Vintage Audio Sighting: Aiwa XR-MS3

It was the start if a familiar story.  I saw her sitting there on a thrift store shelf.  Her speaker cabinets were a shiny ebony that reflected the universe around her.  

 

I imagined what the speakers themselves like and gently removed the covers.  There were no flaws, no blemishes, and not even a trace of dust.  She was an Aiwa XR-MS3 Micro Music System.

 

For only $11, she would be a handsome addition to my collection.  I took her to a place of prominence where she could plug in.  She fired up easily and I found her controls easy to understand.

I found a disused Dixie Chick CD laying on a shelf nearby.  

I fed it into the vertical CD slot and with a little fumbling, the Aiwa played beautifully.  Then I switched to radio.  She gamely hunted for a station, but no antenna.  I found a cassette tape and popped it into the top-mounted cassette player.  

It would not play or wind the tape in either direction.  Next, I peered deep into the fan port in the back and realized that I could not see the fan spinning.

 

Finally, I remembered Sony system that died on my table.  I sighed.  I could not go through that pain again.  I kept my $11 and walked away.  It was a sweet looking little system and might have worked well for the radio, CD, and auxiliary input. 

Aiwa Exos 5 Wireless Speaker (Amazon Photo)

If the bug strikes again, I might think about the Aiwa Exos 5 Wireless Speaker with Bluetooth and 20 watts per channel output. The Aiwa Exos 5 is available here on Amazon.

Vintage Audio Sighting: Aiwa CX-NAJ14 Digital Audio System

I recently spotted with Aiwa CX-NAJ14 Digital Audio system for only $20 on the shelves of a local thrift store.  It's a nice unit with a CD player, dual cassette, and AM/FM radio receiver.  Aiwa was known for very solid quality and good sound.  For a great Gizmodo article on the Aiwa, check out this article:  Aiwa:  The Almost Great Audio Company.

A system like this brings a lot of stereo into a small space.  You've got to test it thoroughly at the thrift store.  But, if it works, you've got something good!

I've recently learned that the Aiwa brand was recently bought by one of Sony's suppliers and will be returning to the market with a variety of new premium products. [As of 2024, you can find some nice looking products from Aiwa on Amazon.]

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!