Can anyone direct me to a new Home STEREO system.?

Question

My Kenwood Home Stereo finaly bit the dust after 10 years of hard use. I have been to all the mainstream stores and i cant find what i want. It seems all the big companies including Kenwood are foused on the satilliet multie-channel systems. Best Buy, Circut City and Sears dont have anything that im looking for and the audio shops that do are selling high end equipment that is out of my price rang. Can anybody direct me to a good Home Stereo System (not from Wal-Mart) somewere in the $500-$1500 rang and in the 500-2000 watt rang.

Thanks

Answer 1

"It seems all the big companies including Kenwood are foused on the satilliet multie-channel systems."

Greed & clever marketing. Seems all the companies are taking a cue from Bose. Offer the customers cheap low quality junk & hype it as the greatest thing since slice bread.

One of the few companies still selling high quality home receivers outside of the outrageously expensive audiophile market is Yamaha.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-P6t2nQd4ZDI/cgi-bin/prodgroup.asp?cm_re_o=kwufEzM%2Al5TviSii%2A5TviSni&g=10420&nvpair=FFBrand%7CYamaha

Denon & Onkyo are also good, but Yamaha usually beats them on the most important amplifier rating... THD.

An amplifier should have a THD rating of 0.05% THD @ 20 Hz - 20 KHz or lower. You should never buy an amplifier that has a THD rating of 0.1% THD @ 20 Hz - 20 KHz or higher.

Are you really pushing your speakers hard enough that watts are even an issue? Remember watts is not a measure of volume loudness. An efficient speaker can sound louder at 10 watts, than an inefficient speaker at 1,000 watts.

If you really need that much power, you're not going to find it in a normal home amp. I'm surprised you even found any in the stores that sell audiophile amps. I didn't know there were 2,000 watt audiophile amps. A normal 120 volt electrical outlet is not powerful enough to power an amplifier that can push 2,000 watts into two speakers.

QSC's RMX 5050 "is extremely efficient at real world power levels". And it only puts out 1,050 watts, yet the "120V models require 20 Amp service and are supplied with a NEMA 5-20 plug on the cordset".
http://www.qscaudio.com/products/amps/rmx/rmx5050.htm

NEMA 5-20 Plug (left) -- NEMA 5-20P Socket (Receptacle) (right) 120 Volt, 20 Amp
Although designed for 20 Amps, Receptacle Will Accept 5-15 Plug
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v46/Cartman/nema_520psx1a.jpg

Most stuff in your house uses a 15 amp plug.
NEMA 5-15 Plug (left) -- NEMA 5-15P Socket (Receptacle) (right) 120 Volt , 15 Amp
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v46/Cartman/nema_515psx2aa.jpg

BTW that QSC RMX 5050 is a $1,600 professional PA amp.

Answer 2

Have you taken a look on eBay yet? People are offering many hundreds of stereo integrated amps and receivers on eBay.
You need to read the descriptions of this equipment very carefully, and also carefully scrutinize the "feedback ratings" of the sellers.
During the past two years I've acquired some excellent equipment from eBay auctions, and have been 100% satisfied with its quality and condition.
Sure, there is an element of risk involved in going this route and buying used equipment, but on the other hand you may be able to get EXACTLY what you're looking for, and possibly at bargain prices.

Answer 3

what kind of speakers do you have that can handle 500/w - 2000/w of power

well Crutchfeild still sell stero suff

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-K6fdi6ytPdj/cgi-bin/ProdGroup.asp?g=10450

you can find sick crazy cool preamps on ebay

for all in one

Denon DRA-397 Denon DRA-697CI are goods one

Yamaha RX-797 another nice one

but 1500 should bring you into something sick, even in a high end shop, look at the Ascam(spelling?) or Rotel or if you want to go crazy I know a dude who has a B + K and it went down in price, if you weel and deal with these dude you should be able to walk out for under 1500

but dont look at wattage, they messure diffently, listen to them and decide