Which Sony Hi Fi to buy

Hi all
I was thinking of getting myself a new Sony hi fi midi system and had settled on the Sony CMT-CPZ1. This has all the features I need . Auto reverse tape deck, tuner , and CD with mp3 playback . It looks good too , but the problem is that , when I auditioned the system , I felt it had very little power . Although it stated 150 w ( 2 x 75 pc ) it certainly did not sound like it . I know these figures are only a rough guide but I certainly thought it would out muscle my existing Sony ( a 35 wpc unit ) but alas it is not nearly as powerful . I also heard that Sony are now volume/ output limiting their amps as of last year. I know they do this with their portable devices , but their full size systems ??? Can anyone help me with any info on this please ? , a decision to buy awaits. Also can anyone recommend a similar system with the above features if indeed, Sony are now doing this with all their new equipment . Thanks anyone .

[Spangle2k5]

Your issue with the device not sounding "powerful" could be for any one of a number of reasons, ranging from the quality of the amplifier stages power supply to the sensitivity of the speakers. I would be very surprised if Sony in any way limited the volume of its midi systems, but I suppose you never know!

There is a lot that manufacturers can get away with when quoting an amplifiers power output, a midi system claiming to output 50wpc would probably get blown away by a properly built hifi amp claiming 35wpc.

The advice most people in your situation would receive on this forum (and I am an advocate of this) would be to spend the money (£160 or so?) on used hifi seperates. You could get a used amp and cd player of reasonable quality and some decent used Mission speakers which should outdo the Sony quite nicely when it comes to music. A used tape deck could be added as could a tuner (I got mine for 99p!).

You would lose out on the MP3 playback, but with the required cable a portable device could be connected to the amp and played over your loudspeakers.

Just a thought :-)