# Console Stereo



## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

So I have been offered an old stereo. It has been in storage for roughly 15 years amd was in my wife's family. While I love these old units, I am not sure what I would do with it or where I would place it. 

Part of me thinks it would make a nice bar gutted. May get me in trouble though. 

Thoughts?


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

Do you have the model number? It has that Grundig look to it. It may have the EL95s in the output...nice little tube. Some day consoles may become popular again, if your wife has a sentimental attachment to it, you might what to consider restoring it for her.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

One of the inherent flaws in consoles - our family had one, Electrohome, I think - was that the better bass offered by the larger cabinet area for the speakers had a nasty habit of turning into rumble in the turntable. There are limits to what springs under the turntable platform can do. If it were 50 years ago, having all those frequency bands would provide a wealth of listenable stations. These days, not so much. If there is a way to feed an auxiliary input, it would makea nice MP3 player, tho.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Very low WAF, IME.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

It is a Grundig. Model SO 122ca. 

@mhammer I was thinking the same thing about an aux input. 
Apparently a pile of records come with it. I'm sure nothing of interest to me. 

@High/Deaf WAF?


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

Schematics can be found here as well. 






Grundig-Fleetwood SO-122 Radio Grundig Radio-Vertrieb, RVF


Grundig-Fleetwood SO-122 Radio Grundig Radio-Vertrieb, RVF, Radiowerke, build 1960 ?, 3 pictures, 9 tubes, Germany, schematics, semiconductors, Broadcast




www.radiomuseum.org


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

I had a couple of European-made ones. Solid wood. Tube amps. Nice sound, looked good. 

I didn't know what to do with them either. If your wife is attached to this one, make her happy by playing records on it once in a while. Fun is in the mind of the beholder.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

I don't think my wife would mind as it was her great uncle's. I was more concerned with the older generation.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

Convert it with a rackmount stereo amp and a 12" guitar speaker per side - retro living room guitar rig.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I've wanted a JBL Paragon for, like, forever. Just because it exists. But I could never afford one and I certainly couldn't justify the space requirements, even though I've used Magneplanars for years. LOL

That's a Paragon under that Mac amp.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

mhammer said:


> One of the inherent flaws in consoles - our family had one, Electrohome, I think - was that the better bass offered by the larger cabinet area for the speakers had a nasty habit of turning into rumble in the turntable. There are limits to what springs under the turntable platform can do. If it were 50 years ago, having all those frequency bands would provide a wealth of listenable stations. These days, not so much. If there is a way to feed an auxiliary input, it would makea nice MP3 player, tho.


Turn one of those old radios on at night and go thru the bands. You'll be surprised what's out there from all over the world, especially if you have a good antenna. Lots of good music. Stations from Cuba and Brazil are always good to listen too. All 3 of the old console stereos I had used RCA imputs to connect the turntable to the amp.. I had one of these, and Electrahome and a Chisholm. All three from 1950/51. On occasion I would connect a guitar to one of them. 





327 Radio Canadian Marconi Co. Ltd. CMC, Esterline, Marconi', build


327 Radio Canadian Marconi Co. Ltd. CMC, Esterline, Marconi', build 1951 ?, 7 pictures, 6 tubes, Canada, schematics, semiconductors, Broadcast Receiver - or




www.radiomuseum.org




This is a good place for info. As far as the OPs console goes, if it was me and it worked I'd leave it as it is and use it as what it's made for. That is if it has an old Webster turntable and a tube amp. Just saw the schematics....I'd leave it original. If the records are pre 1960 78's there could be some nice stuff in there.....mind you that's an "older generation's" point of view.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

@Electraglide knowing that it may have RCA inputs could pique my interest. 

The JBL above looks like a monster. Very cool!


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

fretzel said:


> @Electraglide knowing that it may have RCA inputs could pique my interest.
> 
> The JBL above looks like a monster. Very cool!


Just follow the leads from the tone arm to the amp. On bothe the Electrahome and the Marconi I had the turntable was on a sliding drawer which made things easier. The Chisholm was a little harder to get too....the amp/receiver was vertical and the connections were at the bottom.


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## GuitarT (Nov 23, 2010)

I always thought it would be cool to repurpose one of those and build a guitar amp into it. You see them all the time on Kijiji and Marketplace quite often with the price reduced to "free" as you literally can't give them away. Thrift stores around here won't even take them. I imagine most end up in the dump. It's a bit of a shame as they really represent a now gone era.


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

I worked with a guy years ago who had gutted an old late 20's or early 30's radio and record player. He wanted the cabinet but kept the chasis with the radio, record, player, speaker, and all the tubes. He gave me all the guts for free. The main chasis with the transformers was easily 100 pounds. The tubes were the ancient ones with a wire and connector plates that ran to the top of each tube. I emailed Groove Tubes and New Sensor Corp asking what they were because I couldn't find anything on them online (it was still kind of the early days of the internet) and they replied saying they had gone through their manuals and couldn't find any reference to the numbers I gave them. 

Fast forward a few years....I had gone away to school and all of it was taking up too much room in my parents garage. I tried to sell all of it online for cheap, but I wasn't getting any takers. Someone eventually called about it. I told him I was away through the week and there was no way my mother could help him lift it. I told him if you can move it, you can have it.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

It's about 60 years old; leave it stock and find something to do with it every now and then.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Wardo said:


> It's about 60 years old; leave it stock and find something to do with it every now and then.


Listening to the radio, especially late at night and playing records comes to mind.  Depending on where you live something as basic as this works nicely.








Another way that works for an antenna is to connect the antenna wire on the back of the radio to the screw that holds the cover onto an wall outlet. Works better in a house than in an apt. complex. Here's a partial list of what's out there.





List of AM stereo radio stations - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org




IIRC I think it might have been CKJH that did a play by play of Roughriders games. If that console has short wave You're laughing. Lots of good stations out there from all over the world. 
At night depending where you are XERF-AM 1570 on the dial comes in ok.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

I've been looking for quite a while for one of these.








but I'll settle for one of these again.


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

I re-capped a ‘68 German built Phillips console for my brother. Record player, tape deck and AM/FM. It was positive ground. I wired it up so you could plug in an iphone. Sounds great. Pounds very well. It gets a lots of use. Some records, lots of iphone play time trough it as well.
The record player is a little slow initially. After 30 seconds or so it’s back on track at regulation speed.

Its solid state. Sorta like capping an old tube amp. But not really. We got ‘er done though!

seen here:


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

Well apparently my wife had already claimed it. Hoping the turntable uses RCA. Maybe hook up an Alexa or something. 

Thanks for all the tips.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

mhammer said:


> One of the inherent flaws in consoles - our family had one, Electrohome, I think - was that the better bass offered by the larger cabinet area for the speakers had a nasty habit of turning into rumble in the turntable. There are limits to what springs under the turntable platform can do. If it were 50 years ago, having all those frequency bands would provide a wealth of listenable stations. These days, not so much. If there is a way to feed an auxiliary input, it would makea nice MP3 player, tho.


I have a console system I inherited from a bud that passed. He modded it to install an 8 track (he had vintage cartridges he wanted to play; not sure if there was always something there and he fixed / replaced it or if it was hacked in; good job if it was) and I've been planning to replace that with a cassette and line in. These things (especially later SS era) were modular in the sense that they used otherwise off the shelf compnents, aside from the main amp, which will likely have RCA inputs, including an aux, unless really old.

The turntables were usually ok and not great to begin with; mine skates like Kurt Browning. Super light plastic arm. Dime wasn't enough; had to escalate to a nickel, and yeah, kick drum sounds great but skips every dang time especially with modern recordings. It was just the basement system for a while but may be being promoted to living room soon so might have to get in there and have a look at her.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Granny Gremlin said:


> Dime wasn't enough; had to escalate to a nickel, and yeah, kick drum sounds great but skips every dang time especially with modern recordings.


A nickel? Lucky guy. I generally used a quarter, held in place with a small wad of plasticine. Probably why all my singles tend to sound likelistening to the radio while mom used the sewing machine and dad used the bench grinder.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

Electraglide said:


> I've been looking for quite a while for one of these.
> View attachment 342262
> 
> but I'll settle for one of these again.
> View attachment 342263


Ottawa Vintage Radio Club Contact Gord Rabjohn, he could source a Transoceanic at a very reasonable price. I've seen them at the OVRC auctions.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

I have a beautiful old one that my parents got when they got married, but alas, it needs a some electronic work.
It did have a very warm sound to it and a nostalgic look. 
I know theres no demand for these things but I'd love to get it working again. I did take it to someone on this forum a while back but he lost interest and never touched it while it sat there for over a year.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

mhammer said:


> A nickel? Lucky guy. I generally used a quarter, held in place with a small wad of plasticine. Probably why all my singles tend to sound likelistening to the radio while mom used the sewing machine and dad used the bench grinder.



I was thinking a quarter would be crazy, but yeah the nickel isn't always quite enuf.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Granny Gremlin said:


> I have a console system I inherited from a bud that passed. He modded it to install an 8 track (he had vintage cartridges he wanted to play; not sure if there was always something there and he fixed / replaced it or if it was hacked in; good job if it was) and I've been planning to replace that with a cassette and line in. These things (especially later SS era) were modular in the sense that they used otherwise off the shelf compnents, aside from the main amp, which will likely have RCA inputs, including an aux, unless really old.
> 
> The turntables were usually ok and not great to begin with; mine skates like Kurt Browning. Super light plastic arm. Dime wasn't enough; had to escalate to a nickel, and yeah, kick drum sounds great but skips every dang time especially with modern recordings. It was just the basement system for a while but may be being promoted to living room soon so might have to get in there and have a look at her.


There were some that came with built in 8 track players and a few that came with player/recorders. On average, depending on the RPM it was a quarter with a nickle on top and a penny on top of that. Scotch tape to hold it all. 78's take a heavier tone arm.


Paul Running said:


> Ottawa Vintage Radio Club Contact Gord Rabjohn, he could source a Transoceanic at a very reasonable price. I've seen them at the OVRC auctions.


This place has what I'm looking for and the young lady that works there is rather nice too. If they don't have something there's a "vintage" second hand shop close by that does and it also has/had at least 2 Snider Enfields. 





That Old Retro Store Buy/Trade Stereo Equipment


That Old Retro Store buys sells trades repairs recycles vintage classic retro 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's stereos audio gear hifi hi-fi audio equipment in Calgary Alberta Canada shipping worldwide



thatoldretrostore.com




As far as I know my ex got rid of all my things, radios included.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

My grandparents use to have one similar to this. I was always fascinated by the old knick knacks that they had around. I once scored an old baseball glove that would have belonged to my dad and his brothers. Thing didn't have a kick of padding. You'd definitely feel it if it didn't hit the pocket. Ouch!


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

Maybe a console/ bar combo?

We bought a place and it came with a German "Koronette", Bar/Fireplace/Console combo unit.

It looks pretty much like the one in the photos below. When you pull the rotating bar section forward, the bar lights up!

Fun and funky, cool in the right space.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

tonewoody said:


> Maybe a console/ bar combo?
> 
> We bought a place and it came with a German "Koronette", Bar/Fireplace/Console combo unit.
> 
> ...


A little polka, a little schnapps..... Recipe for a great evening.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

zztomato said:


> A little polka, a little schnapps..... Recipe for a great evening.


Beer please and it looks like they traded the tuba for a banjo. 




If that fireplace actually works it could screw up those 8 tracks.


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