Considering Fisher STV-753 Speakers

A couple of weeks ago, I ran across a pair of Fisher STV-753 speakers at a consignment shop (Revive Consignment).  They were in nearly perfect condition with only a few minor scuffs on the cabinets.  The speakers themselves looked practically new.  I almost bought them.  But, another set of huge speakers is the last thing I need to bring into our apartment.

Fisher STV-753 Speaker in Great Shape

The Fisher STV-753 is a 3-way, 100 watt, 8-ohm floorstanding  speaker.  According to the folks over on AudioKarma.org, Fisher speakers don't have much value to collectors.   Fisher made great products in the fifties and sixties. But. They were sold to Emerson and then to Sanyo beginning in 1969. By the time Fisher made the STV speakers they were merely a shadow of a once great hi-fi company.

However, if you are buying cheap speakers at a thrift store or garage sale and you aren't an audiophile, old Fisher speakers might be just fine for you.  It all depends on the condition of the speakers.  Dirt cheap is a virtue on this blog. I was pained to pass on the Fisher speakers I saw.  But, with my Cerwin-Vega speakers meeting my needs, I had to leave them for someone else.  I hope they sound as good as they look!

Vinyl Tip #2: Things to Check Before Buying A Vinyl Record at the Thrift Store

Make sure you examine each prospective vinyl record before making a purchase.

1. Free of deep scratches and gouges.
2. Not cracked.
3. Not warped.

Photo By CEphoto, Uwe Aranas (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I recently bought a Frank Sinatra double-album.  It sounds o.k., but it is really warped.  The needle on my phonograph looks like a surfer on a big wave in Hawaii!  The tone arm really moves up and down!

Photo By Jeff Rowley [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Buying a Thrift Store DVD Player

Are you thinking about buying a DVD player from your local thrift store?  I recently bought a beautiful Marantz DV-4600 DVD player.  It's a sleek, stereo component quality, DVD player.  But, I forgot one vital component;  the remote control.  Most thrift store DVD players don't come with remotes.  Now, I need to buy a remote control for the one I have.  After looking on Amazon, I'm going to try a universal remote from Philips.

If you are thinking about buying a used DVD player, don't forget to buy one with a remote. Otherwise, how will you access all those bonus features on a modern DVD?

Dirt Cheap Headphones: Sakar iConcepts Headphones with Comfort Cushions

As I write this, I'm listening to music on some seriously cheap headphones.  I bought some Sakar iConcepts Headphones with Comfort Cushions from the dollar bins by the front doors of our local Target store.  They cost all of $5.

iConcepts Headphones by Sakar

Here's an important secret:  They actually sound pretty good!

Sound. I've just got them plugged into my laptop and I'm listening to an eclectic selection of free music that I downloaded from Amazon.com over the years.  The little headphones have played everything from "F*** you! I'm famous!" by Dead on TV to the guitar world beat of  "I Ka Barra" of Habib Koite and Bamada.  Sound seemed to be reproduced accurately.  When the volume was cranked up, these headphones got pretty loud.  However, they didn't seem to be deafening. Are these headphones as good as Beats or Bose or Sennheiser headphones?  Absolutely not.  But, they sound pretty good to me.

Cable Length. These inexpensive headphones have a short fabric-wrapped cable.  It is about four feet long, but that is sufficient for listening to personal devices.

Plug Compatibility. These headphones have a standard 3.5mm mail plug that fits standard earphone jacks on devices such as personal computers, MP3 players, and phones.  You would need a cable extension and conversion plug to fit a standard 1/4-inch stereo headphone jack on a component stereo.


Comfort.  The Sakar headphones are on-the-ear headphones with well-padded ear cups.  They are fairly comfortable once adjusted on the ear properly. 

Construction.  Obviously construction quality is the weakest point in a set of $5 headphones.  The wires connecting the speakers are quite thin and you wonder if the fabric-clad wire that connects the headphones to your device will hold up.  While the headphones fold up like more expensive models, the frame is also of wire that is thinner than a coat hanger.  These headphone would likely be deformed if they were dropped, sat on, or subjected to any abuse.  In addition, the synthetic leather on the ear cups is rather thin.  After a couple of days of light use, I noticed that one of the cups will rattle when you shake it.

Wire Construction on iConcepts Headphones

Nevertheless, I'm confident that these Sakar iConcepts Headphones will last for a few months and will be sufficient for light duty use at work.  I can leave them in my desk without worrying that they will be stolen and they will sound better than cheap ear buds from a transistor radio.  For only $5, these earphones are certainly well within the dirt cheap audio price range and they work.

[As I return to this review years later, I'd note that we no longer have these headphones.  They lasted a few months and we discarded them.  A basic pair of Sony headphones would probably be a wiser purchase.]

Great Deal on Polk Audio T15 Bookshelf Speakers at BestBuy!

In this week's Sunday AJC, Best Buy was advertising Polk Audio T15 Bookshelf speakers for $59.98 a pair.   That's a great price for brand new speakers from a respected maker like Polk Audio.  According to the Best Buy website, they are 8 ohm speakers that can handle from 20 to 100 watts of power.  They have a frequency range of 60hz to 24 kHz. You can see them from other sellers here on Amazon:


But, if you are in the market for bookshelf speakers, this would be the week to get to Best Buy!

How to Buy a Thrift Store Stereo

Saving Money with Used Stereo Equipment

The world of stereo systems has changed dramatically. In the seventies, eighties, and nineties, the purchase of a component stereo system was almost a rite of passage. But, today, media is far more likely to be played from an MP3 player, smartphone, tablet, or computer than a traditional stereo. That means many perfectly good stereos and receivers make their way to thrift stores. If you have an abundance of CD's, vinyl albums, and cassettes, you may find some wonderful stereo systems at your local thrift store for very affordable prices.

Potential Savings. How much can you save by buying a used system from a thrift store? Complete mini-stereo systems can typically be found for less than $40. Component systems typically run $30 to $50 for the receiver and $8 to $15 for each additional component. Nice speakers can be had for $50 or less per pair. At one of my local Goodwill shops really nice complete working systems are sometimes displayed for about $100. Prices can vary widely around country. New component systems would typically cost $120 and up for a receiver and about $100 for each additional component on the low end. The sky is the limit on the high end. If you can put together a working system from thrift store components, you can expect to save at least $200. If you buy a used bookshelf system, you can expect to save $30 to $100 over the new price of a similar system.

A Vintage Panasonic Receiver

Bookshelf Systems. I have actually had better luck with bookshelf stereo systems than component systems. My best buy was an XR-MG9 Aiwa bookshelf stereo for $35. With 50 Watt speakers, it had plenty of power for an apartment and it delivered great sound. I donated it prior to a cross-country move and now have a $25 Magnavox MAS85/17 bookshelf system with a three CD changer and cassette deck. It's a great little system for an apartment or bedroom, but it has no provision for auxiliary inputs like a turntable, computer, or MP3 player. I also have a $12 JVC mini-stereo with an unreliable CD player that I use as a radio on my desk at work. If the cleaning staff walks off with it, I won't be out any real money.

Miida 3140 - Thrift Store Stereo

Component Systems. I haven't had much luck with component systems. Thrift stores have plenty of stereo components to choose from, but I failed to thoroughly test the components that I bought. I bought two 1970s vintage receivers. One was a Miida 3140 for $40 and the other was a Fisher 295 for $13. The Miida sounded great in the thrift store and was powering some wonderful Fisher and Bose speakers. However, when I got home, I found that one stereo channel was intermittent. Sometimes the left channel would cut out and I would have to nudge the receiver. The Fisher was super cheap, but seemed to power a speaker at the shop. However, it has some knobs missing and delivers extremely faint and distorted sound. That's what you get for $13. However, there were plenty of stereo receivers of more recent vintage that cost around $50. Tape decks can be had for as little as $7. Multi-CD changes are generally less than $30. The key is to test any purchase adequately and assume any vintage system is potentially fragile.


Testing. If you see a stereo system that you like at a thrift store, you need to try your best to test it before you buy. Many thrift stores don't allow any returns. Fortunately, most electronic sections have power strips built into the fixtures. If you find something you like, plug it in and try it out. Get a CD and a cassette from the music section. If you can find some speakers, hook them up. Nudge the system to see if it keeps working. You might be well advised to bring some earphones or ear buds and an mini-earphone to full-sized stereo earphone adapter plug. You might bring a mini-earphone adapter to RCA Y-Adapter and an MP3 player to see if a stereo receiver can take an auxiliary input and deliver sound. Most thrift store stereos don't come with remote controls. Make sure that you can use all the features manually without a remote. If you test a system and it works in the store, you can walk out with a wonderful bargain!

Repairs. Stereos should be repaired by qualified technicians. Stereo receivers contain capacitors that can carry a powerful electric charge even when the system is unplugged. In short, amateur repairs can kill you. That being said, there are plenty of books and online forums about stereo and electronic repairs. Audiokarma.org is one of the best stereo and vintage stereo forums. Just be warned, be trained, and be careful when attempting repairs. If you don't know what you are doing, find a stereo repair shop or just buy another inexpensive component. Shopping won't kill you.
There are some great stereo buys in the thrift stores today. It can be a lot of fun and very rewarding to successfully hunt them down and bring them home!

[Copyright L Spain.  Originally published August 13, 2013, on Yahoo Voices! ]

Adding Auxiliary Connections to a Stereo

In a world full of music playing tech gadgets, it's not surprising that people might want to add additional auxiliary inputs for a home stereo system.

Fortunately, you don't need to pull out a soldering iron to add new auxiliary inputs to your stereo. You can simply invest in a switch box and appropriate cables.

How to Stream Music Through an Old Stereo System

Teaching a Vintage Hi-Fi or Boombox New Tricks

For many years, I was perplexed by a great mystery: how do you connect a computer to a stereo? As technology progressed, the question became: how do I connect my MP3 player to a stereo? Now, the question has become: how do I connect my Nook Color tablet to an old stereo? Fortunately, the answer is easy. Here is how to connect nearly any personal music playing electronic device to a stereo.

Nearly every personal electronic device has a jack for earbuds or walkman-style earphones. You can generally take advantage of that jack to port your outpit ovet to external speakers, a boombox, or a stereo. While some modern compact stereos make it easy to plug in an external sound source, vintage systems weren't designed with the idea that all of your favorite music might be stored on your phone. However, many were designed to accomodate auxiliary sound sources like reel-to-reel tape decks, phonographs, eight tracks, and the like.

To stream music through an old stereo, you have two basic options:

1. RCA Adapter.Real stereo systems use RCA jacks to get sound from external sources. You'll want to get what Microcenter calls "3.5mm Male Stereo Plug to Dual RCA Male Plugs." It's a cable that runs from you earphone jack and splits into two male plugs that plug into the back of your stereo. This cable is only $7.99 at Microcenter.com. However, you should be able to get it at your local Best Buy or Radio Shack. Plug the RCA plugs into the AUX jacks, select your sound source as AUX and start playing your music on your device. You can also order the cable you need from Amazon.com right here:

2. Audio Cassette Adapter. If you have an old compact or bookshelf stereo, there
may not be any provision for an external sound source. Many lower end systems and boom boxes were closed sysems. In these cases, you may want to try streaming your tunes via an audio cassette adapter. I recently bought one at my local RiteAid Pharmacy. The iEssentials Audio Cassette Adapter that I bought fits into a tape deck like a conventional audio cassette, but a cable runs out of the back and connects to your device.

I was amazed to see how simple it was to pipe music from my Barnes and Noble Nook through my older bookshelf stereo. There's no reason to kick a nice vintage stereo system to the curb. It can still play good music in a very twenty-first century way.