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RoamDog
04-03-2006, 06:16 PM
I would like to get my daughter a mini system for her birthday. Looking to spend about $75 - $150. I realize that this price range will offend the true audio folks, but my daughter will not appreciate the difference between a $100 system and a $10,000 system. Yet. Give her time. :)

She does want something more than the absolutely basic $25 CD player at Walmart. So, what is the best bang for the buck in the $75 - $150 range? But it has been 15 years since I have purchased audio equipment so I do not even know what to ask about any more. She mostly wants to listen to CDs (so I probably need multi-CD capability). But also wants access to FM radio (digital tuner). Not sure what else to look for. Equalizer? Does anybody even use tapes any more? Do all these units play MP3s automatically? What do i look for in the attached speakers?

She would like to be able to carry the unit with her to her friends house on occassion. The unit will normally be used in a room that is 12X14 and other times in a space that is 18X30 (and I am sure that there are other places that it will go).

Can you help?

P.S. I promise that I will come back someday to ask for your advise about a "real" system.

bubbagump
04-04-2006, 08:24 AM
If so, pick up the Logitech Z2300, or the Klipsch Pro Media 2.1. Both can be had in your price range. Both perform far beyond what you might expect in this price range. I'd hazard a guess that there isn't a mini system in this price range that will come close to the performance of these speaker systems. You can directly connect virtually any source aside from a turn table - mp3 players, cd players, computers, whatever.

natlus
04-11-2006, 03:52 PM
Don't let these audio blowhards intimidate you. You deserve an answer, no matter what you don't know! So here are some resources for you and your daughter. I did a little research on them and they should be helpful. You might also want to try to do a Google search, ie, best rated mini stereo systems, or mini stereo reviews, etc.. Have you tried a search for best mini stereos on this site(I didn't but you never know)? Also, if you have a Craigslist where you live, that can be a great resource-tons of people are ditching their mini stereos for a song, and they're negotiable.

http://stereos.about.com/od/stereotoppicks/tp/best_lp_systems.htm

http://shopper-search.cnet.com/search?q=stereo+mini+systems&edition=google1-cnet.com.com&nodeid=6721&format=customlayout&channel=54&cat=319&allfields=0&k=69306086

If these links don't work, the first one is stereos.about.com; the second is cnet.com. There's also on stereos.about.com a list of best systems for under $200, which seems to fit your bill. Like what the previous responder, check to see if your daughter is going to be consuming Ipods, Mp3's, etc.., to see what the compatibility is.

good luck and let us know how it went!

Natlus