I want to replace my old and not working AIWA bookshelf system but have no idea what to get. Does anyone know of a decent all in one type system that will sound good for under $800 or so?

I went and looked at some today but was lost on what to look for and I don't trust the salesmen for helping. I know that separates would be better to buy but I don't have a fortune to sink into this.

I have a yamaha natural sound system. (pianocraft I think) It's very small, sounds great, and doesnt have a ton of whiz bang lights, switches, and dials on it. Its cd player only holds 1 cd at a time too. That doesnt matter anymore since I just plug in the empeg anyway. It cost me 500 dollars. I guess I could take some pics if you are interested.

Sean

You should be able to put together a component system for under $800. My setup is very piece-meal, but it sounds good to me. I have:

• Sony STR-DE945 Receiver ($350 from Sears with price match). Will be replaced by JVC RX-8010V ($285 from AMDV.com)
• JVC XV-F80 Progressive Scan 7-Disc DVD/CD Changer ($280 from Sears with price match)
• Acoustic Research HC2 5 channel + powered sub speaker set ($430 from J&R Music World)
  

OK, it's about a grand. But, you can choose different/cheaper speakers. No matter what you do it should sound better than a mini-system. And it won't look like a slot machine/blinky disco light show. If you need a tape deck, pick one up at a garage sale... I did ($20). I keep it in the closet though. I only needed to use it once in 4 years.

You might also choose a 5 disc CD player instead of a DVD/CD changer. That substitute alone would save about $150. I only did it because I needed to upgrade my DVD player and figured I would kill two birds with one stone. Previously I was using a 5 CD/LaserDisc player for CDs.

You might also choose a 5 disc CD player instead of a DVD/CD changer.

If you only require audio, not video, playback, and you only need stereo, not 5.1, and you have a PC in the house, a Rio Receiver is a better choice than an audio CD player. If you never listen to the radio or to tapes, its amplifier is good enough that you might not even need a separate component amp.

I have a 100-CD Sony player which is lovely -- and obsolete. It's in a wardrobe.

Peter

I ordered a catalog from Crutchfield today. I'll have to look through that and ask around and listen to some. Rio Reciever might work but I want some good speakers, the ones on my computer are cheap and so so.

Rio Reciever might work but I want some good speakers, the ones on my computer are cheap and so so.

Remember that the Rio Receiver is designed to be played away from your computer on its own set of speakers.

The idea is that the computer is left on in the back room somewhere, acting as the server, and the Rio Receiver is out in the front room, playing the music hooked up to nice speakers. You should be able to find lots of good speakers in the Crutchfield catalog. With their return policy on speakers it's hard to go wrong.