Console stereos: 1958-84

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vacerator said:
My new Technics SL 1500-C has three speeds. You select 78 rpm by holding 33 and 45 buttons together. Some record changers and single play automatics had small buttons in the platter each at 7", 10", and 12". Whichever record size was on it, that's where the tonearm drops. I think new Dual's have electronic sizing depending on the speed chosen.
A British made ADC model had programmable tracks with buttons along the front top and a silver globe module which has the processor. Worth a lot when working but can be a nightmare to service.
Click to expand...
Those record changers that used a small button in the platter for size sensing were VM units.
The ones labeled as Zenith and other brands were also made for them by VM.

It was ONE button on the platter, which if pressed down by a 10" record, would trigger the 10" setdown position.
If the button was not pressed, it triggers 7 inch record setdown.
If the button AND the lever near the tonearm was pressed, it triggered the 12" setdown.

I had a nice pristine 1966 Zenith/VM changer with the floating "2G" cartridge sitting around from a TOL portable that I junked years ago.
So... I built a base AND dustcover for it, plus designed an internal preamp-equalizer for using it with modern Aux inputs so it would interface properly.
It's so close to sounding like a decent mag-cartridge turntable.
I put it on CraigsList.
A friend of mine wanted to get into collecting records and begged me to sell it to him. - He fell in love with the styling.

Besides me knowing electronics, I'm also a pretty talented wood-working nerd.
My garage has all the equipment I need to work with wood, and metal.

So here's that "Zenith" custom changer that my friend loves.

Zenith w_cover nice.JPG
Lord Heron On Zenith3.jpg
 
rinso said:
Thanks

Thanks supersuds! I stand corrected!

I have three MicroMatic changers that I purchased on ebay. All sellers said they were functional, but none of them could possibly have been operating condition. One is an R600, one is the newer version with the slimmed-down tonearm, and the third is the new style with only two speeds and has a cuing lever. I was very naive when I took up this hobby after my partner passed away. I had no idea that sellers on ebay sometime lie. I know a repair business to which I could send one of them, but they are incredibly backed-up and I've been in their cue since last October. I will admit, however, that one of my MicroMatics may need an exorcism.
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That Micromatic with only 2 speeds is when Collaro quality was cheapened.
 
Matt, this is the first I've ever seen a Zenith VM component changer. Same 2 G tonearm as consoles had. Technics also made one with the buttons in the platter. Rare to find a platter not al dryl rotted with the correct holes.
 
Oh, about those "Stacking" type record changers.....
You've probably heard that "stacking" records on those are "bad to do".
Which actually is propoganda and silly marketing.
That crap was put out in the late 1950's when "new single play manual" turntables were introduced, in order to help sell those new-style units.
Typical marketing blabber to win over gullible picky "audio purists".

If you look carefully at modern LP's, the label and the edge rim are raised purposely.
This was designed so that LP's only touched each other at those points.
So the actual playing grooves were not in contact with each other.
The same idea is applied to 7" 45 RPM records - the label is thicker than the playing surface.
 
vacerator said:
Matt, this is the first I've ever seen a Zenith VM component changer. Same 2 G tonearm as consoles had. Technics also made one with the buttons in the platter. Rare to find a platter not al dryl rotted with the correct holes.
Click to expand...
As I know it, those technics used a light-sensoring technique to determine record size.
I never saw one with any buttons, I'd need a model number to check that out.
 
Could it be that one of the reasons these products are collectors' items today is: There is really not anything in music (excepting classical music) that people want to listen to? A song like Elton's John's Tiny Dancer was so full it scared my little brother, but now all you hear, mostly in cars beside yours, is "BOOM BOOM and the F word. I can't believe people actually buy that.
 
neptunebob said:
Could it be that one of the reasons these products are collectors' items today is: There is really not anything in music (excepting classical music) that people want to listen to? A song like Elton's John's Tiny Dancer was so full it scared my little brother, but now all you hear, mostly in cars beside yours, is "BOOM BOOM and the F word. I can't believe people actually buy that.
Click to expand...
Indeed, that booming noise is highly irritating, whenver a car drives down my street.
Always at high volume, sometimes I can't enjoy my own stereo or the TV set.
Some people think it's cool, trendy...... I think it's stupid Crap.
Part of this illness of young society is because of social meda, Apps.
And I'm not complaining because I'm old now, because even when I was in my 20's I didn't follow the crowd and act like a moron.
 
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vacerator said:
Matt, this is the first I've ever seen a Zenith VM component changer. Same 2 G tonearm as consoles had. Technics also made one with the buttons in the platter. Rare to find a platter not al dryl rotted with the correct holes.
Click to expand...
Bob, the remarkable thing about those Zeniths is that floating cartridge. it handles warped records like a pro!
The same goes for those older Zenith changers, MADE by Zenith.
Belt drive, with flywheel speed stability, silent operation.
A tonearm with knife-edge pivots, an automatic pop-up stylus cleaning brush.
A lot of engineering was put into those machines.

Here's one that I sold a few years ago on craigs list.
I also made the wood base for it.

ZenithTTnew.JPG
 
Oh, about the "boomy" but muffled mid range and treble sound; It wasn't only a symptom of the early solid state designs. From the late 70's through the early millenium, speakers made by the Japanese companies with 15 inch woofers, and three and four mid's and tweeters in light shallow cabinets with or without ports.
Following the best of the early 70's during the stereo wars, they are nicknamed Kabuki speakers. Big drama show, and no detail. I was baffled they were making exemplary amps. and receivers, but not speakers. Probably why I ended up buying KLH in 1979.
A few examples; Pioneer HPM 100, and later models. They even made round end table ones that only could handle 50 watts. Kenwood "Yamasaki" style wooden grille, Sansui, later Infinity, Jensen, Technics, even some JBL and Cerwin Vega's.
While some may like them, others don't.
 
vacerator said:
Oh, about the "boomy" but muffled mid range and treble sound; It wasn't only a symptom of the early solid state designs. From the late 70's through the early millenium, speakers made by the Japanese companies with 15 inch woofers, and three and four mid's and tweeters in light shallow cabinets with or without ports.
Following the best of the early 70's during the stereo wars, they are nicknamed Kabuki speakers. Big drama show, and no detail. I was baffled they were making exemplary amps. and receivers, but not speakers. Probably why I ended up buying KLH in 1979.
A few examples; Pioneer HPM 100, and later models. They even made round end table ones that only could handle 50 watts. Kenwood "Yamasaki" style wooden grille, Sansui, later Infinity, Jensen, Technics, even some JBL and Cerwin Vega's.
While some may like them, others don't.
Click to expand...
Funny you mention speakers.
But of course they go hand in hand with anything audio related.

Henry Kloss, well-known for his association with speaker brands once stated
"Less, is better", if you want purity of sound, and less speakers covering the entire spectrum results in less manipulation of what you hear.
So his famous designs reflected that - two, maybe three drivers, and a crossover network made simple.
His Advent speakers with two drivers became wildly popular, and I can see why.
For a while back in the 1970's, I worked a 2nd job at a local audio "salon" store.
I was preparing to buy my first car, and needed the cash.
So I had plenty of experience auditioning the many brands of stereo equipment.
We carried those Japan-designed speakers with the whole front panel stuffed with many drivers, as well as Kloss products.
Now mind you, everyone's got preferences as to what they like, including me.
So I like "Natural Sound", the less "tainted", the better.
And I've always had a keen sense of accuracy, faithfulness, they call it having "trained ears" or "golden hearing", among other things.

Well, I never cared for those impressive-looking boxes stuffed with speakers.
They didn't give me that smooth, natural sound that I felt was real fidelity.
In fact, they hurt my ears with their brash annoying sonics.
Some people might like that, I surely didn't.
My first good speakers in were "The Smaller Advents", two-drivers, sealed air-suspension design, plain looking, yet in thick solid heavy cabinets.
I never grew tired of them though the years, the sound was non-fatiquing, pleasant, realistic.
If I wanted a particular type of sound from them, then that's what tone controls on the amp are for.

My current speakers are the Advent Maestro's, using Jensen-designed drivers.
Well-built, thoughtful design too.
They sonically remind me of my old Advents, which went the way of rotted foam woofer surrounds.
The Maestro's wern't cheap either, inflation and 1988 price was $700 a pair.
 
A good youtube video to watch on this is 9 vintage speakers audiophile hate by Skylabs audio in Demoine Iowa.
I don't think Advent made a poor sounding speaker period! The Kabuki genera suffered from high subsonic bass, and amps. back then didn't have as good of a damping factor. This meant that then driver coils flexed more. The crossovers were usually poorly engineered or used cheap capacitors or resistors, so there was more cross talk of signals. One brand had a heavy cable connecting the left and right speaker. The slightest movement off of the room center killed the separation.
Todays systems are improved in that they have a "tighter" bass or cleaner. Of course everything is subject to the amplifier specs, the input format, preamp quality, and room acoustics.
Does anyone else notice the cycling adds interfere with typing, or is it me? My wireless keyboard has a fresh battery.
 

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