Onkyo Teams With Polk Audio To Create A Shelf System That Doesn't Sound Like One

27-Oct-00

While many audiophiles can appreciate the small size and convenience of a compact bookshelf audio system, they are often disappointed with the sound quality of the loudspeakers typically packaged with such systems. Indeed many will buy these systems and then replace the speakers with something more to their liking.Now Onkyo has teamed with the highly respected speaker manufacturer, Polk Audio, to create a premium shelf system that will please the most demanding listeners.The Onkyo PS-509 combines a three-disc CD changer, AM/FM tuner and a high quality 20-watt power amplifier, with a pair of two-way bookshelf speakers designed and manufactured by Polk Audio. The Polk Audio bass-reflex speakers have a 5 1/4-inch woofer and a 13/16-inch silk dome tweeter. The drivers, crossover network and enclosure have been carefully designed to provide a broad, flat frequency response curve from 60Hz to 34kHz. These are high-efficiency designs that deliver high sound levels while keeping the amplifiers well within a safe operating range. The speakers have heavy-duty banana plug-compatible speaker terminals, and the system includes high-quality speaker cables. The enclosure is magnetically shielded to prevent picture distortion on near-by television sets. With its focus on sound quality, size and convenience, the PS-509 uses Onkyo's Wide Range Amplifier Technology (WRAT) and a discrete-component output stage for cleaner, more detailed sound. The preamplifier section incorporates a three-mode acoustic presence control to compensate for bookshelf speaker placement. It also has line-level inputs for a DVD player, input/output jacks for a processor, tape deck or VCR, subwoofer preamp output and a front-panel headphone jack.The three-disc stacker-type CD changer lets you change up to two discs during play. It also boasts a single-bit Accupulse D/A converter and 8x oversampling for exceptionally accurate playback. The AM/FM digital-synthesis tuner provides excellent reception, and has 30 AM/FM presets for easy access to favorite stations. The Onkyo PS-509 is now available with a suggested retail price of $629.95.