I don't have a console, although if the right one crossed my path, I'd probably get it. Just one, of course. Just like I decided that I was going to get one percolator. [
Lord Kenmore pauses, looks up from his computer, and stares at the shelf where he has his one percolator. Plus all its percolator friends. So much for "one percolator," he sighs.]
I use separate components. Some bought new, many years ago, others used, but not quite vintage. Still, a few interesting older pieces have slipped in.
The oldest item is a tube tuner I found in a thrift shop. I needed a tuner, and got it. It was, as I recall, pre-stereo, although it had connections to allow a stereo decoder to be attached. It was made by Trio, which eventually became Kenwood. It had good sound quality, but the dark side was that the FM tuning band was set for Japan, not North America. (Even though the tuner labeled in English.) Japan has a different FM band, and the only real overlap is the lowest part of our FM band. I still have the tuner, but can't post a photo...it's buried in storage.
Another interesting find was this stereo receiver pictured here. I think of it as a baby Marantz. In fact, when I first saw it, I thought it was Marantz. Actually, it was made by Superscope, who owned Marantz in the 70s. The back claims that this receiver was designed by Marantz. I used this for a while--in fact, when I found it, I was actively trying to find an amplifier to replace my old, recently blown-up amplifier. As I recall, the Superscope was seriously limited, but it was listenable enough to be usable until I could find something better. Later, I used for a seperate TV sound system.
