Thrift Store Find: iLive Mini Bookshelf Stereo

This little Bookshelf Stereo was made by iLive. They make affordable consumer electronics. Typically, you'll find mini stereos and boomboxes that cost less than $100. In the first store, this little stereo was selling for $30.

iLive Mini Bookshelf Stereo

It looks like the stereo real deal with a subwoofer and a pair of 4-ohm speakers. The drawback is that this unit was made for an old school iPod. While that socket might have been convenient at one time, it makes the unit look a bit dated now. More modern devices will have to use a Y-connector cable.

iLive Mini Bookshelf Stereo (front)

The speakers on this unit were pristine.  I'm sure that it has lots of life left in it as a bedrooom stereo in the right home.  It's a compact and sleek looking unit.

iLive Mini Bookshelf Stereo Speaker (grill removed)

I suspect that strength of this little stereo unit lies around the back.  It does have an auxiliary input (Aux Input) and it also has be inputs and outputs needed to be hooked into a video system.  While this truly isn't an audiophile system by any stretch of the imagination, it just might suffice in the average persons bedroom or office.

iLive Mini Bookshelf Stereo (Back)

There are plenty of small, inexpensive, bedroom systems on the market from companies like iLive or GPX.

Of course, many of these little low cost units have their issues. For example while this iLive unit looked good to me, some mini stereos have fake speaker units built in. You'll find that a tweeter or a mid-range driver is actually a non-functional piece of plastic included for "cosmetic" reasons. If you experience that kind of disappointment, a name-brand unit with a great reputation starts to make real sense.  Names like Onkyo, Sony, and Yamaha may be more expensive, but they are also more trusted by consumers.