I need suggestions for a minisystem.

I second the vote for the Denon; IMO for the money, the combo. with the little Mission speakers is very hard to beat. I have purchased the DM-30's for kids and inlaws--gets them a taste of what "high-end" can mean, in contrast to the "boom box" sound of similarly priced combinations.

I bought the single player Denon (the M30 I think) for my wife over a year ago for our small family room and we have been very pleased. It has been trouble free and sounds decent for what it is. If I am not mistaken I have seen this system being advertised on Ebay NIB for both $229 and $249.

I bought a NAD L-40 demo unit for my teenage son, replacing some mass-market equipment. Even with inexpensive speakers, it sounds great. Upgrading the speakers and cables will doubtless make it sound even better. I have nothing adverse to say about Denon equipment, but if you can afford the NAD L40 or the NAD Music System I think you'll like it. It's not really in the same category as most items marketed as "minisystems." It's basically a high quality mid-fi integrated amplifier, tuner, and CD player all built into a single standard-size case. You'll probably be very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the sound which comes out of it.

I own the Denon DM-50 and the transport drawer quit working after 3 months. In addition, when it was working the sonic character was very flat and pale. Maybe lifeless is a better word. I decided not to get it fixed since the sound quality was relatively poor from my point of view. Today I just use its tuner which is half way decent.

The speakers that come with this unit, Mission MS-50, are also decent. Smooth sounding and musical. Decent clarity also. These comments apply only when driven by another amplifier though.

I have listened to the Linn Classik and liked it quite a bit more. I mean quite a bit. But, it does cost much more than the Denon. Still, my advice would be to skip the vacation this year and go with the Classik. Its a safe buy. Add that little Acoustic Energy Aego speaker system and you will have a near full range high end system that will fit in a Jansport back pack. Now what could be better!

Tivoli audio has a mini system consisting of their stereo radio, subwoofer and cd player. The late Henry Kloss designed their components. The cabinets are of real wood. I own the table radio and am very pleased with it. For more imfo look at their website. www.tivoliaudio.com.