A good Hi-Fi (OK, not a computer question)
 

I've a budget of £1000 for a new separates system comprising an amp (100W/ch); CD player;tuner;turntable (yes, a turntable!); speakers and good quality interconnects.

Can anyone advise best buys? I had a look at various mags but I'm confused.

Bus, read what hi-fi etc to give you some idea of what you want, then go to an independant hi-fi specialist that has a listening room, take along you favourite cd and/or vinyl record and then listen and swop things around and see the difference each bit makes. I bought a nice pair of mission speakers recently after I'd tried about 10 different pairs until I found the ones I liked the sound of.
There are plenty of independant hi-fi places where you are just look in the back of what hi-fi or try a search on the net. Happy hi-fi hunting.

I had your budget and requirements not so long ago. In the end I bought all Dennon seperates with Arcam speakers which were second hand.

Its all well and good the mags deciding that product A is THE best CD player but how will it work with an amp that they did not group test it with?

If you buy all on manufacturer at least you know the kit is optimised to work well with one another. Also they look smarter together IMHO. Also they are easier to sell on to Joe Public when you want to upgrade because a lot of non enthusiasts won´t buy mix and match separates regardless of their quality.

Its a game of diminishing returns so I reckon about 2000 quid is the sensible point at which to stop investing - you won´t see much more for your money over that. For a grand though you can get a gorgeous sounding system that 10 years ago would have cost 5,000 to create.

Just make sure you pay lots of attention to the room layout and decor. It makes more difference than the last couple of hundred quid and is often overlooked.

Enjoy,

WWW

Thanks, SA & WWW.