Please recommend me a 2.1 system with built in hard disk for music and DAB radio

[matengawhat]

my parents have asked me to find them a 2.1 system ideally with a hd for music - they have found the bose 321 gsx that they like but i think they can do better for the money although not a area of the market i know well so are there any other options out there?

 

[d4v3pum4]

I don't know of any to be honest that truly fit the bill but it's not a market I look out for. I'm pretty sure the mainstream brands such as Sony and Philips sell such devices with HDDs built in.. The Naim Unity nearly ticks all the boxes but lacks a HDD and would require the music to be streamed from PC or Network Attached Storage Device (NAS) or via an attached memory stick or external HDD. It's quite expensive but not when you consider that a) It's Naim! and b) what it actually does for the money. Obviously you would need to add speakers. There are a number of 'proper' AV Receivers out these days with various Ipod solutions and USB connections for external memory sticks and HDDs. Perhaps these might be a better quality option? You might have guessed but I'm not a fan of Bose!

I haven't been that impressed with DAB. An external aerial is a must from what I can gather. My folks live in the city centre and DAB reception is pretty awful on their little mini system to be honest. I personally think that Freeview and Internet radio are more than good enough and use a Squeezebox system (similar to Sonos but cheaper and slightly more fiddly to setup) to stream music from the internet and my PC.

 

[kinda]

I was looking into this a while back, and there doesn't seem to be anything that isn't expensive or maybe not so good.

I've seen a Brennan (I think it was called) CD player / HDD that was abut £300, but wasn't sure about the quality. Cambridge Audio did something similar for about £600, and it was also networkable so music could be shared, but I don't think it's about anymore. I think Linn also do some good, though pricey solutions.

The cheapest might be an amplified Sonos + NAS, and they'd also then be ready to go multi-room if needed. I went for an unamplified Sonos into my amp and it's pretty good. Assuming they have a way to rip music onto the hard disk except via the device itself.

 

[matengawhat]

i'm guessing not seems big hole in the market for one - they are going to get the bose again