Thrift Store Stereo: Pioneer XR-P560F Bookshelf Stereo System

I ran across an interesting bookshelf stereo system the other day in my local thrift store.  It's a Pioneer XR-P560F Bookshelf Stereo System.  The system features a CD Changer that holds up to 25 CDs.

While we all live in a quiet world of earbuds and solitude, systems like these once gave everyone some serious stereo power in a compact package.  This system was $62 at my local thrift store.  The challenge would be to find one with a working CD player.  A 25-disc changer seems a bit dicey.

Of course, more modern systems offer things like Bluetooth and NFC connectivity.

Vintage Speaker Encounter: Sansui S-330 Floorstanding Speakers

One thing about vintage stereo gear that always interests me is the history of various brands.  Some brands are simply legendary.  One of those legendary audio brands was Sansui.  It was one of those brands that Marines always seemed to get when they were stationed in Okinawa.  In college, I went to party where the Marines on our campus had filled a wall with huge, huge, stereo speakers.  While my memory is fuzzy now, I'll bet some of those speakers were Sansui speakers like these Sansui S-330 floorstanding speakers that I recently encountered at an Atlanta area thrift store.

 I thought that these were super powerful speakers, but according to the guys on Audiokarma, Sansui S-330 speakers are just 50 watt speakers.  However, they are efficient and put out great sound.  They have a dynamic range of 40hz to 20Khz.  There are many dedicated Sansui collectors and sometimes used Sansui equipment commands high prices.
 

These big honking speakers are definitely space hogs.  But, they would certainly add interest to any vintage stereo system.

Cheap Earbuds Review: JBL E15 In-Ear Headphones

For the past few weeks, I've been using a set of new JBL E15 earbuds.  As a dirt cheap audio enthusiast, I always want the big audio names even if I am on a tight budget.  These earbuds retail for about $40 on the JBL website.  However, I was able to get them for around $20 at my local Ross store.

JBL E15 Earbuds (on Amazon)

JBL E15 Construction

The E15 ear buds come in a variety of colors (mine are bright blue) and have a tangle-free braided cord that leads from the 3.5 mm input to the split where traditional wires lead to each ear.   The overall length is 4 feet. The earphones themselves have molded plastic bodies and silicone tips.  They ship with a spring-closed synthetic leather pouch and small, medium, and large tips.  The construction of these earphones seems good to me.

JBL E15 Specifications

JBL E15 In-ear headphones have 8.6 mm drivers.  They deliver a frequency response of 20hz to 20khz.  They have 16 Ohms of impedance.

JBL E15 Use

I found the medium tips to be perfectly comfortable for extended wear.  I used these earphones on two three hour cross country Delta flights with their in-flight entertainment system and found them comfortable.  I listened to several genres of music including jazz, classical, blues, and rock and found their performance to be just great.  I also watch television and movie programming and enjoyed both with these earphones.  I have also used the E15's with my Samsung Galaxy phone and found them to offer excellent sound quality including good bass.

The only problem I have had with these earbuds is with the pouch.  I momentarily lost my grip on the spring-loaded pouch while getting ready to stow my earphones after a flight and the pouch shot across the airliner cabin to be lost for all eternity.  I literally did not see how far is flew.  The pouch literally disappeared from my hands in the blink of an eye.  I looked for it in adjacent seats but it was gone.  As I had a meeting to attend, I couldn't delay for an extended search.  I suspect it may have jumped into hyperspace.

I can't say that these in-ear headphones offer sound performance that exceeds other earbuds in this general price category.  At some point, earbuds are earbuds.  However, I do like the braided tangle-free cord and overall construction.  These seem good to me.

JBL E15 Overall Recommendation

 

I recommend JBL E15 earbuds as a solid value from a well-known brand.  They offer excellent performance for the price.  You can find them here on Amazon.