Can anyone help me choose a mini hifi?

[MickyD]

I'm not any sort of boffin when it comes to hifi separates, so I have decided I want to get a nice new micro hifi system which has a decent sound. At the moment I am looking at the Denon D-F109N SPCW, which offers about 60w per channel with wifi radio facility. The speakers are small, but I gather deliver good sound.

Would anyone be kind enough to tell me if they would recommend Denon or any other quality brand such as TEAC? I'm prepared to spend around £1000. Thanks!

[Thropplenoggin]

I'm not any sort of boffin when it comes to hifi separates, so I have decided I want to get a nice new micro hifi system which has a decent sound. At the moment I am looking at the Denon D-F109N SPCW, which offers about 60w per channel with wifi radio facility. The speakers are small, but I gather deliver good sound.

Would anyone be kind enough to tell me if they would recommend Denon or any other quality brand such as TEAC? I'm prepared to spend around £1000. Thanks!

We have a Denon M38. I've always been a bit unimpressed with the sound which sounds a bit flat and, well, just not enough oomph. I'm not sure if this is an amp or speaker issue. I think the speakers that come with it are okay but with hindsight I probably would buy the hifi alone and pair it with a decent pair of speakers (like Dali Zensor 1s).

I have to say, though, given your budget, I'd be tempted to go for separates: a Denon CD-Player, Marantz or Yamaha amp and those speakers, all could be had for a grand, plus speaker cables.

[Resurrection Man]

Ditto..re advice on separates. I seem to remember a rule of thumb aiming at 40% on the speakers...

[An_Inspector_Calls]

Connecting up hi-fi components has never been easier and there's loads of advice on what to do on the internet. I'd buy secondhand components from eBay. Just searched 'loudspeakers' and there's over 5,000 sellers, including several pairs of very cheap B&W, Linn, etc.

[mangerton]

Ditto..re advice on separates. I seem to remember a rule of thumb aiming at 40% on the speakers...

Thirded. (is there such a word?) I think the 40% rule is about right. And listen before you buy, preferably to music you know. Last time I bought speakers I burned a CD with a wide variety of music from my shelves and took it with me.

[DracoM]

Ruark?

[Paul Sherratt]

I've had a Ruark integrated wotsit for around three years. ( Wasn't called Ruark back then ! ) It was bought for a specific location ( on a shelf, below a tv, above a wooden floor )
Not the best spot but the calmness of the room was the lead driver. The sound is far from thrilling and the remote control, fancy-looking thing that it is, quite horrible to use !

Tiip for MickeyD : Imo, don't read hi-fi magazine reviews !

[MrGongGong]

I seem to remember this coming up before
but my advice would be to not by an "all in one" system
the only thing that actually makes a noise are the speakers
the basic laws of physics mean that you can't get a "big" sound from small ones
so I would start with them

for £1,000 you could get a brilliant separates system
but all depends on how "pretty" you want it to look

Richer Sounds are good (and you can usually have a listen)
Don't buy anything (apart from noise reducing headphones or 802's) with Bose written on it
and
trust your own ears not some nonsense in a magazine about oxygen-free-copper-crystal-enhanced-cable-hand-picked-by-virgins-in-the-moonlight

[Resurrection Man]

..... Last time I bought speakers I burned a CD with a wide variety of music from my shelves and took it with me.

That made me smile. Last time I went auditioning loudspeakers I failed to do this. When I asked the salesman if he had any classical music that I could listen to he looked at me with a blank stare!

[mangerton]

That made me smile. Last time I went auditioning loudspeakers I failed to do this. When I asked the salesman if he had any classical music that I could listen to he looked at me with a blank stare!

I learned by bitter experience, RM. I went on a hi fi buying spree in the 70s, and asked the same question. The salesman produced this record which has haunted my nightmares ever since. I think you got off lightly in comparison.

DISCLAIMER: Do not follow the link if you are of a nervous disposition.

[Bryn]

I learned by bitter experience, RM. I went on a hi fi buying spree in the 70s, and asked the same question. The salesman produced this record which has haunted my nightmares ever since. I think you got off lightly in comparison.

DISCLAIMER: Do not follow the link if you are of a nervous disposition.

Having, over the past 24 hours, received to emails from Wow DVD proclaiming their "15% off everything" offer, I followed the link to their site, clicked on "Music", then "Classical" and got this.

You could do worse than go to somewhere like Richer Sounds, take a selection of CDs you think would suit, seek out a sales person who at least seems to grasp your needs, advise them of your budget and take it from there re. separates. I have always found the Richer Sounds sales folk pretty straight forward and not afraid to advise against equipment that they have experience of. I recently noted that they had some in-ear noise cancelling headphones on promotion at half price. On asking about them I was referred to another sales person who had themselves bought a set. He quickly advised against touching them with a barge poll. The noise cancellation, I was advised, was minimal and introduced unwanted colouring, and they were far too fragile for general use. When they don't know, they tend to tell you so, and then try and find out.

[Resurrection Man]

I learned by bitter experience, RM. I went on a hi fi buying spree in the 70s, and asked the same question. The salesman produced this record which has haunted my nightmares ever since. I think you got off lightly in comparison.

DISCLAIMER: Do not follow the link if you are of a nervous disposition.

Oh dear...I did. Wasn't that top of the classical charts last week ?

[vinteuil]

You could do worse than go to somewhere like Richer Sounds

... probably not many branches of Richer Sounds near Béziers, tho' ...

[Paul Sherratt]

" Pas de résultats pour Haute-fidélité autour de Béziers "

[Pianorak]

. . . The salesman produced this record . . .

One of the comments: Symphonic/Classical music would have much greater appeal if given this wonderful type of treatment. Fantastic! Great memory from the great 70s!

But what do I know.