Vintage Electrophonic R-12 stereo receiver
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- Опубліковано 19 сер 2024
- An Electrophonic R-12 stereo receiver, probably from the late 1960s or early '70s. It was a low-end model, but was still built using high-quality components. The only repair it needed was replacing the burned-out FM Stereo indicator bulb. Correction: The transformers I pointed out are actually interstage coupling transformers, not output transformers.
*Correction:* The transformers I pointed out are actually interstage coupling transformers, not output transformers.
Built and works better than some of today's 'high end' receivers.
And lasts longer!
Cheers
It might’ve been an inexpensive piece of equipment at the time, but damn is it good looking! Very tidy design on this receiver.
As a young grade schooler in the early 70s, that was my first stereo receiver. And my first intro to the FM music scene. The system came complete with a turntable and a pair of small speakers. It pulled in stations good with a cheapo antenna and the sound quality was decent enough.
I owned a GE small receiver. Dad got it for me when I was a senior in high school. I believe that most of the discount stores had identical units with different brands like GE, Lloyds, etc. Frankly it was okay, and I added a Realistic Lab 12, with a small phono pre-amp and my trusty SONY TC-252D reel to reel. As I made money, I upgraded speakers, etc. When I got married in 1976, a gent I worked with at KSEA sold me his Marantz 1030 integrated amp, I got a Pioneer PL-10 turntable, and Optimus 2B speakers. A good start on mid-fi till my wife and I earned more!
Nice little compact receiver. I think from the sound of it, it could use a few caps replaced. The lack of bass is also a possible sign of weak capacitors.
I like it when you pointed and corrected yourself the transformer per channel on the signal path. Whatever they do, they look cool. I also noticed there's also one output transistor per channel. Now this unit really looks cool.
I was looking for an Electrocompaniet TR-1000a and I chanced upon your video.
That's a pretty nice receiver for what it is. The Rubycon capacitors are a nice surprise indeed. Back when "cheap" meant lacking in features, not lacking in quality. I wonder if replacement of the filter capacitor may solve the idle hum?
I like the old stereo equipment like this, especially the old stuff that has the graphic eq's on them :)
I have the very same model (though made by SHARP) with a pair of original 20 watts speakers .The only difference is in aerial (it uses some strange 3 hole plug for FM reception), knobs are slighltly different, and the scale lights are nice orange rather than green. Works great and it''s powering up my fancy Pioneer tape deck (also from the late 70's)
I like what you did there at the end.
Electrophonic wasn't a one store brand. In the 1970's along with Soundesign and Panasonic they were staples in the electronics departments at K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Gibsons and TG&Y. They were mid-fi but they were still better built than the Crosley junk made now.
My uncle had an Electrophonic stereo in the early 70's that had a built in 8-track recorder. I also had a few freinds who had their mid-late 70's stereos, but their build quality wasn't as good as this one. By then everything was on one circuit board, sometimes using an all-in-one IC chip for the amp.
I remember EJ Korvettes. Before they went out of business, they cleared out their entire vinyl inventory for one dollar each plus tax, and this included double albums as well. The regular price for an LP was btwn 5 and 7 dollars then. I purchased 17 in one visit. A deal of a lifetime lol
Once again very nice video. I love these old radio tuners.
The ending of your video was marvelous...
I used to mess with radio's for hours back then. I miss those days...
Extremely well made, makes today's black plastic crap look so cheap. All discrete quality components, separate circuit boards. That thing rings of quality, either Matsushita or Hitachi OEM.
We had one of these when i was a kid. I don't remember the branding. It came with matching speakers. I believe we got it by redeeming s&h green stamps.
I saw online an Electrophonic 4D stereo system sell for $3500 USD. Very rare.
I think I caught a verbal typo. I remember my Shure magnetic cartridges from the early seventies. I had A Shure M44E magnetic cartridge. I upgraded to a Shure M97ED elliptical stylus. that was in 1977. Back then I was also making my own turntables. The ceramic carts were for low-end hi-fi equipment. I also have a pristine Phillips 212 Electronic with a tonearm I designed myself. straight line super low mass, using hanging weight anti-skating. Cartridge setup with Cart-a-lign protractor.
PS - Your videos are great!
5argeTech It wasn't until the 1980s that a phono input on a receiver was usually for a magnetic cartridge, whereas before then, unless it was specifically labeled as "mag", a phono input was usually only for a ceramic cartridge.
Sorry, I beg to differ. I have equipment from the 1960's that have magnetic phono inputs. Example. Fisher Model 250 with tune-o-matic. On the back there is a switch by the phono input for compatibility with ceramic or magnetic. There were many other brands of high end receivers in the 70's that only had magnetic phono inputs. I knew a friend who owned a Electrophonic combo unit, with an 8-Track tape player, phono (ceramic cart) and receiver in one. It came with Toaster box speakers. It was loud and tinny!
5argeTech Correct, when you're talking about *high-end* components. I'm talking about ordinary consumer-grade receivers and stereo systems, like this Electrophonic. Whenever you see a phono input on one of these, it is almost guaranteed to be for a ceramic cartridge.
vwestlife Haven't you sold the Compaq deskpro en in the background?
the mre nerd I still have two of them.
I what to see Mr Carlson do a full restoration on this, better than new i suspect.
Does not sound too bad. I must admit, I still use as many old stereo components as possible in my setup. My speakers are from 1986, but they sound better than any new ones I have bought. Everything is old apart from amp because that eventually died and I replaced with a Marantz.
I owned an old Sears receiver that looked like that. It was said Sansui, which is an OEM for many outfits, did the Sears.
The Korvettes brand was XAM. When my Mom went French Provincial in the late 60's, my Dad bought her a new stereo. Six feet long. A piece of crap. It had a pretty cabinet, though.
I wish they had more alternative radio stations in the netherlands. Here every station is like the same
Cool, I instantly noticed Haydn's Cello concerto in D Major #2, 3rd movement at the beginning! I'm not sure, but it might even be Jacqueline du Pré performing. Although I like the 1st movement more, also the 3rd is quite okay. Used to play that…
I had emerson w 8 track recoding-PA-auto shut off turntable-mid 70’s bought at Caldor
Really like how you upload these in 60FPS
I have the Electrophonic T600B it has a built 8 track
very neat design and quality components. imagine if this thing was build now in china - might last 5 years - if lucky
it would be all plastic and it would have a bunch of sliders all linked together for the tine controls and it would look like a clone of a sony receiver from 20 yeArs ago and the brand name would be, Home solutions, or HDMX or some random name
Yeah more like 5 months LOL
No surprise that it still works...also check ebay under "Morse" or "Morse-Electrophonic" for more junk...although most will be 8-track related. KMart, Bargain City (Rinks) often stocked them.
I already know that this video is pretty old at this point, but I just want to say that I have the same exact system, except mine has a built-in 8 track player and it's in mint condition. 😊
E J Korvets stood for European Japanese and Korean War Veterans.That was a blast from the past.
Actually that isn't true: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._J._Korvette#Name_origins
@@vwestlife Okay-I stand corrected-my aunt used to work there and that is what she told me. You live and learn.
Hey! 101.5, I was listening to that while in Basking Ridge earlier this week! They were complaining about E-ZPass for some reason, lol.
lmull3 That's because EZ-Pass is dicking people by over charging their accounts!
If anyone is even slightly interested, of course the two transformers were interstage (phase splitting) coupling transformers, not output transformers, and these were very common in the 60s and early 70s transistor amplifiers. The output transistors used here are terribly low power for a receiver of that size and would be usually found in a small to medium table top radio. I guess no more than 3 or 4 watts.
Thanks for the correction. I added an annotation to the video saying that they are interstage coupling transformers, not output transformers.
vwestlife
Ah I missed that, interesting video though. Thanks.
mart fart
I just added it a few minutes ago, that's why. :-)
A nice fun and interesting video. Wow, E.J.Korvettes, boy does that take me back. Does Macy's tell Gimbels?? This is a good example of cheap (price) but decent quality audio equipment from probably late 60's to early 70's. I'll bet this R-12 receiver had a THD of 1% or higher, lol. As for power supply, on the back panel at 1:03 in the video, it shows a power consumption of 20watts. This is TOTAL power consumed. As most amps only use 1/3 of this (the rest is heat) that would give the R-12 roughly 7watts. Further, dividing that in half (for watts per channel) this R-12 would be 3.5 wpc. Sounds skimpy by today's standards but in those days 30wpc was considered a SUPER amp. With very efficient speakers, this receiver could be a nice garage or den unit. Vintage? YES. Nostalgic? Yes. Nice to own? YES and probably built better than the crap being sold today. Well done.
Marty, that's a very astute analysis, and absolutely correct on all points.
Nice! I have the R-12-A that works, but needs work.
The FM MPX in the FM Multiplex Mode which helps hold the station from floating and makes it easier to tune to a station without having cross talk from neighboring stations. The FM mode is still stereo not mono. Nice old system, I had an old Olson stereo for a while. Don't know what happen to it.
David Douglas No, you're thinking of AFC (Automatic Frequency Control). MPX simply refers to the Multiplex FM stereo system.
Sorry thanks for the response
My 8-track stereo set looks almost exactly the same as that.
Theirs still a Two Guys left on Long Island NY.
2 Stroke Hippie That store opened a decade after the original Two Guys chain went out of business, so it has nothing to do with them except the name.
Andrew Torres doing weather on multiple stations via ISDN from Shadow Traffic
Not bad at all seriously lovely vintage machine :-)
I used to have one that looked like that and it had a 8 track on the right side, and a turntable on top. This would have been about 1974. I'm not sure about the brand.
New Jersey 101.5 BRING BACK RAY ROSSI LOL
Cool little receiver! I don't think that FM stereo light actually indicates stereo at all, instead it's more of an improperly labeled signal indicator. I have a cheaper, vintage receiver where the FM light comes on whenever you tune to any station, even a mono one.
wilkes85 I didn't show it on the video, but the light did not go on when I tuned in FM stations that transmit a mono signal.
your videos are great :)
Looks like a Panosonic!
Doesn't look cheap made inside. I'd say sort of mid range receiver from the 1970s.
Even "cheap" equipment back then was still built to last.
Nice stereo. But I have only 1 suggestion for you. Crank up the volume and play some ACDC.
You got some pretty nice dxing stereos. I have a question about this one does it have the speaker hookups with the RCA jacks like the ones on ATV audio video hookup or does it have left channel right channel ports will you flip up the tab and you stick the wire for the one side in and then you flip up the lower tab and you stick the wire for the other side in if you know what I'm talking about because I have the speaker's that have the long wire with the two hookups for each speaker not the end that hooks into the round speaker Jack that looks like a port for a game system hook up on a TV. By the way I would like a really really good dxing radio but my budget is pretty tight, do you have any recommendations? I was thinking something like the stereo from this video if I could get my hands on something along those lines cuz I noticed even while you're tuning the radio how good that was on FM with just a little built-in antenna.
I think this is 60s or early 70s, just because by the late 70s the Japanese electronics companies had progressed beyond making cheap stuff like this.
Could be as late as 1977 or 1978. I had a GE stereo receiver I bought new in 1977 that was virtually identical. I know GE didn't actually build it; it was just badged with their name. I'll lay odds this Electrophonic was manufactured in the same factory as my GE.
Good video on an interesting piece of audio equipment. Did you ever check out the Phono/Tape inputs to see if they worked?
Yes.
Why was that CRT Television in the Background?
mrstereo Decoration.
vwestlife Decoration?
mrstereo Yes, decoration.
vwestlife whats decoration?
mrstereo I'm guessing English is not your native language?
Haha. Blinded by the light. Lights go off.
Where can I find the indicator bulbs to purchase?
I didn't see a vacuum tube in that receiver..
That's because it's solid state.
I got a 4 channel series 44 Panasonic for 25 dollars what do you think about it?
You live in New Jersey
Electrophonic was sold by K- Mart.
This video looks different - new camera?
forestsandman No, the same Canon FS200 that I've been using since October 2009... just now upscaled to fake HD.
I have a crappy radio at work that does the same thing when my hand is close to it. Obnoxious. Heh.
this is just a very bad receiver, you can't call this vintage, for real vintage with the good quality go to my channel
vintage stereo But at least it is made in Japan rather than just cheapo Chinese quality. Back then cheap radios are known for lack of features but not lack in quality like many radios are nowadays.