Would you consider this a stereo system?

[nitsuj3580]

OK, call me dumb but I'd like a nice stereo system for christmas and also a dvd player. it seems like something like THIS would do the trick.

It looks like it can play dvds and cds and has a radio tuner. I dont really care about a cassette deck cuz i dont have any cassettes.

What should I be looking for in a stereo system? Would this system I linked to seem worthy of being a good stereo?

 

[Nefrodite]

depends on your definitiion of good. its probably an adequet system, its only 500 so its not a huge risk, you can always upgrade later

 

[ddave]

Its an all in one system. I suppose if you're on a limited buget right now it would be good.
The downside is if you plan to upgrade, you would spend more money doing so. You would have to buy a receiver, dvd, amp, etc. In addition its kind of low powered.
What you might want to do is get a good reciever now and a cheap dvd player. That way when budget allows, all you would need to do is upgrade your dvd player since you already have a good reciever.
Go to forums/hot deals to get good deals on these things.

 

[Warin]

Just my two cents:

Go down to best buy and take a peek in the top of the thing..

Look for the big heat sink, somewhere in the middle.

If it has two or three large black devices bolted to the heat sink, avoid it.

If it has a row of smaller black devices (~10) bolted to it, go for it.

Here is the difference:

The large black boxes are called 'chip' or IC Amplifiers. An entire two channel amp is built into it. This is, IMNSHO, bad. These IC amps are not capable of higher power levels without inducing a great deal of noise and distortion. If they ever stop working, they are also a lot more expensive to repair.

If you see a row of transistors on the heatsink, you are looking at a discrete circuit amplifier. Each channel of amplification is built of seperate components. Discrete amps are usually much less noisy, and usually have higher power handling.

This is a HUGE oversimplification, but about all I can manage before I have another cup of coffee.

 

[nitsuj3580]

thanks for the info. I went to Circuit City to check some out and i think i like THIS one instead. it has the dvd and i'm not looking to blow the walls down so I'm just looking for decent wattage. what do you think of this one?

 

[BeauJangles]

Just go buy a good system. Go out and get some mid-fi stuff, like adcom, pick up some 10 year old speakers (just because they will be cheaper but still sound good) and for twice that price you can have something that will sound 5 times as good

 

[BeauJangles]

just to tell you, wattage aint' everything.

 

[N8Magic]

That Kenwood system looks pretty good. It will sure as heck beat out that Pioneer system, unless things have changed that much since I sold electronics.

 

[DuffmanOhYeah]

I much prefer component systems myself. That way I can pick and choose according to my need and taste. I have also never heard a prepackaged system that hasn't sounded like ass. But then again, I am VERY picky. For example, I just picked up a set of Z560's and I think they are marginal at best. Like I said. PICKY!

 

[DumbRedGuy]

I don't think either system is particularily a bad deal, but it just depends on how much you are into it. You said that you didn't want to blow the walls down, but 40W isn't a lot of power if there is other noise in your house. Also, at some point down the road, if you want to upgrade a part of your system, buying seperate components may be your best bet

Just to throw out another idea, consider this:

200 entry level 500W (5x100W) receiver with digital decoders
100 DVD player (APEX or something... will probably cost less than this)
70 KLH 9112B (for surrounds)
120 KLH 9912 (mains) (the KLH's are at Best Buy. I just saw them on the page.)
50 Center Channel
100 8 Inch sub

This way, you will have more power and have floorstanding speakers for when you are listening to a CD. Granted, none of this stuff is "outstanding" in audio terms, but but it is pretty solid for the casual listener.
Good luck.