Good sound comes at a price. Maybe not as crazy as this rig, but expensive none-the-less and not just in terms of $$$. Space is also a valuable commodity in (most of) our homes, especially in common areas like the kitchen, living room and bedrooms.

If you’re looking to move music into these “secondary” rooms, my first inclination is to recommend a multiroom system (there’s certainly plenty to choose from). Control4, Crestron, Russound, even Sonos are all great examples of putting music anywhere you want it. However, even the cheapest of these solutions can cost several paychecks once you get rolling.

A more practical route, imho, is the trusty bookshelf/tabletop stereo. Not only do they cost far less than the above configs, they’re also significantly more flexible when it comes to moving and upgrading. True, you won’t get an audiophile level of sound, but for their size and price, you can come remarkably close.

Today’s deal is a great representative for this bang-for-buck class - the SoundWorks Radio/CD 745i from Cambridge SoundWorks. Packed with a 2.1 speaker design, the 745i includes a built-in powered subwoofer driven by a frequency-contoured amplifier. It plays CDs, MP3/WMA-encoded CD-ROM, and anything you’ve packed on your iPod via the included external dock. 24 station presets let you quickly find what’s good on the AM/FM tuners which, by the way, support the display of RDS™ [Radio Data Service] text. There’s also a bonus AUX port which, if you’re creative, can allow for some slick streaming action via an Apple Airport Express… or so I’m told ;)

Other niceties include a credit card sized remote, dual alarms, several snooze and sleep options, stereo/wide/mono sound modes, built-in backup battery, and a magnetic shielded case so as not to bungle your neighboring TV.

If you’re looking (or asking) for a great Father’s Day gift, this is one of the better deals I’ve seen given the whopping 50% price cut.

Sale price: $199.99

Deal ends: n/a

Buy now: www.cambridgesoundworks.com