Which Micro Stereo Systems Have Headphone Jacks?

 Do you want your new micro stereo to have a headphone jack?  You would think that every little bedroom or office stereo would have them as standard equipment.  But, not every mini stereo has headphone jacks.  For example, Sony makes some really cool mini stereo and micro stereo systems.  They have some that look like boom boxes on steroids and they have an angular design that looks very contemporary.  However, systems like the Sony MHCEC919iP 700 watt Music System don't have headphone jacks.  In a world filled with premium headphones from brands like Beats and Bose, it seems like every stereo should have a headphone jack.  If you are looking for micro stereo, here are four systems that definitely have a headphone jack!

Onkyo CS-445 CD Receiver System

The Onkyo CS-445 is a well-thought out micro stereo.  It has an 80 watt AM/FM receiver pumping 40 watts through two low resistance (4 ohm) speakers.  With Onkyo known for for making quality stereos, it's no surprise that total harmonic distortion: <0.05%.  But, today, everyone wants to know one thing:  does it support my phone?  According to Amazon.com, the Onkyo CS-445 is compatible with the iPhone (iPhone3GS, iPhone 3G, and iPhone), iPod touch (1st and 2nd Generations), iPod classic, and iPod nano (2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Generations).  It plays CD, CD-R, CD-RW, CD-audio, MP3, and WMA files.  The Mix Tape is now the Mix CD!  Finally, it has a headphone jack so that you can listen through your Beats headphones and rock while the rest of the world sleeps!



Yamaha MCR-232BL Micro Component System

Yamaha describes their MCR-232 series of Mini Systems as being "executive style."  It has a USB port to allow all digital devices to be plugged in and a built in iPod dock.  The USB port also allows a thumb drive to be plugged in so that you can enjoy WAV / FLAC (PCM format only), MP3 and WMA audio files.  This Yamaha fills a room with 20 watts per channel through 6 ohm speakers.  It has an AM/FM receiver.


Denon D-M39S Micro Component System

The Denon D-M39 is another highly rated Micro Component System. It has a dedicated earphone jack right on the front.  It has an FM only receiver, but supports 40 channel presets.



Sharp Mini Hi-Fi

Some Mini Systems come from component stereo ancestry and others evolve from the boom box.  The Sharp 240 watt mini system looks like it comes from the boom box end of the spectrum.  However, if you want to be able to listen to multiple-CDs, the Sharp 240 watt system has a 5 disc changer.  Most mini systems hold only one CD.   If you want to get old school with this system, you can also play cassettes!  If you want to be newfangled, the system includes an iPod/iPhone dock, a USB port, and an audio input.   This system has an AM/FM receiver.  The headphone jack is right on the front.

The Evolution of a Dirt Cheap Stereo

 How to Expand Your Dirt Cheap Stereo

When it comes to having a nice stereo in your home.  Cost doesn't have to hold you back.  I started the journey on this blog when I put together a $40 component stereo system.  While I've spent a little more on it now, I've remained true to the idea of keeping my component costs low.

When I put together a $40 component stereo from thrift shop components, it marked the beginning of a journey rather than an end. I started out with a basic Technics amplifier and tuner for $20 from a local Goodwill. I added a pair of inexpensive 50-watt Sharp mini-stereo speakers, and a cable to connect my Nook Color tablet to the receiver. I got very respectable sound for under $40. However, I immediately started to envision improvements.

If you've put together a similar dirt cheap stereo system, what kinds of additions, improvements, or expansions would make sense for you? Here are some of the additions I made and some suggestions for expanding your dirt cheap stereo.

Tape Deck. Thrift shops are literally awash in unloved tape decks. If you have a collection of music on cassette tapes, want to buy music cheap at thrift stores, or want to buy cutting edge music from cassette-only indie labels, a cassette deck might make sense for you. They often sell for $7 to $15 at thrift stores. I found a Technics Stereo Double Cassette Deck (Model RS-T16) at Goodwill for $15. Well preserved cassette decks may also be found on ebay.com or amazon.com. A few manufacturers still make new models. Cassettes are making a comeback. This old media offers analog music on the cheap.


CD player. A CD player offers an excellent way to bring very high quality music recordings to your stereo. Music on CD is not compressed like it is in the popular MP3 format. One of the first things I bought for my $40 stereo was a Sony 5-disc CD changer. It was $25 at Goodwill. It proved to be a mistake. You can't rely on a 20-year old piece of mechanical equipment. It played, but skipped from time to time and made horrible, clunky, noises when changing discs. On a shoestring budget, I should have spent $10 at a thrift store on a single disc player rather than a $25 changer. Instead, I bought a brand new Insignia brand 5-disc CD changer at Best Buy on sale for $80. I simply wanted to keep our discs in good condition.


Switch Box. In a world full of digital devices, your vintage stereo may not have enough inputs. If you get tired of swapping cables around, you can get a switch box that lets you select the input sent to your receiver. There are many models in the market ranging from $15 to $30. The TCC TC-716 Stereo Source Selector is affordable on Amazon.com.



Speakers. Finally, no accessory has more impact on the sound of your system than your speakers. You'll want to find stereo speakers that match the resistance rating of your receiver (8 ohms to 8 ohms). You also need to find speakers that are appropriate for your space. I'm currently experimenting with a set of Sharp speakers, a part of $11 Sony SS-D201 bookshelf speakers, and some Bose Acoustimass speakers that I've long had in storage. However, since I live in an apartment, I'm reluctant to attach Bose sub-woofer. That gives a slight advantage to the other 3-way bookshelf speakers. For your stereo, you can either experiment with thrift store finds or buy some decent new speakers for $50 to $100.

 

Music. While it is fun to play with stereo gear configurations, at some point, it is time to lock in the savings from buying dirt cheap gear and invest in some music. We've been delighted to find lots of great music on CD at Walmart and Best Buy for only $5 per disc. Thrift stores charge only a couple of dollars per disc. At these low prices, we don't have to hassle with online music stores, the cloud, slow internet download speeds, or any other high tech hassles. Now, we can simply load up some discs, dial in a radio station, or attach a streaming device, and enjoy some music.

If there are a few rules to follow in creating your own audio experience, they are build your own stereo system, don't worry about audio perfection, stop fussing with it, and crank it up!

Sources:
Amazon.com
BestBuy.com

Open Box Stereo Equipment Deals

Are you frustrated by the high cost of stereo equipment?  One low cost alternative is to look for open box specials at Best Buy.  Simply go to BestBuy.com and plug in zipcodes near you and look for the equipment you want on a store by store basis.  It's one way to get gear that you could not otherwise afford.  You can get low cost gear at even lower cost or to get high end equipment at low cost stereo prices.

If you are worried about the quality of open box gear, ask if you can buy an electronics protection plan for it.

Thrift Store Mini Stereo Systems for only $12.99!!!

The problem with Goodwill is that you can find something cool on every shopping trip.  You can even afford to buy it.  However, your home will never have enough space to hold every cool thing you find and can afford to buy.  That's why I passed on an awesome find last weekend.  One of our local Goodwill shops had mini stereo systems for only $12.99.  They had an Aiwa 3-disc changer unit with cassette and conventional speakers for only $12.99!  It even had RCA auxiliary inputs that would allow you to hook up another component (like a turntable or MP3 player).  I had to muster up quite a bit of internal fortitude to keep on walking.  The system was much like this one --

I've decided that I am either going to find a great and awesome receiver for a bedroom unit or I'm going to actually buy a totally new receiver or mini system.  But, still $12.99 is a great deal on a mini stereo.  That's a deal that makes me wonder if they are still there!

How I Built a Component Stereo for $40

My Dirt Cheap Stereo Using Components from Thrift Stores

This is the original system that started it all. I wanted a stereo and I didn't want to wait any more. I was determined to build it on the budget available.

Almost everyone would love to be a full-fledged audiophile and build a truly awesome stereo system with world class stereo components. But, that can be tough when you are on a very tight budget for hobby gear. However, that doesn't mean you can't have fun playing with stereo equipment. If you shop judiciously, you can put together a nice stereo on a shoestring budget. Here is how I put together my component stereo system for less than $40.



I donated my first component stereo to charity about a decade ago and, frankly, I've missed it. But, since I'm not on a free-spending bachelor budget anymore, I wanted to get back into stereo equipment without impacting our bottom line. My original plan was to buy a pair of used bookshelf speakers and a Lepai mini-amplifier from Amazon.com. It would have been a decent stereo for less than $50. Instead, I ended up with a full-sized stereo reciever, amplifier, and speakers for less than $40.



Speakers. Any audiophile will tell you that speakers form the core of a stereo system. I've seen some truly thunderous speakers at thrift stores from great brands like Fisher and Cerwin Vega, but, since I live in an apartment, I was looking for something that would be more of a nice bookshelf speaker. I visited an Atlanta area Goodwill store and found a pair of 40 watt Sharp Stereo Speakers for only $6.96. These speakers were engineered for a fairly powerful mini stereo they have bass ports, a driver, midrange speaker, and tweeter.


Amplifier. A second Goodwill run stifled my mini amplifier plan. I stumbled across a Technics SU-V76 amplifier for $12.91. It was an amp designed to be independent from the receiver. While some audiophiles will scoff at Technics, my first stereo was Technics and it delivered good performance for the money.

Receiver. Fortunately for me, an ST-S76 Technics receiver was stacked on top of the Amp and only cost $8.98. I cobbled both together with some nearby speakers and made sure they worked. After tapping it a few times, I was convinced that the system was solid and that I wouldn't lose a channel of speakers on the way home.

Sound Sources. For less than $30, the core of my system was established. However, the AM/FM tuner was my only sound source. I corrected that by connecting my existing Barnes & Noble Nook to the auxiliary input via an audio mini-jack to RCA connector conversion cable. I had previously bought a vintage Sony Discman portable CD player at a local Salvation Army Thrift Store for $5.99. I can also connect that to the amplifier via the conversion cable.

Sound Quality. The sound quality and the potential volume generated by this old school amplifier and speaker combination is astonishing. In truth, I can only crank the stereo dial up to two or three in fairness to our neighbors. It is more than capable of completely filling the room, the whole building, and perhaps the whole building. While true audiophiles might be appalled, I think these cast-off speakers deliver good sound and would outperform most entry level bookshelf speakers.

Next Steps. I've been debating whether to add a tape deck or vinyl record player to my project stereo. However, we don't have any vinyl records and we only have about two dozen cassettes. Nevertheless, cassette players are often available in thrift stores for around $10. Stereo Component CD players can often be found for similarly low prices. Although both components can be difficult to test at a thrift store. I've seldom seen record players at thrift stores probably due to their popularity, fragility, and mechanical complexity.

While I put together this dirt cheap system just to get a stereo again and to as a thrift store shopping challenge, it will serve as a good base for future expansion. If we like having a full-sized stereo again, we can slowly upgrade to more modern components or better speakers whether they are new or used. This stereo has room for some speakers by Definitive Technologies or a receiver by Marantz. But, the project has already been a success by making thrift store shopping even more fun.

The Cables You Need For A Vintage Stereo

The Cables You Need To Set Up An Old or Vintage Stereo

If you are going to buy any component stereo system, there are a few essential cables that you will need to hook your system up.

1. Speaker Wire.  To hook up traditional stereo speakers, you are going to need some speaker wire.  You don't need to spend too much on speaker wire.  You just need to buy enough to reach from your receiver to your speakers.

2. Stereo Cable.  You will need cables to connect your stereo components to your receiver.  There are many companies selling premium stereo cables.  But, unless you are an audiophile with superhuman ears and an incredible budget, traditional stereo cables will do nicely.

3.  FM Antenna.  Most stereo receivers come with a dipole antenna in the box. However, there is a good chance that any receiver from a thrift store or eBay will be missing an antenna.  If you are shopping from Goodwill, you can probably just grab the dipole antenna from another receiver.  Otherwise you can just order one here.  Dipole antennas are really cheap.

 

4.  AM Antenna.  An AM/FM stereo receiver usually comes with a loop antenna to receive AM signals. If yours doesn't have one or doesn't have a small AM antenna built in to the back of the receiver, then you may want to buy and AM Loop Antenna.  These are also really inexpensive.



5.  Device to RCA Adapter Cable.  If you want to connect modern devices such as tablets, computers, iPods, MP3 players, you'll need a cable that runs from the headphone jack of your device to the RCA Plugs of your stereo receiver.  Technically, it's a 3.5mm male to 2-male RCA adapter cable. 



Fortunately, all the basic cables you need to hook up your new, old, or vintage stereo are fairly inexpensive.  If you need more advanced help ask almost any forty to fifty year old American male or join a forum like audiokarma.org.

Personal Electronics Review: Sony MDR-XD100 Stereo Headphones

A Look at Inexpensive Stereo Headphones from Sony

 I've been using these Sony MDR-XD100 headphones since the spring of 2012.  They are still going strong.  Now, I primarily use them on our living room and bedroom stereo systems now.  Here is my original review --

On a Rite Aid run for a few household odds and ends, my wife and I came across a pair of Sony MDR-XD100 stereo headphones. Since they fit our limited budget and since our corner drugstore is the place to buy consumer electronics, we threw them in our cart. We weren't disappointed. For a mere $20 investment, Sony MDR-XD100 stereo headphones sound great.

Comfort. First, these full-sized stereo headphones are a vast improvement over uncomfortable earbud-style "in the ear", and Walkman-style "on the ear" ear phones that we had been using. I found that the padding was comfortable and completely enveloped my ears. The headphones were also adjustable to fit over my big brain comfortably. In an extended music session, they do make your ears a little warm. These headphones do not completely block out external sounds.

Build Quality. These Sony MDR-XD100 stereo headphones are inexpensive and they sometimes feel a bit delicate. If you throw these headphones around, they may not be able to take the damage. The urethane leather that covers the ear pads could also be thicker and more durable. The adjustable headband is made completely of plastic. Amazingly, the cord is 138-inches long so you can plug them in and move around a little bit. For casual use, these headphones should suffice.

Compatibility. My wife and I used the Sony MDR-XD100 headphones to play music on a wide variety of personal electronic devices. While they come with a large plug for a conventional stereo, a mini plug is plugged into the large plug. The mini plug allows the headphones to be used with laptops, portable CD players, and MP3 players. We tried them on a Gateway Laptop, an Acer Aspire, a Sony personal CD player, and a very small Craig MP3 player. The headphones worked on all of our devices.

Sound Quality. These headphones sounded good on all of our devices. However, I did have to turn my volume up to a much higher setting with my tiny MP3 player. In a couple of evening sessions listening to a wide variety of free music via my Amazon Cloudplayer, I found that the Sony MDR-XD100 stereo headphones reproduced sound quite well. These headphones are particularly effective on mid-range and high range sounds. While some Amazon reviewers didn't feel there was enough presence in the bass, I feel that these Sony headphones produce enough bass for casual listening without pounding on the eardrums.

Overall. Sony MDR-XD100 stereo headphones are a delightful product for around $20. While they might not be totally satisfying to audiophiles, they work very well for casual users and completely met our expectations.

Sources:
Personal Experience
Sony MDR-XD100 Product Packaging
Amazon.com

The Sony MDR-XD100 headphones have been replaced by Sony's new MDRZX100 line of headphones. We like those too. However, the new headphones are designed for devices, you will need to buy an extension cord if you want to use them with a component stereo system.
 

Stereo Component Review: Insignia 5-Disc CD Changer

We've spent about a year now with the Insignia 5-Disc CD Changer doing light CD playing duty on our home component stereo system.  It's still going strong and we still like it.  I'm reposting my original review here --

When the CD changer on your stereo goes whirrr, kathunk, kathunk, thunk, spin, thunk, kathunk, and totally ignores two of your five compact discs before starting to play music, it might just be time for a new CD player. There is a real risk that your old CD changer could even scratch or shatter your discs. My quest for a new CD player ended when I found the Insignia 5-disc CD and MP3 disc changer.


I started watching Amazon.com and Sunday Newspaper advertisements and soon came across a Best Buy insert. The Insignia 5-disc CD Changer (Model NS-CD512) was advertised for $79.99. It was an astonishingly low price. Even though CD players are considered old fashioned in a world of streaming Internet audio, I went and got my new CD player in a truly old school way. I got up and made sure that I was one of the first five people in the store on Sunday morning. I raced to the stereo aisle, found the CD player on display, and found a couple of boxed examples. Sure there was dust on the box, but I still felt like I had won the competition. Since online reviews were middling and disc changers are complex, I went ahead and bought a two year protection plan. With tax and the protection plan, I was out of the door for just than $100.

Installation of the Insignia NS-CD512 CD Changer was easy. I simply swapped out the clunky twenty year old Sony and plugged in the Insignia. I was impressed that the unit came with an RCA cable and batteries for the remote. The enclosed documentation and included setup diagrams were easy to read.

The Insignia CD player does a good job playing CDs. The sound is crisp and clear to my non-audiophile ears. However, this unit does not boast of oversampling or vibration protection or any other optional frills. A headphone jack is provide for direct listening. It is a basic disc changer and it does what it is intended to do at an attainable price point. It has an easy to use random play feature that can be activated for a single disc or the entire selection of five discs. Since the vast majority of my music is on CD, I haven't tried playing an MP3 disc on this unit.

As a basic entry-level five disc changer, this Insignia has two drawbacks. One it is a little slow when transitioning between discs and when responding to commands from the remote control. You can press the remote control and wait several seconds before the CD changer responds. The second drawback is the lack of "spiral play" functionality. In the nineties, I had a Technics player that would play the first song on each disc, then the second song on each disc, and so on. I don't see that spiral play feature on this CD player.

Overall, the Insignia CD five disc changer meets my needs at a very competitive price. If you watch Best Buy sale prices and shop carefully, you should be able to get the Insignia five disc CD changer and an entry-level stereo receiver for around $200. That makes this CD changer part of a very affordable way to get into a component stereo system.

In truth, I'm sure that there are many Multi-Disc CD Changers that would fit your needs. If you listen to pop, rock, or dance music, a multi-CD player is almost a necessity.

 

SA-222 Receiver Becomes A Redneck Amp

I was a little discouraged when I discovered a niggling problem with the quartz lock feature of my latest thrift store find: a Technics SA-222 Receiver. It got great reception in Mono, but no reception in stereo. It bothered me because the vintage Technics receiver has a small form factor, is easy to attach to speakers, and puts out the perfect amount of power for a bedroom system.  Fortunately, the miracle of the Y Cable Splitter gave me an idea!

However, as the old cliche goes, when life hands you lemons make lemonade. I came up with a solution that would make Jeff Foxworthy proud. He once joked that you might be a redneck if your good television sits on top of your old television. Well, I guess the same might go for stereo receivers. I set a simple GPX dorm room stereo on top of my Technics Receiver.

Redneck Stereo:  Technics SA-222 Receiver and GPX Micro System

  The GPX gets radio in stereo.  It also can get input from my record player.

Pardon my Dust

Pardon my dust.  You are going to see some construction on this blog.

As a writer, I've always used blogging as a way to complement my efforts on Yahoo Voices.  Over the past few years, it's been an easy way to get paid for my hobbyist writing endeavors.  But, soon Yahoo will be pulling the plug on Yahoo Voices and Yahoo Contributors Network.  As of July 31, 2014, links to YCN will no longer work.

What does that mean to this blog?  Instead of links to Yahoo articles, you'll find the whole article here.  It also means that I'm going to have to up my blogging game.  You'll want to see more and better articles here. 

In short, this blog is going to have to grow up and sustain itself.  It should be fun and it should be a challenge.  I'm looking forward to it.

Vinyl Tip #1: Tips on Buying Vinyl at the Thrift Store

Tip #1:  Don't buy every album you find at the Thrift Store.

Shaun Cassidy was once the idol of America's elementary school girls.  But, I wouldn't buy this album if Goodwill paid me!