Good to hear that non working RCA Berkshires weren't broken up--just "repurposed"Hope the components found "other" homes.The chrome chassis of the equipment-not the usual RCA components.Guess they are still surviving Berkshires around-and liked the RCA idea of making an add on 45RPM TT in the wood chest.And it was neat that the Berkshire systems came as peices-to be assembled on the customers site.I have had transmitters come that way-you assemble the tubes,vacuum caps,and large transformers into the cabinets.Tubes and vac caps are shipped in their orig manufactuers boxes.I am wondering if the Berkshires were broken down that far for shipping and delivory-the components that go inside that nice cabinet were shipped in seperate boxes to be installed in the cabinets.Would make sense and assure safe delivory.Then a delivory team brings the unit to the customers house ands sets it up.Would be nice to find one of those-would be glad to make room for it.And did RCA make provisions to convert the Berkshire to stereo?Another way to assure they would survive.Would hate to see a beautiful Hi-Fi like that succumb to obselencence becuase it couldn't be converted to stereo-and bet the Berkshire cabinets were used to hold other components if it couldn't be converted thru RCA.
Battle Creek Garage Sale - Fisher Console 1964
- Thread starter ovrphil
- Start date
danemodsandy
Well-known member
Rex:
You have to understand, the Berkshire Breakfront predated hi-fi, let alone stereo. It came new with a 78 rpm changer, an AM-FM radio and the projection TV. Large CRTs, remote controls, LP records, 45 rpm records, hi-fi and stereo were all in the future - some in a nearer future than others, it is true.
What RCA was selling was the finest quality it could supply at the time, plus that magnificent cabinetry.
As with most console entertainment centers, updates would not have been possible without major alterations; the mounting and surrounds for each component would have had to be replaced along with the equipment. Considering that those pieces were solid Honduras mahogany of a grade acceptable to the Baker Furniture people, the material and woodworking expense that would have been needed for upgrades would have been considerable.
If I understand correctly, most components in a Berkshire Breakfront were already mounted when the unit was delivered. The exception was the TV unit, which had moving components to make its screen rise up out of the bottom unit into the top unit. The bottom and top sections were delivered as separate pieces, then joined together, then the TV unit's moving components could go into place. I'm told that the last step in delivery was the careful polishing-away of every last finger mark.
As awesomely beautiful as Berkshire Breakfronts were, and as wonderfully as they represented the state-of-the-art in 1948, they were, frankly, a bad investment. The state-of-the-art advanced so rapidly in the early '50s that these gorgeous units were technologically obsolete within four years, when large-size CRTs became practical, and dinosaurs by the time they were six years old, when color TV and hi-fi were introduced.
You have to understand, the Berkshire Breakfront predated hi-fi, let alone stereo. It came new with a 78 rpm changer, an AM-FM radio and the projection TV. Large CRTs, remote controls, LP records, 45 rpm records, hi-fi and stereo were all in the future - some in a nearer future than others, it is true.
What RCA was selling was the finest quality it could supply at the time, plus that magnificent cabinetry.
As with most console entertainment centers, updates would not have been possible without major alterations; the mounting and surrounds for each component would have had to be replaced along with the equipment. Considering that those pieces were solid Honduras mahogany of a grade acceptable to the Baker Furniture people, the material and woodworking expense that would have been needed for upgrades would have been considerable.
If I understand correctly, most components in a Berkshire Breakfront were already mounted when the unit was delivered. The exception was the TV unit, which had moving components to make its screen rise up out of the bottom unit into the top unit. The bottom and top sections were delivered as separate pieces, then joined together, then the TV unit's moving components could go into place. I'm told that the last step in delivery was the careful polishing-away of every last finger mark.
As awesomely beautiful as Berkshire Breakfronts were, and as wonderfully as they represented the state-of-the-art in 1948, they were, frankly, a bad investment. The state-of-the-art advanced so rapidly in the early '50s that these gorgeous units were technologically obsolete within four years, when large-size CRTs became practical, and dinosaurs by the time they were six years old, when color TV and hi-fi were introduced.
Thats too bad the RCA Berkshires only had a 78RPM TT and an older TV set.The 45RPM player might give better fidelety-but don't count on it.Its iffy with 45's-often they were injection molded rather than pressed as LP's were.The 45 RPM can give excellent fidelity if properly pressed and made.Most were made for "AM" broadcast airplay and jukeboxes in their prime years.I was thinking that when stereo and HI-Fi came about the Berkshire cabinet could be used and "repurposed" to hold later components after the RCA ones were removed.Sounds like an expensive unit for just a AM-FM tuner,TV,and 78RPM TT.As was said most of the cost went into the beautiful cabinet-made of real wood rather than particleboard,plastic or cheap plywood.-and that hideous vinyl "wood" laminate.So today the Berkshire cabinet would esp be valueable among fine furniture fans.In 1948 or so the mono 33rpm LP records were just starting to be introduced.Beleive it was from both RCA and CBS.Maybe RCA should have made a 33/78RPM TT to replace the 78 RPM one.That would make Berkshire owners feel a little better.I am wondering what kind of speakers the Berkshires had.
twintubdexter
Well-known member
Rex/tolivac...
Right you are about the quality of 45's when you compare early ones with the cheaper "new" versions. At one time I had 3 or 4 of those little RCA 45 changers. The older records were no problem but newer or cheap re-pressings were a problem. Sometimes the hole had to be sandpapered in order for it to fit over the spindle. In addition, those little changers used the record thickness to accurately drop each disc. Some newer 45's wouldn't drop at all. The sound quality wasn't that great either, even when played on a quality component stereo turntable.
Is anyone old enough (like me, sigh) to remember those 12" LP-sized 45 rpm records from the disco era? Those things sounded just great!
Right you are about the quality of 45's when you compare early ones with the cheaper "new" versions. At one time I had 3 or 4 of those little RCA 45 changers. The older records were no problem but newer or cheap re-pressings were a problem. Sometimes the hole had to be sandpapered in order for it to fit over the spindle. In addition, those little changers used the record thickness to accurately drop each disc. Some newer 45's wouldn't drop at all. The sound quality wasn't that great either, even when played on a quality component stereo turntable.
Is anyone old enough (like me, sigh) to remember those 12" LP-sized 45 rpm records from the disco era? Those things sounded just great!
Disco 45
Yes,remember those and have a couple somewhere in my records.Got'em from the radio station I used to work for-and "Audiophile" record companies were experimenting with the 12" 45's because they claimed the quality was better than 33.Haven't tried them-the 45 RPM audiophile records are now very rare.
I have a portable 45RPM RCA record player that has the 45 changer in it-found at a yard sale-just haven't played around with it-would be good for those 45's I got from various radio stations.The station records are not too bad.Many 45's made for them have the same song on both sides of the record-one side stereo for FM,other mono for AM.Course with most station equipment -didn't matter.Broadcast equipment dealers stopped providing mono station equipment even back in the early 70's.Mixer consoles used by stations by that time had a stereo line out for the FM,and mono for AM.And of course mono pads were common-convert stereo to mono for the AM.
Oh yes,disco "DJ's" of the 70's era liked the 45 RPM records.Just easier for them and longer playing time than the 7" 45 "donut" records.And home changer users could use them on their changers WITHOUT the 45 adaptor!
Yes,remember those and have a couple somewhere in my records.Got'em from the radio station I used to work for-and "Audiophile" record companies were experimenting with the 12" 45's because they claimed the quality was better than 33.Haven't tried them-the 45 RPM audiophile records are now very rare.
I have a portable 45RPM RCA record player that has the 45 changer in it-found at a yard sale-just haven't played around with it-would be good for those 45's I got from various radio stations.The station records are not too bad.Many 45's made for them have the same song on both sides of the record-one side stereo for FM,other mono for AM.Course with most station equipment -didn't matter.Broadcast equipment dealers stopped providing mono station equipment even back in the early 70's.Mixer consoles used by stations by that time had a stereo line out for the FM,and mono for AM.And of course mono pads were common-convert stereo to mono for the AM.
Oh yes,disco "DJ's" of the 70's era liked the 45 RPM records.Just easier for them and longer playing time than the 7" 45 "donut" records.And home changer users could use them on their changers WITHOUT the 45 adaptor!
firedome
Well-known member
those wonderful Berkshires
didn't exactly pre-date Hi-Fi... Avery Fisher had begun turning out his early products around 1938, James B. Lansing formerly of Western Electric All Technical Services (later Altec/JBL) introduced his Iconic speaker, later known as the Voice of the Theater, around 1940, Paul Klipsch was producing his earliest Klipschorns in a glorified shed in Arkansas around 1946, HH Scott was producing his earliest amplifiers by '48, and Brook in NY (Paul Klipsch's favorite, and used in his dealer and show demos) introduced their wonderful model 10 and 12 2A3 and 300b based Triode amplifiers around 1947... and there are other examples. These units could be considered some of the earliest true High Fidelity products. As beautiful, rare and expensive as the RCA was, it would not compete soundwise with a true HiFi component system that was possible to assemble by 1948/9, particularly in speaker technology vis a vis Altec, Klipsch etc. Frank McIntosh with his first 50w2 2 chassis amp was in Silver Spring MD in 1949, moved to Binghamton NY in 1952, and Saul Marantz in NY introduced his Model 2. The HiFi race was on.
We had Fisher Futura and President systems around 12-15 yrs ago when they were easier to find, subsuquently broken up, unfortunately, as we were space-challenged not console-enlightened, at the time.
didn't exactly pre-date Hi-Fi... Avery Fisher had begun turning out his early products around 1938, James B. Lansing formerly of Western Electric All Technical Services (later Altec/JBL) introduced his Iconic speaker, later known as the Voice of the Theater, around 1940, Paul Klipsch was producing his earliest Klipschorns in a glorified shed in Arkansas around 1946, HH Scott was producing his earliest amplifiers by '48, and Brook in NY (Paul Klipsch's favorite, and used in his dealer and show demos) introduced their wonderful model 10 and 12 2A3 and 300b based Triode amplifiers around 1947... and there are other examples. These units could be considered some of the earliest true High Fidelity products. As beautiful, rare and expensive as the RCA was, it would not compete soundwise with a true HiFi component system that was possible to assemble by 1948/9, particularly in speaker technology vis a vis Altec, Klipsch etc. Frank McIntosh with his first 50w2 2 chassis amp was in Silver Spring MD in 1949, moved to Binghamton NY in 1952, and Saul Marantz in NY introduced his Model 2. The HiFi race was on.
We had Fisher Futura and President systems around 12-15 yrs ago when they were easier to find, subsuquently broken up, unfortunately, as we were space-challenged not console-enlightened, at the time.
danemodsandy
Well-known member
Roger:
You obviously have a depth of knowledge about early Hi-Fi that I don't have. I knew there was an "early adopter" movement in the '40s, but as a layperson, I think of Hi-Fi as really beginning around '54 or '55, when high fidelity began being marketed to the mainstream consumer.
I really appreciate all this info - is there a Website somewhere with more info?
P.S.: You coulda gone all day without telling me you scrapped a Fisher console! ;-)
You obviously have a depth of knowledge about early Hi-Fi that I don't have. I knew there was an "early adopter" movement in the '40s, but as a layperson, I think of Hi-Fi as really beginning around '54 or '55, when high fidelity began being marketed to the mainstream consumer.
I really appreciate all this info - is there a Website somewhere with more info?
P.S.: You coulda gone all day without telling me you scrapped a Fisher console! ;-)
firedome
Well-known member
Early adopters
of HiFi back then were generally engineers and that sort, kind of of analogous to computer nerds of the '70s and their early Altairs, and similar to the types who have to buy the latest smart phones every 6 months these days...
We do have a little knowledge of eary audio, as former Writer/Editor of a tube audio magazine for a number of years, it's really our main thing, but do have appreciation for all older and better made cars, appliances, etc. and still have a small vintage audio collection, the residual of a room full of the stuff we used to have, but now hugely downsized to a very few pieces really and truly loved (and used!)
Feel guilty to this day about scrapping those consoles, probably 10 or more over period 10 to 25 years ago, but least their guts have gone on to new homes and continue to make music... not many folks then, or now, have the room to collect consoles, many of which we got for free, and when trying to sell them intact we rarely had interest at any price, a true shame. One of the sets of our console innards went to Bob Carver, a great guy, and the guts of our President went to Al Pugliese "The Fisher Doc" in NYC, a friend of Avery Fisher and probably the world's leading authority on Fisher. A very good home indeed.
RCA made some excellent commercial/theater/movie type audio products from the '30s to '50s, but not much great stuff for strictly domestic use, however of all the home console radio/Hi-Fi we've ever seen (and we've seen more than a few going back to TOL McMurdo Silvers, Zenith Stratospheres, E.H. Scotts and the like of the '30s), the RCA Berkshire takes the cake for sheer magnificence, never seen cabinetry of that quality on any audio product... c'est formidable!
of HiFi back then were generally engineers and that sort, kind of of analogous to computer nerds of the '70s and their early Altairs, and similar to the types who have to buy the latest smart phones every 6 months these days...
We do have a little knowledge of eary audio, as former Writer/Editor of a tube audio magazine for a number of years, it's really our main thing, but do have appreciation for all older and better made cars, appliances, etc. and still have a small vintage audio collection, the residual of a room full of the stuff we used to have, but now hugely downsized to a very few pieces really and truly loved (and used!)
Feel guilty to this day about scrapping those consoles, probably 10 or more over period 10 to 25 years ago, but least their guts have gone on to new homes and continue to make music... not many folks then, or now, have the room to collect consoles, many of which we got for free, and when trying to sell them intact we rarely had interest at any price, a true shame. One of the sets of our console innards went to Bob Carver, a great guy, and the guts of our President went to Al Pugliese "The Fisher Doc" in NYC, a friend of Avery Fisher and probably the world's leading authority on Fisher. A very good home indeed.
RCA made some excellent commercial/theater/movie type audio products from the '30s to '50s, but not much great stuff for strictly domestic use, however of all the home console radio/Hi-Fi we've ever seen (and we've seen more than a few going back to TOL McMurdo Silvers, Zenith Stratospheres, E.H. Scotts and the like of the '30s), the RCA Berkshire takes the cake for sheer magnificence, never seen cabinetry of that quality on any audio product... c'est formidable!
firedome
Well-known member
vintage HiFi websites:
Sandy one good one for delving into audio history and James B. Lansing and Altec Lansing's contributions in particular is:
http://www.audioheritage.org
I have some print articles from our former magazine (Vacuum Tube Valley) that give the best overview of the History of High Fidelity that I've ever seen, written by Scott Frankland, a major audio industry player. Be happy to send them to you, if you'd like to read them I can't PM here but you can contact me via eMail, Robert(Unimatic) has it, I'd prefer not to post it in public forum for obvious reasons!
Sandy one good one for delving into audio history and James B. Lansing and Altec Lansing's contributions in particular is:
http://www.audioheritage.org
I have some print articles from our former magazine (Vacuum Tube Valley) that give the best overview of the History of High Fidelity that I've ever seen, written by Scott Frankland, a major audio industry player. Be happy to send them to you, if you'd like to read them I can't PM here but you can contact me via eMail, Robert(Unimatic) has it, I'd prefer not to post it in public forum for obvious reasons!
twintubdexter
Well-known member
third time on ebay, no takers
This interesting vintage RCA @$200 in Chicago just won't sell. I've seen a couple of "distressed" ones sell on CList for more.
This interesting vintage RCA @$200 in Chicago just won't sell. I've seen a couple of "distressed" ones sell on CList for more.
twintubdexter
Well-known member
and this rare Clairtone...
...just sold on ebay for $8,100.00! What would someone do to damage those speaker spheres like that?
...just sold on ebay for $8,100.00! What would someone do to damage those speaker spheres like that?
twintubdexter
Well-known member
just tossing this in here...
Newly listed on ebay, this Wurlitzer 950, or what there is left of it, already has a bid of $9,500.00! Maybe they meant $9.50.[this post was last edited: 7/12/2013-14:59]
Newly listed on ebay, this Wurlitzer 950, or what there is left of it, already has a bid of $9,500.00! Maybe they meant $9.50.[this post was last edited: 7/12/2013-14:59]
firedome
Well-known member
RCA console with the top mounted speakers...
had 2 of these, paid 100 and 35 for them. The electronics are good, decent 6BQ5 PP amp section, but sound is only so-so due to the 3 way speakers which had smallish magnets and all mounted in one large unsealed cabinet with no baffles, so it was neither acoustic suspension or ported, kind of like a '40s console radio. Most of the $ was in the cabinet.
had 2 of these, paid 100 and 35 for them. The electronics are good, decent 6BQ5 PP amp section, but sound is only so-so due to the 3 way speakers which had smallish magnets and all mounted in one large unsealed cabinet with no baffles, so it was neither acoustic suspension or ported, kind of like a '40s console radio. Most of the $ was in the cabinet.
danemodsandy
Well-known member
Roger:
Those RCA "highboy" consoles were a major lust of mine when they were new. They were expensive, though. My dad worked for RCA, and when I mentioned that I thought we should get one (hey, I was 10 - I thought we should get everything), he quickly let me know that those were for rich people.
Those RCA "highboy" consoles were a major lust of mine when they were new. They were expensive, though. My dad worked for RCA, and when I mentioned that I thought we should get one (hey, I was 10 - I thought we should get everything), he quickly let me know that those were for rich people.
firedome
Well-known member
Love the look of those RCA highboys
aka known as the 3VF61 "Mark Series" and they came in 3 versions: French Provincial/Traditional, Early American and Danish Modern. We had the first 2 of those, and still have the 6 speakers and their mounting board from one suspended from the ceiling over the electronics test bench with leads hanging down to use in checking out amps and receivers brought up on the Gen Rad Variac. As a unit it was somewhat lacking in sound quality as mentioned but fine for the 95% out there who were mainly casual listeners. Still have the factory paperwork for anyone that needs a copy. They were pricey units in their day and would consider one for the den if we could find one with the cabinet close to mint condition, which was not the case with the 2 we had, which were not really restorable, hence their demise as complete console units. The guts, however, do live on.
aka known as the 3VF61 "Mark Series" and they came in 3 versions: French Provincial/Traditional, Early American and Danish Modern. We had the first 2 of those, and still have the 6 speakers and their mounting board from one suspended from the ceiling over the electronics test bench with leads hanging down to use in checking out amps and receivers brought up on the Gen Rad Variac. As a unit it was somewhat lacking in sound quality as mentioned but fine for the 95% out there who were mainly casual listeners. Still have the factory paperwork for anyone that needs a copy. They were pricey units in their day and would consider one for the den if we could find one with the cabinet close to mint condition, which was not the case with the 2 we had, which were not really restorable, hence their demise as complete console units. The guts, however, do live on.
firedome
Well-known member
BTW that vertical element
on the right side of the control panel next to the knobs of that RCA is the "Tuning Eye" aka EM-84 tube, which, for the youngun's too recently born to have been there back then, had a aqua colored band with a dark area in the middle that narrowed in when the station was tuned in to it's stongest point of reception by the RF detector. One of the fun and funky features long gone by in the world of electronics.
on the right side of the control panel next to the knobs of that RCA is the "Tuning Eye" aka EM-84 tube, which, for the youngun's too recently born to have been there back then, had a aqua colored band with a dark area in the middle that narrowed in when the station was tuned in to it's stongest point of reception by the RF detector. One of the fun and funky features long gone by in the world of electronics.
twintubdexter
Well-known member
yet another tall Victor console...
...$450 on the LA Craigslist.
...$450 on the LA Craigslist.
classiccaprice
Well-known member
I like that cabinet!
danemodsandy
Well-known member
Joe:
That's the exact RCA Mark I lusted after all those years ago. Compared to anything we had or our neighbors or family had, that thing was straight out of The Jetsons.
By the way, note that this stereo console, with a four-speed changer and FM Multiplex available, came only fourteen years after the technologically much more primitive Berkshire Breakfront.
The future used to get here in a hurry. Don't know what happened.
That's the exact RCA Mark I lusted after all those years ago. Compared to anything we had or our neighbors or family had, that thing was straight out of The Jetsons.
By the way, note that this stereo console, with a four-speed changer and FM Multiplex available, came only fourteen years after the technologically much more primitive Berkshire Breakfront.
The future used to get here in a hurry. Don't know what happened.
firedome
Well-known member
RCA highboy in LA
yep that't the Danish Modern version, there was also one on CL in Ohio not long ago, the prettiest of the 3 versions imho. We also still have the changer from one of ours on a shelf in the basement, works fine. BTW the preamp/amp section is excellent and can sound great when teamed up with better speakers that could be installed inside in place of the factory jobs.
yep that't the Danish Modern version, there was also one on CL in Ohio not long ago, the prettiest of the 3 versions imho. We also still have the changer from one of ours on a shelf in the basement, works fine. BTW the preamp/amp section is excellent and can sound great when teamed up with better speakers that could be installed inside in place of the factory jobs.
ovrphil
Well-known member
Firedome: ..so, did you add better speakers? I saw that CL version in Ohio and thought it was unusual. I always wonder if the amps or pre-amps are modded today, as a standard course of improvement. I think there's always room to improve these old consoles.
Are the speaker compartments lined with anything to damper reflections or ? other audio distortion or were they just bare wood?
Phil
Are the speaker compartments lined with anything to damper reflections or ? other audio distortion or were they just bare wood?
Phil
Fisher console
A friend of mines father had a 1960 Fisher console with a slide out Garrard and something like a Fisher Coronet receiver over it. I would love one of those, it was delightful. I have a Fisher 500 receiver from 1957, in monaural, paired with a Stromberg-Carlson Labyrinth corner speaker. Also one Fisher tube stereo receiver. Correct me if I'm wrong, but many Fisher consoles had less than adequate speakers. That was tossed around on one of the other collector sites.
Here's what's sitting in my living room, my Christmas 2010 present. It was the most expensive set in the standard line. Magnavox made the Imperial, in solid wood cabinets constructed by Hammond organ to Magnavox specs. They had their TOL receiver, a reel to reel stereo recorder, and a four pole Micromatic changer. They made my set look and sound sad.
Those higher end units are sought after by collectors now.
A friend of mines father had a 1960 Fisher console with a slide out Garrard and something like a Fisher Coronet receiver over it. I would love one of those, it was delightful. I have a Fisher 500 receiver from 1957, in monaural, paired with a Stromberg-Carlson Labyrinth corner speaker. Also one Fisher tube stereo receiver. Correct me if I'm wrong, but many Fisher consoles had less than adequate speakers. That was tossed around on one of the other collector sites.
Here's what's sitting in my living room, my Christmas 2010 present. It was the most expensive set in the standard line. Magnavox made the Imperial, in solid wood cabinets constructed by Hammond organ to Magnavox specs. They had their TOL receiver, a reel to reel stereo recorder, and a four pole Micromatic changer. They made my set look and sound sad.
Those higher end units are sought after by collectors now.
twintubdexter
Well-known member
My eyes aren't that sharp...
...but this looks like Fisher to me. $100 in Long Beach/on CL. I never cared for that bunched fabric for speaker cloth. It always reminds me of drapes in a funeral parlor.
...but this looks like Fisher to me. $100 in Long Beach/on CL. I never cared for that bunched fabric for speaker cloth. It always reminds me of drapes in a funeral parlor.
ovrphil
Well-known member
112561 (Alan): nice gift..unusual, never saw (model #??) one like that before..does it have a reel-to-reel?...it's not self-evident.
We were talking about the Imperial in another thread, as one was spotted on Craigslist. Like so many other TOL stereo consoles, they're being parted out and sold on you.know.what.bay.com.
We were talking about the Imperial in another thread, as one was spotted on Craigslist. Like so many other TOL stereo consoles, they're being parted out and sold on you.know.what.bay.com.
Yes, the French Provincial armoire was my Christmas gift to me! 
My set has jacks for tape, but tape wasn't included in my model. The Imperial armoire is a different animal, with a premium receiver, reel to reel deck, and four pole Micromatic, in a solid wood construction cabinet made by Hammond Organ to Magnavox specs. Makes the color tv stereo theatres look sad. Here's a link to an album with pics of the "Ramona" Imperial Armoire. I can't for the life of me cut and paste pics on my Google Chrome like I used to.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Magna...ode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&count=20&dir=asc
My set has jacks for tape, but tape wasn't included in my model. The Imperial armoire is a different animal, with a premium receiver, reel to reel deck, and four pole Micromatic, in a solid wood construction cabinet made by Hammond Organ to Magnavox specs. Makes the color tv stereo theatres look sad. Here's a link to an album with pics of the "Ramona" Imperial Armoire. I can't for the life of me cut and paste pics on my Google Chrome like I used to.http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Magna...ode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&count=20&dir=asc
ovrphil
Well-known member
It definitely is a fine looking piece. I can see why you gifted yourself with it!
Gotta weigh a ton.
Gotta weigh a ton.
firedome
Well-known member
ovrphil:
I never subbed better speakers in the RCA Mark console, though I did a test listen with some ADS speakers I had that would have fit in the cabinet, and it sounded great. In fact I'm saving those small ADS jobs for just that purpose should the right console come along. The 6BQ5 (EL-84) output tube is one of the sweetest, the open frame trannies are fairly decent sized (one shorthand way to judge quality of an amplifier) and the RCA's amp/preamp/tuner section is quite decent overall imho. Due to significant damage the cabinet wasn't good enough to pass the "spouse filter", however, so it went away and the electronics were spared.
112561/Alan: you're correct, the Fisher consoles rarely had speakers that lived up to the excellence of the electronics, even the President we had had less than top notch drivers and crossovers, Jensen derived iirc, as the bean counters dictated cost savings there, and in general the really serious listeners didn't buy consoles but instead sought out components that they could tailor to their own specific tastes and idea of good sound so while you didn't get the pretty cabinet you got more flexibility in placement, and the same money went to where it really counted.
The RCA Mark had all it's speakers in one untuned, unbaffeled and unlined compartment, making for a less than thrilling sound, but it was more than adequate for the bulk of casual listeners who mostly used them for enjoying Liberace, Johhny Mathis or Mantovani (all of whom I love, btw) while dining.
I never subbed better speakers in the RCA Mark console, though I did a test listen with some ADS speakers I had that would have fit in the cabinet, and it sounded great. In fact I'm saving those small ADS jobs for just that purpose should the right console come along. The 6BQ5 (EL-84) output tube is one of the sweetest, the open frame trannies are fairly decent sized (one shorthand way to judge quality of an amplifier) and the RCA's amp/preamp/tuner section is quite decent overall imho. Due to significant damage the cabinet wasn't good enough to pass the "spouse filter", however, so it went away and the electronics were spared.
112561/Alan: you're correct, the Fisher consoles rarely had speakers that lived up to the excellence of the electronics, even the President we had had less than top notch drivers and crossovers, Jensen derived iirc, as the bean counters dictated cost savings there, and in general the really serious listeners didn't buy consoles but instead sought out components that they could tailor to their own specific tastes and idea of good sound so while you didn't get the pretty cabinet you got more flexibility in placement, and the same money went to where it really counted.
The RCA Mark had all it's speakers in one untuned, unbaffeled and unlined compartment, making for a less than thrilling sound, but it was more than adequate for the bulk of casual listeners who mostly used them for enjoying Liberace, Johhny Mathis or Mantovani (all of whom I love, btw) while dining.
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