Console stereos: 1958-84

[phillymatt53]

Resurecting this thread, I heard a song today that brought back memories to me.
It actually brought tears to my eyes as I imagined my younger days, living at home....
My mom used to put it on the console stereo once in a while and sit me on her knee and rocked me, to sing it to me.
The lyrics of it back then seemed to come from her heart as she sung along with it, and back then being young, I didn't fully understand as I do now why she loved that song so much.

Close your eyes and imagine your mom singing this song to you....

 

[vacerator]

There are many more good ones that follow that song in succession. My parents had a wide range of taste in music. Mom liked Mario Lanza, Chopin, Maurice Chivaliet', Ray Conniff, Streisand, Andy Williams, Billy Extine, Broadway soundtracks, etc. Dad liked Nat King Cole, Chet Atkins, Xavior Cougat's orchestra, Henry Mancini, etc. They also liked Simon and Garfunkel, Peter, Paul and Mary, Mama's and the Papa's, etc.

 

[phillymatt53]

There are many more good ones that follow that song in succession. My parents had a wide range of taste in music. Mom liked Mario Lanza, Chopin, Maurice Chivaliet', Ray Conniff, Streisand, Andy Williams, Billy Extine, Broadway soundtracks, etc. Dad liked Nat King Cole, Chet Atkins, Xavior Cougat's orchestra, Henry Mancini, etc. They also liked Simon and Garfunkel, Peter, Paul and Mary, Mama's and the Papa's, etc.

Lotta good music there for sure!
I've got a ton of stuff like that.

 

[rinso]

Those old Magnavox consoles may not have been the delight of audiophiles, still they were very mellow sounding and perfect for the living rooms of the WWII, "Smoke 'em if you got 'em," generation.

 

[phillymatt53]

Those old Magnavox console may not have been the delight of audiophiles, still they were very mellow sounding and perfect for the living rooms of the WWII, "Smoke 'em if you got 'em," generation.

The one thing about the "console sound" from those big coffin cabinets is how they were manufactured.
Namely, the cabinets themselves.
If they were constructed with thin lumber, as many were, they have a tendency to "boom" or resonate from the bass speakers.
Basically speaking, "that boxy sound".
Manufacturers tended to compensate for that by designing the circuitry in an attempt to "balance" the resulting sound to a pleasing tonal quality.

But naturally, it didn't always please the customer, regardless of how the tone controls were set.

My 1963-ish RCA Victor console has the wood side panels of 1/4" thick wood, which initially gave it that boomy-boxy sonics.
When I tore the system out, I lined inside the side panels with thick 3/4" pine, glued inside to the side panels, along with completely re-designing the internal layout the same way. - bracing, gluing, which naturally added some weight to the console.
This was to install a whole new powerful set of custom tube electronics (total 18 tubes), high quality speakers (12" woofers, midranges, tweeters), and upgraded the record changer to a nice Garrard as well, with a Magnetic cartridge.
I wanted to hear only the speakers, not cabinet resonances. - just pure music from the speakers.
And the results are what I intended, thankfully.
A much better "controlled" performance that closely resembles a good pair of seperate speakers in a component-style system.

 

[rinso]

Yeah, my 1962 Malevolent Magnavox cabinet uses 1/4 inch wood panels all around. What always amazed me is how the 15" woofer right under the record changer, didn't cause any rumble feedback, or tonearm skipping and bouncing. But, in mine, it doesn't. Go figure!

 

[phillymatt53]

Yeah, my 1962 Malevolent Magnavox cabinet uses 1/4 inch wood panels all around. What always amazed me is how the 15" woofer right under the record changer, didn't cause any rumble feedback, or tonearm skipping and bouncing. But, in mine, it doesn't. Go figure!

There might be a sound blocking panel below the record changer or it's in a compartment away from the speakers which are in another compartment.
They call it a "boom shield" or something like that.

 

[rinso]

Gotcha! There indeed is a wood panel under the changer and just above the right-hand speaker/horn.