Vintage Speaker Encounter: Sansui S-330 Floorstanding Speakers

One thing about vintage stereo gear that always interests me is the history of various brands.  Some brands are simply legendary.  One of those legendary audio brands was Sansui.  It was one of those brands that Marines always seemed to get when they were stationed in Okinawa.  In college, I went to party where the Marines on our campus had filled a wall with huge, huge, stereo speakers.  While my memory is fuzzy now, I'll bet some of those speakers were Sansui speakers like these Sansui S-330 floorstanding speakers that I recently encountered at an Atlanta area thrift store.

 I thought that these were super powerful speakers, but according to the guys on Audiokarma, Sansui S-330 speakers are just 50 watt speakers.  However, they are efficient and put out great sound.  They have a dynamic range of 40hz to 20Khz.  There are many dedicated Sansui collectors and sometimes used Sansui equipment commands high prices.
 

These big honking speakers are definitely space hogs.  But, they would certainly add interest to any vintage stereo system.

If you are looking for a powerful alternative in 2025, Cerwin-Vega stll makes SL-15 Speakers! You can check out a pair of Cerwin-Vega SL-15 here on Amazon!

Cerwin Vega SL-15 Speakers (Amazon photo)

They aren't cheap, but there's no dust, mold, or surprises with these speakers either.

Cheap Earbuds Review: JBL E15 In-Ear Headphones

For the past few weeks, I've been using a set of new JBL E15 earbuds.  As a dirt cheap audio enthusiast, I always want the big audio names even if I am on a tight budget.  These earbuds retail for about $40 on the JBL website.  However, I was able to get them for around $20 at my local Ross store.

JBL E15 Earbuds (on Amazon)

JBL E15 Construction

The E15 ear buds come in a variety of colors (mine are bright blue) and have a tangle-free braided cord that leads from the 3.5 mm input to the split where traditional wires lead to each ear.   The overall length is 4 feet. The earphones themselves have molded plastic bodies and silicone tips.  They ship with a spring-closed synthetic leather pouch and small, medium, and large tips.  The construction of these earphones seems good to me.

JBL E15 Specifications

JBL E15 In-ear headphones have 8.6 mm drivers.  They deliver a frequency response of 20hz to 20khz.  They have 16 Ohms of impedance.

JBL E15 Use

I found the medium tips to be perfectly comfortable for extended wear.  I used these earphones on two three hour cross country Delta flights with their in-flight entertainment system and found them comfortable.  I listened to several genres of music including jazz, classical, blues, and rock and found their performance to be just great.  I also watch television and movie programming and enjoyed both with these earphones.  I have also used the E15's with my Samsung Galaxy phone and found them to offer excellent sound quality including good bass.

The only problem I have had with these earbuds is with the pouch.  I momentarily lost my grip on the spring-loaded pouch while getting ready to stow my earphones after a flight and the pouch shot across the airliner cabin to be lost for all eternity.  I literally did not see how far is flew.  The pouch literally disappeared from my hands in the blink of an eye.  I looked for it in adjacent seats but it was gone.  As I had a meeting to attend, I couldn't delay for an extended search.  I suspect it may have jumped into hyperspace.

I can't say that these in-ear headphones offer sound performance that exceeds other earbuds in this general price category.  At some point, earbuds are earbuds.  However, I do like the braided tangle-free cord and overall construction.  These seem good to me.

JBL E15 Overall Recommendation

 

I recommend JBL E15 earbuds as a solid value from a well-known brand.  They offer excellent performance for the price.  You can find them here on Amazon.

Thrift Store Find: Definitive Technologies Pro Monitor 1000 Bookshelf Speakers

It's not every night that you find high end audiophile speakers at a thrift store.  But, on one recent night, I found a pair of Definitive Technologies Pro Monitor 1000 Bookshelf Speakers for $6.96 apiece at a local thrift store.

After a quick peak under the speaker grills revealed that the foam surrounds appeared to be in perfect condition, I snapped them up.  New, the speakers would have been $219 each according to Crutchfield.  But, for $14 and tax, the thrift store gave me a chance to be a full fledged audiophile!

Of course, there are some minor caveats to my thrift store find.  First, in the listening room of a 6500 square foot mansion with a big gate and stone lions, the Definitive Technologies speaker cabinets would be a perfect piano-finish ebony.  In my local thrift store, the speaker cabinets had lots of little scratches.  Perhaps the installer messed them up?  Fortunately, the blemishes are of no consequence in my hovel.  In the manor, the speakers would ideally be matched with a subwoofer, a center channel speaker, and a couple more bookshelf speakers as part of an exquisite surround system that would allow some busy executive to find inner peace in his office or listening room.  I don't know about all that.  But, in our spare bedroom/home office, the speakers instantly displaced those B652 speakers I wrote about in my last post.

My initial impressions are the they sound great for bookshelf speakers!  I don't know that I am enough of an audiophile to use words like rich and full, etc.  However, these speakers reproduce sound well and sound wonderful to my ear.  Like most bookshelf speakers, these do give up some on the bass end of the spectrum.  The frequency response is rated as 47 hz to 30 Mhz.  These do provide better performance on the higher end than most similar speakers.  Overall, these speakers are excellent.  For less than $15, these speakers were an incredible find.  You can also find them at current new prices on Amazon here.

Speaker Review: Dayton Audio B652 Bookshelf Speakers

I found a pair of Dayton Audio B652 bookshelf speakers at a thrift store about a year ago.  Since I had heard that these speakers were revered in the world of dirt cheap audio, I immediately picked them up.

Dayton Audio B652 Speaker Description

These are very basic bookshelf speakers.  They are basic black vinyl laminate boxes with removable cloth grills.  The speaker enclosures are not ported.  These compact speakers stand just under a foot tall.  According to Amazon the exact dimensions are 11-13/16-Inch (H) x 7-1/16-Inch (W) x 6-7/16-Inch (D).  They have a keyhole hanger on the back to make them easy to hang on the wall.  The speakers are made in China.

Dayton Audio B652 Bookshelf Speaker Specifications

According to the back plate on these speakers, the recommended amplifier power is 5 to 40 watts and the speakers are built for 8 Ohms impedance and provide a frequency response 70hz to 20khz.

The current Amazon description claims the following specifications:
Power handling: 40 watts RMS/75 watts max ; Impedance: 6 ohms ; Frequency response: 70-20,000 Hz ; Sensitivity: 87 dB 1W/1m 

Dayton Audio B652 General Impressions

These are basic bookshelf speakers and they sound o.k.  While they received mostly great reviews online, I don't really see what the big fuss was about.  They don't provide much bass.  For music, I generally use my much larger and more powerful speakers.  However, I find these speakers great for listening to talk radio during the day and in the evening when I don't want to generate any bass that might disturb neighbors late at night.

Since these speakers are only $30 for the pair new (in 2018), they are a dirt cheap audio bargain and they'll get your stereo system started.  However, in a world gone to bluetooth and earbuds, there are lots of great speakers available second hand in thrift stores and on ebay for similar prices.  Certainly you can start out with these and keep your eyes open for better.  

[In 2024, you can find Dayton Audio B652 Speakers here on Amazon.]

Vintage Audio Sighting: GE Console Record Player

When I was growing up, my parents had a Hi-Fi console with record player inside.  It wasn't particularly fancy.  It didn't have a radio and it was tall and narrow.  In the mid-1970s, my grandparent's bought themselves a large stereo console for their living room.  My grandfather was tone deaf and played very little music, but he liked gadgets and was proud to have the latest greatest.  It was a beautiful and substantial piece of living room furniture that could be covered with magazines, fancy plates, and grandma's little porcelain statues of birds.

Today, whenever I run across a console stereo, I have to take a picture of it.  As my current stereo with big black speakers is banished to the guest room, I can also see the practicality of a living room stereo console.  In the 1960s and 1970s, men got their gadgets and women got their beautiful furniture.  I recently spotted this console stereo in a local consignment store priced at $150.

Hi Fi Record Player Console

The turn table and arm appear to be made of steel or aluminum and have a sturdy 1950s or 1960s look to them.  One reader comment suggest that it may date back to the 1940s.  I have no idea if this system works, but it looks really cool.

Someone's grandfather was proud to know that their stereo console came equipment with the latest and greatest General Electric sound technology.

The controls are metal and exude class for sure.  They look like they've been waiting to entertain someone for a long time.

Is that felt or moss on the turntable?

Will you be playing a 10-inch or 12-inch vinyl record today?

I think someone did a good job refinishing this piece before consigning it.  It will be a great addition to a hipster home somewhere.

Speaker Encounter: DCM KX-12 Speakers

This weekend I ran into a pair of DCM KX-12 Speakers at a thrift store. These speakers are 250 watt monster floor standing speakers.  These 3-way speakers have a frequency range of 25 Hz to 20Khz.  Originally, they sold for $400, but Goodwill wanted $89.

Seeking old reviews and opinions, it looks like most listeners agree these speakers are great for bass heavy rock and rap, but not so much for more delicate music.  Rockers are enthusiastic in their reviews.  If I had a bigger space and a more powerful stereo, I'd be tempted to give them a try.  But, instead, I had to be a mature adult and walk away.  Curses . . .

Vintage Hi-Fi Sighting: Philco Console Hi Fi

I recently spotted this vintage Philco Hi Fi at one of my local thrift stores.  It was made by Philco and offers AM-FM radio and a turntable for vinyl records.

Philco Hi Fi Console

I don't know much about these consoles. When you pull down the door for the record player, hidden pulleys and strings present the record player for easy access.

These vintage hi fi sets use tubes rather than transistors.  I'm sure that this one would be an interesting project for a collector.  This was probably made in the 1940s or 1950s.  I would imagine lots of wiring would have to be replace and the circuitry would need to be cleaned.  Perhaps some of the tubes would need to be replaced as well.

Notice that this Hi-Fi unit sends its signal to one large forward facing speaker in the bottom.  You might also note that the AM band is labeled "Standard Broadcast."  FM radio became popular in the late 1950s and 1960s.

The final historic touch to this old Hi Fi is the dusty Joan Baez album on the turntable.  Overall, I'm sure that in the right hands, this old Hi Fi unit will be a great project and provide fun for years.
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To create a console look with your own modern stereo components, check out this Crosley Media Center Console. It can house a record player, stereo components, and hold up to 75 records.

Crosley Media Console (Amazon Photo)

You don't have to wreck an antique with a poorly executed interior refit. You can just get a modern piece of furniture designed for today's stereo components. You can get this one here from my affiliate link on Amazon!