Panasonic, Sony, Akai, Crown and Aiwa no longer sell all-in-one HiFi systems (sometimes they referred to them as home theatre). Although selling the all-in-one “music system” returned good revenue and particularly Panasonic gained popularity for delivering quality systems at mid-range. The all-in-one HiFi systems reduced the required knowledge to purchase each component. The reasons they discontinued the product line are a variety of upcoming technologies and difficulty in delivering after-sales service. The brands like Panasonic think that the users like us are audiophiles and their company is focused on catering to consumer electronics. It is not practical for them to manufacture old components to provide after-sales service to the tape decks, and CD players and simultaneously develop devices for the modern generation. So today, audio products are mainly produced by audio equipment manufacturers. In easy words, to build your HiFi system exactly like what Panasonic, Sony, and Akai used to deliver in the mid-nineties, you have to gain adequate knowledge.
The first thing I will suggest is to list the brands which offer after-sales service in your country. Some people want to reduce their expenditures by purchasing used components. That can be a great idea only if the after-sales service exists and the brand manufactures the spare parts. There is the risk of purchasing used electronics products.
Define What You Want from a HiFi System
The all-in-one HiFi Systems manufactured by Panasonic, Sony, Akai etc brands were tuned for playing cassettes and CDs. They required a warm, balanced sound with a sweet bass reflex. In terms of output, 700 watts to 1200 watts was sufficient. However, they had to compromise some parts to deliver 700watt to 1200watt output at that budget.
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If you want that typical warm, balanced sound that Panasonic used to deliver, you’ll get that from a few brands of amplifier manufacturers. Today we think mainly of CD players, vinyl players (turntables) and also digital streaming music.
Speakers
It is great if you can gather the old floor-standing speakers or bookshelf speakers which were once part of the all-in-one HiFi system. With a 1200-watt output set from Panasonic, Sony is never closest to average. They were great. Edifier, Yamaha, and Klipsch are some of the brands from which you can do some research. Floorstanding speakers usually offer a richer experience for rooms of more than 10 feet in length.
Amplifier
The amplifier is the main component and it is the most durable. Denon, Marantz, and Yamaha are some of the brands which you can do a bit of research around. Yamaha PX series amplifiers will deliver you higher wattage output while Denon and Marantz will tend to deliver an audiophile-grade quality. Never forget to first research after-sales service.
CD Player and Vinyl Player
Denon, Marantz, and Yamaha are some of the leading brands of today that manufacture CD Player and Vinyl Player for building a HiFi system.
Equalizer
An equalizer is an optional thing which you can take the time to research and purchase. Yamaha EQ-630 is a nice equalizer and you will get a similar product from Pioneer too.
Conclusion
Very few on this earth have an extra $5000 in hand to spend in one month, but they can spend $5000 if the period is increased. There are some components for which you can take the risk of purchasing a used component, such as speakers. This will reduce the initial cost. The same goes for the equalizer. The amplifier is a component which is better to be purchased with coverage of warranty and if the brand allows, extend the warranty. You can purchase the CD Player, and vinyl player later after purchasing these components since you can at least use your smartphone to test the sound.
