Text and photos by Juan C. Ayllon Do you have boombox speakers and an old receiver in storage, awaiting donation or purging some day? If so, you just may find them handy! Belle and I had toyed with the idea of purchasing a sound bar for our flat screen TV in our new minimalist living room TV setup (my stereo, with all its bulk and cables, is relegated to the basement), but with the high costs of our recent downsizing, we found the better ones a bit pricey. So, we kept her old receiver, boombox speakers, and Bose Cube Home Speakers and subwoofer viable options by purchasing a media console that was 17" deep with a pair of mini barn doors fitted with wire grate enclosures. And we are so glad we did! The repurposed Sony Audio/Video Control Center just fit on the center shelf in the console (see above photo). I connected the Bose Cube speakers and subwoofer, as well as the two boom box speakers, tucked in underneath shelves on both sides, with the wire grate allowing their sound to pass through unobstructed. I linked our 65" Vizio flat screen TV (which I secured on the wall above the unit with a heavy duty tilting and swiveling Sanus Vuepoint mount) via RCA cables. The results are gratifying. It's a clean look, and the sound and bass are surprisingly good! Frankly, we prefer it to the sound of a budget sound bar and subwoofer combo that an acquaintance uses in his living room. My guess it that the boombox speakers' lower end is enhanced by being semi-enclosed in their nooks between shelves, rear and sidewalls. Either way, it's a surprisingly satisfying way to provide sound for our living room setup and, when we want high end music and movie sound, we can traipse downstairs to my stereo A/V setup!
So, if you are on a limited budget for a secondary TV viewing area, older A/V receivers and speakers in storage, at second hand shops like Goodwill or garage sales just may be a solution. You just might be surprised with the quality experience you get for so little!
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Juan C. AyllonA writer, artist, educator and owner of Prairie Audio Man Cave, he lives with his wife, Isabel (AKA Belle), and their Goldendoodle, Liam, enjoys listening to high fidelity music and all things hi-fi at their home in the greater Chicagoland area.. Archives
May 2024
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