"SPRING" Thrift Store Finds....

[icenine]

Klh-model 17

Today I found a pair of beat up Model 17s at the local Salvation Armu.....bought both for $35.95 (it was 50% off day)...they sound fantastic...they had some Pioneer Speakers (model
CS-31a or a31) with molded gold plastic grills on them. Also a pair of Marantz CS-825s are there with this yellow overload light below the grills. I got lucky with the KLHs......don't know anything about the other speakers I mentioned




Sansui 7070
Akai AP-D2
Akai GX635d, GX630d, Sony TC-399,Pioneer 701
Sony SCD CE595
Bose 901 Series II
Klipsch Synergy B3
KLH Model 17s

 

[atrac]

Saw a pair of GIANT Optimus-7 Speakers (Catalog No. 40-2021). Two two of them side by side looks like an old cabinet radio/turntable system. The Thrift Store wanted $39.50 each. Had to pass -- no way to test them. Also, there was no way to remove the grills, so it was impossible to tell what condition the drivers were.

Stolen off the web:

"Here's what the 1974 Radio shack catalog says about the Realistic Optimus-7...
"The Finest Sounding Speaker System We've Ever Offered--It's The One For Real Listening Luxury!

"Perfectionist Designed" For Studio-Quality Sound!

Your fine audio components really deserve the best and here it is! Listen to your favorite music with a presence and depth you've never heard before.The 12" high-compliance woofer is teamed with a 6 1/2" midrange and 2 1/2" tweeter for "live performance" realism.There's a bass boost and cut switch for precise sound "tailoring" to your room;midrange and high-frequency controls too.The rich walnut cabinet and lattice work grille add style to any decor.Phono jack or screw terminals for easy hookup.Floor size cabinet.Lifetime Guarantee!

20-25,000 hz response
Fine Furniture Oiled Walnut Wood Enclosure--Looks Sharp!
Stylish Grill Lattice Work!
Midrange and Tweeter Controls!
Bass Boost and Cut Switch!
Full Floor Size Cabinet!

$198.50 each Get it on Credit! Dimensions 27 1/8 x 24 x 15 3/4."

 

[Cogsinister]

Saw a pair of GIANT Optimus-7 Speakers (Catalog No. 40-2021). Two two of them side by side looks like an old cabinet radio/turntable system. The Thrift Store wanted $39.50 each. Had to pass -- no way to test them. Also, there was no way to remove the grills, so it was impossible to tell what condition the drivers were.

Stolen off the web:

"Here's what the 1974 Radio shack catalog says about the Realistic Optimus-7...
"The Finest Sounding Speaker System We've Ever Offered--It's The One For Real Listening Luxury!

"Perfectionist Designed" For Studio-Quality Sound!

Your fine audio components really deserve the best and here it is! Listen to your favorite music with a presence and depth you've never heard before.The 12" high-compliance woofer is teamed with a 6 1/2" midrange and 2 1/2" tweeter for "live performance" realism.There's a bass boost and cut switch for precise sound "tailoring" to your room;midrange and high-frequency controls too.The rich walnut cabinet and lattice work grille add style to any decor.Phono jack or screw terminals for easy hookup.Floor size cabinet.Lifetime Guarantee!

20-25,000 hz response
Fine Furniture Oiled Walnut Wood Enclosure--Looks Sharp!
Stylish Grill Lattice Work!
Midrange and Tweeter Controls!
Bass Boost and Cut Switch!
Full Floor Size Cabinet!

$198.50 each Get it on Credit! Dimensions 27 1/8 x 24 x 15 3/4."

I dont think i would be paying 40 bucks each for those as well...........

 

[isaeagle4031]

This is my first post here. I knew I wasn't alone in these type of scouring adventures, but did not realize how many there are like me.:thmbsp:

Recent finds are a technics surround receiver ($10), Peavey 7channel powered mixer (free), Adcom amp (free, 1 ch out), Ramsa power amp (free, 1ch out), Alesis amp (free), Pair of KLH 3 way towers (water damaged $5/pair), Bose 301's ($10/pair), and an older Kenwood componet setup courtesy of a brother that wants my older Pioneer Dolby digital receiver.

I have also had some other great finds, but don't remeber them all. My garage/shop tends to be a whos who of parts it seems. Nothing fantastic, but not all junk either.

Speaking of junk, while I knew that the bose were somewhat cheaply made, I am actually surprised at the quality of the 301's. The 8" woofer is running full-range, the pair of cone tweets has a single cap and a padding resistor, and the fiber-fill was very loose to say the least. Worth the $10, but not much more than that in my book.

My old 10" 2-way Advents sound much nicer than the bose, but the bose are smaller hence fit my garage much better.

 

[atrac]

What brands do you guys usually see the most of in terms of speakers? I can't tell you how many Fisher and Aiwa speakers I see (and pass on). The Aiwa ones are always left overs from shelf systems. And dang it WHY did Fisher feel the need to permanently attach (via glue or screw) the grill cover to the cabinet!?!?

Also - orphan speakers. SO annoying. I asked at one store about them and the guy said a lot of times they get separated at the distribution center. He said they rarely are donated that way.

I also can't tell you how many times I've grabbed a speaker to examine it and it feels like it's coated with dry syrup. (Mental note...buy handi-wipes for the car!)

Does the parking suck at your local Thrift Stores as much as it does around here?

And believe me, I could go on and on....but I don't want to sound too much like Adam Carolla.

 

[Van_Isle]

Energy 22 Pro

Local VV has a pair of Energy Pro 22's, in walnut vinyl, with the stitched rubber inverted surrounds and the silver-ringed NRC tweeters. $130 (Can). The cabinets are pretty rough*. Grills and logos are there. They are slowly getting destroyed sitting in the store. So far 1 dust cap on a woofer pushed in and the same for dome on 1 tweeter ... may be able to pop both out again.

* actually those speakers would be a super-simple wood veneer project as the fronts are just painted black - there is no vinyl wrapped around on the front, so you would only have to do the top/btm and sides.

.... as you can see with the comments I am making .... I am tempted, but as I have said before, that would be a "stand by for birth of cow by wife" event.

 

[OLDisGOLD]

Last weekends haul were some I think rare Sony SS-TL5's a Sansui 7000 receiver and a Akai M9 RTR. I thought the M9 was tubed when I got it, didn't notice till I got home it was solid state oh well works and sounds great. Also the Sony's are going to need to be refinished somebody looks like they stained over the original oak with something darker.

That's red oak stain on the speakers. That's the same stain I used when I refinished my 70 year old oak floors. Don't know if that was an option with the Sonys. From the pic, it does look like someone done it themselves. (A bit blotchy in spots)

 

[Van_Isle]

.... What brands do you guys usually see the most of in terms of speakers?


.... I also can't tell you how many times I've grabbed a speaker to examine it and it feels like it's coated with dry syrup. (Mental note...buy handi-wipes for the car!)

.... Does the parking suck at your local Thrift Stores as much as it does around here?

I have edited your quote to respond ....

1. still see quite a few Yorx, Lloyds, Sears and just plain no-name on the box (they are getting scarcer as the 70's / 80's all-in-ones get cleared out of mom & dad's knotty-pine basement rec-room.

Aiwa, Fischer, yes ... fair bit of sony, Kenwood (man there is a lot of BPC-based Kenwood out there!), some Pioneer, Sanyo, Hitachi and the lower-end Radio-shack stuff + various package-deal speakers.

And let us not forget the teeny-tiny surround-sound "theater-in-a-box" stuff that is flooding in, when the DVD player gives up the ghost in that 500 to 1000W all-in-one wonder that went with them! Usually silver plastic and are a wide variety of brands from Sony to Samsung to Curtis to Durabrand.

On the better side, I have seen quite a few pair of Mission, better Radio-shack offerings, Paradigm, KEF, Advent, Sansui.

2. I think that is from "dusting" of the vinyl-clad speakers with Pledge, etc.? I have asked before on AK but not got an answer (have to do another search) if there is a way to de-sticky them.

3. Depends. 2 of the 3 Sally-Anne's I drop by suck but one of those has a Value Village down the street which isn't too bad depending on time of day (usually can get into 90-min free parking). The 3rd SA is in a strip mall - no problem. There is a local place in my town that has parking behind and a Bibles for Missions that usually has free on-street parking (usually not much there but I did pick up an Advent woofer and a few good records there once).

 

[atrac]

More orphans! Saw a single DCM CX-17 for $10. Too many orphans now so I had to pass on it (which really was quite painful to do).

 

[Harvey/ Ga]

More orphans! Saw a single DCM CX-17 for $10. Too many orphans now so I had to pass on it (which really was quite painful to do).

I picked up a pristine Infinity Qe orphan at a local GW for $7.99 a week ago. Went back several times, but the other was not there.:tears:

 

[PioneerGuy75]

They are slowly getting destroyed sitting in the store. So far 1 dust cap on a woofer pushed in and the same for dome on 1 tweeter ... may be able to pop both out again.

Cant tell you how many pairs of speakers that see the "nipple fetish" of getting the dust caps poked in.

Saw small pair of small 4" bookshelf JBL's today with dead foams and they wanted $30 EACH

Maybe another day...........

 

[GarethJones]

hey van isle, i went and bought those pro22's today and im gonna see what i can do with them.
fortunately all the drivers are ok.
ive heard the tweeters are rather delicate.

 

[Hayes]

Recently paid two bits for an unopened Tom T. Hall LP. It's been a while since I had the pleasure of cracking open virgin vinyl. Not one of Tom T.'s best but a good deal none the less.

 

[ericzim]

Scoured the GW yesterday after work and found several JBL speaker sets. One pair of G300 and one pair of unidentified JBL towers that had cat scratch fever. I picked up the 300's for a 7 dollar donation and passed on the towers. I am rebuilding the 300's crossovers now and hope they sound as good as they look.

 

[Van_Isle]

hey van isle, i went and bought those pro22's today and im gonna see what i can do with them.
fortunately all the drivers are ok.
ive heard the tweeters are rather delicate.

Fantastic. Keep me posted (I'll pm you my email). I would love to hear them.

 

[atrac]

Saw a Bose 5 Speaker and 1 "Acoustimass Module" system at Goodwill. Looked to be an older model from the mid-90's (the satellites had the red stripe). The price was $199.99. Most expensive speakers I've ever seen at GW!

 

[Van_Isle]

Hmmm, I saw these really neat tower speakers in Saint Vincent de Paul for $250. They were covered in black felt-like material with cool plastic grills over the speaker drivers. I think they were 3-ways with a woofer, mid and horn tweeter. I understand that the felt helps with cabinet resonance and is much better wearing than veneer. Plus the grill covers are much better than the fabric so many speakers use that really affect sound. I think the brand name on them was Paradon?

 

[Harvey/ Ga]

Saw a Bose 5 Speaker and 1 "Acoustimass Module" system at Goodwill. Looked to be an older model from the mid-90's (the satellites had the red stripe). The price was $199.99. Most expensive speakers I've ever seen at GW!

Some of the stuff at my Thrift ( The Place) is marked very high for a while. Methinks the donor sets this value for his tax receipt. It mau stay at that value for a week or two, but is generally reduced after that.
'Course, if some sucker decides to buy it at that price...they'll take his money gladly

 

[Mutato]

B+W DM100's

I recently got these for $25 on Craigslist. Grills were shot, but the speakers work fine. It completed my vintage system set up in my office.

 

[atrac]

More orphans! Saw a single DCM CX-17 for $10. Too many orphans now so I had to pass on it (which really was quite painful to do).

"Reunited and it feels so goooood..."

Went back to this Thrift Shop today and saw that the CX-17 was now a pair! There is nothing more touching than when orphans are reunited.

If that wasn't enough to bring a tear to my eye -- the pair was marked $10.

SO glad I didn't act earlier on the orphan for the same price.

And yep, they sound terrific!