First and foremost is your budget. A system can cost you anything from Rs.500/- to Rs.500,000/-. Then you have to decide whether you want a mini-component (i.e. all in one big dabba) system or a separate rack system where in all components of your system have to be bought seperately.

RACK COMPONENT SYSTEMS:

Rack component systems are as the name suggest, different components kept in a rack which makes up an audio system. These systems offer total flexibility in your choice of the components of your system, exactly as you want and you can add or delete any one of them whenever you feel like. In short, in such systems the components of the system viz. amplifier, cassette deck, tuner, CD-player, speakers etc each can be bought seperately as per your liking. Let’s discuss each of them as to how you should select them.

1) Cassette deck :- This is a basic requirement of the system. Go for a twin cassette deck. The single cassette decks are of no use as you cannot record tape to tape. There is a wide range available in these. The most popular brands in Bombay are Technics, Yamaha, Kenwood, Deron.The cost ranges from Rs.9000/-onwards depending on the make and functions. Basically what you should look for, is the right balance between cost and facilities available. You have cassette decks offering functions like recording on both decks, Dolby B, C, etc, Dolby HX-PRO systems, totally digital controls etc. Dolby B / C / HX PRO technologies have been developed by Dolby Labs. In common man’s language they are basically noise reduction technologies which filter all the unwanted "hiss" which is basically due to poor recording.Now out of these the most advantageous function is the HX-PRO system as it improves your recording and playback tremendously. Most of the cassette decks are digital anyways so the ones working on totally digital controls should be offering something really good to make one buy it otherwise it doesn’t make that much of a difference. The best buys are Technics RS-TR 373 HX-PRO series and Yamaha. Also a very good brand which has just entered the market is ONKYO and is a step above Yamaha and Technics. It is slightly expensive but then you have the advantage of getting a guarantee and that you are sure it can be repaired with genuine parts if it goes bust as they have an authorised dealer.

2) CD-Player :- Choice is very similar to the cassette decks with very much the same brands. You have options of 3 CD or 5 CD / 6 CD players. Generally cost Rs.11,000/- onwards depending on the make. All have pretty much the same functions like skip, random play between all the discs etc. Best buys are Technics, Yamaha, Onkyo.

3) Tuner :- An important or not so important part of the system depending on how much you listen to the radio. Should be at the bottom of your list of things to buy for the system.

4) Amplifier :- Now we come to the most important component of your system. This is the guy that can make your system sound like Kishore Kumar or the bathroom singer next door. Do not compromise on this guy at all. You have to first decide whether the system you are building up is just an audio system or a full fledged Home-Theatre system. If you are builing up just an audio system, a good stereo amplifier will also do, but for a Home-Theatre system you would want a Surround Sound Amplifier or a DSP - Digital Surround Processor. This will probably be a Dolby Pro Logic System.This technology has also been pioneered by Dolby Labs which breaks up your O/P signals into Right, Centre, Left and Rear channels. It is due to this technology that you actually hear the sound of an action taking place on the screen from the same side as you see it on screen. You can also call this as Surround Sound technology. The latest technology is the THX system. Don’t even think of the THX Amps unless you are a teenage millionaire. They cost a bomb and a half. Lets get back down to earth!! Functions are very much the same in all amplifiers (# Pro logic or plain stereo). Just take care that they offer good value for money in terms of the functions against cost. Normal facilities available in an amplifier are connectivity to cassette deck, CD, phono, tuner for stereo amplifiers. For surround sound amplifiers you will have the option of attaching atleast one more cassette deck and one video and one LD-player. Also these will have pre-programmed different effects i.e. Hall effect, 3 channel (i.e. if you attach only 3 speakers i.e. right, left and centre), full surround sound etc. These effects differ from make to make.

The most important aspect is the output. It should be as powerful as you can get in your budget. A powerful amplifier offers more clarity of sound than a lesser powerful amplifier. It’s like driving a Mercedes at 100kmph which is more fun than driving a Maruti at 100kmph. What I’m saying is that a Mercedes’s top speed is 200kmph so at 100kmph it is not strained, but a Maruti whose top speed is 140kmph is definitely strained at 100kmph. Similarly, an amplifier with a output of 1000W will sound much better at 200W than an amplifier whose PMPO is 400W. So guys go for a higher output system. Don’t think when you are ever going to use the full output but think that when you hear it at the normal level how good it’s gonna sound.The RMS value will be specified in the manual. The average output will be 80-100W RMS. The most popular brands are again the same Technics, Yamaha, Onkyo. The best buy is Yamaha or Onkyo.

5) Speakers :- Again as important as the amplifier. They should be matched well with your amplifier. Lower wattage speakers will blow if used with a powerful amplifier. Speaker output should be slightly more than your amplifier. Choose carefully as they can make the best amplifiers sound like junk if they ain’t of good quality. The placing of speakers is extremely important. They should be placed at ear-level, wall-mounted speakers should be on the wall at ear-level and floor speakers should be on the floor. Improper positioning/placement can ruin the whole majaa of your system. Remember EAR-LEVEL is the keyword!! Ultimately everything depends on your budget and your ears. Yup! Trust your ears the most as they know the best what they like to hear and how. The budget can always be stretched a bit. But don’t go against your ears. Popular brands are Arphie, Pandam or Bose/JBL for Home-Theatre systems. If you got money to blow then go for CADENCE, which makes THE BEST SPEAKERS in the world. One very important thing if you are going for a rack system is do not hesitate to go for an Indian amplifier and set of speakers. There are some Indian companies which make excellent amplifiers and speakers which are at par with the international makes. eg. Arphie and Pandam for speakers, Pulse for amplifiers. Another fantastic buy for an amplifier and a set of speakers is ADD - Analog Digital Devices, which are comparable to any top international brand and are dirt cheap. So guys, if you are going in for a rack system, think Indian for amplifiers and speakers and imported for the rest of the components.

6) Equalisers :- It basically helps you to fine tune how you want to listen to your music. You can increase or decrease the level of each frequency of your music. i.e you can set the equaliser to put more emphasis on the Bass frequencies while play-back or any of the other treble or vocal frequencies. Nowadays the amps available are so good in their output that you do not need to attach an equaliser to your system. If at all you want to go in for one, go for Parametric equalisers as the frequency range covered by them is much broader than those covered by Graphic equaliser. But you will probably find most of the equalisers in the market to be Graphic equalisers. Parametric equalisers are generally hard to come across in the market. If you are hell bent on having a equaliser then you can purchase a do-it-yourself kit for Parametric equalisers from Lamington Road. There are some excellent kits available which give fantastic output.

MINI-COMPONENT SYSTEM:

Mini-component as the name says is composed of one box which contains all the components of the system viz. amplifier, tape-deck, tuner and CD-player etc.

The level mini-component system nowadays comprises of a Double cassette deck, AM/FM/MW Tuner, CD-player and ofcourse the amplifier. The most popular brands are Akai, Aiwa, Sony, Kenwood and Onida - JVC. An average system would cost anywhere between 15,000 to 24,000 depending on the make and the functions available. Most companies shout at the top of their voices about their PMPO’s which is the RMS output of the system. This is difficult to judge unless specified in the manual as all the companies do not follow the same formula to calculate their PMPO (Peak Music Power Output). Actually the RMS value should be arrived at by the formula i.e. divide PMPO by 2*root(2).

There is not much to say in the case of a mini component system for all the components are fixed but keep in mind all the factors listed in the rack-type systems wile deciding your best buy for your budget. That’s all folks! Happy shopping, and hope you get your dream system soon.