Magnavox Stereo Entertainment Console - $100 (Parker, CO)

[classiccaprice]

Thanks Phil

I got it at a local "variety" thrift shop nearby.  There is no way to be certain, but I believe I saw this set in it's natural habitat.  Back in high school I used to deliver meals on wheels.  There was one older lady that had an identical console in her living room and I loved it.  I was kind of shy and complemented her on it.  She said that she and her husband bought it new and had kept it ever since, at the time she still listened to records on it.  Flash forward 10 years, this showed up on my radar and the man said that his sister had picked it up in the section of town the lady lived in.  I wonder if it found me?

 

I've got this 1962 Magnavox tv/stereo console, a 1962 Philco stereo console, a 1964 or 65 Zenith stereo console, a 1969 Zenith space command tv console, a 1963 Zenith round tube color tv console, a 1959 Zenith B/W tv Console, a smaller 1975 Zenith Chromacolor 2 (futuristic console), two non-working Philco Predictas, a 1981 Zenith tv that was my childhood set and a 1950s/1960s JVC console stereo set (which is before they were imported in this country [I believe it was brought back by a serviceman from somewhere overseas]...

 

I also have a 1969 and 1980 Panasonic stereo and 1971 Zenith futuristic stereo, but they aren't consoles.  

 

I have a 1963 Telefunken stereo console and 1963 Space Tone Senator stereo console out on permanent loan and have owned a 1951 Zenith TV console, 1953 Zenith tv/radio console, a 1954 RCA tv console, and 1964 RCA b/w tv console.  

 

There are really only a few sets I'd buy now... I'd like the smaller version of my 1964/5 Zenith Cabinet stereo, the larger 1975-ish Zenith Futuristic console... perhaps with a bigger house I'd look into a early 50's porthole tv or late 50's Grundig console stereo.  

 

I'm not a member of audiokarma because I don't have a paid email address, but I do peruse every once in awhile.  Please excuse the length of the post, typically if it has a plug on it and it's 40-70 years old, I like it (appliances, electronics, lamps, clocks, gadgets, gizmos and do-dads)

 

[supersuds]

I can answer the door question

The doors on that model of Magnavox were definitely NOT fixed. My uncle had one from new until he died in 2000. I remember it very well...the doors slid shut to cover the picture tube.

I used to enjoy putting my hand over the electric eye and watching the picture get dark...lol.

The record changer was fun, too. "Micromatic Magnavox," I think it said. The tone arm would "feel" the edge of the reord before the needle dropped, to determine if it was a 7, 10, or 12 inch record. Uncle John was proud of the exponential horns and used to let me play his Phil Harris 78s loudly.

The remote control was a space age looking thing that went "toing" when you pressed the button. Of course, there were only 3 channels back then, but the tuner would clunk up and down the dial, and you could raise and lower the volume.

Nice to see it again. Seems like yesterday!

 

[ovrphil]

Will : I don't mind the thread length. I think you have an impressive collection - do you happen to have these all in an album to view online(Flickr or something? ) - would enjoy seeing them all. Lots of Zenith's in your collection....not accidental, I presume?

Supersuds(John) - thanks for clarifying and adding so much detail about that model, which appeals to me because it appears to be a Maggie stereo console that often had the front speakers and (correct me if I'm wrong) side horns(?)...lot of sound and amps compared to many tv-stereo consoles that allocated front firing speakers only. Your uncle picked 'em right. If it was still working in 2000, did it go to some family or friend?

 

[classiccaprice]

phil

No pictures in a set file, but perhaps I can find a few over the next few days. Either way I thought I'd take some pictures when I clean out my storage are this summer. Keep an eye out in the super forum for it. My family always bought Zeniths, so I have some ingrained brand loyalty. The quality went in before the name went on until they were sold and American production stopped in the early 1990s.

 

[classiccaprice]

$500 in Brooklyn... expensive, but cool

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[ovrphil]

Wow, elegant (and now $400) - no mentions of functionality -dead/alive/limping on one leg or anything, just selling it as furniture?

 

[supersuds]

More info for ovrphil

I'm pretty sure it had the horns on the sides. Its been so long i wouldn't want to swear to it! It seemed an odd arrangement but worked well enough.

I don't know what happened to it ultimately. My uncle moved to Florida and I wasn't in on the disposition of his estate, though I was supposed to get his record collection -- but that's another story.

Unfortunately, my uncle decided at some point to remove the TV and used the center section for record storage. I was horrified, but in his new house it wasn't even hooked up to cable and couldn't get any reception out in the country, and the seating arrangements were such that nobody could have conveniently watched the TV, anyway. There were no radio stations he and my aunt wanted to listen to, either, so it became a big record player. It was impossible to argue with his logic, but it made me sad.

Another thing (since I'm reminiscing here). When you turned off the set, the picture would shrink to a little white dot in the center of the tube, before going out. I think it had something to do with static electricity, but it just delighted me as a kid.

The thing that's so remarkable in retrospect that it was such a well-made piece of furniture. The doors over the front, as well as on the top, were as smooth as silk to move. The finish was impeccable. It's hard to find any furniture of that quality these days, but we took it for granted back then.

 

[ovrphil]

Like tanks

Everything in the 50's and 60's pretty much were built solid - maybe overbuilt in today's engineering perceptions. I love wood and woodworking and I agree with you John - we took them for granted back then.
All the old tv's, as I can remember, that were tubes(not solid state)would turn off and shrink to a small dot - forgot about that one...good memory, John!

I wonder if you know what that circle is the the lower left of the left speaker? Seems a weird spot for a remote control receptorl or is it just Zenith's logo?

 

[supersuds]

That circle is the electric eye for the TV screen -- as someone mentioned upthread, the contrast for the TV would adjust automatically depending on how bright the room lighting was.

 

[classiccaprice]

Correction: the circle on the bottom of the screen is the electric eye

The red circle on the speaker is a light that shines when the set is on.

 

[whirlaway]

The Horns!

I have a 1958 console magnavox and the horns are in the front and bass speakers on the side.Also tweeters in the front.Its an odd set no radio,Just a stereo phonograph with a full modern cabinet with the nice black and gold changer and butterscoth color knobs.Excuse my spelling Im tired waiting for the storm. Bobby

 

[firedome]

high frequencies

are very directional, thus horns would always need to be on thre front, whereas bass frequencies are non directional and can be mounted on the side, underneath, even behind furniture. Altec even made a cool coffee table 15" bass unit that fired downwards and was a functional table on top.

 

[ovrphil]

Classiccaprice: I didn't see the circle on the bottom right of the Zenith tv tube, til you mentioned it , thanks. It came to me - horns are front mounted, duh.

Countryford - found your YouTube vid; did you archive public domain, black and white or color tv shows or are you watching ME-TV or some other station locally?

Not to single out Magnavox for any reason, but does anyone know where, online, there might be a brochure of the Maggie's consoles, with or without the tv - including the late 1950s and early 1960s? I'm going to check out and probably buy a 1959 Magnificent Magnavox(no tv, just am/fm/phono) tomorrow. Thanks.

 

[classiccaprice]

It's a Magnavox, not a Zenith

Sorry to be "that guy," but just to make sure we are all on the same page.

 

That said, you can search the link I posted under the brochure pictures I posted.  There are several old tvs on the site... Mainly 50's, but some earlier and later.  The owner is building a good amount of reference materials on the tv units.  He's a great resource and there is a good amount on the page if you look around.  Audiokarma might have something in one of it's archives. Otherwise, it's just a google search shot in the dark.  I wish I could be more help.  

 

[ovrphil]

Maggie not Zenie

Haha. I wonder what got into me..I'll blame it on Tropical Storm Andrea. Thanks Will, sorry I missed seeing that link.

 

[whirlcool]

Stay safe during the storm. It has now dissapated and all that is left is the rain and a little wind. But still be careful.

We were an all Zenith family until 1992. We always owned Zenith sets and were happy with them. I still have a 1968 Zenith 12 inch B&W set I received as a graduation gift. The picture was growing dim so I replaced all the tubes which brightened it up a little. But this set has only been turned on once or twice in the past 20 years and now the vertical roll is continuous and the picture is quite dim. Probably needs a new CRT and recap job.

Whenever I see B&W consoles I think of when I was a youngster I used to play outside in the summer until my parents called me in the house. You know how it is, you feel hot & sweaty until you cool down. It always seemed like they were watching "Alfred Hitchcock" on the television, in B&W of course.They usually called me in around 8:30pm. This would have been around 1961-63 or so.