Sunday, January 26, 2014

Battle of the Thrift Store Speakers: KLH versus Philips!

I recently popped by the thrift store and bought a pair of bookshelf speakers.  I was looking for something with a lower profile and a little more presence than the speakers that I had been using.  While I have big Cerwin-Vega VS100 speakers, I don't generally run them late in the evening.  Bookshelf speakers are my designated "quiet" speakers for playing at low to medium volume so that I don't disturb neighbors.

But, now, I have too many little speakers.  In our living room, there can only be one pair of bookshelf speakers and one pair of floor standing speakers.  Frankly I'm pushing my luck by having the bookshelf speakers so low profile and inconspicuous is good! 

I have to choose between KLH 9030 surround speakers and Philips MCM704D micro hifi speakers.  It's time for a dirt cheap speaker battle!

KLH9030 Surround Speaker and Philips MCM704D Micro Hi-Fi System Speaker
 The KLH9030 speakers are 8-Ohm speakers that were originally sold as part of a set with a sub-woofer.  I found them at Goodwill for $5.95 without the sub-woofer.  They have an attractive plastic cabinet and they have a woofer and a tweeter.  They are decent little speakers, but they seem to lack presence.  The KLH speakers are totally enclosed.

Behind the Grills:  KLH9030 Surround Speaker and Philips MCM704D Micro Hi-Fi System Speaker
 They are challenged by 8-Ohm bass reflex speakers that originally came from a Philips  MCM704D micro hifi-system.  These speakers are simply a 4-inch woofer in a box with a rear port.  But, the cabinets are actually wooden and they are quite a bit heaver than the KLH speakers.  The Philips speakers are not as tall as the KLH speakers, but have a deeper cabinet.  The port in the rear enhances bass response over an enclosed speaker system.

Tall vs. Deep


But, how do they sound?  On my full-sized Technics stereo, both sets of speakers sound pretty good to my untrained ear.  I think the Philips speakers have a little more presence than the KLH surround speakers.  Perhaps, the Philips speakers were designed as 2-channel stereo speakers from the outset and this gives them an advantage over speakers that were merely designed as rear surrounds.  The KLH speakers would sound better with a subwoofer.  Is this a fair and objective opinion?  Nope, but it is what you can get at the thrift store for less than $10.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

How Good Are Your Ears? How Good Are Your Headphones?

I found this link on an interesting thread over on the audiokarma.org discussion board.  It lets you test your headphones.  As an aside, it also helps test your ears.  You might be surprised to find that you can't hear some of the higher frequencies.  Your high frequency hearing deteriorates over time.

http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php

The obvious next question:  Why pay for what you can't hear?

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Thrift Store Stereo: Vintage Randix SCR-710 Boom Box

I recently spent a little time with a cool looking boombox at Goodwill.  It is a Randix SCR-710 with an AM/FM radio, tape deck and a couple of speakers.  It sounded pretty good as a radio and I almost bought it, but the tape deck was barely audible and not in stereo.

 I really liked the look of this boombox because it was all white and it sounded very strong.  Here you can see all the db level lights turning red.  That has to be good!




Randix was a brand created by First Idea Corporation.  You can read about their history here:  Randix.  Here is a video about a Randix boom box.


Sunday, January 5, 2014

Panasonic RE-7700 at Night

Why are vintage stereo systems so appealing?  Is it sound quality?  Is it sound warmth?  Perhaps, but I think it may be that they own the night.  Vintage stereos light up a room and know how to party.  Consider these night and lowlight pictures of my Panasonic RE-7700.

Panasonic RE-7700 At Night

Panasonic RE-7700 in Dim Light
It may only be 9 watts per channel of power, but it does get you excited about AM/FM radio!

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Denon at a Discount

If you didn't get your perfect stereo setup for Christmas, you might have a chance now.  I just learned that Denon has sells factory refurbished models directly at a discount! Check them out here - Denon Refurbished Products

By Norbert Schnitzler (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
Here's how you can kick off the new year with a kickin' Denon stereo system from Amazon.com:

Denon Stereo Equipment