FAQ

This ones harder than you think. You can buy starter kits for as little as �200 that will suffice for most people but to be perfectly honest these systems offer very little or no options for upgrading or system building, you have to consider what you plan to use the system for and how much use its going to get. Be honest with yourself and don't think that you can make do with something that isn't really what you want just because its on special offer or meets your pricepoint at this moment. It is possible to get very high performance systems for acceptable prices and still get the system you deserve. You will find that longterm the system you settle for may not offer all the features you require or the performance may suffer. This will end up costing you more as you will never get the satisfaction from your system that you otherwise would have had. The sky's the limit but if you can't hear the difference then you've found your match. Don't forget to budget for cables and interconnects.

Stop!!! Don't make an impulse decision, seek further advice and guidance from a good local Specialist, there are loads to choose from. Some retailers will let you leave a deposit and try the product in your own home, this is great because if (for example) you find that the great new Pioneer DVD player takes to long to load a disc you can move on to the Sony. You will then have first hand experience and be able to make sure that its really what you want. If you are unable to try at home then don't be afraid to ask for a demonstration, you wouldn't buy a car without a test drive would you?

Yes and NO. The internet is a great place to find a bargain and you can find cut price systems on most websites, but you pays your money you takes yer chance. You will be unable to see, feel and most importantly hear the product and you will often find that the after sales service will suffer as a result of the cut price. Some websites are run by large chains and some from back bedrooms, the beauty of the internet is that if you create a large well presented website you can seem like a much bigger company than you really are. Specialist retailers may charge slightly more, but their experience and guidance dosen't come free. Also if things go wrong they are there for you to air your anger and try to solve the problem.
I would like to explain some rules of being a good consumer. Its all good and well seeking advice from a specialist on your prize purchase and then saving a few quid on buying it all from the internet but thats really bad manners. You wouldn't like someone to waste your time picking your brain for nothing. Remember that specialist retailers have years of very valuable experience behind them and that they could end up saving you money by advising you against a potential bad purchase, maybe a new product is due out next month 10 times better than the old one and with a price cut. I know from experience that the person that spends time seeking specialist advice and then purchases from the internet nearly always expects help from the specialist once he/she has made a purchase (setting up and cable selection).
Be careful, the specialist won't be too helpful if they know you only want to waste their time. They are not there just to assist you, they are there to sell you something they also assist you. Look after them and they will look after you. Remember that they have something you want.

Don't be silly, you are making an electrical connection. Of course it can't change the sound right?
Wrong, without going into science and Voodoo, good cabe selection is a must for getting the best out of your system. Some cables have different sounds to them, they will not change the song or add a baseline but they will generally change the tone of the music. Some cables sound bright, some neutral and some bassy, some loose and some just plain terrible. The freebie cables in the box are a good example of the latter and are best left in the box, its important to spend about 15% of the cost of the product on a good connection. After all the 1M interconnect is the longest connection in that CD player so make sure that its a good quality one. Speak to your specialist retailer and they will advise you on the best cable for your product, then ask for a home demonstration to make sure that its what you want. Again don't be pressured by price, Haggle but don't choose the wrong cable just because your dealer has offered you a deal on that one.