Stereo Buying Guide

When it comes to home stereo systems, you can break down your options to three basic categories: portable stereo systems, shelf stereo systems and stereo systems made of individual components.

Portable stereo systems

Portable stereo systems are a great choice if you want a stereo that you can carry with you as you move. Imagine that it's one of those busy Saturdays when you have a long list of odd jobs that need to be done. Perhaps you start by cleaning out the garage. Bring a mini stereo system with you and you'll have something to keep you company while you work. Next up on the list of chores is mowing the lawn. Don't blow your ears with headphones; simply bring your portable stereo outside with you and let the music blend in with the roar of the lawn mower. Perhaps you have a room to paint next, which can often be a slow and tedious process. Bring your portable stereo with you (and perhaps cover it with a tarp, so it won't get paint splashes on it) and the job will go by that much quicker.

Portable stereo systems range from something as small and simple as a portable radio to units that include tape players and CD players. Of course, if you have an MP3 player or other such portable music player, you'll want to look for a portable stereo with an input to let you enjoy your music library through the portable stereo's speakers. These are sometimes known as docking stations.

Shelf stereo systems

What makes a shelf stereo system different from a portable stereo system? There are no hard-and-fast rules, but portable stereo systems typically have everything attached as one unit: The speakers are basically attached to the rest of the box, although many portable stereo systems have detachable speakers so that you can point and position them until the music sounds best. A shelf system, on the other hand, features stand-alone speakers; that is, the speakers are not attached to the rest of the stereo system, and you'll probably have some speaker wire connecting the speakers to the receiver. This makes it easier to set up the shelf stereo system in a room and position the speakers just where you like them.

Shelf stereo systems aren't designed to be easily portable, so they are often larger than a portable stereo. This often means that the shelf stereo system will have features like a three-disc or five-disc CD changer, multiple cassette decks and a large digital display.

When you shop for a shelf stereo system, you'll want to make sure that it can play your music library. After all, if you mostly own CDs, you'll want a CD player. Multidisc CD changers make it even easier to keep the music playing for hours on end. If you have a large collection of cassettes or records that you still enjoy listening to, make sure that the shelf system has a cassette deck or turntable, respectively. Shelf stereo systems may support just two speakers or they might support a complete surround sound speaker setup, such as five speakers and a subwoofer. Shelf systems might include a variety of audio processing options, such as preset or customizable graphic equalizer, a karaoke mode to lower the vocals on a recording so you and your friends can sing along, variable bass boost levels and so on. Finally, you may want to make sure that the stereo system's remote control does everything you want it to do. If you're the type to constantly fiddle with audio settings, you may not want to have to get up and walk over the stereo every time you have some fine-tuning to do.

Individual stereo components

The most flexible way to put together a home stereo system is by purchasing all the components separately. This can be a lot of fun, and it may be the only way to get the results you're looking for; however, before you try doing this the first time, you'll want to make sure you know what pieces you need to make a complete stereo system.

The receiver

The receiver will be the heart of your stereo system. All of the other components will connect to the receiver. The receiver will receive audio signals from the audio source components -- the CD player, MP3 player and so on -- process the signal and output it to the speakers. Some receivers have a radio tuner built-in, but if you intend to use a satellite radio service, then you may not need this. Receivers often perform some graphic equalization; of course, if you want to use a separate graphic equalizer or another effects processer, just make sure the receiver has inputs and outputs for an effects loop so that it can pass the audio signal through the equalizer or other processors before sending it out to the speakers.

Audio sources: MP3 players, CD players, tape decks and so on

When you put together a home stereo system from individual components, the audio source components will normally each only support one type of media. That is, you'll need a separate CD player, tape deck, record player and so on. This control and flexibility is what motivates many people into building their own home stereo system; if you don't need a record player, you simply don't have to buy one. If you want a 100-disc CD jukebox, you can add one to your stereo. You can add as many audio sources as you like, though you'll want to make sure that your receiver has enough inputs to handle all of them.

Graphic equalizers and other effects processors

For some people, these are completely optional when you're putting together a home stereo system. Of course, for others, these are a must! Graphic equalizers are a popular component to add to a stereo system, as a stand-alone graphic equalizer can give you tremendous flexibility in how your stereo sounds.

Other effects devices will likely only be useful for specific purposes. After all, you might enjoy adding a flange effect to your music, but the novelty will probably wear off quickly. However, if you plan on working as a DJ or you simply want to try your hand with the many audio effects that are available, you'll know that your options are wide open.

Cables

Many connections between stereo components use a pair of cables, often simply called "stereo cables," although you may see them referred to as composite cables. These cables are used to connect your audio sources to the receiver, to connect the receiver to the effects loop and so on.

The standard cables aren't the only option for connecting equipment, though they are likely the simplest and least expensive. If your equipment has optical connectors, you can use an EIAJ optical cable such as TOSLINK cable. Optical connections are able to carry a higher fidelity audio signal, with the trade-off of being more expensive. Before you buy cables for your stereo system, check to see what connectors your components have, and then make sure your receiver supports the same connection type.

A note about matching your components

One possible downside to putting together your own home stereo system is that the equipment may not go together to create an optimized sound if you use components from different manufactures. This is most noticeable if you use a mixture of speakers from different manufacturers. You're less likely to notice this with a high-quality subwoofer, but if you try to use different speakers for the left and right channels, for example, you may notice different tonal qualities of the speakers. Some listeners may not notice (or simply not mind), but others will.

Also, many receivers are built to be able to send and receive control signals to the other components. For example, you may want to use a single remote control to change the volume, alter the graphic equalizer settings, skip to the next track and so on. If you use equipment from a manufacturer that includes this kind of functionality, then you'll want to capitalize on it by making sure that all of your equipment will be able to work together. Otherwise, you may find yourself using different remote controls to perform different functions, which can get annoying in a hurry.