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  • I need a new stereo receiver...

    Shortly after moving to Singapore, I fried my stereo receiver (I left it on overnight, and heat from the receiver melted the varnish on the shelf above it; the melted varnish then dripped into the component and fried the circuitry. D'oh). Since then, I've been listening to cds through my tv via my dvd player, but this is a big hassle and inferior sound, so I tend not to bother. But I'm tired of not listening much to my largish (500 cd) music collection.

    The thing is, I don't have the funds (or the necessary clearances from Mrs. Firefly) to buy a whole new, state-of-the-art system. So I really just need a receiver I can hook up to my 17-year-old cd player and 12+ year old Bose bookshelf speaker (the receiver, which was a mere ten years old, was actually the jewel in the crown of this less-than-stellar system). I cite the ages to let you see how long its been since I've shopped for stereo components; I have no idea how, if at all, the technology has changed since about midway through the Clinton years.

    Obviously, I don't want to spend a lot of money, but at the same time I want the best sound I'm likely to get, given the age of the other components. So, questions:

    1) Realistically, how cheaply can I pick something up from an on-line vender that isn't utter crap? For example, I've seen a couple well-reviewed receivers for under $100; back in the day, it would have been impossible to get anything good for that price. Have comonent prices fallen, or is a $90 receiver still likely to be no good?

    2) What are the key specs I should be reviewing when buying a receiver? For exaple, can someone tell me how I should feel about channels and watts?

    Thanks in advance.
    Last edited by Rufus T. Firefly; March 28, 2007, 04:38.
    "I have as much authority as the pope. I just don't have as many people who believe it." — George Carlin

  • #2
    holy ****, that thing must have put out a lot of heat. I can't help you much, but I'll bump the thread for you.

    I could use a reciever too. Actually I need a whole system with CD players and such. But I never listen to music at home, unless it is on my computer. That works for me.

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    • #3
      100 bucks?

      I heard good things about the Behringer A500. Its a powerful amp and you could have it for under 300 bucks. But you'll need a preamp. Besides, its overkill for your system. Other thing: its a "pro" product, so there's no concern for aesthetics. And its probably on the cheap side: it has a 1 year warranty, whereas Brystons, who are built like tanks and much more expensive, have a 20 year warranty.

      I'm thinking of getting a Cambridge Audio Azur integrated amp. A good bang for the buck, IMO.
      Attached Files
      Last edited by Nostromo; March 28, 2007, 20:47.
      Let us be lazy in everything, except in loving and drinking, except in being lazy – Lessing

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      • #4
        Hope this will be more useful. I read good reviews of the Sonic Impact amp. Its 159$ only. And if that's too expensive for you, they also have 40$ amp.



        Here's a link for the Stereophile review:

        Why don't you review affordable gear? Readers always pose that question to Stereophile, and it doesn't matter what we think affordable means—to a large percentage of our readers (or at least of our letter-writers), we don't get it. So when a Forums participant put the question to John Atkinson last winter our fearless leader responded along the lines of "Like what?"
        Attached Files
        Last edited by Nostromo; March 28, 2007, 17:58.
        Let us be lazy in everything, except in loving and drinking, except in being lazy – Lessing

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        • #5
          You could get a new CD player and cheap computer speakers for $50.

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          • #6
            Actually I need a whole system with CD players and such.
            CD players ar sooo 20th century. Buy a squeezebox instead. It streams the music that's on your computer on your system. And, if you're tired of your CD's, you can even stream internet radio. Best product I bought in years. The small startup that was making the Squeezebox was recently acquired by Logitech. So expect price drops anytime soon.
            Let us be lazy in everything, except in loving and drinking, except in being lazy – Lessing

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            • #7
              Or, alternatively, you could buy computer speakers and plug your DVD player on it.
              Last edited by Nostromo; March 28, 2007, 20:05.
              Let us be lazy in everything, except in loving and drinking, except in being lazy – Lessing

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              • #8
                Originally posted by nostromo
                Or, alternatively, you could buy computer speakers and plug your DVD player on it.
                I hadn't thought of that (you can tell I'm a music buff, not an audiophile). That would certainly solve the problem of having to play them through the tv, though I'd still rather work with my 5-disc cd player than my single-disc dvd player. But maybe my cd player could take speakers -- I think in has a headphone jack. Worth investigating when I get home.

                And thanks for the amp suggestions, too!

                @Dis - re heat: yeah, I had it plugged into a current converter (we're on 220 here) rather than a step-down transformer, and I think the converter failed. But if that's true, it probably woyld have been fried, varnish or no.
                "I have as much authority as the pope. I just don't have as many people who believe it." — George Carlin

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                • #9
                  That would certainly solve the problem of having to play them through the tv, though I'd still rather work with my 5-disc cd player than my single-disc dvd player. But maybe my cd player could take speakers -- I think in has a headphone jack. Worth investigating when I get home.
                  I'm sure you could get an adapter for that.
                  Let us be lazy in everything, except in loving and drinking, except in being lazy – Lessing

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