[Mad Scientist Jr]

I'm looking for a compact stereo system in the $200-$300 range that
has these features

* is compact (14" deep x 16" wide or smaller)
* sounds good
* can play mp3 files off a USB thumb drive
* can accept input from an MP3 player or PDA (via headphone out)
* has RCA audio inputs to plug in an external device, in my case a
turntable (via phono preamp)

One option I'm looking at is Philips HTS6500/37 DVD Home Theater
System:
http://www.consumer.philips.com/cons...37_US_CONSUMER

I would mainly use this to play music, and the room it would go in
does not have a TV (or room for one). However I think it may need a TV
connected in order to see the on-screen menus.

In that case we would need a small flat panel TV. It doesn't have to
be fancy, just have these features:
* video in (s-video, composite, etc.) to plug the stereo into
* a screen large/sharp enough to display the menu text legibly (is 7"
big enough?)
* be small/thin enough to hide away when not in use
* as inexpensive as possible without buying a total piece of junk (ie
something that won't die in 6 months)

However, there is also this option:

Mvix Multimedia Player - LCD Screen, MV-5000R
http://www.mvixusa.com/product.php?product=mv5000r

which has its own screen. In which case all I would need would be a
compact receiver with enough inputs (though the thumb drive input
above would still be nice to have).

I'm not sure what would be the best way to go - has anyone put
together a system for a similar purpose or have any suggestions?

Much appreciated....

[Matt Ion]

I have a portable DVD player that fits all your criteria, except the RCA
inputs (phono preamp could be connected via RCA-to-1/8"-TRS cable
though). It will play the standard DVDs/CDs, DVD-Rs and CD-Rs with
MP3s, supports DivX, has USB-host (for thumb drives) and SD slots for
playback from flash media, has two headphone outputs, plus switchable
1/8" audio and video line input/outputs (ie. they operate as either in
or out, depending on the switch position), and even S-video and
component output with an optional cable. The 10" widescreen LCD swivels
around backward and can fold flat as well.

Add a set of decent powered computer speakers and you've got everything
covered.

In fact, this is the very unit he
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...&sku=M222-2022

I got mine second-hand (a never-used gift) for $100, it's been seeing a
lot of duty as a 'tweaking' monitor for my day job as a CCTV tech.


Mad Scientist Jr wrote:
I'm looking for a compact stereo system in the $200-$300 range that
has these features

* is compact (14" deep x 16" wide or smaller)
* sounds good
* can play mp3 files off a USB thumb drive
* can accept input from an MP3 player or PDA (via headphone out)
* has RCA audio inputs to plug in an external device, in my case a
turntable (via phono preamp)

One option I'm looking at is Philips HTS6500/37 DVD Home Theater
System:
http://www.consumer.philips.com/cons...37_US_CONSUMER

I would mainly use this to play music, and the room it would go in
does not have a TV (or room for one). However I think it may need a TV
connected in order to see the on-screen menus.

In that case we would need a small flat panel TV. It doesn't have to
be fancy, just have these features:
* video in (s-video, composite, etc.) to plug the stereo into
* a screen large/sharp enough to display the menu text legibly (is 7"
big enough?)
* be small/thin enough to hide away when not in use
* as inexpensive as possible without buying a total piece of junk (ie
something that won't die in 6 months)

However, there is also this option:

Mvix Multimedia Player - LCD Screen, MV-5000R
http://www.mvixusa.com/product.php?product=mv5000r

which has its own screen. In which case all I would need would be a
compact receiver with enough inputs (though the thumb drive input
above would still be nice to have).

I'm not sure what would be the best way to go - has anyone put
together a system for a similar purpose or have any suggestions?

Much appreciated....

[Mad Scientist Jr]

Thanks for the reply... A little pricy ($305.99 at Tiger Direct) but
it seems like a nice littler player if you can find a good bargain.
Reviews (see below for links) were mixed - some places rated it pretty
high, some not so much. Seems to be a decent value for an all around
media player.

As far as an amplifier/FM receiver, I checked out the Philips
HTS6500/37 DVD Home Theater System and it's a no go. Although it is a
nice system, it has several issues: the speakers have a proprietary
plug (each "speaker" is really 3 speakers, I guess for surround sound,
and connects with a 6-pin plug) making it impossible to use extension
wires or connect additional speakers to other rooms, backyard, etc.
The second problem was although it plays MP3s from a USB jump drive,
only the first 8 letters or so of the file names are displayed (a
common problem on DVD players that also play MP3s). It sounded good -
I might have considered it for a compact sound system for a TV room -
but for music only it just wasn't what I was looking for.

I'm probably going to go with the Mvix MV-5000R Multimedia Player (or
one of their similar models), but I will still need a solid AM/FM
receiver with a small foot print (14" x 16", and no higher than the
width of a standard CD jewel case), multiple inputs (one set of RCAs
for the phono and one for plugging in MP3/PDAs via headphoneRCA).

Any suggestions?

PS here are those Mustek MP100 portable DVD player reviews I found,
for anyone interested:

Tech Digest Review: Mustek MP100 portable DVD player: 4 out of 5 *
http://www.techdigest.tv/2006/08/review_mustek_m.html

Amazon reviews (6 customer): Mustek MP100 10" Portable DVD Player: 2.5
out of 5*
3 people said it broke within 90 days, 3 liked it (though one said the
SD picture preview was bad)
http://www.amazon.com/Mustek-MP100-P.../dp/B000E849TQ

Epinions reviews: Mustek (MP100) Portable DVD Player: 4 out of 5*
http://www.epinions.com/Mustek_MP100

full Epinions Mustek MP100 review
http://www.epinions.com/content_311940779652

CNET Reviews
Editors' top portable DVD players
David Katzmaier, Senior Editor
Updated June 01, 2007
Philips PET1002 scored highest with 8.2 out of 10
Mustek MP100 was lowest on the list with 5.9 out of 10 (due to "subpar
picture quality + viewing angle")
http://reviews.cnet.com/4323-6531_7-6509124.html

On Jul 31, 4:32 am, Matt Ion wrote:
I have a portable DVD player that fits all your criteria, except the RCA
inputs (phono preamp could be connected via RCA-to-1/8"-TRS cable
though). It will play the standard DVDs/CDs, DVD-Rs and CD-Rs with
MP3s, supports DivX, has USB-host (for thumb drives) and SD slots for
playback from flash media, has two headphone outputs, plus switchable
1/8" audio and video line input/outputs (ie. they operate as either in
or out, depending on the switch position), and even S-video and
component output with an optional cable. The 10" widescreen LCD swivels
around backward and can fold flat as well.

Add a set of decent powered computer speakers and you've got everything
covered.

In fact, this is the very unit hehttp://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...-details.asp?E...

I got mine second-hand (a never-used gift) for $100, it's been seeing a
lot of duty as a 'tweaking' monitor for my day job as a CCTV tech.

Mad Scientist Jr wrote:
I'm looking for a compact stereo system in the $200-$300 range that
has these features

* is compact (14" deep x 16" wide or smaller)
* sounds good
* can play mp3 files off a USB thumb drive
* can accept input from an MP3 player or PDA (via headphone out)
* has RCA audio inputs to plug in an external device, in my case a
turntable (via phono preamp)

One option I'm looking at is Philips HTS6500/37 DVD Home Theater
System:
http://www.consumer.philips.com/cons...t.jsp?language...

I would mainly use this to play music, and the room it would go in
does not have a TV (or room for one). However I think it may need a TV
connected in order to see the on-screen menus.

In that case we would need a small flat panel TV. It doesn't have to
be fancy, just have these features:
* video in (s-video, composite, etc.) to plug the stereo into
* a screen large/sharp enough to display the menu text legibly (is 7"
big enough?)
* be small/thin enough to hide away when not in use
* as inexpensive as possible without buying a total piece of junk (ie
something that won't die in 6 months)

However, there is also this option:

Mvix Multimedia Player - LCD Screen, MV-5000R
http://www.mvixusa.com/product.php?product=mv5000r

which has its own screen. In which case all I would need would be a
compact receiver with enough inputs (though the thumb drive input
above would still be nice to have).

I'm not sure what would be the best way to go - has anyone put
together a system for a similar purpose or have any suggestions?

Much appreciated....