Best mini stereo system?? (1 Viewer)

[Mike_Stirlin]

hi im completley new to the sceen but i was hopeing some of you experts could give me a hand

im failry young, moving off to university soon, so i want something thats fairly compact but still going to give me nice loud clear midbase... i plan to go the DIY route and buy an Adire Tempest 15" ported around 28 for the low base.

is buying mainstreem products the way to go? name brands like jvc, sony, panasonic, stuff u get at sears or what.

my price limit is about $400Canadian or about $304US.

 

[FeisalK]

not an expert - but you should also look at the Denon D-M30 - might be able to get it cheaper now because there's a new version (M31, for US$379) but the M30 sounds GREAT (I have one myself). The original speakers are Mission-made, but the Singapore version I have came with Denon speakers so I changed them to Paradigm Micros.

There's a Hi-Fi Choice review you can read. To quote "If BMW made style-system hi-fi, it would probably look and sound something like this. The baby Denon oozes engineering integrity and is a dream to use. Better still, it makes convincing music from all sources."

eCost has a factory refurb for $149! ($400 new @amazon)

 

[Fred G]

FeisalK, good read. I'm not quite sure what he means by "it makes excellent CD copies, even at double speed." He makes it sound as if it's a CD burner, though it appears to be just a 2-channel shelf system.

 

[JessPrice]

This may not be what you are looking for, but at $400 retail, the Klipsch ProMedia Ultimate 5.1 (computer speakers, just released) is GREAT for the price. I can get them for under $300 with my discount at Best Buy though

 

[FeisalK]

Fred,

There are matching optional separate CD Recorder(CDR-M30), MD recorder (DMD-M30) and cassette deck(DDR-M30) units which you can hook up as and when you get them. The review unit probably came packaged with the CD recorder. (Denon has a nice PDF brochure here note that the speakers in the brochure are the Asian release Denon ones)

The DM30 remote controls all of these optional items as well.

f

 

[Mike_Stirlin]

yeah but how much punch could this have? correct me if im wrong but it says it only has a 20watt receiver.. i mean that doesn't sound too promacing..

whats the biggest bang for the buck

 

[FeisalK]

Mike,

it's got enough punch (I'm listening to Rush); you could go audition it and hear for yourself. BTW 20W is plenty - you aren't comparing it to a 1000W PMPO boom-box are you?

Other similar models are the Yamah Pianocraft line and the Onkyo Liverpool lines however I am not familiar with these units.

 

[Mark Russ]

Mike, I went through this exact same process myself earlier this year for an office rig. I never could find the Denon/Mission system or the Yamaha Pianocraft to audition. I also understand NAD and Marantz also make killer mini systems as well (Marantz's is called the Duetto, or something like that). The Onkyo system for like $380 was the only one I could actually find in stock anywhere locally (at a CC) to audition, and I was impressed with it. However, for about the same money, I bought an "open box" Onkyo 8211 receiver, 6 disk Onkyo CD changer, and a pair of Infinity IL10 speakers, that when paired with an old small M&K sub I already had, will absolutely DESTROY the Onkyo mini system (and probably any other brand as well), without really taking up a whole lot more space.
Just an idea.

 

[Mike_Stirlin]

hey that all sounds pretty cool and you don't understand how much i appreciate you helping me but... nonetheless i don't understand yet, im still very much a beginner... but also around here you pretty much have the options of buying a big stereo with 4 foot speakers or you can go to a mini system like you typically see in the wish book or something... i wish i had stores around here that i could listen to some of these brands but i don't even know where they are available

i live not to far outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia. thats in Canada if you don't know. and ill be going up to the city this weekend to see what they have, so maby i can find some of that.

although a thought that just occured to me was ordering from an internet company, to which i am not opposed, if i was guided in the right direction...

here is what im currently looking at, because its available from retailers where i live:

Philips FWC579 (because of all its fancy features)
JVC MX-GT88 (because of its beefy power and bass)
Panasonics SC-AK610 (a mix of beefy power and features?)
(I tryed to post links to the sites but it wouldn't let me because i don't have enought posts

pleese if you have any suggestions, warnings, information pleese pleese don't be afraid to say something!

 

[FeisalK]

Mike,

here's 2 authorized Denon dealers in Halifax (from http://www.denon.ca website) maybe u can call them up and ask if the DM30 is available (and for how much)

PEAK AUDIO
2813 AGRICOLA STREET
HALIFAX,NSB3K 4E5
902-455-7325

WACKY'S WHEATLEY'S AUDIOTRONIC
3770 KEMPT ROAD
HALIFAX,NSB3K 4X8
902-422-9691
http://www.wackys.ca

good luck on your search

 

[Mike_Stirlin]

hey thanks alot FeisalK

ill be sure to look them up

 

[Eric_E]

Hi guys, I'm in the process of looking for something similar for my sister - i.e. a micro/office system. The Denon FeisalK recommended looks great, but it's just a little on the expensive side. I'm thinking of something around $200, max.

Is there anything good available for around that price? Are the mass-market brands like Panasonic, Sony, JVC, etc. worth considering? If so, does anyone have any other recommendations?

 

[Geno]

you will use a 15" ported tempest for bass for a mini system? sheesh, what kind of amp will you use? a 20 watter?
And why would you tune it to 28Hz, why not got for 1 octave lower at 14 Hz?

 

[JohnnyG]

Mike, the Pansonic SC-PM28 is a decent unit and sells for about $400 Canadian. Sound quality is decent and there's a good bit of power on-tap. It's one major shortcoming is that although it plays MP3 and WMA discs, it doesn't have a random play feature for these.

http://www.panasonic.ca/English/audi...ain/scpm28.asp

 

[Rory Buszka]

Have you looked into Cambridge Soundworks Musicworks stereos? They pair a CSW powered 3-piece system with a preamp/CD player/tuner. They're plenty powerful, and many know them to be a great value. http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com
Ordering is accomplished over the internet so you kind of have to by them before you hear them but they have a great reputation. Some of the things look like bose cubes but they sound much better because many of the systems were designed by the legendary Henry Kloss. I suggest you check it out.

edit: After checking out their web site, you would be interested in their MusicWorks 300 system. It features a Kloss-designed subwoofer and speakers, and 67 watts of amplification, making it an extremely capable system. I have disassembled a subwoofer from a CSW SoundWorks 3-piece system (the same speakers included with the MusicWorks 200) and I found it to be very robust. The driver has a big butyl rubber surround and a thick paper cone, and a gigantic magnet. Great for bass in small spaces. Unfortunately after I opened it up, I couldn't get it to seal back together quite right, but I saved the driver. I got it at Goodwill for $10, though, and while it worked I found it to be a quite capable sub for its size, exhibiting astounding extension. I can only expect that the MusicWorks 300 set, with its bigger subwoofer and larger satellites will perform with even better fidelity and output. The CD player/preamp/tuner/tape player also has an aux input so you can connect it to a computer's sound card, giving you greater control of your MP3 playback than is possible just from a little touchpad and one-line screen.

Since the speakers make or break the system, read this description of the MicroWorks 3-piece kit that provides the output for the MusicWorks 300: http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/s...item=c1mwzzzzz (that page also has some reviews as well)