Interesting console finds today!

[firedome]

One of the long time local high end furniture stores (Henckel-Harris, Harden, Ethan Allen, Henredon, etc) went out of business a year ago and most of the inventory was auctioned off. The elderly owners, who had died, had also stored 2 console stereos that they had bought for their home over the years in the back of their warehouse under some old draperies, and these were not put out for the auction.

The newer one (mid-60s) was missing it's 2 detached outboard speakers, and all it's custom-installed electrical parts had been removed from the beautiful Barzilay cabinet for repair and never re-installed, these were also missing. What it did have was an attractive MCM solid walnut cabinet in very nice shape, and a pretty desirable vintage turntable. One can assume that its missing electronics were most likely from McIntosh Labs, being that their factory is but 5 miles away, and the owners certainly had the taste and the wherewithal. I would LOVE to know what those pieces and its original speakers were.

The other stereo, also with modern lines, bought around 1958, was a complete RCA New Orthophonic model SHS-9 2 pc stereo in very nice shape, but operationally a complete unknown, with a simple SE amp. The new owner of the commercial space wanted everything gone, and of course, we couldn't turn any of it down. So the little 2 pc. console will adorn my office. Not sure yet the fate of the big Barzilay &c, it has a clean, attractive MCM look but we don't really have the room for it, so will have to be passed on. Meantime, it's play time... er, time to restore that cute little RCA to proper order!

 

[philr]

That's a beautiful cabinet Roger! And the Thorens turntable is still in! Too bad it's been gutted out of it's other components!

Keep us informed of the operating condition of the RCA!

 

[iowabear]

The two piece RCA is a really beautiful design.  Still appealing 60 years later.

 

[tolivac]

Like that RCA two piece Hi-fi.The Barzilay is interesting--Why do folks gut the equipment from these but leave the TT behind-That Thorns is a good TT-sometimes see those in smaller radio stations-the 1Kw daytimer AM stations!

 

[firedome]

sure wish it hadn't been gutted...

of what it is missing, probably really good tube stuff given the era, provenance, and the owners! But no complaints, that particular Thorens is very desirable. We had a later model Thorens TD-145 in the early 70s, and it was an excellent performer. I still have a Phillips and a Dual TT I like very much, so this old Thorens will soon be going down the road. The Barzilay might yet end up in our LR.

 

[twintubdexter]

Very nice & pricey when new

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">That Barzilay cabinet's a real find. I have that same unit (currently floating around various parts of my house looking for a home) that I purchased from a guy way out in Yucca Valley. He kept lowering the price without my asking thanks to his pushy wife who kept saying "get rid of it get rid of it!" The speaker cabinets have "collectible" JBL drivers which is a bonus. As a teenager looking at "High Fidelity" magazine I always wanted a Barzilay cabinet. </span>

 

[firedome]

Wow Joe!!

so that's what the speakers would have looked like! Got to wonder why they and the electronics were missing here! But am very glad to have found such an attractive cabinet and the TT is also a plus... thanks for adding those pics!

 

[twintubdexter]

Roger

<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">Generally speaking Barzilay cabinets were sold empty. You added your own components including speakers. They provided cutouts for the audio equipment you wanted like Macintosh, Fisher etc. I'm sure there were audio retailers that added various components and sold cabinets complete and ready to go. Most of the speaker cabinets I've seen that match mine have Altec speakers. The company, once located near me in Marina Del Rey, has an interesting history. Enjoy your cabinet.</span>

 

 

<span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Barzilay” is not a name you hear much of any more, but back in the 1960s to 1970s, it was one well known to audiophiles designing their own stereo sound systems.</span>

<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Barzilay produced stereo equipment case kits, speaker cases and wall units in kit form, much like the now familiar Ikea company furniture today. The Barzilay cases and cabinets could be </span>

<span style="font-size: 14pt;">fitted with a multitude of different components, such as amplifiers, turntables and tape recorders.</span>

<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The kits were well made, some faced with exotic veneers such as highly figured rosewood.</span>

<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Ira S. Barzilay, whose original claim to fame was as a child actor, founded the company. He was a child prodigy, featured as the piano-playing member of the “Our Gang” and “Little Rascals” comedy series, and he also starred in the 1933 Shirley Temple film “Dora’s Dunking Doughnuts.”</span>

<span style="font-size: 14pt;">His business was founded just after the Second World War, remaining in operation until about 1986. The majority of the pieces one runs into today date from the 1960s through 1970s.</span>

<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Some sources quote former employees as saying the reason the business closed was not for lack of demand but because Barzilay was looking to retire. New pollution laws at the time, which increased the cost of running a cabinet business, were also reported to be a growing concern.</span>

<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Today, values for Barzilay furniture is still a bargain compared to similar Danish Modern pieces and have just started to appreciate in value. At this point, most of it tends to sell through classified ads rather than through dealers or auctions.</span>

<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Currently, the larger wall cabinets by Barzilay are listing for more than $2,000, but smaller cabinets often list for less than $450.</span>

 

[iowabear]

Joe, thanks for the info on Barzilay.  I've been interested in HiFi since I was a teenager and I had never heard of it.

 

[tolivac]

Firedome--if you don't want the Thorens TT and arm-I would be interested.