Onkyo adds “high performance” budget C-30 CD player to its Icon Series of hi-fi separates

Onkyo originally unveiled its Icon Series of two-channel products at CES 2025 with the launch of the P-80 network preamplifier ($1999), the M-80 power amplifier ($1999) and the A-50 amplifier ($1599).

The only thing it was missing was a CD-spinning source. That has now been rectified with the launch of the Onkyo C-30 – although there’s a surprise twist in the tale.

The C-30 features the company’s VLSC (Vector Linear Shaping Circuit) technology, which claims to remove pulse noise from the signal path for a cleaner analogue output from the player’s 24-bit/192kHz DAC.

It also claims the player has a low signal-to-noise ratio and a high-precision clock for accurate timing and imaging.

The design includes a “vibration-resistant, blast-finished aluminium front panel” which appears designed to fit in with the rest of the Icon Series. Around the rear of the C-30, you have analogue, digital optical and digital coaxial outputs.

Like the rest of the Icon Series, the CD player is available in Silver or Black. But, and here's that plot-twist we promised, the C-30 comes in at a much lower price point.

Retailing at just $349 (UK pricing TBC), this could be a budget option for anyone who wants to slot a dedicated CD player into their entry-level system.

Could we see a matching budget stereo amplifier launch at some point further down the line? We think it could make for a neat and affordable one-make system.

Onkyo is trying to make a bit of a comeback following its bankruptcy filing in 2022, when it was subsequently acquired by Premium Audio Company (the parent company of Pioneer, Klipsch, Sharp and others). Hopefully, the Icon Series can set it on the right track.

What do you think about Onkyo’s return to two-channel after its brief hiatus? Let us know in the comments below, and also let us know which product you’d like to see in our test rooms first.

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