[kentamcolin]

Last time I checked I'm still a guy. Asked my wife and she agreed, adding "too much a guy." That hurt

Actually if you read most of the posts there is a bit of assumption that something cool is probably more important than "best sounding". While this is certainly not true of all females, we don't have the term WAF for nothing. Fortunately, cool, or attractive, and good sound can be found in the same gear. I've never heard a female say anything negative about Tivoli radios, but I battle with my wife anytime there is tube gear anywhere within sight from the main floor.

 

[DarkAngel]

No one is saying girls can't appreciate good sound.........back to question at hand there are no great sounding under $300 mini stereo systems, best to just get the coolest looking one and live with the mediocre sound till something more substantial can be purchased, here is example of what I am referring to with backlit CDP for $215:

System

 

[HiWire]

If you're up to the task, you can look around locally or on ebay for quality used components to put a system together in your price range. The sound quality and price would be a lot better, but you'd have to sweat for it. Since I'm no audiophile, I can't name names

Make sure your sister appreciates the effort you spend.