5 Clever Uses For Your Old Audio Systems

Folks who spent thousands on an audiophile system and hifi audiophile gadgets decades ago often love regaling the tales of when they first bought it. They recall memories from setting it up, tweaking it, adding to it, and listening to iconic tunes. It can be tough to let go. There are instances when you have a decent audio system but have upgraded to something new and still want to get use out of your old gear. To reduce clutter, you can always turn to a site like Craigslist and sell it or donate it to a friend or family member. But keeping it at home is a good idea, too. There are lots of ways you can still get use out of an old audio system, even if you've upgraded to something fancier for your main listening room.

The most obvious is to move it to another room and use it as a secondary audio system. But you can do more than just set it up in another spot. You can modernize it in clever ways, connect it to different systems or audio devices you might not have considered, maybe even leverage it for backyard movies or party music.

If you have smaller desktop speakers, maybe ones you were using for rear channels in the living room, consider using them as computer speakers for video calls or entertainment like gaming. Rather than invest in a dedicated pair of computer speakers that might not perform as well audibly, connect the computer audio through your amp or speakers using a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable, adding a digital-to-analog (DAC) converter if necessary to connect to a gaming console, and you're off to the races. Use the receiver to control volume and you have a setup that will sound far better than most dedicated computer speakers would.

With the right set-up, you could do this with tower speakers as well, though you'd need to have a pretty big gaming room or home office. Consider investing in speaker stands to position on either side of the computer desk to save space. Along with choosing a desk setup to help prevent back and neck pain, consider a desk with an under-desk shelf to house the receiver so it's neatly tucked away, cables routed behind the desk for a clean set-up.

Chances are, if you have a TV in a secondary room of the home, like the bedroom, den, basement, or kids' room, audio has been an afterthought. You might just rely on the TV's built-in speakers or maybe invest in an affordable soundbar for audio enhancement. If you have an old audio system you no longer need, move it to this room and set it up for better sound. Even if you have a soundbar and sub already, chances are you can still use these alongside a receiver as a center channel and add front and rear speakers for a more immersive setup. There are several wired connectivity options, including HDMI, optical audio, or aux and RCA, depending on what you already have and might want to keep in the system.

The secondary benefit here for a kid's room or basement is that you can now also enjoy music playlists with better sound than just through the soundbar, even a music channel on the TV that would typically only play through the soundbar (karaoke party, anyone?) Even if the old audio system doesn't have Bluetooth, the soundbar likely does. Or you can get a Bluetooth dongle, which brings up the next idea.

Bluetooth is that magical technology that allows us to connect our phones to wireless earbuds, and yes, even speakers to mobile devices and other source products. But not all old audio equipment comes with Bluetooth built in, and in fact, even some modern speakers don't, especially hi-fi ones. Thankfully, you can usually add Bluetooth to the mix with the right accessory. Bluetooth receivers are the perfect accessory to upgrade your old stereo system. They are incredibly cheap but can turn your old analog speaker into a modern wireless one.

Connect the Bluetooth receiver via RCA cable to the aux input of the amp, and into either an AC or USB outlet, depending on the setup for power. From there, you can pair your phone, laptop, TV, tablet, or other Bluetooth-enabled device to the audio system as if it were a new Bluetooth one. If your teenager has been bugging you for a portable Bluetooth speaker for their room, consider this setup instead, which will probably yield better audio quality, too.

An old audio system is just screaming for a source device to connect to and unlock beautiful music. Why not go full retro and join the vinyl resurgence? Either buy a new turntable, even an affordable Bluetooth one in a box, or dust off the one you've been keeping in the attic all these years, and connect it to the system. The method will depend on the type of speakers you have and whether they are powered/active with a built-in amp or passive that requires a separate amp. The separate amp may have already been part of your old audio system anyway. Just keep in mind that the receiver needs to have a phono jack unless the turntable has an active preamp.

This set-up not only repurposes your old audio system, but it can also revive your love of the crisp, clear, unique sound of vinyl. Set it up in a room like the dining room (I have a turntable on the buffet with speakers on either side) or consider it in your home office, a lovely way to sit back and relax with tunes during work-from-home breaks, or for background music while you work, do chores, or enjoy downtime.

While it isn't recommended to use speakers that aren't rated for the outdoors in the elements, you can get away with a temporary setup when you know the weather is favorable. On days when it isn't especially humid, frigid, or moist, and there's no expectation of rain or snow, you can bring an old system outside. Find a shaded area or covered patio to position passive speakers while the amplifier/receiver stays inside, though you will have to run cables to the outside. Use outdoor-rated cables and keep these permanently set up, but disconnect the speakers and bring them inside after each use.

This isn't an ideal set-up, but it's a great way to test the waters before you invest in dedicated outdoor audio. Try this out for a backyard party or even movie night under the stars with a projector and screen. Do this for a season, and you might find that you're using the speakers outside more often than you thought, appreciating having music outside that's better quality than what you'd get from a single portable Bluetooth speaker. From there, save up for outdoor-rated speakers and re-home these ones.