Battle of the Thrift Store Speakers: KLH versus Philips!

I recently popped by the thrift store and bought a pair of bookshelf speakers.  I was looking for something with a lower profile and a little more presence than the speakers that I had been using.  While I have big Cerwin-Vega VS100 speakers, I don't generally run them late in the evening.  Bookshelf speakers are my designated "quiet" speakers for playing at low to medium volume so that I don't disturb neighbors.

But, now, I have too many little speakers.  In our living room, there can only be one pair of bookshelf speakers and one pair of floor standing speakers.  Frankly I'm pushing my luck by having the bookshelf speakers so low profile and inconspicuous is good! 

I have to choose between KLH 9030 surround speakers and Philips MCM704D micro hifi speakers.  It's time for a dirt cheap speaker battle!

KLH9030 Surround Speaker and Philips MCM704D Micro Hi-Fi System Speaker

 The KLH9030 speakers are 8-Ohm speakers that were originally sold as part of a set with a sub-woofer.  I found them at Goodwill for $5.95 without the sub-woofer.  They have an attractive plastic cabinet and they have a woofer and a tweeter.  They are decent little speakers, but they seem to lack presence.  The KLH speakers are totally enclosed.

Behind the Grills:  KLH9030 Surround Speaker and Philips MCM704D Micro Hi-Fi System Speaker

 They are challenged by 8-Ohm bass reflex speakers that originally came from a Philips  MCM704D micro hifi-system.  These speakers are simply a 4-inch woofer in a box with a rear port.  But, the cabinets are actually wooden and they are quite a bit heaver than the KLH speakers.  The Philips speakers are not as tall as the KLH speakers, but have a deeper cabinet.  The port in the rear enhances bass response over an enclosed speaker system.

Tall vs. Deep

But, how do they sound?  On my full-sized Technics stereo, both sets of speakers sound pretty good to my untrained ear.  I think the Philips speakers have a little more presence than the KLH surround speakers.  Perhaps, the Philips speakers were designed as 2-channel stereo speakers from the outset and this gives them an advantage over speakers that were merely designed as rear surrounds.  The KLH speakers would sound better with a subwoofer.  Is this a fair and objective opinion?  Nope, but it is what you can get at the thrift store for less than $10.

How Good Are Your Ears? How Good Are Your Headphones?

I found this link on an interesting thread over on the audiokarma.org discussion board.  It lets you test your headphones.  As an aside, it also helps test your ears.  You might be surprised to find that you can't hear some of the higher frequencies.  Your high frequency hearing deteriorates over time.

http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php

The obvious next question:  Why pay for what you can't hear?

Thrift Store Stereo: Vintage Randix SCR-710 Boom Box

I recently spent a little time with a cool looking boombox at Goodwill.  It is a Randix SCR-710 with an AM/FM radio, tape deck and a couple of speakers.  It sounded pretty good as a radio and I almost bought it, but the tape deck was barely audible and not in stereo.

 I really liked the look of this boombox because it was all white and it sounded very strong.  Here you can see all the db level lights turning red.  That has to be good!

Randix was a brand created by First Idea Corporation.  You can read about their history here:  Randix.  Here is a video about a Randix boom box.

Panasonic RE-7700 at Night

Why are vintage stereo systems so appealing?  Is it sound quality?  Is it sound warmth?  Perhaps, but I think it may be that they own the night.  Vintage stereos light up a room and know how to party.  Consider these night and lowlight pictures of my Panasonic RE-7700.

Panasonic RE-7700 At Night

Panasonic RE-7700 in Dim Light

It may only be 9 watts per channel of power, but it does get you excited about AM/FM radio!

Denon at a Discount

If you didn't get your perfect stereo setup for Christmas, you might have a chance now.  I just learned that Denon has sells factory refurbished models directly at a discount! Check them out here - Denon Refurbished Products

By Norbert Schnitzler (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

Here's how you can kick off the new year with a kickin' Denon stereo system from Amazon.com:

Denon Stereo Equipment

Thrift Store Stereo: Panasonic RE-7700 AM/FM Receiver

I recently brought another vintage stereo component home from the Thrift Store.  This one is a Panasonic RE-7700 AM/FM Receiver.  You can manually tune the receiver or press and auto-tune button that will let the receiver go lock in on a station.  The unit can be hooked to external antennas, but I'm finding that the internal FM antenna works really well.

Panasonic RE-7700 AM/FM Receiver

Here is a vintage advertisement for this circa 1969 Panasonic stereo.  It's an entry level unit that is for sure.  But, it pulls in my local classic rock station really well and it sounds pretty good using headphones.

Panasonic RE-7700 Advertisement

 The only hitch is that this stereo requires 16-ohm speakers and is probably good for about 9 watts per channel.  That should be just fine for a bedroom unit.  But, I'll have to scrounge up some suitable speakers from a thrift store or online auction.  Of course, when you only pay $7.87 for a stereo receiver, there is no reason to overpay for suitable speakers.

Panasonic RE-7700 Stereo Receiver

Here is some readable ad copy for this Panasonic RE-7700 Receiver.  I love the way that this receiver lights up the room at night.

I'll post a night time picture of this stereo soon!  For now, it's just a great find for less than $10!  To learn more I've started a thread on the AudioKarma discussion board.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=564839

Finishing Up My Super Cheap Thrift Store Stereo

Today, I put the finishing touches on my super-cheap stereo.  First, I moved my stereo to a dedicated shelving unit.  We originally bought a really nice stereo cabinet for $599 and had it delivered from one of the major furniture chains.  Unfortunately, it arrived with some significant scratches and dings.  With steam coming from our ears, we had them take the expensive unit away.  It didn't look much better than assemble-it-yourself furniture from Target.  We weren't impressed by the value for the money and we certainly don't need any more bills.

Instead, we opted to use an unfinished utility shelving unit ("Gorm") that we bought a couple of years ago from Ikea.  Friday night, I went out and bought a couple extra shelves for it to space the components a little better.   The "Gorm" was originally $39.99 and the two shelves were $15 total.   Since the shelving unit is made of fairlly soft pine, I was able to tack the antennas into the back beams of the unit where they can't be seen.  Overall, we feel that the unfinished wood helps give the room a lighter, airier, feel.

Gorm Shelving Unit as a Stereo Cabinet

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00058519/

I'm also done agonizing over speakers.  We initially didn't want to have more than 2 speakers so I opted to stick with the big Cerwin-Vega VS-100 floor standing speakers.  They were thrift store specials, but they sound good and they have presence in spades!

Cerwin-Vega VS-100

We also agreed to get Pyle Home PCB3BK 3-Inch 100-Watt Mini Cube Bookshelf Speakers - Pair (Black).  These 3-inch cube speakers are inexpensive and very small.  They wouldn't be audiophiles speakers at all.  But, we figured we could listen to music at low volumes in the evenings without worrying about disturbing the neighbors.


However, on Saturday night, I came across a pair of small KLH rear surround speakers for $5.95 at Goodwill.  They are very small and I can put them on the shelving unit and use them to help hide stray wires.  They are apparently 60 watt speakers with the typical lack of bass found in most bookshelf units.  We're going to give them a try before ordering anything new.


I also added an headphone extension and an RCA Y-cable so that I can use my tablet (Barnes & Noble Nook) to stream music.  The amplifier, tuner, and tape deck are all from Goodwill.  The Insignia - 5-Disc CD Changer   was on sale from Best Buy.  Overall, the system looks good, sounds good, and didn't cost much.