I know she's no antique, but... - Videokarma.org TV - Video

Micropassatman · #1 12-23-2006, 09:57 PM

She's closer to antique than new. Built around '64-'67. I haven't done anything to her but listen to FM so far. Sounds pretty good, actually. Thoughts? I've had her awhile now, but I finally took some pics of it.

ekmanning5 · #2 12-23-2006, 10:12 PM

Don't know why, but I have gone crazy over consoles lately. Very nice.

Micropassatman · #3 12-23-2006, 10:32 PM

Thank you.

Can you believe this?: My WIFE picked it out. She LOVES the old gal(console, honey).

theblackknight · #4 12-23-2006, 10:35 PM

I like the console, it looks nice, but Im a big Art Deco fan. Love those radios from the late '30's.

Micropassatman · #5 12-23-2006, 10:50 PM

You mean like this?

Nolan Woodbury · #6 12-23-2006, 11:48 PM

Boy, that's one dandy to look at and (I'm sure) listen to Fisher stereo Micro! Like Ed said, I'm crazy over consoles too and the attraction is growing.

I've wanted to post a pic of my 1968 Zenith Y928, but it's solid state and doesn't really belong here. Still, of all my radios it sounds the best and has caused me *zero* problems. The reception is excellent and, although it was a cheaper version new, performs better than anything I've ever owned. Nice size too. I know if I'd ever been into hi-fi components it would be a different story, but no rack mount anything looks as good as a console.

Shoot us some specs! How many speakers? How does it sound? What kind of music do you listen to on it? Fisher was a quality brand...my older brother has used a 70s Fisher tuner/receiver in his home for years and swears by it.

Thanks for the look; You've inspired me to shut the computer off and go fire up my Zenith for a late-nite sound bite.

gadget73 · #7 12-24-2006, 02:23 AM

I love those old consoles. Something fantastic about a piece of furniture that is a wall of sound. I really wish my old Magnavox console components were still in the console just so I'd have that vintage look instead of the 'assorted parts on the workbench' look.

ekmanning5 · #8 12-24-2006, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Micropassatman

Thank you.

Can you believe this?: My WIFE picked it out. She LOVES the old gal(console, honey).

Isn't it great when the Mrs. makes those decisions for us

. My wife has said yes to all 3 of my Grundigs...now if we only had somewhere to display them!

Micropassatman · #9 12-24-2006, 11:09 AM

What I DO know, is that it's about 30 watts a channel. Solid-state amp and tubed preamp/tuner circuitry. Hybrid, I guess. Not sure on the speakers yet. I have yet to open her up and look. Mainly we've been listening to Christmas classics on it. It just sounds...right somehow!

theblackknight · #10 12-24-2006, 11:23 AM

I have an old console like that too, but its a Fisher. All tube. I works, but definately needs to be serviced, though not on the top of my "to do" list.

I wish I had one of those 100K Spartan Noctoure blue mirror radio consoles.

Jeffhs · #11 12-24-2006, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gadget73

I love those old consoles. Something fantastic about a piece of furniture that is a wall of sound. I really wish my old Magnavox console components were still in the console just so I'd have that vintage look instead of the 'assorted parts on the workbench' look.

I'd look at it this way. With the Fisher components in that cabinet you'll probably have a lot less trouble with them, if they are solid state; further, newer components work better in many cases than the older stuff ever did. Who (other than yourself, of course) will really know what the components look like if the cabinet is closed? The beauty of a big console such as yours lies mostly in the cabinet, as that is what most folks see anyhow when they look in your living room (or wherever you have the console set up). You may care about the quality of the sound or the looks of the control panels (in fact, from the tone of your post it seems to me that both matter to you very much), but most of your visitors will be far more impressed, IMHO, with the appearance of the cabinet. BTW, that cabinet looks very good for being maybe four decades or so old. Most people treat these consoles as if they were pieces of very fine furniture, which is in fact what they are. (I have two Zenith table radios in fine wood cabinets and would not part with them, as much for their cabinets as for their excellent sound, in reverse order of course.) You have a console you can and should be very proud of. As I have said many times before in this forum, they don't make them like that anymore.

Did you save the original Magnavox speakers? If so, you will have at least some of the old console left. Many folks do just what you did with older TV/stereo/radio consoles, especially when the TV goes bad; they just pull out the old worn-out television and put in a newer solid-state set. I had relatives (great-aunts/uncles) who did just that when their old entertainment centers developed TV problems. Worked out just fine. One such console was an early-sixties RCA 3-way unit (AM/FM/FM stereo, phono and TV, RCA's "Brindisi" model for 1962); the TV chassis went bad and was eventually replaced with a newer Emerson color set. The other console was a '60s RCA (model and vintage unknown) that also developed very serious TV chassis trouble, so out the old chassis went and in went a new (at the time, some time in the '70s) Zenith 21" (IIRC) color TV. Both conversions, as I said, worked out very well.

Micropassatman · #12 12-24-2006, 03:05 PM

No comment on my Victrola? Damn! Thought I'd get SOME kind of compliment outta you BlackKnight...