home audio system for cds

[Nolleon]

Hello!
I am a young college student, but somehow remain in the technology dark ages.
I really enjoy listening to classical music and would like a good audio system to play my cd's. I've looked it up, and it looks like I need stereo speakers and a cd player. I've tried very hard to figure this stuff out on my own, but I still don;'t quite get it. What kind of cd player do I need to hook up to speakers, and how do I hook them up?
What's an affordable way for me to do this? I just want a nice stereo speaker system to play cds and I guess it would be easy to hook it up to a TV and dvd player, too?
I am so lost, obviously. But, I can't really buy anything unless I know how it works, right?

 

[fuzz092888]

Well first I think we need your budget, followed by if you want a 2 channel system or a 2.1 channel system (this part also relates to your budget) and what sort of setup you are creating.

Is this like a computer speaker setup, or will you have the speakers setup with a listening area in Front of them? There are many great options out there to fit every need, but a budget is a good place to start because without one the recommendations are endless.

I think that to get the most for your money some sort of blu-ray or DVD player hooked up to a receiver would be your best bet. This way you get a little something for your tv as well while still getting great sound for your CDs and you have future upgrade ability.

 

[Nolleon]

Thanks for replying!
I believe I need a 2.1 channel system? And the setup would be to have speakers with a listening area in front, so not like a computer setup at all.
My budget.... ah... I wouldn't know where to begin, so this may be WAY too low. Let's keep it under $500?
Is a receiver used for a CD player as well?

 

[Grador]

To start at the basics... So a setup for you will consist of speakers (and maybe a subwoofer). The speakers will be powered by a receiver, which takes a signal from the CD player and amplifies it. If you have get a subwoofer the receiver will also be responsible for splitting the bass off from the rest of the the audio and sending it to the subwoofer. Any subwoofer you would want is called an "active" or "powered" subwoofer and has it's own amplifier built in.

On that budget I would probably suggest going for a 2 channel setup and think about adding a subwoofer later. You can browse craigslist and ebay for used receivers: yamaha, marantz, and denon are some good brands. If you have any intention of using this with a TV at all you're going to want one with HDMI.

I'll leave the speaker recommending to those slightly more in the know than myself.

 

[fuzz092888]

Ok well $500 changes the ball game a little bit. For that price range and for what you need I'm thinking that you use your computer (you have one of those I'm assuming being in college and all) and then you get something like this

SMSL SA-50 2X50W@4

and then possibly a couple of these

EMP Tek E41-B Bookshelf Speaker

and a review of them

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/lifestyle-desktop-and-portable/emp-tek-vt-40.2

Or these

http://www.amazon.com/JBL-LSR2325P-Two-Way-Bi-Amplified-Monitor/dp/B001PYK1BS

Or these

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Bookshelf-Speakers-Cherry/dp/B000V2UBSI/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1333855234&sr=1-2

Possibly this if you can swing it

STF-2 Subwoofer

If you wanna stretch a bit more you could always do these

14CF

I would say that at this point adding a sub may be tough. You're better off getting a good pair of bookshelves, attaching that amp or a similar one to your computer and there you go, a pretty decent 2.0 setup that you can always add a sub to later on. My personal preference would probably be for the very last pair of bookshelves, but then again I haven't heard the Empteks. I've heard a few speakers from source sound (the last suggestion) and they are really really good speakers for the money. Hand assembled over in CT and great support if you ever have an issue. But, any of the above should fit your needs for now and if you really miss the low end, just save up. You don't want to get some cheap sub and have it be boomy or sloppy and sound terrible with whichever of these very capable bookshelves you may end up with.

(FWIW stole two of the above suggestions from GranteedEV someone much more knowledgeable than I)

 

[fuzz092888]

I was thinking receiver too, until he said $500 budget. At that price doing the whole receiver thing would eat up wayyy too much of the budget. Better to make use of what he already has and put most of the money into the speakers.

If you want to bump the budget, and by bump I mean double it you could go the receiver route and have plenty of upgradeability for the future, but if your budget is pretty solid at $500-800 ish and your main use (at least 80%) is going to be for CDs then I would say scrap the receiver idea and just get better speakers.

 

[Grador]

Fuzz's advice is very solid and I 100% agree with it unless you find a receiver on your local craigslist for ~$0. If you do you can get a sound card for your computer that has an optical out which could yield better quality than the little amp he linked to.

 

[fuzz092888]

Oh fine, make fun of my amp will you........

NuForce Icon uDAC-2 Red Digital Audio Converter, In Stock at OneCall.com

and

Onkyo M-282 Add-on Stereo Amplifier, In Stock at OneCall.com



Budget = destroyed

Sound = improved

 

[Grador]

Wasn't making fun of the amp, just computer sound cards.

 

[fuzz092888]

I was just kidding , besides it gave me a segway to try and get Nolleon to spend more of his nonexistent money (also a joke Nolleon we college guys are usually somewhat broke)

And yes I agree computer sound cards can be pretty terrible when you try to do some real listening through some real speakers (sound card depending). Although I will say I don't hate airplay, it may be because I'm young and naive (ignorant?), but I think for the most part it sounds pretty good for what it is.

 

[markw]

Start with one of these: Sherwood RXV-4105. I know three friends with these (I recommended them ) and while they won't impress audiosnobs, for their purpose, they provide great service and sound.

That leaves about $400 for s set of speakers, and perhaps a CD player should you choose to not use your computer.

As for Cd players, if you don't mind a guaranteed refurbished changer from a reputable dealer, for $80, [url="http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/DENDCM290/DENON-DCM-290-CD/CD-R/RW-5-Disc-Changer/1.html]THIS[/url] is available as are others at that site. You might want to check it out. Personally, I went for a refurbished Marantz changer a few years ago from them. It's still working fine.

So, there's two quite decent, guaranteed units for about $180, leaving about $300 for speakers. Your move...

 

[Jasper78]

Add a couple of these and you're ready to enjoy some music! Then plan your next move and start saving for a good sub...

 

[afterlife2]

I've taken everyone suggestions and I added the CD player. Here is what I would recommend for a start and in your budget:
Amazon.com: JBL LSR2325P Two-Way 5" Bi-Amplified Studio Monitor: Musical Instruments

Amazon.com: Sherwood RX-4105 100 Watt Stereo Receiver (Black): Electronics

Amazon.com: Onkyo C-7030 Compact Disc Player (Black): Electronics

or this
Amazon.com: Onkyo CS-445 CD Receiver System: Electronics
If you don't like the speakers you can always upgrade them later.

or
Amazon.com: Denon DM38S Micro CD System: Electronics

or this one with a sub. I think It's a great choice for you:
Amazon.com: TEAC MC-DV600 Hi-fi DVD Stereo Micro System with HDMI Output: Electronics
Black version:
TEAC MC-DV600 DVD micro system with speaker set in Stereo Systems | JR.com

 

[Grador]

I've taken everyone suggestions and I added the CD player. Here is what I would recommend for a start and in your budget:
Amazon.com: JBL LSR2325P Two-Way 5" Bi-Amplified Studio Monitor: Musical Instruments

Amazon.com: Sherwood RX-4105 100 Watt Stereo Receiver (Black): Electronics

Amazon.com: Onkyo C-7030 Compact Disc Player (Black): Electronics

I absolutely would not spend 2/5 of the budget on the CD player.

 

[fuzz092888]

+1, for any setup you should always get speakers first and they should use up the vast majority of the budget.

40% of total budget on a CD player? Not if audio quality means anything to you.

 

[afterlife2]

Thus why various suggestions not forced.

 

[fuzz092888]

I didn't mean any offense, but I can see how you may have taken that the wrong way. I was just offering a counter point of view.

Trust me, if the budget was higher we'd be suggesting CD players too and your suggestions are all good, just not for a $500 budget IMHO.

 

[afterlife2]

I didn't mean any offense, but I can see how you may have taken that the wrong way. I was just offering a counter point of view.

Trust me, if the budget was higher we'd be suggesting CD players too and your suggestions are all good, just not for a $500 budget IMHO.

No offence taken. Just wanted to share some options. It is ultimately the person asking who will determine what he or she wants. Maybe you can share a good CD player option? You don't want a cheap CD player either though. I think the Teac is a good option for a college student IMHO. Don't Polk with me. I kid I kid.

 

[fuzz092888]

Ahhhhh, I must've missed that link somehow. Yes that does seem like an excellent deal. If the OP doesn't want to use his computer then I think that would be a pretty good option.

 

[sholling]

For a student a CD player is a waste of money if you a desktop Windows PC that you can use. Install a good sound card and buy a pair of top quality powered speakers and then start saving for a good subwoofer. Eventually you may want to rip your CDs to your favorite (FLAC or ALAC) lossless format so that you don't have to deal with swapping CDs.

Hi-end Sound Cards:
Newegg.com - HT | OMEGA eClaro 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card
Newegg.com - HT | OMEGA CLARO II 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
Newegg.com - ASUS Xonar Essence ST 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Audio Card
Newegg.com - ASUS Xonar Essence STX Virtual 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface 124 dB SNR / Headphone AMP Card

Moderately Priced Cards:
Newegg.com - ASUS Xonar D1 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
Newegg.com - ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card

Popular choices for powered speakers are Audioengine's A5+ and Behringer's B2031A. Behringer's powered speakers have a spotty reputation for reliability but sound good and play deep.