Author Topic: Any vintage audiophiles here?...  (Read 2829 times)

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cjshaker

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Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« on: January 14, 2021, 01:01:43 PM »
I know there are a couple on here who like the vintage tube stuff from the '60s/'70s, but how about the older stuff?
Anyone recognize this little gem? Except for 3 capacitors, it's all original, chrome is in great shape, and has a working original cone speaker, and it works.

Doug Smith


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Gaugster

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2021, 01:10:40 PM »
Guess I am just a regular Audiophile. I love the chrome, tubes and vents of that beast but not a clue about what it actual is. An amp of some sort??? I've gone as far back as acquiring original mid-70's Quadraphonic records that were converted to high resolution digital surround sound. Mostly just make my own speaker cabinets these days.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2021, 06:05:10 PM by Gaugster »
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cjshaker

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2021, 01:35:38 PM »
John, the unit to the right is the amplifier, the large unit to the left is the receiver. It has 3 bands, 2 of which are short wave, the 1st being AM. It's not a high watt unit, but the tone is much better than you'd think. I'll wait and see if anyone knows what it is, but I don't think many people are into the old old units. But I will add that it is the cream of the crop; a radio that only rich people could afford at the time (and the President had one). You could literally buy a new Ford for less than the base price of this radio!  8)
Doug Smith


'69 R-code Mach 1, 427 MR, 2x4, Jerico, 4.30 Locker
'70 F-350 390
'55 Ford Customline 2dr
'37 Ford Coupe

turbohunter

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2021, 01:42:22 PM »
Really sweet Doug.
Marc
'61 F100 292Y
'66 Mustang Injected 428
'66 Q code Country Squire wagon


Barry_R

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2021, 01:51:29 PM »
I have old, older and really old audio stuff around.
A Sonora phonograph from the early 1900s

https://youtu.be/bpZYpN23Fbw

I need to add pictures of the other things around here
Everything other than the farm set works, and most of it is hooked up and "under power" (except for the Sonora, which is truly "wireless")

a really nice 1937 Zenith console
a disassembled tombstone RCA farm set (runs on a 6 volt battery) that has been waiting it's fix up turn for 20 years.
+/- 1981 Toshiba SA-7100 Receiver
middle 1970s Kenwood tuner and amplifier combination
a couple pairs of reworked Realistic "Mach 1" speakers - early 1980s with 15" woofers
a pair of nice "large" Advent speakers with bullnose walnut cabinets
Technics SL1200-MK2 turntable
Akai reel to reel tape deck - I don't know much about it..but it works



 
« Last Edit: January 14, 2021, 02:24:04 PM by Barry_R »

Barry_R

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2021, 01:53:14 PM »
And am I correct in identification - that looks like a Scott
Damn things cost as much as a new Cadillac back in the day.
Museum stuff....

turbohunter

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2021, 01:57:18 PM »
I’m more 70’s oriented but love the older stuff even though I’m not as familiar.
Marc
'61 F100 292Y
'66 Mustang Injected 428
'66 Q code Country Squire wagon


shady

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2021, 02:00:04 PM »
yep, an EH Scott Allwave. Early 30s. Ashamed it was cut out of the original cabinet, but then you couldn't see all the chrome. Should still be worth good money. Also ashame for the three caps. I just gut the original ones and put new ones in side them.
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So I'm slow & broke, what went wrong?
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BattlestarGalactic

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2021, 03:35:53 PM »
Growing up my Dad had a Fisher stereo, tube style.   I remember the glow from it, he too had removed it from the cabinet(not sure why, heat?).  I inherited it, it worked fine and had two large speakers to go with it.  I sold it on Ebay about 20 yrs ago for a tidy sum.  It was going to Japan?  China?  I forget, but the buyer had connections in California and that is where I shipped it.  It was quite the ordeal to get it boxed up well enough to survive as the transformer was HUGE.  It made the journey unscathed.  The new owner was very happy with it.

I do have a Wollensak portable reel to reel, complete with mic/stand and cover.  Used to play with it all the time growing up.  I think we paid $5 for it in the late 70's at a garage sale.  I also have a Realistic 8 track player/recorder plugged into my home stereo just for the times I want to reminisce about we used to listen to music.

I have a NOS Road King underdash 8 track that I've been contemplating installing in the Mack just for the hallobit. 
Larry

1964Fastback

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2021, 03:52:09 PM »
I've got a Realistic 8 track deck plugged into the Pioneer SX-550 in the basement bar.  I think it's only a player though.  And an in-dash AM/FM/8-track in the Galaxie with a small under dash Audiovox equalizer/booster, pretty much like when I had my first Galaxie in high school.

Pat
1964 Galaxie 500 2 dr Fastback, 390, 4 speed, Indianapolis Indiana

shady

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2021, 04:22:42 PM »
And am I correct in identification - that looks like a Scott
Damn things cost as much as a new Cadillac back in the day.
Museum stuff....
Boy, that is a nice black face Zenith. They put that same chassis in a tombstone cabinet. I have a black face but mine has the channel preset buttons on both sides of the dial making it a little newer. Still works but not near as nice as yours. I did have a Scott Allwave, but the chrome was pretty rusty. I sold it on ebay and it went to Japan. They love the tube stuff over there.
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What goes fast takes your money with it.
So I'm slow & broke, what went wrong?
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Heo

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #11 on: January 14, 2021, 06:36:52 PM »
Doug, That looks like an evil scientists doomsday machine. If you flip the switch
it starts counting down  :o ;D



The defenition of a Gentleman, is a man that can play the accordion.But dont do it

cjshaker

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #12 on: January 14, 2021, 08:49:24 PM »
And am I correct in identification - that looks like a Scott
Damn things cost as much as a new Cadillac back in the day.
Museum stuff....

Yes, it's an E.H. Scott Allwave 15, circa 1935, and yes, it was the most advanced and costly radio of its day. It is a museum piece, and even then you're not likely to see one any time soon. Your knowledge of some off the wall stuff never ceases to amaze me, Barry :)

Scott was not just a radio manufacturer, they were listed as a radio laboratory, which is to say they invented and patented stuff and had scientists and engineers working for them, not guys who just wanted to make a radio, they were experimenters and pioneers (many patents used today still are based on Scott stuff). And yes, only the filthy rich could afford them, and that was at the height of the Great Depression.

Your cabinet version of "The Walton" Zenith radio is absolutely beautiful! I always wanted the tombstone version of it, just like in the series, but they are pretty costly too!

Here is as close as I can come to yours...



I also have a few other table top radios, and an old 1927 Sears & Roebuck phonograph which was bought new by my Grandfather, along with a few boxes of 78s to play on it (yes, it still works also). But my favorite is my 1924 Atwater Kent, which is battery powered, although I've got a custom power supply for it. I'll tell you what, listening to a ball game on that old megaphone speaker will really transport you to another era!







yep, an EH Scott Allwave. Early 30s. Ashamed it was cut out of the original cabinet, but then you couldn't see all the chrome. Should still be worth good money. Also ashame for the three caps. I just gut the original ones and put new ones in side them.

Actually, Scott did not make cabinets; they sold their radios just as this one is pictured. That front wooden face plate is original, just as it came from the factory. The radios were hand made by one individual, who was always an engineer. They didn't have your typical 'blue collar' worker making them. You COULD buy a custom made cabinet from Scott, to put your radio in, although the cabinets were never made by Scott. The radios were meant to be displayed out in the open, that's the reason for all the chrome and fancy outward appearance. The cabinets do add a significant amount to the value, but they are near impossible to find.
Doug Smith


'69 R-code Mach 1, 427 MR, 2x4, Jerico, 4.30 Locker
'70 F-350 390
'55 Ford Customline 2dr
'37 Ford Coupe

cjshaker

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #13 on: January 14, 2021, 08:55:58 PM »


I'm still drooling over this. That Art Deco look is the most beautiful design period of all time, in my opinion. That is one gorgeous radio!!
Doug Smith


'69 R-code Mach 1, 427 MR, 2x4, Jerico, 4.30 Locker
'70 F-350 390
'55 Ford Customline 2dr
'37 Ford Coupe

turbohunter

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #14 on: January 15, 2021, 07:45:17 AM »
It’s a stunning piece.
Marc
'61 F100 292Y
'66 Mustang Injected 428
'66 Q code Country Squire wagon


BattlestarGalactic

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #15 on: January 15, 2021, 10:00:03 AM »
Very cool stuff Doug!
Larry

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #16 on: January 15, 2021, 12:54:24 PM »
Barry - That is a beautiful piece of art!  Love it  :)
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Barry_R

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #17 on: January 15, 2021, 01:35:44 PM »
Doug - can't tell from the pics - but does your record player allow you to rotate the diaphragm?  My Sonora has that feature, so that you can play both vertical and lateral cut (Edison) records.  That Atwater-Kent is really cool - I use the Zenith for ball games as well.

I have a couple friends who are really into vintage radio (one of them has a complete Scott with cabinet).  I just loved the appearance and vibe of the old stuff and allowed them to guide me on the pieces I have.  I would see something I liked and would call them asking "is this good or junk" and we'd take it from there.  Like the cars, I have tried to reduce the amount of projects I have sitting around.

shady

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #18 on: January 15, 2021, 01:50:33 PM »
This is the only black face Zenith I have.
What goes fast doesn't go fast long'
What goes fast takes your money with it.
So I'm slow & broke, what went wrong?
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Heo

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #19 on: January 15, 2021, 02:46:44 PM »
When you just dont bought a Radio it was a furniture
I have a couple of friends that was in to Jukeboxes
in the 80s one of them still have his i think i can
get some pics if you are interested think they span
from 40s to late 50s one had like a radar on top of it
Dad have a handcranked gramophone with a funnel
or what you call it for the sound

When i was a kid we all had mopeds and we all tried
to get more speed out of them. Any way a friends
grandmother had a gramaphone like that in the atics so he cut
of the "funnel" with a hacksaw. And we installed it
on his moped with a hose to the carb facing forward
like a combined velocitystack/scoop ;D ;D we imagined a
radical higher topspeed. End result i remember was.
He run over the funnel with his rear wheel crasched
bent the footpeg, being scolded by his parents for scraping
up the knees on his new school pants and wrecking grannys
gramophone



The defenition of a Gentleman, is a man that can play the accordion.But dont do it

cjshaker

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #20 on: January 15, 2021, 02:47:01 PM »
Barry, no it does not have that function. I wasn't even aware they made them like that, so that's pretty neat. I do have an old phonograph that plays the wax Edison scrolls, but it's missing the megaphone and I have not been able to locate one for it. I can't remember the name of it offhand though. It's actually a small portable unit in a small wooden carry case, apparently for traveling people who just couldn't go without their music.

My Dad has an old player piano with a couple dozen scrolls for it. It used to work when I was a kid, but the bellows have since deteriorated and won't push air anymore. He went to DeVry Institute in the early '50s, then opened up a small TV and radio repair shop and ran that until he got into the Lima Ford plant in '59, so I grew up around this stuff.

That Atwater Kent is really a remarkable radio. My Dad found it in a junkyard one day when he used to take me with him all the time. While I re-stained the cabinet, he fixed it, built a homemade power supply for it and gave it to me. I used to listen to it incessantly when I was young. I had an antenna that stretched outside my bedroom and across 4 trees, about 50 yards in total length (antenna design back then was an art form in itself). I have a list of about 30 broadcast stations that I managed to come up with after hours and hours of messing with it back then. Trying to find stations using 3 tuning knobs, when there is no guide to find them, is an exercise in patience..lol But I could and still can get stations up to a thousand miles away on a good night.
Doug Smith


'69 R-code Mach 1, 427 MR, 2x4, Jerico, 4.30 Locker
'70 F-350 390
'55 Ford Customline 2dr
'37 Ford Coupe

Barry_R

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #21 on: January 15, 2021, 03:07:23 PM »
Wax cylinders are a whole 'nuther deal.

Early records were not yet a defined art.  Edison wanted to replicate his cylinder's technology, so the data on the grooves in Edison records was cut "up & down".  Others (RCA) went to a design where the data was cut laterally in "side to side".  Probably got around Edison patents.  The lateral design was far more durable and remains the standard today.

cjshaker

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #22 on: January 15, 2021, 10:04:30 PM »
Ahh, I got it now. That's something that I had forgotten all about. I had to look at it closer. I can rotate the needle/diaphragm assy. and I can rotate the outer 1/3 part of the tone arm. Are those the adjustments you're talking about? I'm gonna have to research that a bit more because that's something I've never read up on.
Doug Smith


'69 R-code Mach 1, 427 MR, 2x4, Jerico, 4.30 Locker
'70 F-350 390
'55 Ford Customline 2dr
'37 Ford Coupe

cleandan

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Re: Any vintage audiophiles here?...
« Reply #23 on: January 16, 2021, 12:47:59 PM »
An audiophile? Yes.
Vintage? Yes.
Just not quite as vintage as the stuff you are showing.

While I do have a late 1940's ARVIN 481 TFM desktop AM/FM radio...in mahogony bakelite, most of my stuff is 1970's vintage.

My garage system consists of McIntosh gear.
C32 preamp.
MC2125 amp.
MR75 tuner. All hooked up to Klipsch Heresy speakers.

I also have a Marantz 2270 receiver that gets hauled around as my "portable" system.
For instance, when our local drive in theater played its last show I used two car batteries and an inverter to power the Marantz and some Heresy's so we had great sound for the movie Grease.