Thrift Store Stereo Review: Sony Boombox Stereo [CFD-Z130]

Since we were planning a move, we paired down the amount of stereo equipment in our apartment.  We packed away our best speakers and sold old speakers that weren't needed.  But, after all that, we renewed our lease after all and found ourselves in a pretty quiet apartment.  I decided to change that by investing all of $8.88 in this little portable stereo boombox.  It's model CFD-Z130 and it comes with a top loading single disc CD player, a manually tuned AM/FM receiver, and detachable speakers.

Sony Boombox Stereo (Model CFD-Z130)

It's a small 20 Watt system that could even run on batteries in a pinch.  But, it makes for a good little bedroom system.  The tape deck doesn't work, but that is no great loss as we no longer have any cassette tapes.  The biggest drawback is that it doesn't have an external input for a phone.  Hence, the $9 price tag.  However, the CD player runs like a champ and the speakers sound good.  Looking through the grills, the speakers appear to be in great shape.

Overall, this system is a typical Goodwill Stereo find.  Since it is a Sony, I expect it to be a basically competent little system. I've got to clean it up a bit, but I generally expect it to last for awhile and provide a basic little stereo for a bedroom.

[Note:  After a few days, I noticed a slight buzz from this unit when the unit was off.  I'm not sure what the buzz was, but I suspect it was some sort of short.  In the interest of fire safety, I disposed of this piece of gear and replaced it with an inexpensive Marantz stereo unit.


For something a little more upscale, I'd consider the Philips Bluetooth Stereo System since it is a 60 Watt system with Bluetooth.

Thrift Store Finds at Christmas Time

I guess it would be considered rude to give a gift from Goodwill for Christmas.  That's a shame.  Sometimes a bit of retro technology will fit the bill perfectly. 

For example, one of our relatives needs a stereo--actually a CD player.  It needs to replace a Bose Wave radio with CD player.  However, a Bose Wave radio is not in our gift budget.  It also has to be simple to operate.

Today. I saw a Sony boom box that sounded quite nice.  But, a ten year old boom box would probably not be well received.  Besides, at higher volumes the sound got somewhat distorted.  That might be a problem in my relative's cavernous living room.

Alternatively, a perhaps better, I could get an actual stereo receiver for about $40, a CD player for about $10, and two speakers for about $20.  A used stereo would really  offer room filling sound and fit the budget.

But. for now, we will keep on shopping until we find the perfect gift that can come in a shiny new box.  I think a more powerful boombox like the Sony MHCEC619iP 120 Watts Music System might fit the bill.