew harsher, but at more moderate levels, it held together quite nicely.

At its $400 list price, the S500 is a good value, but if you can splurge another $100, check out its big brother, the PS-510. It's not as pretty and lacks the USB connection, but it has a three-disc changer, more power, and bigger speakers. Or take a look at Pioneer's stylish NS-33, which comes with a subwoofer for about the same price as the S500.