Apart from going to Argos and buying the one with the most buttons....

[Caliban]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxQqWSnsHoA

Perfection

[MrGongGong]

I'd agree with much of the above- the small specialist shops are well worth seeking out. However, I don't think there's too much point in spending a lot of money on speakers if what is being fed to them is of poor quality. Start off with a good quality Amp/CD, and you can spend less on the speakers. Start off with a poor quality amp/CD, and good speakers will just highlight the deficencies of the original source.

actually this is nonsense mrP

The ONLY thing that actually makes a sound are the speakers ........... a pair of ATC's driven by an ancient Goodmans amp will still sound reasonable as long as you don't push them too hard. I guess there's "not much point spending a lot of money on speakers" if you are listening to low bitrate mp3's (or even Elgar's Oratorios )

[gamba]

Thank you, ferneyetc. Very, very, funny & sore reminder from my early days in trying to put all these items together.

I've found ' Which ' quite useful for assessing the quality of some 'bits & pieces, although nothing equals a reliable Hi-Fi shop with experienced staff & the ability to take along a few CDs for test purposes.

[Mr Pee]

actually this is nonsense mrP

The ONLY thing that actually makes a sound are the speakers ........... a pair of ATC's driven by an ancient Goodmans amp will still sound reasonable as long as you don't push them too hard. I guess there's "not much point spending a lot of money on speakers" if you are listening to low bitrate mp3's (or even Elgar's Oratorios )

I'm sorry, Mr GG, I completely disagree.. rubbish in, rubbish out, is the motto. There is no point in blowing a load of money on quality speakers if you're feeding them with a Tesco Value amplifier. However good the speaker, it cannot improve on what it's given, on the contrary, it will just expose the faults all the more. This is one of the most basic principles when it comes to Hi- Fi.

[MrGongGong]

I'm sorry, Mr GG, I completely disagree.. rubbish in, rubbish out, is the motto. There is no point in blowing a load of money on quality speakers if you're feeding them with a Tesco Value amplifier. However good the speaker, it cannot improve on what it's given, on the contrary, it will just expose the faults all the more. This is one of the most basic principles when it comes to Hi- Fi.

Oh dear
I guess you don't listen to speakers very often then ?
In my experience I have found that as they are the ONLY thing that makes a sound they are the thing one should pay the most attention to
the build quality of really cheap speakers is horrible and a basic cheap amp is not too expensive

of course better quality equipment will give better quality results
but you seem to be advocating cheap speakers which will very quickly fall apart ................ (JBL control 1s are cheap and reasonable )

[Mr Pee]

Oh dear
I guess you don't listen to speakers very often then ?
In my experience I have found that as they are the ONLY thing that makes a sound they are the thing one should pay the most attention to
the build quality of really cheap speakers is horrible and a basic cheap amp is not too expensive

of course better quality equipment will give better quality results
but you seem to be advocating cheap speakers which will very quickly fall apart ................ (JBL control 1s are cheap and reasonable )

Of course I listen to speakers often. And the sound they make depends on the signal they receive. Simples.

[Ferretfancy]

teamsaint made a request for friendly assistance about buying a sound system on a modest budget, but as so often happens on these boards the discussion has once again degenerated into petty squabbles.
We all know that good speakers perform at their best with a good source, but some seem to have forgotten that we should be offering advice.
I'm getting a little tired of the incessant point scoring.

[MrGongGong]

teamsaint made a request for friendly assistance about buying a sound system on a modest budget, but as so often happens on these boards the discussion has once again degenerated into petty squabbles.
We all know that good speakers perform at their best with a good source, but some seem to have forgotten that we should be offering advice.
I'm getting a little tired of the incessant point scoring.

Actually, I was trying to correct what I think was incorrect "advice" from our resident cyclist
but apologies if this was misconstrued

[amateur51]

Perfection

Not quite ... I wanted a Straw Dogs-type ending to that sketch

Naturally Python would have provided one but not the 'alternative' comedians of the 1980s.

I've just experienced superb service from two young women at my local O2 shop - I wasn't patronised once and left feeling like ... lordy, I felt like I was a valued customer

[amateur51]

Actually, I was trying to correct what I think was incorrect "advice" from our resident cyclist but apologies if this was misconstrued