Best Microsystem (1 Viewer)

[Howard_S]

Hi. I'm looking to buy a microsystem for my gf. You know the small stylish ones that look very good. I'm hoping to find one that is best sounding and looks good. JVC has a bunch of microsystems that look pretty good. So does Sony. Any recommendations here? I care about the sound but my gf cares about looks much more. So I would ike to find something that she thinks looks good but would wow her in terms of sound. I would go separates but I don't think I would be find something that will look good and keep the price at a reasonable level.

 

[Evan H]

Depending on what she considers good looking, JVC and Denon both make really good looking systems.
The JVC Executive Stereos
The Denon Personal Stereos
For the Denon, the D-M30 and D-M50 are the two stereos.
I have heard the Denon D-M30 and the JVC FS-SD990, and felt that the denon sounded better. It had better highs and more clarity in the mids. But of course that's just my opinion and your mileage may vary.
I hope this is what you were looking for.

 

[Howard_S]

Ya those are the JVCs I'm talking about between SD5, SD550, SD1000, SD770, and SD990, and FS8000 can you kind of rate them in order?

As always I'm having trouble logging onto the Denon but from what I know I don't think my gf would like the looks of the Denon even though I do think it might sound better. But do the JVCs sound good at all?

 

[Len Cheong]

Hey Howie, what's the colour and decor of your gf's place? I think when buying for a woman, considering that is of paramount importance. Does she like a retro look, or does she like a traditional look, etc? Will it fit nicely in her space and blend in or will it stick out? Is it easy enough to use? My wife hates anything with an autoreverse, it drives her nuts. What? Still using tapes? For baby songs.

 

[ColinM]

I have a Piano Craft system from Yamaha.

$400 is a bit high, but the speakers are very nice, probably $150 - 200 on their own. CD / Tuner, binding posts, sub output.

Sounds absolutely beautiful for classical, then I added a sub for the hell of it and it rocked!

I let the wife pick it out (looks), gave it my stamp of approval (sound).

Good Luck!

 

[Howard_S]

Well something that will look good in any room basically. I'm not worried about the decor of her room. Just something that looks nice by itself. I want to get her something that sounds really good but it can't take up a lot of place and it can't look bad. And not something too expensive of course.

Colin. I can't find the piano system you're talking about although the TSX series minisystem looks alright. Question is do they sound good?

So what is the best way to go about this? I'm thinking going separate will cost too much and take up too much room so that's why I'm thinking of a minisystem. So among the minisystem which ones are the best sounding? Don't want any big ass stereo systems though.

 

[ColinM]

http://www.yamaha.com/cgi-win/webcgi...0010MCR-E150SL
I'm not sure about availability where you are, and it was $400 USD.
I'm sure there are similar products for less, but it is what we both wanted, and for one fleeting moment we had the cash.
Good Luck!

 

[Howard_S]

I kind of like the JVC's looks better. Which JVC model is the best sounding one? If anyone has other suggestions it would help a lot. Thanks.

 

[Evan H]

Like I said before, the only one I heard was the 990 and I felt that it's sound was ok, but it lacked a lot in bass and high end clarity. Is there any place by you that you could demo it?

 

[Howard_S]

Ya there are places where I can demo. But I like to go in knowing as much as I can. I'm not too good at demoing stuff.

 

[Evan H]

well, i don't know if i did it the right way, but when i was demoing the units, i did a side by side comparison of them to real speaker systems, first i used a set of paradigm studio 40's to hear the details of the cd that was used, and then paradigm atoms to hear what the sound through a budget set of speakers was like. By A/Bing the two I was able to pick out what was missing from expensive down to cheap speakers in the reproduction, and then had in my head what to listen for when listening to the micro-systems.

Anyone else have any comments on this method of demoing?

 

[Howard_S]

Hey guys bringing this back up.

Would buying a single Denon CD player such as the UD-M3 or a cd changer UD-M5 and hooking it up to a pair of budget speakers sound better than all of the JVC microsystems?

 

[Vlad D]

Howard,
What is your budget? You might want to check out the Gallo Nucleus Micro system. Each speaker is about the size of a softball. Very stylish and they sound pretty good. Will run you about $1500-$1750 depending on color.
Roundsound
Vlad

 

[Howard_S]

Wow those are really neat. Are they really good? Better than Paradigm Micros or Atoms? Or B&W 320? Or the Mission speakers?

 

[Evan H]

I just thought of something that I can't believe i forgot to mention before... marantz has a micro receiver/cd combo that they sell. It's called the duetto and on the marantz page it's located hi-fi components, then designer systems. The duetto puts out 25watts/channel into 8 ohms, and does not come w/speakers, so you can hand pick whatever you want for it.

 

[Howard_S]

Was going to ask you how much it costs but never mind. I found out. It's a bit out of my budget.

Anyone know where I can the Denon MD recorder that matches with the cd?

I'm looking to spend under $1000CDN

 

[EricHaas]

The best looking micro system I have ever seen is without doubt the Energy Encore System. Extremely sleak and stylish. And the sound is phenomenal for microes. You can demo them at the Good Guys, where the whole set (with sub) runs $1500, but they are available online for $975 USD. That may be a bit out of your price range, but that is my rec.

 

[Howard_S]

Under 1000CDN

Here's what I think. I will either pay more and buy the Denon w/ Paradigm Micros or Atoms (which do you recommend?)

Or I go with one of the JVCs.

 

[Cam S]

KLIPSCH QUINTETS!!! By far the best smaller footprint speakers. The sound they produce is amazing, especially when paired with either the Klipsch KSW-10 or KSW-12.

 

[Howard_S]

I prefer not to pair the speakers with a sub if I don't have to. So Klipsh or Paradigm?