Quality audio system - small is beautiful.

I bought one of these after looking at reviews in What Hi-Fi et al. The Onkyo CR515 system is a solidly built, simple to operate and pleasant to listen-to Hi-Fi system. Given the reasonable price and quality performance, I can highly recommend the Onkyo. It also is blessed with low key good looks.

Very good, but needs a proper DAB aerial for uninterrupted reception

I used to have a DAB radio fitted to my previous car, and really missed it in the new one. (Radio 5 on MW is incredibly poor.) REVO no longer make the in-car DAB unit but I managed to track one down.

Fitting requires hooking up the aerial, the 12v power supply and the output to the radio, either via the FM modulator (inserted into the car's existing aerial lead) or an auxilliary sound input. The exact detail depends on your car, but here's my experience.

I have not used the FM modulator, but linked the output straight into the auxilliary phono inputs, which, while conveniently placed in the centre of the dash means they are highly visible. The way the cable is made up means the power has to come from the 12v power socket on the dash, and I had to add a plug on to the end of the bare leads. For other HUs, this would all be wired up to the rear of the HU out of sight.

The supplied aerial is very poor, and is the reason for many complaints listed below. (In fact most complaints about DAB in cars stem from poor aerials. The digital decoders and amplifiers are now standard technology, and UK coverage is not an issue for most of the population.) The REVO requires the signal strength to be in excess of about 75%-80% for maximum performance. It will go slient under about 55%-60%.

An external aerial is the ideal solution, but I have replaced the small supplied internal with a larger one, similar to the one in my previous car, and reception is much improved.

Removing the original aerial took some time as it was well stuck. I resorted to meths and stanley-bladed window scraper to remove all the remnants of the adhesive. I'll probably fit a pukka external DAB aerial when I can find a few hours to do it.

Locating and sticking the mount on the dash wasn't too easy, as I had difficulty finding a suitable place with a flat hard surface and ensuring the dash was not obscured. Once again the adhesive is very strong, and in retrospect, using a strip of Velcro might have been better.

It's very easy use, and for anyone who's use DAB before, there's no problem. I have a remote too, but that's somewhat superfluous when driving.

The REVO easily slides upwards for removal, and the little protective pouch is useful when carrying it around.

So, it's a bit tricky to fit, needs a strong signal so get a quality aerial and is easy to use.

I can't quite figure out why REVO stopped making it - too costly? And if the supplied aerial had been better, I'd have given 5 stars.

Beware Sony's faulty description

The Sony UK website (and many others) clearly state this has the Sony CD changer interface connection. NOT TRUE!
I bought this to go with my Xplod changer and was very disappointed to discover there is no CD bus connector or audio inputs.
You'd think Sony could get that right.

cd tuner with everything.

This has everything you would ever need unlike other manufacturers,such as line in line out, sub out,comprehensive cd playback,windows media audio, mp3 and wav.You cant go wrong, tiny remote controller, fitted straight into my car physically and electrically without a hitch.
Sounds awesome with crystal clarity.Front mini jack means you can connect what you like, ie dab, mp3 player, mini disc, etc etc.the best for your money.Guaranteed.