Hi-Fi reviews used to be full of systems that resembled city sky scrapers. Separates systems would require a whole wall of a bedroom to accommodate an amplifier, twin deck cassette, tuner and of course a record player. It was also quite probable that you'd need an entire spare room to house an ever growing collection of records and tapes. Now the technology has moved on, and music players are practically the size of a cuff link. To top that, there is no need for a place to store entire music libraries; the advent of digital music means that MP3 and Wav files linger in the digital ether. To keep up with the changing technologies, we have scoured the Hi-Fi reviews on your behalf for the best bargains to replace an ageing stereo system.
LG have released the FA163 DAB micro Hi-Fi and it seems like it is a snip at only 200GBP. According to the reviews, the sound quality is great, which is a surprise given the price. The unit boasts quite a few functions too. Digital radio, CD player and iPod dock combine to cover all the most common ways to listen to favourite tunes. It is also possible to use a USB connection to a media player to burn tunes straight on to a CD. Unfortunately, the word on the street is that the micro stereo is flimsy and feels fragile to operate. This is not a surprise given the price. However, for sound quality and functionality, the LG FA163 remains a bargain buy.
Philips have bought out a strong contender for those that can still use a credit card. The Streamium MCi500H micro Hi-Fi comes in a little more expensive than the LG at about 400GBP. The stereo looks a little more like the old school separates systems we were used to back in the old days, but the sleek black and glossy look gives away it's true age. It boasts Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections, CD player and instant burning capabilities; it even has a 160GB hard drive amongst many other features. Although it has an FM tuner, unfortunately it is missing a DAB radio. I am not sure if Philips are under the impression that we no longer listen to radio, or are satisfied with just a handful of FM stations, but for the money you'd have expected them to put the cherry on top of the cake.
For an in-between price of 300GBP, we have an offering by Roberts. The MP16 DAB Hi-Fi is a rather large, but thankfully sturdy affair, but according to the Hi-Fi reviews the sound quality is absolutely fantastic. Not only that, but apparently the digital radio is second to none, so easily beats the Philips on that front. The only downside to the stereo is that it is rather light on up to the minute applications. Sure it plays MP3 CD's, but there is no docking port and no Wi-Fi capabilities. As a replacement for an ageing separates system however, it is a simple and affordable option, and the sturdy nature of its manufacture is a likely indicator that the Hi-Fi will last for a number of years, unlike some of the other models.
It is possible that some of the manufacturers are aware that the technology for digital music is still developing at an incredibly fast rate and the commitment to manufacturing Hi-Fi's to accommodate all options to a high quality is just too expensive. We recommend that you invest in a good quality Hi-Fi that plays your music through your preferred medium.
Author Resource:-
Dom Donaldson is a technical expert.
Find out more about Hi-Fi Reviews and read about the latest innovations in music technology at Pocket Lint.
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