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Goodwill/SA/Thrift Store Discussions & Finds

PoppaSteve said:
SX-424, marked $19.99; green tagged merch was 50% off on Friday at the local Savers so it was ten bucks.

Couldn't get sound from it in the store, however it looks like the tape monitor button is stuck. That may be the only problem. But it sure looks in good shape, and if all else fails, it's easily $10 worth of parts and knobs.

Today I check out the Salivation Army store in Owatonna! I'm down here with the lad for a hockey tournament.
Click to expand...

Duh.

Um, it's an SX-434, not 424. I was looking up pictures on yahoo, and thought that the 424 doesn't look much like what I have... Then I looked more closely at mine, and saw my mistake.

At any rate, I replaced the fuses that were hidden under the bottom panel (surprise!) and it now sings like Caruso.

Really a very nice unit. I ran it all day into my Scott S-11 pair and the sound is exquisite.

And I never made it to the Sally Ann; it didn't appear to be open whenever I drove by it. And we also didn't do so hot in the hockey department either, for that matter.
 
I've posted about this find already, but I got a pair of Paradigm 7se Mk II speakers with stands from the local thrift for $75 yesterday. First time I've seen anything of this quality in audio there, but only been a handful of times. The odd thing is, I already had Paradigm speakers and went out hoping to find a pair to upgrade my system. What timing! The clerk told me she had a friend who told her he was waiting for them to drop to fifty bucks before buying; she said she told him that would never happen. I showed up next day.
 
I went back to get some ads 303-ax speakers after reading about them and they were gone:tears:......BUT in there place were some ESS AMT-5's !!!
They work well and await audition $49.99/pair.

Picked up a pair of Celestion ditton 110's without grills for $20.00....and been listening to these and the $40.00 Paradigm model 9se's on the $20.00 Kenwood KR-5200 all week:banana:
 
musichal said:
I've posted about this find already, but I got a pair of Paradigm 7se Mk II speakers with stands from the local thrift for $75 yesterday. First time I've seen anything of this quality in audio there, but only been a handful of times. The odd thing is, I already had Paradigm speakers and went out hoping to find a pair to upgrade my system. What timing! The clerk told me she had a friend who told her he was waiting for them to drop to fifty bucks before buying; she said she told him that would never happen. I showed up next day.
Click to expand...


Good find, Hal.... I paid twice that on ebay for a set a few years back when I was putting together my home theater setup and was determined to use real speakers and not little uninteresting satellites for my sides and rears. Very accurate with a wonderful depth. If I found a pair for $75 I'd sure jump!!
 
barebones said:
I went back to get some ads 303-ax speakers after reading about them and they were gone:tears:......BUT in there place were some ESS AMT-5's !!!
They work well and await audition $49.99/pair.

Picked up a pair of Celestion ditton 110's without grills for $20.00....and been listening to these and the $40.00 Paradigm model 9se's on the $20.00 Kenwood KR-5200 all week:banana:
Click to expand...

9se's for $40???? Some people just LIVE right!:tongue:
 
well, the NAD amp I picked up at GW that sounds in many ways better than my Onkyo M504..$12. I have learned they retailed for about $1400. Also, my JVC QL
y66f turntable, complete with moving coil cartridge (bad stylus) for $29 and change...you know, it seems like the guys around Portland and Seattle have the best assortment and luck...but I have no complaints...
 
$25.00 each for a Heathkit 5-band EQ, and a Rotel RT-500 tuner... the Rotel is in good shape, the Heath is near mint. Both from pawn shops.

kyrie
 
New to this, but I think these were good finds...

First garage sale I stopped at had a pair of EPI 100Vs, sticker said $40. I didn't know what they were at the time, but they were heavy, so I looked them up on the 'net and learned what they were. Picked them up for $5, had them re-foamed, and am listening to them now as my new home office speakers, driven by the Technics SA-101 I bought used in high school. I love them, not just because they sound great, but especially since they came from a garage sale and were cheap (in my book).
After that I was hooked on buying vintage stuff, and hit a couple thrift shops. The next week I found a set of Advent/1s for $5, they are being re-foamed and should be ready Saturday. Can't wait to hear them, too.
Then this week I picked up a Pioneer SX-950 and SG-9, along with an older JVC dual tape deck and some cheap Jensen 15" speakers for $75 from craigslist. Hoping to flip the speakers and cover most of my costs for this purchase, as I've blown my budget in my first month looking for vintage stuff.
But the vintage stuff sounds GREAT!!
Love reading about all your great finds, too.
Jeff
 
PoppaSteve said:
Just out of curiosity, what cheap Jensens are they? I had a pair of CS-315's that I swapped for a H/K 330B. They weren't bad speakers; plenty of bass. Just too big for the room they were in.
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Actually, they are CS-315s. One of them rattled when I first hooked them up, I removed and reinstalled the woofer and it's pretty tight now. But my little EPI 100s weigh more than these behemoths. Maybe they would be OK with some better cabinets? Not a speaker snob, here, just happen to have a couple pairs I like better than the Jensens and looking to "focus my collection", haha. They are competing with HPM-100s...
Later
Jeff
 
Yeah, I had/have plenty of speakers I like better.

But looking for info on the Jensens was what led me to this place, so I have a soft spot for them. (Although not soft enough to keep them!)

Enjoy your stay here.
 
I do not know if this falls outside the boundries of this thread, but I purchased a pair of Rogers LS7ts from a CraigsList seller about two or three weeks ago for $175. They sound fine to me, and I've been comparing them with their smaller LS3/5A brothers.
 
Do estate and yard sales count?
I've never had any luck at ANY of the thrifts around here, other than some vinyl and CDs. Everything must get 'pre-sorted' for special buyers.
 
PoppaSteve said:
Yeah, I had/have plenty of speakers I like better.

But looking for info on the Jensens was what led me to this place, so I have a soft spot for them. (Although not soft enough to keep them!)

Enjoy your stay here.
Click to expand...

Funny, looking for info on the EPI 100's I just picked up is what led me to AK, and I also have a soft spot for them. They seem to have reignited my interest (obsession?) with gear.

See you around
Jeff
 
Designdweeb said:
Do estate and yard sales count?
I've never had any luck at ANY of the thrifts around here, other than some vinyl and CDs. Everything must get 'pre-sorted' for special buyers.
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As far as I'm concerned I would think good finds from yard and estate sales should qualify as thrift store purchasing.... in lots of cases those two outlets are cheaper than any other!

I have the same problem (thus far) as you do. My local GW never seems to have anything on the shelves worth talking about. I spied an Optimus dual cassette deck there yesterday, but thats been the total finds I've seen of late, and while I am fond of music from pretty much any source, I don't have the heart to rekindle a relationship with the cassette medium.
 
Designdweeb said:
Do estate and yard sales count?
I've never had any luck at ANY of the thrifts around here, other than some vinyl and CDs. Everything must get 'pre-sorted' for special buyers.
Click to expand...

There certainly wouldn't be any harm(and probably a lot of interest and contributors)in starting a "Best Yard Sale Finds" thread.
It's also nice to be the first poster on a long-running thread,such as that would be. :scratch2: :thmbsp:
 
Best finds

I've found alot of good used equipment at the local GW thrift stores over the years.

Last week I scored a pair of Domus Mirage speakers for $45 for the pair in stone cold mint condition.

I scored a Harmon Kardon rack system from the same store for $25 that included:

T40 Turntable
HK68i Receiver
CD201 Cassette Deck
Original Rack

To this I added my EQ8 equalizer and my HT500 cd player to make the perfect early/mid eighty's Harmon Hardon system. I'm listening to it right now.


This summer I found a pair of Klipsh Heresy speakers at a church garage sale for $20. They are in perfect condition and come in the rare ebony finish. They were made in 1989.

5 years ago I bought a JVC QL Y66 turntable at a garage sale for $50.

Earlier this year I picked up a kenwood KT8004 tuner and KA8005 amplfier pair from a local thrift store for $75. They work perfectly.

Many more to list, and many that I've forgotten about I'm sure.
 
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