advantages
- DAB, FM, CD and iPod all in one box
- Simple, muted design
- Great sound quality
disadvantage
- Chunky remote control
- Not the most elegant design
- Limited auxiliary inputs
key specifications
- Evaluation Price: £249.99
- DAB, FM, CD, USB and iPod playback
- Separate stereo speaker layout
For some reason, the term iPod dock has become synonymous with compact all-in-one sound systems. While, of course, a dock is simply the part where your phone or MP3 player sits, and the rest can be any type of sound-making machinery. So while the Pure Contour, B&W Zeppelin and Arcam rCube have a lot to offer for their compact size, if you’re short on space and looking for a more expansive sound, the Onkyo CS-545UK should tick all the boxes on the road. 
This very conventional looking mini hi-fi system may seem unassuming, but it packs a CD player, FM and DAB radios, an iPod dock and USB playback into its body and comes with a quality set of stereo speakers, so that both features are packed and ready to go right out of the box.
The central unit, which is available in either silver or black, measures 300 x 215 x 90mm and should therefore easily fit in most TV cabinets and Hi-Fi shelves, or next to your TV. It’s a bit deep for just snuggling up on a windowsill or bookshelf, but you should probably try to give a system like this a better home anyway.
The main chassis is all metal with a high quality finish in the case of the black model and a brushed aluminum finish for the silver model. Everything feels very good, and its rather heavy weight of 4.2 kg only adds to this feeling. The hole for the USB port on the front panel is a little noticeable, but nothing to worry about. Insert a USB stick into this port and you can play MP3 files on it.
Also on the front panel, from top left to bottom right, are buttons for power, input, tone/balance, eject, track skip/preset skip, stop, and play/pause, as well as controls for adjusting tone/balance and volume. All are milled from aluminum to match the chassis and anodised in the black version. They all feel securely mounted and exhibit a slight but defined click as the key drops. The tone/balance control is a notched infinity spin affair that’s wonderfully accurate, while the large volume control has a stiff but smooth infinity spin action.
Hidden behind a chunky plastic flap on top is the iPod dock, which uses standard Apple dock inserts to attach various types of iPods, as opposed to the ingenious universal docks of the B&W Zeppelin and Fatman iTube ValveDock. A choice of black ones are included, but as we’ve gotten used to, none seem to fit the latest iPods and iPhones, so you’ll need to source the correct dock adapters yourself – and an iPad won’t fit at all. It’s fully compatible with iPhones and we didn’t notice any squeaks and beeps when a phone was docked.
Other connectivity is very limited with only a headphone jack on the front and line in, video out, antenna, subwoofer pre out and speaker connections (both banana clip and bare wire are compatible) on offer. The video output is designed to send video from your iPod to your TV, but since it’s only a composite connection, the quality is so poor it’s not worth bothering with. While this system is ideal for a living room sound system, you’ll have to rely on other means to manage everything as it’s easy to set up the speakers on either side of your TV and offer most of the basic sound sources through your AV connections from sources such as Blu-ray players and Sky boxes (one solution is to connect the Onkyo to your TV’s stereo audio output and let the TV do the rest).
If you look a little closer, the 250 x 225 x 150mm speakers are sturdy constructed of fibreboard with a black textured veneer covering the top, bottom and sides. This could be mistaken for a faux wood effect but is more of a brushed metal style that looks very attractive. Each contains a pair of drivers with a 12cm woofer and 2.5cm tweeter in the front, a bass port in the back and of course the connections too. Standard fabric covers are included which can be removed if you want a slightly edgier look. All in all, they look classy and feel well made.
The power cord for the amp is hardwired so cannot be swapped out for a longer or shorter one at will, but at around a meter long it seems sufficient for most people’s needs. The same applies to the supplied speaker cables, which are quite thick and made of pure copper. They don’t have any proper connectors (although that’s typical of hi-fi gear) but are a decent 1.5m in length. You can of course easily and cheaply replace these if you need extra length.
Turn on the device and the two-line display will appear. It shows basic track, station, time and song information and is clear with good viewing angles. Some of the finer text can be a bit difficult to read in a modest living room, but general navigation is easy.
Pop a CD into the drive and the unit works as intuitively as you’d expect, with front panel controls letting you navigate to the right input, start playback, navigate through tracks and adjust the volume. However, turn on the radio or dock an iPod and you’ll be stuck without the remote. 
Unfortunately, the remote control isn’t the most elegant or intuitive design we’ve come across. The angular edges, stubby shape, plastic construction, and rubber buttons all combine to make it feel a little cheap, while the layout is perfunctory at best and a bit unwieldy at worst. For example, you’re basically unable to properly control iPod playback other than skipping tracks and starting/stopping – navigating albums is a nightmare – while there are seemingly unnecessary dedicated play/pause buttons for USB, iPod and CD there. In the meantime, you’ll have to resort to the fast-forward buttons to skip through radio stations (again, something you can’t do without the remote). 
You get to know its quirks over time, but how a company that makes such high-quality products in terms of performance can still come up with such a rudimentary remote control is something we don’t know. It would be nice to have backlit keys too, although that omission is more understandable given the price of this device.
Luckily, what the Onkyo CS-545UK lacks in usability (and inputs), it more than makes up for in performance. From classical music to the latest dirty beats to the most bombastic movie soundtracks, this device’s all-round sound lets it shine.
We started our test with a quick spin of our favorite CDs and were quickly impressed with its immersive stereo reproduction and warm, even tone. The lack of a dedicated subwoofer means some dance music won’t be as boomy as some might like, but twice the 40W output is more than enough to fill a house with loud, undistorted music when party time is the order of the day.
You won’t be surprised to hear, given the price of this device, that detail levels don’t quite reach truly mesmerizing levels, with the top end feeling a bit flat, but there’s more than enough to make for a very engaging and enjoyable listen.
As mentioned, navigating through radio stations can be a bit of a headache, and handling presets is almost a complete waste of time. As long as you tend to listen to the same station or two you shouldn’t fret too much, but other than that this might not be the system for you.
Moving on to movies and TV via the line input, the lack of a center channel means you don’t get the perfect dead-centre reproduction of dialogue that a surround set would give you, and again the lack of a dedicated sub results in less as defecation rumbles during explosive scenes. However, the overall experience is very enjoyable with again a warm and steady tone meaning you’ll never have trouble hearing dialogue or defending yourself when the action begins. This is certainly a great upgrade for the vast majority of standard TV speakers.
If you’re looking for alternatives, you could opt for a dedicated surround system and just plug in an iPod dock, but of course you lose the CD and radio functionality. There are a number of alternative mini systems too, but few have the built-in iPod dock or offer the same audio quality for the price. Compact all-in-one systems like the Pure Contour can’t be set up around your TV and tend to offer less impressive overall sound.
“‘Verdict”‘
While the Onkyo CS-545UK isn’t a super-slick all-in-one iPod dock, a bombastic high-end hi-fi, or a mega multi-channel surround system, it’s a great all-rounder. With DAB, FM, USB playback, an iPod dock and a CD player on board, it covers most music listening needs, while the line input and separate stereo speaker array mean you can use it as an easy upgrade to your TV’s audio can provide a complete living room audio solution. However, a somewhat cumbersome user interface prevents it from getting a higher score.