AAAAgh!!!Cant decide on what to buy for £350-450!!

[admin_exported]

hey,

Ive recently decided to buy a new sterio between £350 and £450. Im not totally clued up on what would be the best to buy. I went into a few shops yesterday and got totally confused by sales chat and all the audio jargon that I didnt understand!

After slogging over some brochures given to me ive made a shortlist. I cant really tell the difference on paper but im hopefully going to get demos nxt weekend. I thought it would be good to get some feedback on these systems so the sales guy doesnt rip the **** outa me. Ok so the shortlist is as follows:

- Teac 300mkIII Series (id only go for the amp and CD)
- Teac DR-H300 or CR-H255
- Onkyo CS-715 or CS-V815
- Denon D-M35DAB
- Yamaha M170 (although for some reason im unsure of this)

I was thinking of teaming up one of these with some Q Acoustics 1020 speakers as Ive been told that the standard speakers are a bit poor (with the exception of denon/mission combos) but ive also read that the Q Acoustics are a bit lame when it comes to bass.

Does anyone have any advice or recomendations on any of these systems or for alternative speakers(around £130)?!?!?!

I would really appreciate any advice as im feeling a bit lost and at this rate I will never get around to buying anything!!!

Cheers.

Azazello

 

[Razz]

The one micro in your shortlist that is perhaps the most praised is the Onkyo - so you could get that, even with its own speakers, since What HIFI claims they are as good as any similarly priced separate speakers...

However, an even better choice would be perhaps to buy budget separates. I don't know the details out the top of my head, but you could pay around 300-350 for the entry level CD and amp from Marantz, and if you partner these with some 150 quid speakers, say the Mordaunt Short 902i, you get a pretty good system for about 450-500 quid - well, certainly much better than any of the micros you've suggested. It may sound like some extra leg work and searching - but in the long run it's gonna be worth it...

Another option would be a second hand buy... - but for now I will leave it at that. Good luck shopping

Matazz

 

[Razz]

Hey, it's me again - after having done some research

First of all if you have any Richer Sounds store around you, they have a great offer for Cambridge Audio CD player Azur 640C V2 (TSP £249.95) + Cambridge Audio amplifier Azur 540A V2 (TSP £249.95) + Mordaunt-Short 902i speakers (TSP £149.95) - all for 499 quid! This seems like a sweet deal to me since ALL these components have received many awards and praises. It may be a bit over your planned budget but it is definitely worth it.

Richer seem to have also other complete systems (tho not as good as this) with significant discounts - check their site.

Alternatively from the Sevenoaks store you could get the Marantz PM4001 Amplifier - 180 quid + Marantz CD5001 CD Player - 170 quid + Monitor Audio Bronze BR1 Speakers (Pair) £149.00 - for a total of 500 quid.

Please consider these options before buying a micro - you'll thank me later

Best wishes,

Matazz