Console Stereo article

[kevinpreston8]

Home Depot....

rents a flatbed truck for $20 for 70 minutes.

;-)

 

[petek]

Gary, that Clairtone is very nice. They weren't a high end maker and usually sold their stuff at furniture "marts" , K-Marts and Woolco's rather than tv and appliance stores or better department stores. BUT they did put out some very "moderne" looking stereo's and tv's which are collectibles now.

Here's my Westinghouse console with "custom crafted cabinet" Garrard turntable and sliding front speaker covers. Sounds ok but nothing to write home about. It was because of these things that my father, a true audiophile, wouldn't have one in the house but rather built all his own equipment and was an early convert to Japanese components systems. We got our first component system by the late 60s, a Kenwood receiver, Dual turntable, Sansui tape deck and can't remember the speakers.. It's all still down in moms basement rec room I believe.

 

[jasonl]

Bob

You're the man!

And that Califone brings me back to elementary school music class.

 

[tolivac]

WOW!! some really neat console hi-fi pictures-love that pink silvertone.Some other thoughts I had about Hi-fi in general over my weekend-One of the big boosts to modern Hi-fi console and componet-was the invention of the beam power tube by RCA in the WW2 period.That device alone made for more compact and efficent Hi-Fi amps for consoles,radios,Tv's and of course hi-Fi component amps-these tubes are still used and available today-Guitarists love them-the tube family of 6V6,6L6,6CA7-EL-34,6550,7027,8417.Lots of these bottles found there way into Hi-fi's of all sorets-yes they still needed an output transformer-that is a necissity for any tube amp feeding a speaker.remember high tube plate load impedance of several thousand ohms has to be stepped down to 4-16ohms for a speaker.The beam power tube has high gain per stage so less stages are needed-with 6CA7,6550's you could build a 50-60W amp with only 3 amplification stages for the 60W out. with an all triode amp would be many-and yes some "audiophiles" use all triode amps today-they are big,inefficent and expensive.and also the invention fo the minature tube during the same era also made for more compact in less expensive equipment.Another boom that came during the WW2 era was the Perminent Magnet speaker-no energy draining electro-magnet coils that had to be energized separately.Movie houses LOVED that.You had to have a separate DC supply to energize the magnets.This helped for home Hi-FI as well-both consoles and components-it even made the "bookshelf" hi-fi speaker system possible.

 

[tolivac]

Was looking again at the pictures --and yes the Califone unit-in the Bobofhollywood pics-with the pink Silvertone reminds me of school and the square dance lessons and sessions I was in as a small boy.The square dance caller had one of those-almost like the Caliphone machine in the picture-loved how it sounded-and the caller could mix his mic in with the records he was playing.Our family went to those square dance sessions every weekend when I was in elementary school.Was fun.

 

[whirlcool]

Didn't Zenith..

make a model similar to that Claritone? I seem to remember a unit similar to that with either ball type speakers or those round ones with the upturned white cones in them near the top.
Anyone else remember this? Circa 1968

 

[drmitch]

Cool consoles guys! I had a GE that I got from an employer for $25 and couldnt believe the sound quality. It only had a record changer and tuner but had hook ups for reel to reel. I added a CD and enjoyed it for many years until its size became a factor in selling it. Used it ten years and then sold it for $35 to a friend who loved it. Pretty good investment!

 

[petek]

The only other "modern" stereos I recollect were also Canadian made by Electrohome. Theres was a round saucer shape with a plexiglas dome sitting on a fluted pedestal and two remote "balls" for speakers.

 

[whirlcool]

Here's one of those Zenith's I was talking about. It came in two sizes, this is the small one..

At least it has the Two G tonearm....

http://cgi.ebay.com/Eames-Zenith-Ci...874959828QQcategoryZ48649QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[jasonl]

I had a set of those speakers at one time. Ehh, they weren't great. I had a set of Zenith Allegro speakers the kicked azz. I almost picked up a Zenith "Wedge" a long time ago but good thing cause I would've lost it in the hurricane.

I did have a Zenith allegro system with that cool radio dial that lighted numbers that switched between am and fm.

That Zenith record player is a catch! VW record player with the cool Zenith T-shaped stylus.

 

[westytoploader]

No more Mono!!

And it's tempting since it's only about 3 hours from me in San Antonio; now that would be one KICK-@$$ sound system for the shed!! I'll bet the Fifth Dimension would sound great on that baby...banish mono forever!!

 

[DADoES]

I remember those Zenith models with the number-switching dial. And the Allegro models, a few were quad.

I had a Zenith tabletop unit with detachable speakers (not Allegro), 2G tonearm. The turntable folded up when not in use. Cost $99.99. Saved for months, birthday money, mowing my dad's rent property.

Dad had a "clean-the-attic" itch yesterday. The Zenith record player I got for Christmas when I was 6 years old was up there. A wedge/clamshell design. Not in good condition. Originally was ivory colored, now is a nasty yellow. I'll post a pic later.

 

[veg-o-matic]

Oooh, love those clamshell Zeniths. First time I saw one was on Bewitched. Funny how that show seems to be the source for all appliances and electronics!

Darren was using it to learn Italian.

Anyone else remember those Convers-A-Phone records for learning foreign languages?

veg

 

[jasonl]

Aww but that little GE was fun to listen to.

Get that console. The Fifth-D will sound heavenly through a vintage console.

Oops, I meant VM record player on that Zenith, not a VW Soundwagen.

 

[jasonl]

That seller also has a tube amp *drool*. NOTHING sounds like tubes.

http://cgi.ebay.com/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5874959627

 

[petek]

My favorite thrift store today has a beautiful and I mean beautiful RCA console, French Provincial light wood, with a Garrard changer a fairly deluxe looking one and an RCA something 50 I think receiver, looks to be a better one of their models. A crest on the inside cabinet lid said something about Cabinet Crafted by Victor" or somehting like that.. my memory aint so good.. it really was nice and get this, they only want $5 for it I just can't bring it home or I'll be killed.

 

[tolivac]

Petek: Get That RCA anyway-long ago when I was in high school-bought some Philips speakers from a freind-my parents liked listening to my "system" as much as I did!I had a Scott intergrated amp at that time with a Curtus Mathes changer.At $5 bucks--how can you resist-better than quarter mil for speakers I showed an another thread.