HOME ENTERTAINMENT : BUYERS : Holiday Buyers’ Guide: Tailor CD Player to System

Things to remember when you’re buying a CD player this holiday season:

First and foremost, spending more money doesn’t mean you get perceptibly better sound or a more reliable machine. More money does mean higher-quality parts, such as a more substantial motor and internal features that enhance sound--though the fine-tuning is well beyond the perception of most people.

In a sound test, most folks couldn’t tell the difference between a $150 machine and one that costs $300--even though the more expensive machine delivers more detailed sound.

Spending at the higher end of the $150-$300 range, however, does buy fancier remotes and features that make taping easier. And moving up into the $300-$500 range gets you a machine that plays scratched and dirty CDs better and that is more resistant to bumps.

Decide whether you want a single-disc machine or a multiple-disc player, which allow you to play hours of uninterrupted music. Multiple-disc players dominate the market.

Now, $100 buys an adequate single-CD player. Even the inexpensive units feature the basics--such as instant access to tracks, easy programmability and remote control. For $200, you get a very good single-CD player.

Multiple-disc players in the $150-$300 range are just fine. There are two kinds, magazine (box-like) and carousel (circular disc), which stack CDs differently. Carousel changers are the biggest sellers, probably because they’re easier to load. Also, according to audio experts, they are less likely to break down with frequent use than the magazine style.

It’s important to know something about the stereo system of the person for whom you’re buying so you can fit the CD player to the system. For a low-end stereo system--in the $400-$500 range--a $200-$300 CD machine is too elaborate. Nor should you add a $100 CD player to a $1,000 stereo system.

As for specific brands, you get varying opinions according to the price range. A sampling of audio experts and servicemen turned up recommendations for the Pioneer PD-203 single-play model, which sells for about $135, the Pioneer PD-M703 magazine changer (about $220), the Yamaha CDC-645 carousel changer (about $265) and any Sony carousel changer.

VCR Buying Hints: Salesmen say it’s surprising how many VCR buyers don’t realize a basic fact about stereo VCRs: The stereo sound is not inherent in the machines. In other words, you don’t get stereo sound by hooking up a stereo VCR to just any source. It has to be connected to a stereo TV or a stereo system.

Carefully check out the remote control when buying a low-end ($150-$200) machine. It may not have enough controls to suit your needs. You may have to buy a more expensive machine to get a remote with more features.

Consider that whoever is getting the VCR as a present may want a VCR Plus--a system that simplifies taping--now a feature on some machines in the $225-$300 range. For those still intimidated by on-screen programming, this is a good alternative. Remember, though, because of the parameters of the VCR Plus systems in some machines, what can be recorded may be limited on TVs with a cable box.

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Newt’s Pick: Incoming House Speaker Newt Gingrich recently said that people should rent the 1938 drama “Boys Town”--starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney--to get a sense of orphanage care. That’s what many are doing. Suddenly this vintage tear-jerker (MGM/UA, $20) is the hottest classic around.

A spot check of stores around the country indicated that the movie is renting briskly. A clerk in a Los Angeles Blockbuster outlet, which had no copies available, said this was the first time it had been rented in six months.

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Special Interest: If you want to know how Joan Collins, who’s in her 50s, stays trim and pretty, she explains it on “Joan Collins: Secrets of Fitness and Beauty,” which comes out Jan. 3, when the post-holiday fitness craze gets under way. Though it’s being promoted as a video for women of all ages and fitness levels, its strongest appeal will be to middle-aged women trying to look as glamorous as Collins. From Forum Home Video, at $15.

“Death Valley Memories” is an absorbing documentary that uses interviews, stills and grainy old films to chronicle the rugged life in Death Valley in the first half of the century. The most intriguing part is the anecdotes about the bizarre effects of the extreme heat. From Flashpoint Films, $35, (310) 578-1112.

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What’s New on Video: “Maverick” (Warner): A film version of the ‘50s comedy/Western TV series that starred James Garner. In this one, Mel Gibson plays the lead role as the charming, rascally gambler, who’s traveling with an equally conniving card shark (Jodie Foster) and a marshal played by--in a clever casting move--Garner. Directed by Richard Donner, this movie is about their adventures on the way to the climatic high-stakes poker game. Basically lighthearted fun, though it does drag in spots.

“Call Northside 777” (FoxVideo, 1948): A gripping nail-biter of a mystery/drama about a reporter (James Stewart) searching for cop killers 11 years after the murder. He’s convinced that the two prisoners convicted of the crime are innocent. Richard Conte co-stars as one of the convicts.