This is how i got back into tube amps found a Magnavox with a 8802 stored in a chicken coop that worked and did some hillbilly wiring and got it dialed in and now im ready to rewire and finish it .This amp sounds fantastic .But im still updating components and putting it back in a beautiful Astrosonic console with solid state pulled .im running the original speakers which are 2 Jensen horns and 2 12inch woofers .Now Ive got the tube bug and am building amps from scratch .so far im under a hundred dollars invested in the maggie and that was just replacing original tubes Thanks for the videos really enjoying them .Keep up the good work . Again many thanks Cheers
I’ve had a console stashed away for years that I was going restore when I retired. Now that I am retired, I find myself buying expensive gear, but I’m not sure it’s any better, or, at least not as much better as I’m paying for it. 🙂
I kind of like the 2.1 idea. There were magnavox consoles that were bi-amped. They had a cross over at the input. The LF output was 4 6v6 outputs and the HF was usually a single ended 6v6. Some of the later ones were stereo bi-amped, 4 outputs, 2 low, 2 high. I picked up a magnavox amp at a swap meet with 4 6v6’s to a single output. I added another smaller output transformer and a pair 6bq5’s along with an RC crossover network. The quad 6v6’s drive a 15” magnavox woofer, and 6bq5’s drive a Mid-Range and tweeter thru a passive crossover. Oh, also I highly recommend adding a fuse in the ac line.
Looking at the back panel of the console you may see the following: "no user serviceable parts inside; refer to qualified service personnel". This means that the unit is solid-state/transistorized and has no user-replaceable tubes in it. By the way, having had several heart surgeries and other invasive procedures performed on me, I would like to get a T-shirt that has the same cautionary warning printed on it!
Well, besides making me laugh at the content of your observation about "no user-replaceable tubes in it" - because I'm part of that huge club of people who have already been intervened - I'm already looking for a good quality image to print on half a dozen t-shirts. You're right. This deserves to be printed! Congratulations on your observation. Greetings from Portugal. Macedo Pinto
Here's a different idea for buying something of real value. Buy a Dynaco PAS3X preamplifier and either a Dynaco Stereo 70 or two Dynaco MKIII. There are a vast number of them, since some were built as kits they're easy to work on, there's tons of help and advice. Known as the poor man's McIntosh they will outperform any amplifier from a console stereo by a very wide margin. The 1960s were an ara of many high quality tube amplifier kits. There is a source on line where you can buy the service manuals. Some brands offered as kits were HH Scott, Heathkit, Eico, Harman Kardon. These will likely be more expensive, rarer, and not as powerful as the MKIIIs.
Yes, the Dynacos are a big step up. I have a pair of Mk III's waiting their turn on the bench, and I have a Heathkit that I just need to get new 6AN8's for. These are all a big step up in price, too.
Can you show a video on how to hook up one of the tube amps you pulled out of a council to speakers and how you input a turntable or other type of source.
I showed those in the video. Past that, the amp will need some modification. I've got a whole playlist called Resto/Mod Tube Amp, but the videos aren't really meant as instructions for DIY. Your best bet is to ask for help in the tube forum on Audiokarma.org. I have always found people there to be patient and helpful.
Hello my fellow music lovers and audiophiles. This idea comes from a 64 year old Black man O.G hi-fi enthusiast. Some of the old console cabinets are attractive and worth saving. With a little investment in structural modifications and refurbished or new components one could have what I would call poor-mans JBL Paragon with equal or better performance. Maybe someone already has done this. I'm just putting the idea out there! Keep spinning the vinyl, cd's, reels and etc my audio brethren!👍😁😁
I have a smaller model restored 1956 Magnavox mono console in "Blonde" finish with a Magic Eye tuning tube. Updated for a DAC. Not going to pirate the power amp out of it.
I would not overlook the monoblocks that came in earlier mono consoles. Assuming you find one common enough to find a mate, these are often very good amps with good iron.
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi, If somebody is unable to easily find a mate for their single mono amplifier, then they can always sell it to a DIY guitar amp guy.....
Hi ya. Those old portable players had 1w or 2w vac valve amps that could be good for mono-blocs. I think I once had a Dansette that was stereo called a Bermuda but foggy on that. The octal power chords can still be had on eBay last I looked usually from a UK seller as many of their amp pre-amp combos used these. It would probs be pretty straight forward to convert one with a regular power plug. It’s really worthwhile to conserve these amps imo more than the consoles which as you point out do have limited alt. use with vintage mid-century buffets being far more practical as stereo tables as they have plenty of storage for records etc. and a pleasing modern design (for the algorithm chief :-)
The only thing I don't like about console amps is the removing them from said console and trashing the wonderful piece of furniture. A lot of great consoles have been destroyed because people only wanted the amps. I was guilty of that too. I have a couple of Fisher and Magnavox console amps. Now, when I find a tubed console I like to keep it all intact. Some of my console amps were from already ruined consoles so that's okay, lol.
Unfortunately it's often not practical to take home a gigantic hifi console unless you drive a pickup truck and have somebody to help you. Anyway, here in the Northeast US, consoles have often been stored in damp garages, barns or basements for years, and then left out on the curb in the rain for the once-a-year special trash pickup, or with a sign proclaiming "FREE!". By the time the console gets picked up by the town sanitation crew, or taken/cannibalized by a DIY tube-amp fan who happens to see it while driving by,, it's often in rough shape cosmetically. Anyway, Motorola and Magnavox are 2 of my favorite brands of console to cannibalize because they often have surprisingly nice amplifiers in them, and Magnavox units in particular may be stuffed with Jensen speakers which are great for use in a vintage guitar amp. I always keep a tool set in my car to help me pull the electronics from any console I find out on the curb, and a sledgehammer as well so that I can bust up the wood cabinet, fit the wood slabs into my Subaru, and take it to the dump. If the homeowner's gonna give me a free tube amp and some speakers, I'm not gonna reward the poor guy or gal by leaving a giant wooden cabinet or a mess of shattered wood sitting on his/her lawn.
@@goodun2974 I noticed a lot of consoles end up being covered with a table cloth and then simply used as a base on which to put candles or other house decorations on.
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi Hey I want to recommend the Stromberg ASR-110 single ended or the ASR-120 push pull 6v6 console amp/s. I have the ASR-110 version and it (in my opinion) is better than the Magnavox's. It really pumps out a good sound. I think it is tapped for 6 ohms which shouldn't be an issue.
My foray into tube amps started with a small EL84 unit I picked up on eBay. Hooked it up to some mini Advents and an iPod playing jazz. My wife and I were shocked how good it sounded compared to what we were used to.
I'd start with diyAudio and/or audiokarma.org and see what people have done with these. It's a mono amp, so if you want stereo, then you should find a second 169. Personally, I'd probably mod the circuit to use a concertina phase splitter instead of the paraphase inverter it has now. I do have a Magnavox amp that uses that type of inverter, but I think concertina is better and can be done with the same tube set.
WHY do you not use FISHER? I have a 610-T I believe it is and it's very similar tom a Fisher 400 got it for a song along with a transistor output amp but the 610 T has a SE 6BQ% amp on it.
no tube amp needs DIY, especially these maggies and other console pulls. so many people work on these that, if you can use the internet, the likelihood of you having to do it yourself is next to zero. thing is this offers someone with limited or no skill who is VERY SAFETY CONSCIOUS to follow clear, straightforward instructions and perform the modifications.
Magnavox had to have a powerfull amp as I have a pair of 3-way floor spkrs 12 inch woofer 5 inch mid and 3 inch tweeter 40 inches tall.and great sound.
I got one, make sure the tubes have a number of 12 or less in their name if you don't know what a power transformer looks like. Unless of course it says 7189 on it.
Amps pulled from consoles are fetching high prices on ebay. In the long run wouldn’t a clone dynaco kit be the most efficient option in the long run or purchasing a working fisher integrated or receiver
I think you are wrong. You cannot trust old parts. Go modern with one of the many DIY amps available and you will get a superior result You have kinds done that anyway
A nice thing about the console amps is that, with a little DIY, they offer a low-barrier entry to tube amps. The individual DIY'er can take one of these amps quite far from the original, or not. If you start with a working tube amp for under $100, and some part fails within 5 years, oh, well!
This is how i got back into tube amps found a Magnavox with a 8802 stored in a chicken coop that worked and did some hillbilly wiring and got it dialed in and now im ready to rewire and finish it .This amp sounds fantastic .But im still updating components and putting it back in a beautiful Astrosonic console with solid state pulled .im running the original speakers which are 2 Jensen horns and 2 12inch woofers .Now Ive got the tube bug and am building amps from scratch .so far im under a hundred dollars invested in the maggie and that was just replacing original tubes Thanks for the videos really enjoying them .Keep up the good work . Again many thanks Cheers
I’ve had a console stashed away for years that I was going restore when I retired. Now that I am retired, I find myself buying expensive gear, but I’m not sure it’s any better, or, at least not as much better as I’m paying for it. 🙂
i sure enjoy your videos, bud. good, clear teaching.
I kind of like the 2.1 idea. There were magnavox consoles that were bi-amped. They had a cross over at the input. The LF output was 4 6v6 outputs and the HF was usually a single ended 6v6. Some of the later ones were stereo bi-amped, 4 outputs, 2 low, 2 high. I picked up a magnavox amp at a swap meet with 4 6v6’s to a single output. I added another smaller output transformer and a pair 6bq5’s along with an RC crossover network. The quad 6v6’s drive a 15” magnavox woofer, and 6bq5’s drive a Mid-Range and tweeter thru a passive crossover. Oh, also I highly recommend adding a fuse in the ac line.
Looking at the back panel of the console you may see the following: "no user serviceable parts inside; refer to qualified service personnel". This means that the unit is solid-state/transistorized and has no user-replaceable tubes in it. By the way, having had several heart surgeries and other invasive procedures performed on me, I would like to get a T-shirt that has the same cautionary warning printed on it!
Well, besides making me laugh at the content of your observation about "no user-replaceable tubes in it" - because I'm part of that huge club of people who have already been intervened - I'm already looking for a good quality image to print on half a dozen t-shirts. You're right. This deserves to be printed! Congratulations on your observation.
Greetings from Portugal.
Macedo Pinto
I found an early 1960s RCA Victor console for $25 at Goodwill last week. It has the RCA RS-177J amplifier in it I’m hoping to fix up!
Here's a different idea for buying something of real value. Buy a Dynaco PAS3X preamplifier and either a Dynaco Stereo 70 or two Dynaco MKIII. There are a vast number of them, since some were built as kits they're easy to work on, there's tons of help and advice. Known as the poor man's McIntosh they will outperform any amplifier from a console stereo by a very wide margin. The 1960s were an ara of many high quality tube amplifier kits. There is a source on line where you can buy the service manuals. Some brands offered as kits were HH Scott, Heathkit, Eico, Harman Kardon. These will likely be more expensive, rarer, and not as powerful as the MKIIIs.
I looked at Dynaco tube amps on ebay. The prices are crazy stupid high
Yes, the Dynacos are a big step up. I have a pair of Mk III's waiting their turn on the bench, and I have a Heathkit that I just need to get new 6AN8's for. These are all a big step up in price, too.
Can you show a video on how to hook up one of the tube amps you pulled out of a council to speakers and how you input a turntable or other type of source.
I showed those in the video. Past that, the amp will need some modification. I've got a whole playlist called Resto/Mod Tube Amp, but the videos aren't really meant as instructions for DIY. Your best bet is to ask for help in the tube forum on Audiokarma.org. I have always found people there to be patient and helpful.
Hello my fellow music lovers and audiophiles. This idea comes from a 64 year old Black man O.G hi-fi enthusiast. Some of the old console cabinets are attractive and worth saving. With a little investment in structural modifications and refurbished or new components one could have what I would call poor-mans JBL Paragon with equal or better performance. Maybe someone already has done this. I'm just putting the idea out there! Keep spinning the vinyl, cd's, reels and etc my audio brethren!👍😁😁
I have a smaller model restored 1956 Magnavox mono console in "Blonde" finish with a Magic Eye tuning tube. Updated for a DAC. Not going to pirate the power amp out of it.
I would not overlook the monoblocks that came in earlier mono consoles. Assuming you find one common enough to find a mate, these are often very good amps with good iron.
Yeah, it's always finding the match that's the trick.
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi, If somebody is unable to easily find a mate for their single mono amplifier, then they can always sell it to a DIY guitar amp guy.....
Hi ya. Those old portable players had 1w or 2w vac valve amps that could be good for mono-blocs. I think I once had a Dansette that was stereo called a Bermuda but foggy on that. The octal power chords can still be had on eBay last I looked usually from a UK seller as many of their amp pre-amp combos used these. It would probs be pretty straight forward to convert one with a regular power plug. It’s really worthwhile to conserve these amps imo more than the consoles which as you point out do have limited alt. use with vintage mid-century buffets being far more practical as stereo tables as they have plenty of storage for records etc. and a pleasing modern design (for the algorithm chief :-)
I love DIY , Working on find for my open baffle
Saving Money is my game
The only thing I don't like about console amps is the removing them from said console and trashing the wonderful piece of furniture. A lot of great consoles have been destroyed because people only wanted the amps. I was guilty of that too. I have a couple of Fisher and Magnavox console amps. Now, when I find a tubed console I like to keep it all intact. Some of my console amps were from already ruined consoles so that's okay, lol.
I've kept several. Only so much room!
Unfortunately it's often not practical to take home a gigantic hifi console unless you drive a pickup truck and have somebody to help you. Anyway, here in the Northeast US, consoles have often been stored in damp garages, barns or basements for years, and then left out on the curb in the rain for the once-a-year special trash pickup, or with a sign proclaiming "FREE!". By the time the console gets picked up by the town sanitation crew, or taken/cannibalized by a DIY tube-amp fan who happens to see it while driving by,, it's often in rough shape cosmetically. Anyway, Motorola and Magnavox are 2 of my favorite brands of console to cannibalize because they often have surprisingly nice amplifiers in them, and Magnavox units in particular may be stuffed with Jensen speakers which are great for use in a vintage guitar amp. I always keep a tool set in my car to help me pull the electronics from any console I find out on the curb, and a sledgehammer as well so that I can bust up the wood cabinet, fit the wood slabs into my Subaru, and take it to the dump. If the homeowner's gonna give me a free tube amp and some speakers, I'm not gonna reward the poor guy or gal by leaving a giant wooden cabinet or a mess of shattered wood sitting on his/her lawn.
@@goodun2974 I noticed a lot of consoles end up being covered with a table cloth and then simply used as a base on which to put candles or other house decorations on.
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi Hey I want to recommend the Stromberg ASR-110 single ended or the ASR-120 push pull 6v6 console amp/s. I have the ASR-110 version and it (in my opinion) is better than the Magnavox's. It really pumps out a good sound. I think it is tapped for 6 ohms which shouldn't be an issue.
My foray into tube amps started with a small EL84 unit I picked up on eBay. Hooked it up to some mini Advents and an iPod playing jazz. My wife and I were shocked how good it sounded compared to what we were used to.
Just bought a Magnavox 169 aa yesterday where do i start?
I'd start with diyAudio and/or audiokarma.org and see what people have done with these. It's a mono amp, so if you want stereo, then you should find a second 169. Personally, I'd probably mod the circuit to use a concertina phase splitter instead of the paraphase inverter it has now. I do have a Magnavox amp that uses that type of inverter, but I think concertina is better and can be done with the same tube set.
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi where do I find the schematic?
Some you can buy from Sam's Photofact. I usually find them posted in threads on Audiokarma.org.
WHY do you not use FISHER? I have a 610-T I believe it is and it's very similar tom a Fisher 400 got it for a song along with a transistor output amp but the 610 T has a SE 6BQ% amp on it.
I would if I could! I've seen a Fisher console pull, but I've never found a Fisher console.
He NEVER blinks his eyes. Never once. 👀
That's because I'm an android. You've found me out. Exposed!
That's how he doesn't miss a thing..try it !
no tube amp needs DIY, especially these maggies and other console pulls.
so many people work on these that, if you can use the internet, the likelihood of you having to do it yourself is next to zero.
thing is this offers someone with limited or no skill who is VERY SAFETY CONSCIOUS to follow clear, straightforward instructions and perform the modifications.
Console amps? I nearly ran screaming when you said those 2 words! However, I'm curious as to how you view them!
Magnavox had to have a powerfull amp as I have a pair of 3-way floor spkrs 12 inch woofer 5 inch mid and 3 inch tweeter 40 inches tall.and great sound.
What do you do with what you fix?
Keep or sell usually, although I do some work for others.
I’m in Chambersburg, PA.
Lancaster is my name, not my location. 😁
Thanks!
I got one, make sure the tubes have a number of 12 or less in their name if you don't know what a power transformer looks like. Unless of course it says 7189 on it.
Amps pulled from consoles are fetching high prices on ebay. In the long run wouldn’t a clone dynaco kit be the most efficient option in the long run or purchasing a working fisher integrated or receiver
Yes, but console amps are a nice entry point when you can find them for cheap.
If the tuner says magnificent magnavox on the front ,it will have tubes
I haven't noticed that branding, and I've bought several Magnavox consoles. I might have overlooked it.
Take the console to good will instead of the dump, particularly if it's nice looking.
@ 22:34 - two hands in chassis !!!
Unplugged! Can't really work on an amp with one hand.
Thumbs up!
Thank you! Cheers!
I think you are wrong. You cannot trust old parts. Go modern with one of the many DIY amps available and you will get a superior result
You have kinds done that anyway
A nice thing about the console amps is that, with a little DIY, they offer a low-barrier entry to tube amps. The individual DIY'er can take one of these amps quite far from the original, or not. If you start with a working tube amp for under $100, and some part fails within 5 years, oh, well!
inappropiate use of the word "ghetto"
True. I should have used "hillbilly."