Hi There from Dubai

[jmatawaran]

Hi Guys,

My name is Jet and I am currently living in Dubai but I am from the Philippines originally. I need some advice on what equipment should I buy, I am new to HIFI stuff. Basically, I want a tube amp, a decent mid range speakers and an Ipod dock. Technically, I can go with a fatman Itube however, I think for the price of the fatman i can get a more decent speakers and tube amp.. Please give me your views on this.. Thanks!

[Rodeodave]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!
Concerning the iTube stuff...the prices are very high, and I believe you can get something better for the money. If you're new to DIY, tube amplifiers might not be the best beginner's project since there are very high (lethal) DC voltages involved. An ipod dock can be built quite easily though (I believe), also a dedicated DAC would be a nice project. If not there are surely some projects involving a hacked commercially available dock.
Speaker choice depends on room size, desired listening volume and personal taste. And they should match the amplifier, and vice versa.

Best read a bit in the dedicated subforums and ask questions there.

And while you're building your new system look into FLAC as a file storage format, there are plugins for Apple products available. It certainly doesn't make sense to convert MP3s into FLAC, but when ripping a CD it's the format of choice.

Have fun and see you around!