"brazen" wrote in message
...
Dear Abby Audiophile,

I am wanting to set up a budget home audio system and would appreciate
advice as to what components to purchase. I'm happy hunting around for
second hand stuff so I dont need any brand names, but need to know what
types of components to buy and what power/wattage etc goes with what. I
did
have a pretty basic system about 15 years ago that consisted of an amp, cd
&
manual speaker switch, but I'm sure things have moved on somewhat
(understatement of the year no doubt).

I only want to play CDs, I want to run 3 pairs of speakers (1 outside, 1
living area, 1 upstairs), but possibly have sound in 2 areas at a time,
though usually just one. Ideally I would like volume controls in each of
the
areas. I like to play music loud sometimes (no near neighbours - you gotta
make use of it!) so it needs to have some grunt.

What (in pretty basic terminology please) do I need to have in my system?

Thanks in advance

Gay


Dear Brazen,
At the minimum, you need what you had. Opinion on this group is
probably divided as to whether things have improved or gotten worse. The age
of the great stereo receiver has passed, and been replaced by equipment with
many more features than you want, but with reduced quality of sound.
If you want to play music loud, modern receivers are not equipped to
drive more than two pairs of speakers, and even those must be selected with
some attention to efficiency.
You can save a lot of money with eBay, searching for classics from
the 80's and early 90's. A Hafler DH-200 is a "basic power amplifier" that
must be combined with a preamp, but is essentially immune to overload
problems. See
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW
Consider also offerings from
Parasound and Rotel. Each of these choices has a different characteristic
sound.
These amplifiers, if properly ventilated, are capable of driving multiple
sets of speakers to significant volume. You'll need to add a speaker switch.
Niles makes a good one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...7628 539&rd=1

Since I've guided you to basic amplifiers, you'll need a preamp. One of the
finest preamps ever made is the Hafler DH-110:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW
It features completely discrete transistor circuitry; no sound-destroying
op-amps within.

There are many integrated amplifiers to choose from:
http://search.ebay.com/integrated_Am...QQsofocus Zbs

Just be aware that most of these feature internal heatsinks. Thus, like
receivers, they are more likely to suffer from overheating component damage
while driving multiple speakers to high levels.