Some bad ideas refuse to die - console phonographs

[Chrispy]

A lot of my friends' parents growing up had those. None sounded particularly good but I suppose WAF friendly.

 

[OldHvyMec]

We had one in the early 1960s. It was wonderful. It's how I learned to handle records and reel-to-reel. It would be nice compared to most of the
stacks I've seen through the years. A person gave me 2 QLS I and a Pioneer Spec stack with the rack. It looked like it should have been in the space shuttle.

I like our old consoles as a kid a lot better. I gave that stack to a guy and he went through the whole thing. Bully for him. I'd sure like to see and hear
that old JBL/Mcintosh/Thoren/RtR (don't remember the make) console though. One of the best ideas they ever had. My mother bought a 2nd console
with a TV and two more speakers. That was one cool setup. Gilligan's Island, Flipper and American Band Stand in Quad with a reverb switch. Groovy!

 

[restorer-john]

Gilligan's Island

Who could forget Mary Ann?

 

[pjug]

Wow, this thread jogs some earliest memories. I am sure the console my parents had was not a good one, but still the cabinet was substantial. I remember climbing on it, the lid being very heavy. Wondering if I could hide on the record player and close that lid.

 

[TimF]

Aren't these cabinets one step further than the new Focal Diva the active speaker being released? They are active speakers with source too.

 

[OldHvyMec]

Who could forget Mary Ann?

I'm with you! She was out of sight for sure. Let's not forget Elly May Clampett either, though my rathers are still in the Mary Ann camp.
And who will ever forget "I Dream of Jeannie" and Barbara Eden? Holy mackerel! The only problem was my Dad would rather watch
The Jackie Gleason Show when "Flipper" was on. Sea Hunt and the all-powerful Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Green Jeans.

Yes those were the days. My father was USAF stationed at Maxwell AFB in Alabama. We went everywhere because of that, 3 years in Sevilla
Spain. 2.5 years at the Panama Canal and 18 months in Germany & 12 months in England. We went back to the States and he went to Vietnam.

He retired in 68 and back to California where he had most of his family. I stayed in CA and promised to NEVER move again or put my family through
that. It's all fun unless you're the one doing it and leaving friends and pets behind. THAT console went to California though. LOL

I must admit in the mid 60 Alabama was a place I missed but not the crap that went on. George Wallace and his wife were the Governors then,
boy howdy! I sure didn't miss that. What do kids care about politics? I still don't. LOL Worse than cell phones and video games. I hate both!

But that console........ I think it was a Mcintosh 110M for the AM, FM, tape, and record player. Man I might be getting older. "The Man From Uncle"
just popped in my head and "Get Smart". "Would you believe?" LOL

Regards

 

[DWPress]

These things still pop up with regularity here in N MI where, at one time, pretty much every middle class auto worker had a "up north" shack to escape to. These second homes often took over the spoils from a modernized primary home and a lot of these cabins have been around unchanged since the 50-60s decor. FB marketplace and Craigslist regularly feature something - often all original equipment, sometimes they even claim they work. Prices range from free to precious but usually around the $200 mark.

 

[DavidMcRoy]

I'm surprised the current enthusiasm for mid-century modern architecture and decor hasn't created more demand for new products designed around this format, and if designed so that no operational access through the top of the unit is required they're a perfect place to park a modern flat panel TV. If you "must" include a turntable, put it in pull-out drawer like my folk's c. 1948 AM/F/Phono Zenith "hifi" console had. And all of that internal real estate offers more space for something that could be significantly better than a skinny sound bar.

 

[restorer-john]

And who will ever forget "I Dream of Jeannie" and Barbara Eden?

Absolutely. She was awesome in the original Voyage To the Bottom of the Sea movie too.

But my favourites were Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched) and Marta Kristen (Lost in Space).

 

[JSmith]

It's amusing... back in the past people didn't want to see the turntable.

Now look at the silliness;

JSmith

 

[Timmy]

Two main tasks:

• Serving as a nicely fitting part of your home's furniture. This is a full time job.
  
  
• Emitting sonic waves from time to time, in a fashion that folks around like to stay around.

If both works: Congrats!

 

[DanielT]

As decoration, perfectly fine. I have one myself with that purpose. But getting them in working order is another matter. Here's what Skylabs Audio says about it. For the first three to four years of their business they sold and served four, five pieces every month. But, which is not so hard to see, they are big and heavy. They take up a lot of space. It is difficult to find spare parts. I don't think Skylabs Audio works that much with this type of vintage consoles these days. Their advice is to search for dedicated Facebook groups for those who want to buy, sell, service and repair consoles.

A lot of cool pictures of consoles in the video. Check from 1:42 in the video:

My Luxor (Swedish brand) that I have as an ornament. It is not on the world map that I would plug the power cord into my wall socket with a roughly 70 year old tube amplifier:

 

[Mart68]

I'm surprised the current enthusiasm for mid-century modern architecture and decor hasn't created more demand for new products designed around this format, and if designed so that no operational access through the top of the unit is required they're a perfect place to park a modern flat panel TV. If you "must" include a turntable, put it in pull-out drawer like my folk's c. 1948 AM/F/Phono Zenith "hifi" console had. And all of that internal real estate offers more space for something that could be significantly better than a skinny sound bar.

Really good idea except the 'lifestyle' people tend to want the TV fixed to the wall for reasons I don't understand (unless the only available wall has a fireplace on it).

 

[Timmy]

the current enthusiasm for mid-century modern architecture and decor

Actually, I would let pass some two more decades first, before commenting about any mid-century phenomenons

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

Actually I like that a lot.
Not that personally I would buy one. But I can see it appealing to some.

 

[mhardy6647]

My parents got a Magnavox radio/phono console with a 12" electromagnetic speaker in the late 1940s. They had it for 20 years. When they got rid of it I removed the parts and put a tuner, amp, and turntable in it. I connected the speaker(s) separately. I used it for at least 10 years.

There's a (dump find) 1960s-vintage Maggotbox console in the basement. PP EL84 stereo amp that's as simple a design as one could imagine but sounds surprisingly good. I wouldn't use the Collaro record changer on it (whether it works or not), but the electronics are fine. Not electrodynamic drivers, though, of course.
Maggotbox (ahem, Magnavox) made much better than average console "hifi". Not top-tier, and not inexpensive, but not bad, either.
Magnavox gets some cred for having developed the first loudspeaker -- Peter Jensen's Magnavox.

Jensen

History of Jensen® Loudspeakers | Jensen Loudspeakers

www.jensentone.com

 

[DavidMcRoy]

Really good idea except the 'lifestyle' people tend to want the TV fixed to the wall for reasons I don't understand (unless the only available wall has a fireplace on it).

So they could hang the TV on the wall behind the console.

Speaking of TVs over a fireplace: it gives me a severe neck ache. I don't know how anyone can tolerate it.

 

[Mart68]

So they could hang the TV on the wall behind the console.

Speaking of TVs over a fireplace: it gives me a severe neck ache. I don't know how anyone can tolerate it.

I know. I just assume they hardly ever watch TV.

Friend of mine was obsessed with getting his TV on the wall 'To free up space.' All sorts of issues with the brick work, cost him a load of cash, but finally he did it. Then he put a console underneath.

I asked him why not just stand the TV on the console? He stopped dead like it had never occurred to him.

 

[Blumlein 88]

There's a (dump find) 1960s-vintage Maggotbox console in the basement. PP EL84 stereo amp that's as simple a design as one could imagine but sounds surprisingly good. I wouldn't use the Collaro record changer on it (whether it works or not), but the electronics are fine. Not electrodynamic drivers, though, of course.
Maggotbox (ahem, Magnavox) made much better than average console "hifi". Not top-tier, and not inexpensive, but not bad, either.
Magnavox gets some cred for having developed the first loudspeaker -- Peter Jensen's Magnavox.

Jensen

History of Jensen® Loudspeakers | Jensen Loudspeakers

www.jensentone.com

I worked on an old mono console from the 1950s once. More of a night stand looking device with one speaker, tuner, auxillary input no TT. It had a 6L6 amp of very simple design and single ended. It was a variation on parafeed topology.

 

[egellings]

It's amusing... back in the past people didn't want to see the turntable.

Now look at the silliness;

View attachment 396496


JSmith

That would likely get viewed as more of a pet than a turntable.