Mid Century Cabinet/Console Stereos with record player

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by sanQ, Jul 4, 2014.

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  1. sanQ

    sanQ Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    San Bernadino, CA
    For decades from the 50's to the 80's, these cabinet stereos were common in a lot of households. Is anyone here an expert on them and knows which ones were the best in regards to brands, tube vs. solid state, etc?

    I think I am going to try and get one if I can. Sometimes you can get them for dirt cheap and some of them sound incredible. I've had a few in my time, but I always ended up letting them go. Now I want to get a good vintage one but I'm not sure what to look for...

    If anyone has some expertise in the area, by all means, please reply.[​IMG]
     
  2. Burt

    Burt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kirkwood, MO
    Opening up a can of worms here.

    Console stereos, and pre-stereo mono "hi-fi's" <sic> were much more popular than "component" <sic> stereo from the end of WWII until about the mid to late 1970s. They were large pieces of furniture having speakers, electronics, a record changer plus tape decks of various sorts and sometimes a TV, a few towards the end had videotape machines even. They were called (along with TVs) "brown goods" in the appliance and TV business, to differentiate them from "white goods" like washers, dryers, ranges and refrigerators. Appliance stores sold them because they had the facilities and beefy crews to move them around.

    They ranged a lot in price, but a good rule of thumb was that you could have bought a "Joe College" rig-Dyna PAS and ST70, and an AR table with a cart and a pair of AR acoustic suspension speakers-for the price of a mid end one and an all McIntosh/Klipsch one for the price of a top end one. Most regular people who weren't "hi-fi nuts" did not want "components", they wanted the big furniture box. They were a good portion of the price of a car and were usually financed.

    By their nature, sonic performance of these is not up to even the budget "component" systems of their day. Because the changer is in with the speaker cabinets, there can be no real bass response because the system would start feeding back if there were. The amplifiers were usually limited in bandwidth to guitar amp range or so. (RF performance of the tuner sections was often quite good though.)

    In the sixties, Vietnam and the PX/BX military system brought Japanese solid state integrated amps and receivers in at very low prices. They met very high technical specs so people regarded them as a great bargain, and in the seventies solid state Japanese electronic boxes and speakers sold through franchise or chain retailers finally killed off the consoles.

    As their owners move or die off, the consoles are disposed of. It used to be that people wanted the woodwork and gutted the electronics. Now people gut them for the electronics, primarily the amp chassis which people attempt to make guitar amps out of, and get rid of the woodwork. The "console pulls" are e-bayable easily, which means quick flip money.
     
  3. Snashforce

    Snashforce Living Stereo

    Location:
    NC
    sanQ,

    I used to have a nice Telefunken hi-fi, but recently sold it. You can see pics of it on page 2 of this thread:

    http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/telefunken-hymnus-5658-mx-hi-fi-fm-stereo-1965-pics.262579/

    I've had experience with a handful of console hi-fis. In general, the best ones are from the tube era - mid '60s and earlier.
    After solid-state was introduced they go downhill. For example, anything with a 8 track player is not worth the trouble.
    (unless you really like the style of the cabinet and want to replace the electronics)

    I like the units from Fisher, Telefunken, and some of the Magnavox models, and prefer sleek modern style cabinets to the "provincial" styles.

    Here's a good index of Fisher consoles:

    http://fisherconsoles.com/index.html
     
    sanQ likes this.
  4. druboogie

    druboogie Maverick Stacker

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Keep in mind, you can get the cabinet itself, and part it up with whatever components you want.
    Garrard changer fits in the console template with suspension (I'd go for the SL-95B or SL-72 Myself)
    Retrofit any working receiver in the slot of the non-working one that will most likely be there, or find a tube amp and preamp
    Put in some decent quality full range speakers that could replace the original speakers

    You'd probably have to fix a couple things with consoles of original components, which is difficult...
     
    SandAndGlass and The Pinhead like this.
  5. I recently had a furniture maker build me a media cabinet, a sort of a modern take on mid century styling. But for my components.

    [​IMG]
     
  6. EasterEverywhere

    EasterEverywhere Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque
    I think these consoles can sound pretty damn good,especially the very late tubed ones from the early 60s.I love them for what they are.I have.

    A 1961 Magnavox Concert Master,not a Concert Grand,but not bad.Has a separate FM multiplex.
    A top of the line 1962 Zenith,in Danish Modern,their last tubed model.Rescued from a dumpster.
    A 1961 Wards Airline/Voice of Music.Must be a better model,because it has a solid red oak cabinet and side speakers.
    A 1959 RCA "Stereo Orthophonic" Consolette with external speakers.
    A 1951 Philco.

    I got these all in 2010-2011,by this time tube consoles were just about gone from thrift stores,Craigslist,etc here in Albuquerque.To this day,you can find all the solid state consoles you want,but these were some of the last with tubes around here.YMMV depending on where you are in the US,but I think all the people gutting these beauties for entry level guitar and audio component tube amps have done a number on the availability of intact tubed consoles.Only now do they seem to be beginning to be appreciated.

    I know the bigger Astro-Sonics from the late 60s have their fans,but to me they simply don't sound as good as those with tubes.

    These old consoles will always need some degree of restoration when you find them.Finding someone to o this has been my biggest problem.I had a guy who promised to restore the electronics in my Zenith a few months ago.It took me forever to figure out how to dismantle the thing.Then he backed out,because he found the models too esoteric to work on.
     
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  7. Wally Swift

    Wally Swift Yo-Yoing where I will...

    Location:
    Brooklyn New York
    There is one for sale on the bulletin board at my job. Ad mentions Grundig parts. $500! :yikes:
     
    PhilBiker likes this.
  8. telefunken77

    telefunken77 Active Member

    I have a 70's Wards Airline unit. One thing to remember they (any console) are usually going to sound boxy by their very nature. I like it but be aware-the bass is boomy. :goodie:I think their set up makes them sound more powerful than their stated watts-they don't sound airy for the most part.
     
  9. tubesandvinyl

    tubesandvinyl Forum Resident

    This.
     
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  10. jamesmaya

    jamesmaya Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I grew up listening to a lot of music on this late-50s Grundig console.

    [​IMG]
     
  11. tubesandvinyl

    tubesandvinyl Forum Resident

    Beautiful Grundig.

    You probably have the best sounding garage system in your hood.
     
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  12. EasterEverywhere

    EasterEverywhere Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque
    Used to see so many of these German consoles at the thrifts in the late 80s to early 2000s.Not so much any more.:shake:
     
  13. EasterEverywhere

    EasterEverywhere Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque
    Tom Petty rocking a Grundig Majestic in the commercial for his newest album.Love the tube footage at 1:26


    I wonder if Tom is playing that jazz guitar version of "I Won't Back Down" we hear a bit of at 1:19?
     
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  14. Burt

    Burt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kirkwood, MO
    eBayers have figured out that they can part them out and sell the tubes and transformers for more than the console will retail for.

    Will consoles someday be really collectible? Maybe, but by then the supply will be tiny because of the size and handling issues and the immediate value parting them out brings.
     
    PhilBiker likes this.
  15. beowulf

    beowulf Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chula Vista, CA
    Zu Audio makes a beautiful piece. But if you want to get your hands dirty, there are a lot of good ideas around the web.

    This is a picture of a custom 1.5 way driver speaker from Omega Loudspeakers:
    [​IMG]

    It went into a console that was gutted:
    [​IMG]

    and then filled with the Omega Speakers and Vintage Electronics:
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    About the only think I would have done different is chose a different veneer in a dark or medium walnut, but I think everything else (including the electronics he picked) was a stellar job.
     
  16. bilgewater

    bilgewater Forum Resident

    Location:
    Michigan
    A fun thread. My parents had an old Magnavox console with tubes. Probably from early 1960s. I don't have any nostalgia for the sound it produced, but I did make sure that my sister pull out the tubes before she threw it away. Bugle boys, here I come!!
     
  17. Dan C

    Dan C Forum Fotographer

    Location:
    The West
    I HATE this. :sigh: Yeah, a lot of consoles were pretty crappy, but it hurts to see the beautiful ones destroyed by some eBay bottom feeder. I used to see nice consoles in the thrift stores here on a regular basis. Now, almost never. In fact, the only ones I do see are the cruddy 70s-era models that never looked or sounded nice. The ones from the golden age of the 50s to middle-60s are gone.

    Now and then you do see something gorgeous in the trendy mid-mod stores in the big city. But instead of the $30 thrift store price tag they're asking $300. The best surviving models can find a new life with affluent hipsters with taste, but most of them have vanished right before my eyes.

    dan c
     
  18. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Top of the line USA made consoles

    Ampex
    Fisher
    High end Zenith
    Magnavox
     
  19. csgreene

    csgreene Forum Resident

    Location:
    Idaho, USA
    I just bought a 1969 Zenith Z931 Danish Modern console from a local electronics repair shop. It all works well (it was gone through, cleaned, tested, etc.) and looks nearly new. It was a one owner and picked up by the shop owner at the estate sale. I'd guess he paid $10-15 for it. I just paid him $125 and couldn't get my money out fast enough. A big plus with this model is the tape in/out on the back which makes for easy connection of an iPad or similar to stream retro kitsch music of whatever your pleasure is. I bought it as much as a decor piece for our dining room as the stereo but it will get a fair amount of use. I've got lots of old Frank and Tony records and love Exotica (which I, mostly, stream).

    In 1973, I worked for a store in LA called Delphi Custom Stereo. We sold better component gear (Marantz, Kenwood, Revox, Dual, etc.) but the real business was selling custom consoles to hold the owner's components. All our styles (which were built to order) had a hutch option for those who wanted a full on entertainment center. I recall the starting price for an empty hutch was $689 and the hutch added another $300+. I've never seen one for sale in the wild and wonder what happened to all of them. We sold a lot in those days between the West Hollywood store on La Cienega and another store in the Valley.

    Anyway, I'm a fan of these old units as long as the cabinet is actually wood.
     
    Dan C likes this.
  20. wgb113

    wgb113 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chester County, PA
    They appeal to me from the standpoint of a nice piece of furniture - Mazzy's gone new and it's lovely but I wouldn't mind taking a stab at gutting and retrofitting a new one to hold my components and other things. My dedicated room's a bit too small though...

    Bill
     
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  21. utahusker

    utahusker Senior Member

    Pictures?
     
  22. Gone new ;-)

    [​IMG]
     
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  23. csgreene

    csgreene Forum Resident

    Location:
    Idaho, USA
    utahusker, I only have a couple from the store on my wife's phone. Let me see what I can do...
     
  24. Marty Milton

    Marty Milton Senior Member

    Location:
    Urbana, Illinois
    My parents bought one of the stereo consoles like the OP posted. They purchased it when I went away for college in the late 60s. I would play it during school breaks because I left my stereo back at my college dorm. I'm not sure they ever used it while I wasn't home. The console is still sitting in the living room where it has been for over 45 years. The console top just became a place to display photos.
     
  25. csgreene

    csgreene Forum Resident

    Location:
    Idaho, USA
    Let's see...
    [​IMG]


    1969 Zenith Z931 in the shop where I bought it for $125. Near mint condition and all works about as new.
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2014
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