Hello everybody! I would like some advice, if you would be so lovely.

My stereo is now shit, and serves only as an amp for my computer, both the radio and CD player are ballsed beyond all recognition.

I was thinking of buying a new one, but as I do most of my stuff through my computer (MP3s rather than CDs), I thought it might be worth just getting a seperate amp (e.g. a stackable one) and then expanding as I needed.

Any ideas / recommendations?

Ta muchly

Two words: Richer Sounds.

Alright, they boost the price with that "you need a cable...and a few more leads...and a warranty...that's another thirty quid, mate" bollocks, but their customer service is second to none and if anything goes wrong or breaks they bend over backwards to help. Plus the gear they've got is top-notch and very reasonably priced.

Cheers man,will try

Agree with Alex there, you won't find anyone cheaper or with better service.

It's best to go the seperates route.
A lot depends on how much you have got to spend and what sort of expansion you hope to be doing in future, i.e. how many inputs will you need and will you be adding a turntable etc. The amp is an important part of a seperates system and is worth researching before making impulse buys. Amps have quite a bearing on the final sound so you might find that you are better off spending on a pretty good one from the start rather than an average one and then ending up upgrading for better quality later.
Richer sounds have a good reputation though it can't hurt to have a crafty peek at 'what hi-fi?' before you go shopping.

If you can go to one of Richer Sounds larger stores. Take along some music and ask for a demo. Believe it or not £30 on connectors is not a waste of money, and you will hear the difference. Like all things it is the case of diminishing returns. I personally would try to go for Rotel or Denon as far as amps are concerned. They are relatively cheap but extremely well made.

As suggested above its worth buying What Hifi in advance, so you know what to expect.

Oh yeah, and in Richer Sounds you can haggle...which I like very much.

I'm assuming Richer Sounds is a store, not a brand of stereo equipment. (I'm in Australia so how would I know!) I've had a Marantz stackable set up for years. It's probably outlasted all three of my previous stereos added together. Replaced the belt drive on the turntable last month, first time in 18 years.

Yeah Richer Sounds is a large hi-fi chain that uses its buying power to get stock cheap. They generally offer end of line purchases, but they often stock items before other shops. If you want a Vinyl based Hi-Fi then there are better shops out there.

Thanks all, this saturday, Nottingham's (albeit tiny) Richer Sounds will be my destination.

(Via the newsagents for a shufty at What Hi Fi)

They're all tiny - that's how they save on overheads. There'll probably be a slow-moving queue as well, but you can use that time to flip through the catalogue or eye up what's on the shelves.

Happy hunting!

Alex the Large spouted:
Oh yeah, and in Richer Sounds you can haggle...which I like very much.

That's a nice gourd.