Different kinds of product: one is active with its amplifier built in, the other passive and needs one. Judge them on how you want to own the system, not just the specs.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | Sony SS-CS5 digs deeper - 53Hz against 70Hz. |
| What you buy | depends | Onkyo Creator Series GX-10DB is a complete system - just add a source. Sony SS-CS5 also needs an amplifier: more money and another box, but you choose it. |
| Connections | depends | Onkyo Creator Series GX-10DB has Bluetooth and phono built in. With Sony SS-CS5 that all comes from the amplifier you pair it with. |
| Upgrade path | depends | Sony SS-CS5 can be re-amped later and outlive several amplifiers; Onkyo Creator Series GX-10DB ages as one unit. |
| Size | depends | Onkyo Creator Series GX-10DB is easier to place; Sony SS-CS5 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | A | Onkyo Creator Series GX-10DB: a sub output. |
| Price | B | Sony SS-CS5 is cheaper - $148 against $249, about 41% less; arguably a different class. Speakers only - an amplifier narrows that gap. |
A Onkyo Creator Series GX-10DB B Sony SS-CS5
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Onkyo Creator Series GX-10DB suits you if you want one box, ready to play, with nothing else to buy. Sony SS-CS5 suits you if you already have an amplifier, want to choose the electronics, or expect to upgrade in stages. Neither is the better speaker in the abstract. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 70Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. In a large or open-plan room, Sony SS-CS5 has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Onkyo Creator Series GX-10DB is the easier speaker to get right.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.