Need advice on a moderately priced home stereo for a friend

A friend of mine wants to buy a moderately priced home stereo, nothing fancy or anything, just something she can enjoy. She is not an audiophile but would still like something that sounds "decent". I am no expert on home stereos so I am looking for some advice from some members who have some experience in home stereos that are in a "moderate" price range.

She is looking for a home stereo with a turntable and CD player (no need for a tape deck).

She isn't concerned what store it is from, it can be from Walmart, she is just looking for something decent to listen to her records and CD's with.

If anyone can help please post.

Thanks a lot everyone.

 

What would you define as a "moderate" price range?

 

I dunno around $200 - $400. Like I said it doesn't have to be audiophile quality, it can be from wal-mart, she just wants something to listen to her records and Cd's with with decent speakers.

 

Gonna be a little tough to recommend much with that budget. Does she listen to CDs or records more? I would say go for the U-Turn Orbit basic w/ their built in pre-amp ($249) and a pair of Audioengine A2+ ($249). You can find both @ uturnaudio.com.

That is already $500 however, and I struggle to think of current production CDPs (assuming you want the DAC in there) for so cheap that aren't just hot garbage. The plus side is the Audioengines have AUX in and a USB input, so if the CDs can be ripped she can use a laptop as a source there.

 

she also needs a CD player to connect to it

 

@ultrabike is there one similar with a turntable?

 

I agree. Just not sure if she has the budget for that, but that would be the one I would like to see her get.

that Denon + AT-LP60

 

no preference in style, just something to play her records and cd's with and an aux input for an mp3 player etc.

 

Simple, get a good second hand Marantz, Philips or Sony CD-player with the CDM transport for the discs. The Lampizator site has a good list of models to check out. Some can be picked up for less than 50 Dollars and will survive more than most new gear on the market today.

Add some M-Audio speakers from the compact monitor series (plenty of connections!) and you are done. The AV40 is often recommended.

A Crosley turntable is pretty desirable these days with the casual vinyl lovers. Affordable too. If you do not care too much for HiFi and focus more on fun, a Crosley should do the job.

For less than 250 your friend can be done and enjoy her music. Give her a Koss PortaPro and you have made the world a better place ;-)

 

In that price range I would buy used (If you have the time). Any brand-name stereo receiver, a half-decent subwoofer if possible, and a good pair of bookshelf speakers. Any CD player or DVD player, or rip the CDs to her computer. I like Energy Connoisseur series- C-2, C-3, RC-10. Or anything from PSB. I'd get the receiver and sub locally on Craigslist, the speakers could be eBayed if you can't find good ones locally.