Help! I want to get a stereo system but I'm old and don't know the new technology!?

L

ladylj5748

New member
First of all I am what my children call "technology challenged". I'm the kind of person that wants to buy something and take it home, plug it in following instructions, turn it on and it works - anything much more challenging than that I can't do.

This is what I want the sound system to do - am/fm Receiver, multiple cd player, option for an iPod or MP3 player plug in (if I ever get one of those), have decent sound and ideally not require a lot of wires or an engineer to set it up. No, I don't currently have either a Blu-Ray player or a large flat screen TV, but those are both possibilities in the near future so is it possible for the stereo system to plug into them?
Just for reference, the last stereo I owned was in 1978 and played both cassettes and records (you know the old discs?). I don't know the correct technical terms for stereo systems, but I do know that my music doesn't have a huge amount of bass and I don't ever "blast" anything other than maybe Christmas carols.
Help!
Also do I need to buy a seperate CD changer? Or will it be part of the stereo?
 
Wow. Impossible to totally answer your question because there are so many choices. You're less technology challenged than you think if you have an ability (and willingness...) to read the instructions. My kids and grandkids think they're all that when it comes to gizmos, but when it comes time to make them work, who do you suppose they call? (On his ancient pay-as-you-go puck phone...)

I guess if I were starting from scratch, I'd get what's called a home theatre system. Virtually all of those except the very cheapest would have inputs for DVD or Blu Ray player.

Some things I would look for include:

HDMI input/output (to accomodate your future TV)
Composite video input/output (to accomodate your current TV)
Digital Audio input (to get best quality audio from your future blu-ray player)

Something like the one shown below has those, plus the Ipod input you mentioned

http://www.frys.com/product/5883793

Not saying that system is the best, or even the best value, but its not that expensive and a fair example of something that would do what you want and then some.

Personally I don't care for Ipods, nor do I have any need for a disc changer (although your dvd player will play CD's). I've ripped all my CD's to mp3 format on my computer, which is connected to the stereo in my basement man-cave with a simple $3 adapter cable. The actual CD's are in a box in the back room, along with the cassettes and LP's that I've converted to mp3 format. Thus I can play just about any mix of stuff from my collection with a couple of mouse clicks.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/silverbullet1952/4032301765/

You can rip CD's using Windows Media Player, or if you want to get a little fancier, with programs like Audacity, Roxio, or Nero. Have fun. Better still twist the kids arms into buying you a system......
 
I would stick with the well-trusted names like RCA or Sony. Go to a Best Buy or a similar store and tell them exactly what features you would like because a lot places would try to sell you something that they will try to convince you into thinking that you need. A lot of places will assemble the equipment for you for an extra fee but unfortunately I don't know how much it will be. Make sure you tell them that you do not wish to have a lot of bass on your stereo system and the type of music you normally play. It sounds like you would want something that has sharp treble. If you want something compact but carries a strong sound, I've heard that a Bose can be very accommodating. Hope this little bit of info can be of some help. Good luck.
 
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