A cheap MPV like Avanza can get you from A to B just like a BMW 7 series. Likewise, a multi-player like the RM300 DVD/CD player can play back the same CD like a dedicated Krell CD Player that cost a bomb. It all boils down to how many money you wanted to spend and what sort of quality you wanted.

Oh...one more thing. More expensive does not automatically mean it's better. When it comes to dedicated CD Player like Krell or Marantz etc, equipment matching is the biggest key to good sound. A well matched cheapo setup can sound better than a mega-buck setup.

This post has been edited by Optiplex330: Dec 17 2010, 10:20 AM

What you just described is what I said earlier i.e., system matching (the matching of specific CD player with specific amplifier with specific wiring with specific speaker in a specific room) is the KEY to good sound. And an old or real cheapo setup can sound much better than a poorly matched brand new modern mega buck setup.

Those certified Hi Fi enthusiast would do just that, lugging equipments around to the dealer, to friend's house or even stranger who are also Hi Fi enthusiast. When you enter into their world, crazy thing happens. Stranger open their house and yours to them all in the name of Hi Fi. To discuss, to hook up different equipments just to see how they sounded because system matching is as much a science as a art. In other word, you may already know the basic sonic character of several equipment/brand but you can only know for sure when they are physically connected up.

So if you are really serious about Hi Fi, try to learn the basic sonic character of the equipment you have on hand and of those you intend to buy in future. That way, you will have a pretty good guess as to how they will sound together but I am afraid you can only know for sure when they are actually being hooked up in your house. It must be in your house because different room have different acoustic behavior so the exact same setup can sounded different in different house. So are you sure you want to go down that slippery road of sound Ethiopia or more white hair?

Different people likes different sound. For an extreme example, a Ah Beng car fulled with car stereo equipment with treble & bass turned to the MAX is Ethiopia to them whereas a Hi Fi enthusiast would vomit blood.

More down to earth, what sounded great for movies with bullet flying around and explosion may not sound great when playing back vocal singing. Generally speaking, those into Hi Fi sound reproduction goes for equipments that sounded as natural or as close to the original recording as possible. Nothing added and nothing deleted. As a general rule, it is very difficult to get a setup that's good for movies and vocal at the same time.

So you have to first decide what sort of sound/purpose you wanted before you can go out and develop your Hi Fi hobby. The best way is to go around listening to other people's setup or attend KL AV show (around July of every year) to first determine what you wanted.

My 2 sen.

You have strong nerve. A friend of mine left his jaw on the floor when he saw the RM1 million setup.