Music may or may not be the food of love, but most Harvard students can't live without it.

Almost every suite on campus is home to some kind of hi-fi equipment, be it a boom box, a walkman (with or without speakers) or an elaborate stereo complete with the audio industry's hottest-selling gadget, the compact disc (cd) player.

Upperclass rooms typically have one stereo in the common room, and most house residents have also invested in boom boxes or walkmen with speakers for their bedrooms.

The Quincy House suite of Phil E. Ross '88 is fairly typical. "There are eight of us, with two common rooms. We have two major stereo systems and about 15 walk men between us. I also have a jam box that I use in my room if I don't want to listen to what's playing in the common room," he says.

Freshmen, on the other hand, are more likely to have either several stereos in a room or none at all, because they didn't figure out which roommate would bring what equipment prior to Freshman Week.

Walk This Way

And almost all Harvard students have walk-men, no matter what they have in their rooms. Walkmen, which retail from $20 to $150, are probably the biggest sellers among students, say managers at several local sterco stores.

In terms of music in the suite, however, students who don't want to plunk down substantial amounts of cash for a stereo invest in a boom box rather than oversize speakers for a walkman. Discount Records, on John F. Kennedy St., sells 10 to 15 walkman speaker sets a week versus 20 boom boxes. And walkman speakers are becoming more popular, says Patrick S. Pezzati, the store's assistant manager.

Although boom boxes and walkmen with speakers do give a similar sound, the box's portability makes it more popular with students. "A box is a good way to get a group together for a study party outside," says Cathy M. Dale '90. The Matthews Hall resident took advantage of yesterday's sunny weather to use her box in Harvard Yard for just that purpose.

When buying stereo equipment, most students tend to invest in one item at a time, says Peter W. Saltsman, a salesman at Tweeter, Etc. 102 Mt. Auburn St. However, Radio Shack, at 28 JFK St., does a healthy business in rack systems which include an amplifier, turntable, cassette deck, and speakers all stacked together in a cabinet for about $600.

You Spin Me Round

Of individual stereo components, compact disc players have grabbed a permanent share of the college market in the four years since they've been introduced. Tweeter, Etc. in Harvard Square sells three times as many compact disc players as turntables, shop managers say.

At Radio Shack, compact disc players, which retail for $200 to $249, are among the fastest selling items. "They're the best game in town," says salesman Todd M. Foley.

But the high cost of both the discs and the players convinces many students to stick with traditional turntables and cassette decks.

"You can get a great turntable for $300, but that's just the beginning of what you could pay for a cd player," says Saltzman.