Audio Thrifting for my office
I wanted a nice-sounding audio system for the small office in my home. In addition, I did not want to spend a lot of money in the process. My budget was set at $150.00 for this project. I have been audio thrifting at Goodwill and the Salvation Army for years, so I knew that some trips to both stores would be in order.
What I needed to buy
A receiver and cables. Several music sources from three computers (video editing, movies, Alexa, etc.) are plugged into an audio/video receiver (AVR). RCA-styled cables will be used to make the connections.
Speakers. I wanted to watch movies, and listen to music as well. As my office is small, a 5.1 configuration would work fine. As a result, I would need two front speakers, two rear speakers, a center speaker, and a subwoofer.
Putting the system together
Hooking the receiver to the computers is very simple if your computers have a 3.5mm headphone or external jack. Simply attach the left and right RCA audio cable to an available audio outlet (CD, DVD, CBL/Sat, etc) on the back of the receiver, next attach an adapter with two female RCA to the 3.5mm port on the PC. There are two different types of adapters that you can choose from, both sell for under a dollar at Monoprice.com. Assuming you have speakers attached to the receiver, turn the receiver on, and push to activate the corresponding button you used to connect your cables to the receiver. Your computer’s audio can now be processed by the receiver passing sound to your speakers.
As each computer has a monitor (or monitors), I won’t be using any video output from the AVR receiver.
Audio thrifting tips
It’s important to remember that when audio thrifting you are buying something someone else has used and has decided to give it away to the thrift store. I have been audio thrifting for years, and though I am very careful what I buy, I have been burnt a few times. On the other hand, you are only paying pennies on the dollar for something. In the end, it boils down to risks versus rewards.
Here are some tips to help you decide what to buy and if the sale price is a true value:
- Buy from a thrift store that offers a refund. Few give you cash back, but many will provide store credit if you return your purchase within a specified time.
- To help you determine if you are getting a “good deal”, check the price of the item you want to purchase on eBay. I use eBay as my Kelly Blue Book for my audio finds.
- Do a Google Search for your item. Search specifically for Specs, and reviews from both media pundits and users. When was the item released? Have there been problems with the item? Are there quality concerns? The more you know about the item, the more (or less) comfortable you will feel about purchasing it.
- Is the product’s level of technology going to meet your expectations? An example here is a receiver that does not have HDMI, and uses only S-Video Out or RCA jacked video output. HDMI will provide at least 1080P video, while S-Video and RCA jacks are pretty much limited to Standard definition (yes, some of you are saying there is RCA jacked component video offerings as well, but at this point I wouldn’t waste my time with it). In short, if you have a High Definition TV you will want HDMI video, and if you have a 4K TV you will want a receiver that can deliver 4K, also requiring the receiver to do so through HDMI.
- For the most part, stay with name brands, and focus on higher-end brands, and then focus on the more expensive products in their line. Let’s face it, entry-level products that are all a manufacturer offers, or items that are lower priced in a manufacturer’s product line are not going to compare in build quality, quality of components used, or breadth of technology available in their higher-end products. If you are buying something used, purchase the best “level” or product you can.
- Check the product as much as you can. Are there scratches on or around the screws on the case (meaning someone took it apart to clean or repair it – makes me nervous). Realize the product may have been in a garage for several years, so under the dust (dirt sometimes) does the case seem straight, with few dents and/or scratches? On a receiver, always look at the back and check the condition of the plugins. If this area shows a lot of use, I would walk away.
- Always plug an electrical product in and see if it turns on, and check the buttons and switches to see if they appear to be functioning.
- For speakers, always pull the grills and check how the speakers look, and they should look perfect, – walk away from any kind of physical imperfection (dented cones, tears, etc) on the speakers. If you can’t remove the grills and check the speakers, don’t buy the speakers. Again, look for better-quality speakers. A quick visual queue is that higher-end speakers usually use a screw-post connection that can optionally accept banana clips.
- Finally, it’s hard not to impulse buy when you are audio thrifting. So, ask yourself “Is it worth buying this item?“
Here’s what I bought
Front Speakers: Infinity OSW-1 Wall Mounted Speakers.
• Frequency response 70-20,000 Hz (±3dB)
• 8-ohm impedance
• Sensitivity 90 dB
• Handles up to 125 watts
• Black or white vinyl finish
• 5-way binding posts
• Keyhole slots for vertical or horizontal mounting (no mounting hardware included)The speakers were introduced in 2000. MSRP was $449 for a pair. Current Ebay prices range from $75 to $150 per pair (price includes shipping). I bought a pair of these speakers for in perfect condition for $15 at GoodWill. For my small office, they are perfect!!!
Rear Surround Speakers: JBL J2060 Bookshelf Speakers.
• Type: 2-way bookshelf speakers
• Frequency Response: 45Hz to 23kHz
• Recommended amplifier power: 10-100 watts
• Nominal impedance: 8 ohms
• Tweeter: 14 mm titanium
• 6 1/2 inch wooferThese were manufactured 1993 – 1994. MSRP was $129 each. Current Ebay prices range from $125 to $245 (prices include shipping). I purchased a pair of these speakers at GoodWill for $15 (for the pair). They are in excellent condition.
Center Speaker: Polk Audio CSi30
• Driver configuration: Two 5.25" Dynamic Balance woofers and one 1" silk/polymer dome tweeter
• Frequency response: 52 Hz - 27,000 Hz
• Sensitivity: 90 dB
• Impedance: 8 ohms
• Power handling: 10 - 180 watts
• Dimensions: 19-7/8" W x 6-5/8" H x 7-1/2" D
• Bass-reflex design with a rear-firing port
• Video-shielded
• 5-way binding post terminals
• Black wood veneer finishI haven’t been able to get an actual production date on this product, so my best guess by tracking some known model numbers is in the early 2000’s. Again, I cannot get a sold number for the MSRP, but my best guess is around $249. Current Ebay prices are $95 to $125 (all prices include shipping). I bought one (again) at GoodWill for $20.00.
Subwoofer: Polk Audio RM705
• Driver Configuration: 8″ Subwoofer, 1x 2.5″ Midrange, 1x .5″ Tweeter
• Audio Sensitivity: 89 dB
• Impedance: 8 ohm
• Continuous Average Output 50 Watts
• Dynamic Power Output 100 WattsThis subwoofer had been in a Polk Audio home-theater-in- a- box kit. It was introduced in 2008. The whole kit cost $349. Just for the sub, eBay prices (including shipping) run from $ 185 to $250 (all prices include shipping). Though it has a few scuffs on it, the little sub I purchased is in perfect working condition. Again at Goodwill, I paid $20.00 for it.
The Receiver: Integra DTR 20.1
• 90 watts per channel into 8Ω
• 4 HDMI inputs
• Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding
• Audyssey 2EQ automatic calibration system
• Audyssey Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ
• Bi-directional RS-232 and Ethernet ports for control systems
• Three programmable 12-volt triggers
• Dual IR inputs
• Zone 2 outputs with independent bass/treble and balance controls
• Dual subwoofer outputs
• Universal port for add-on modules (e.g. HD Radio, iPod dock)
• Dimensions: 435 x 175 x 326.5mm
• Weight: 10.5kg
• Frequency response: 5Hz to 100kHz
• Total harmonic distortion: 0.08%
• Signal to noise ratio: 106dB (line)The DTR-20.1 was designed as a mid-priced receiver offering home theater performance and integration capabilities for custom installers. It was released around 2009-2010 with an MSRP of $600.
This little guy I did not buy at a thrift store. I bought it on eBay. The receiver looked “brand new” out of the box. It even came with an OEM remote. Prices on eBay (including shipping) can go upwards to $300. This one was a “Buy It Now” price of $70.00, free shipping, and a 30-day guarantee. Needless to say, I jumped on it. The Integra sounds great. Everything works perfectly!!!
What I paid
As you can see from the chart above, I was under my budget of $150.00 by $5.00. Speaker wire, RCA and Fiber Optic cables, and adapters that were used were all left over from other projects. The “Actual Price” column is (no surprise) what I paid for each item. To determine the “eBay Average”, I used the lowest price I could find for an item and added that amount to the highest price I found for the item, then divided that number by two. All eBay prices were “Buy It Now” and included shipping. The “MSRP” was the actual price I found the item sold for at its introduction. Street prices would certainly vary. Assuming each item was purchased in 2010, the actual MSRP total would exceed $2,400 in 2024 dollars.
You can see that thrifting audio can generate significant savings over buying the same items on eBay. Thrift stores generally have lower prices because they have zero cost of goods. Their inventory is donated. That is not to say that one cannot get deals on eBay as well. My Integra receiver is a good example. Also, one can get burnt spending too much for an item at a thrift store. Use the Audio thrifting tips mentioned earlier in the post, to help minimize your risk.
Finally, the highest price I found for the Polk Audio RM705 subwoofer shows how absurd some prices are on eBay. Though it is not an uncommon practice for eBay sellers to “lowball” the “Buy It Now” item price and then escalate the shipping cost well over the actual cost of shipping, some sellers must think the RM705 sub rivals Klipsch in the higher-priced market for used subwoofers. The little Polk Audio subwoofer was originally part of a theater-in-a-box set. The kit included the sub, left and right front speakers, left and right rear speakers, and a center speaker. In 2008, the whole kit sold for $349. I estimated the actual value of that speaker in the kit to be $90 (2008 dollars), this would make its value today, new today, at $125. I have seen this 16-year-old speaker with a $100 dollar selling price and a shipping price pushing $200. It is a nice little sub, but at a nearly $300 selling price, it’s not that nice. I thought the $20 I paid for it was a little high.
Have fun audio thrifting. Found any good deals lately? Let me know in the comments below.
