Spec me a mini hi-fi

Jamie1994

Jamie1994

Jamie1994

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Joined
17 Nov 2008
Posts
101
Hey guys, I've been looking for a Mini Hifi and I have no experience at all with them, never bought one. After I heard a friends Sony MHC-GT444 I decided I wanted one.

If at all possible I'd like one that has a very good sub, I love bass
and is able to connect it directly to my PC via either optical or coaxial.
I love the design and look of the Sony MHC range so if there any other brands with similar design I'd love to know. I also like my music quite loud so fairly high watt would be nice as well, although I'm not really sure what is and isn't high all I know is the GT444 sounds pretty perfect and I think its 700w.

I've been looking at the Sony MHC-EC99i and the Sony MHC-GT444.

Looking to spend around 100-200 pounds.

Thanks for reading.
 
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smoove said:
Dont waste your money mate on that cheap crap. Buy some seperates.
Click to expand...


Haha, like I said I'm pretty clueless about HiFis etc.

I guess buying separates means buying the different parts on their own, could you recommend some good speakers and amp and anything else I need. If I was buying them separate would I need to up my budget?
 
Woah lol, after having a look around this looks complicated, pre-amp? power-amps? how many amps do I need lol.

Any chance someone could link me to a beginners guide or something for buying my first hifi.
 
Pop down Richer Sounds! OK, they aren't always the be all and end all for advice, but as a start, and on a budget, they'll certainly spend your £200 on something far better then your mates setup!
 
I really am at a lose here, if I buy an amp that is a pre-amp and power-amp in 1 and some speakers can I just connect that to my PC through optical or analog.

Trying to get my head around the hardware.
 
You will not need a pre amp as your PC will output via analouge at line level, meaning you will be able to plag directly into your stereo amp. I presume and suggest your after a stereo amp if your original request was for a mini hifi. At your price point i doubt you will be connecting through opitcal anyhow so analog is the way forward, and unless your spending a fortune i doubt you will be able to tell the differnce between good analog and digital sound. As for the kit to buy, someone else will be abelt o help you on that part!
 
hi, i guess it depends on where you intend to use your system. if you intend to use it at your pc then there is a lot of things to try.

here is system i put together from richersounds/super fi

wharfdale 9.0 = £50
=cambridge audio a1 amp = £70
+
= £120, you will need cables and a source such as a cdplayer or your pc.

alternatively here is another system

or cambridge audio topaz AMP = 120
+
tannoy f1 customs = 120 or wharfdale 9.1 (superfi) = £90
=£240/210, again you will need cables and a source such as a cdplayer or your pc.
 
I would recommend a NAD amp off ebay. Eg: 3020, C340 or something along those lines, and some decent bookshelf speakers. These amps will accept the output of the soundcard on your pc, as will most others.

The amp will be approx £60-80, and will be plenty powerful enough.

Then some cheap speakers would be need, for example the wharfedale 9.1 speakers.
 
Jamie1994 said:
I really am at a lose here, if I buy an amp that is a pre-amp and power-amp in 1 and some speakers can I just connect that to my PC through optical or analog.

Trying to get my head around the hardware.
Click to expand...

Integrated amps (Those which have both pre-amp and power-amp) in a single box do not generally include an integrated DAC as well, So you will have to connect your PC using analog connections. If you wish to connect digitally you'll either need an external DAC (which will give good quality), or simply use the analog outputs from the PC (which generally work fine, BUT can output higher voltage than the line level spec the amp expects... but the answer to that is to make sure the windows master volume is kept below 75%, and using the amps volume control). Its not a big hardship, and you soon get used to using the amp to control the volume. If you do forget and crank up the windows master volume to 100% you "may" slightly overload the amplifiers inputs, which can cause crackling, and distortion.

In the long run, even a budget second hand separates system will generally sound greatly superior to mini systems, or PC/AV speaker packages, and having to be carefull with the various windows mixers and volume controls is in my opinion worth it.
 
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