Buyers Guides > Audio

Futureproofing Your System

Technology moves too fast. That state-of-the-art computer you bought a couple of years ago now seems to operate with all the speed of a snail on Valium, probably can't run some of the latest software, is incapable of being upgraded and will soon be fit only for that graveyard in the attic.

Things aren't quite so bad in the hi-fi industry - and certainly don't move as fast - but with a raft of new sources on entertainment, from DVD to DAB, and from higher-quality CD to rewritable discs, we're already getting a feeling that panic's setting in. Will that new CD player, amp or whatever you're about to buy be obsolete in a few years? Will it even last that long?

Buy with care and you'll have no problems. If you buy a CD player it makes sense to ensure it has a digital output: optical will do, but electrical connections sound better. These will enable you to hook up a digital recorder, such as a MiniDisc deck or a CD-RW machine, or to upgrade the player with an offboard digital-to-analogue converter.

Talking of these digital-to-analogue converters, it's sensible to ensure that the one you buy has sufficient digital inputs. You might only want to hook up your CD player now, but later you might want to connect a digital radio receiver, the sound output from your digital TV receiver, or maybe even one of those digital recorders.

So a DAC capable of accepting all these inputs, operating at the various digital sampling frequencies they use - 32kHz, 44.1kHz and 48kHz - and perhaps even having an output for a digital recorder, will save a lot of plugging and unplugging. It'll even let you plug all those sources into one input on your amp, by acting as a digital switching centre.

Talking of amp inputs, ensure the amplifier you buy has all the flexibility you need now, and are likely to need in the future. Four or five line inputs are handy, as is at least a couple of tape loops, preferably with a separate tape monitoring switch. This makes hooking up a Dolby Pro-Logic processor much easier: the unit plugs in like a tape deck, and is switched in and out of circuit using the monitor button.

Also useful are preamp-level outputs, controlled by the volume knob. These will let you add a power amp later, either for biamping suitable speakers or simply to give you more power.

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