Buying Decision A Matter of Choice

Believe it or not, buying a home stereo is one of the biggest investments you might make. While its monetary value might not approach that of your home, car or education, the value and usefulness that it should bring you is surely very high. Your home stereo will certainly influence how you perceive your musical choices, and impact how you relax, recreate and entertain. With that as the case, there are many things that come into play with regard to choosing the piece or pieces that compose this system. The first and most often asked question by persons new to home audio is: “Should I buy components and hook them up or buy a system?” Well, this buying decision is dependent solely on your personal tastes and situation. If you goal is quick and easy sound on a budget, an all-in-one or pre-packaged solution is the best one. However, ff you have special needs (for example maybe you inherited a collection of 33-, 45-, or 78-rpm records) the component-based stereo system is likely to be your only solution. But with the recent arrival of truly excellent all-in-one systems, the case for buying components, which used to be quite compelling, is no longer as strong as it once was. Granted, most separates will outperform many all-in-one solutions, but as technology moves ahead, particularly digital, the race is certainly tightening up. by Anthony Armstrong,