Looking for help on a new purchase

[Daniel Mattherson]

can anyone help me out and let me know if this HiFi System "Classic Pro" - 600W Amplifier, MP3 CD Player & Tower Speakers at the Best Price! is a good set up for a newbie on a tight budget (a very tight budget). Just looking to see if its a good starting point for an audio rookie like me

[StephenJK]

Hard to say. Seems like an OK deal but - I've never heard of them, but that doesn't mean anything.

 

CD players can be bought used at great prices, let's say you shouldn't pay more than 30 to 40 pounds for something that originally would have sold for maybe 6 to 8 times that.

 

The amplifier seems a bit of a mismatch with the speakers. Actually, it's an integrated amplifier that includes the amp and preamp. At supposedly 600W output with speakers rated at 150W it's a poor match.

 

If it was me, I would check out used local sales and try to pick up a receiver with an output of somewhere from 60 to 80W per channel, a CD player that works and a pair of floor standing or bookshelf speakers that still work.

 

I can understand the temptation of a system that's all put together for you and that's ready to go - and there's nothing wrong with that. However, many of us started there and then quickly became unhappy with the sound because it was very poor.

 

Maybe look around your neighbourhood for second hand sellers that will let you take things home and try them. Or hang around the boot sales on the weekends, many people just want to get rid of stuff and don't mind chatting with someone looking for advice.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that for the same money and some effort you can likely do better.

 

Hope this helps.

[maelob]

Do research on the brand and what people say about the product. I just did quick research on the brands of the store and they seem to be "generic" Chinese brands. Not a lot of feedback on the products. Pick a few uk hifi mags such as hifi choice, what hifi, etc and there will be plenty of store advertisers in the back. The fun part of this hobby for me is doing research and look up the latest products, trends etc. the best thing would be to audition products at various places. Hope that helps,

[Rocky Bennett]

can anyone help me out and let me know if this HiFi System "Classic Pro" - 600W Amplifier, MP3 CD Player & Tower Speakers at the Best Price! is a good set up for a newbie on a tight budget (a very tight budget). Just looking to see if its a good starting point for an audio rookie like me

 

If that is all that you can afford at this time, go ahead and buy it. You might have a lot of fun and also learn a little bit about this crazy hobby.

[Daniel Mattherson]

Thanks all for the advice, ive been looking at a couple of uk based hifi sites where people buy sell and swap and i think ill be doing a little more research and doing my shop elsewhere. Thanks all

[Audio_ELF]

First off ... any amplifier which claims 600w is over exaggerating for headlines and is almost automatically placed on a "not a good idea" pile for me.

 

Before considering your system you need to decide what you want it for. That setup you linked to has a CD player - but is that what you actually want? Do you prefer to link your computer to the speakers?

 

If you know what you want, second hand would be a good route, but be careful if you don't know what you are looking for it can be expensive when you are on a tight budget if you make a mistake - for example from Richer Sounds you could buy Cambridge Audio TOPAZ AM1 Black | Stereo Amplifier | Richer Sounds for £80 and a pair of Wharfedale DIAMOND 9.0 Black | Speakers Per Pair | Richer Sounds for another £50. Second hand you may find speakers and amplifier better than these ... but if there is a problem you have thrown away a large part of your budget.

 

Eloise

[Raym87]

Personally, I would take Eloise' advice. Take a trip to your local hifi shop or Richer sounds and see what they can do for you.