A Storied Name, Renewed for Modern Listening
Onkyo has carried the pursuit of faithful sound since 1946, and today, under the Premium Audio Company, its high fidelity range is thoughtfully refocused. Whether you are streaming from your phone, spinning a favorite disc, or building a room around dedicated separates, there is an Onkyo path that fits. At All Elite Audio we are an authorized Onkyo dealer, and this guide is here to help you understand how the pieces come together so you can choose with clarity.
The renewed lineup breaks into two families. The Icon series is the premium separates and CD line, designed for listeners who value flexibility and the ability to build up a system over time. The Muse Y series brings streaming, a digital to analog converter, and amplification into a single compact chassis for a beautifully simple, complete solution. Let us walk through both.
The Muse Y Series: Everything You Need in One Chassis
If your ideal setup is one tidy box plus a pair of speakers, the Muse Y series is where to start. Each Muse Y is a network streamer, a DAC, and an integrated amplifier working together in a single compact unit. That means you add speakers and you have a complete system, with room to add a source like a CD player later if you wish.
Streaming is handled through the Onkyo Controller app, along with Chromecast, AirPlay 2, DTS Play-Fi, Spotify, and TIDAL, so your whole library and the major services are ready to go from day one. This is the design goal of the Muse Y line: to make high fidelity approachable, uncluttered, and space friendly without asking you to assemble a rack of components.
Choosing Within the Muse Y Line
The Onkyo Muse Y 40 is an excellent entry into this all-in-one philosophy, ideal for a main living space, a study, or a second room where you want serious sound in a small footprint. The Onkyo Muse Y 50 sits above it in the same family and suits listeners who want a bit more from a single chassis solution. For those drawn to something special, the Onkyo Muse Y 50 80th Anniversary Special Edition celebrates the brand's heritage while delivering the same convenient all-in-one approach.
All three share the same core idea. The right one for you comes down to the scale of your room, the speakers you plan to pair, and whether the anniversary edition speaks to you as a collector or enthusiast.
The Icon Series: Premium Separates and CD
The Icon series is for the listener who wants to shape a system to taste, whether that means starting with a capable integrated and growing, or going straight to a dedicated preamplifier and power amplifier arrangement. Here is how the pieces fit.
The A-50 Streaming Integrated Amplifier
The Onkyo A-50 is a streaming integrated amplifier, which makes it the natural heart of an Icon system for many people. It combines amplification with network streaming in one component, so like the Muse Y series it can anchor a complete system with just a pair of speakers added. The difference is that the A-50 lives within the Icon separates ecosystem, giving you a clear path to expand with a matching disc source. Streaming is available through the Onkyo Controller app, Chromecast, AirPlay 2, DTS Play-Fi, Spotify, and TIDAL.
The P-80 Network Preamplifier and M-80 Power Amplifier
For a true separates system, the Onkyo P-80 is a network preamplifier with a built-in DAC and streaming, handling source selection, volume, and network playback through the Onkyo Controller app, Chromecast, AirPlay 2, DTS Play-Fi, Spotify, and TIDAL. Because it is a preamplifier, it needs a power amplifier and speakers to complete the system. That partner is the Onkyo M-80 power amplifier, which takes the signal from the P-80 and drives your loudspeakers.
Pairing the P-80 with the M-80 is the classic separates approach: dividing preamplification and power amplification into dedicated chassis. This is a different design goal from the all-in-one A-50 or Muse Y, aimed at listeners who enjoy assembling a considered, component based system.
The CD-30 CD Player
For physical media, the Onkyo CD-30 is the Icon series disc player, available in a matching black finish and also in silver to suit your other components. A CD player is a source, so it needs an amplifier and speakers to complete a system. It slots neatly alongside the A-50, or into a P-80 and M-80 separates setup, giving your discs a home within a coordinated Icon system.
How the Pieces Combine
There are three main ways to build with Onkyo, and each is valid depending on how you listen.
- The simplest complete system: a Muse Y all-in-one such as the Muse Y 40 or Muse Y 50, plus speakers. Streaming, DAC, and amplification are already inside.
- An Icon integrated system: the A-50 streaming integrated, plus speakers, with the option to add the CD-30 for disc playback.
- Full Icon separates: the P-80 network preamplifier feeding the M-80 power amplifier, with speakers, and the CD-30 as a disc source when you want it.
Choosing by Your Needs
If you want great sound with the least fuss, and space is at a premium, the Muse Y series is the friendliest starting point. If you love the idea of a coordinated hi-fi that can grow, and you may want to add a CD player, the Icon A-50 gives you an all-in-one heart within an expandable family. And if you enjoy the craft of separates and want dedicated preamplification and power amplification, the P-80 and M-80 together are made for you, with the CD-30 ready whenever discs are part of your listening.
Remember the practical rule as you plan. A Muse Y or the A-50 can form a complete system with speakers alone. The P-80 always needs a power amplifier such as the M-80 and speakers to make sound, and the CD-30, as a source, needs both an amplifier and speakers.
Come Listen at Our Timonium Showroom
All Elite Audio is an authorized Onkyo dealer with a showroom in Timonium, Maryland. Demo units rotate and not every model is always set up, so the best way to hear how these systems suit your room and your music is to reach out first. Contact us to arrange a listen, and we will help you plan a setup that fits the way you love to listen.