Audiobronco
New Member
I received this 1970s Sylvania console stereo as a gift. It was in rough shape, but was in working condition with a needle replacement. It had the nostalgia factor and fits perfectly in my older home, but it left much to be desired in the sound department.
I under took rehabbing this console and thought I would share the pictures with the community in case any one else was interested in refurbishing an old console. I am by no means an audiophile or engineer. Just an average guy with some power tools and a passion for music.
The original console had blown speakers and the receiver unit had issues. So it all needed to be replaced. Since it was all low end components I personally didn't have any problem tearing this beast apart
The new heart of the console is a Mac 1900 receiver from craigslists and repurposed a pioneer turntable I got from my dad. With the old components removed I used an electric hand jig saw to open up the shelf in order fit the new components. I used a table saw and hand jig to cut a new shelf out of aspen wood and finished it with linseed oil.
For the speakers the guys at parts express were very helpful in finding speakers the same size as the originals. After doing entirely to much research online I settled on using the eminence 3 way crossover. There is a lot of information out there saying not to use a generic crossover, however I have no desire to become a sound engineer. I would recommend this crossover to anyone, they create a great sound, at least to my untrained ears.
The mounting post for the new speakers needed to be moved, this required carefully peeling back some of the speaker fabric, moving the post and re-glueing the fabric back in place.
The speakers were easy to wire into the new beefy crossovers. The Mac is mounted with makeshift metal brakes from ace hardware, and the height was adjusted using some spare change and neoprene. It is all plugged into a remote controlled power strip. The vinyl sounds great and we hooked up an echo dot to use with spotify.
I love the sound and look of this console. I hope this was helpful to anyone who may be thinking about refurbishing an old console stereo.
I under took rehabbing this console and thought I would share the pictures with the community in case any one else was interested in refurbishing an old console. I am by no means an audiophile or engineer. Just an average guy with some power tools and a passion for music.
The original console had blown speakers and the receiver unit had issues. So it all needed to be replaced. Since it was all low end components I personally didn't have any problem tearing this beast apart
The new heart of the console is a Mac 1900 receiver from craigslists and repurposed a pioneer turntable I got from my dad. With the old components removed I used an electric hand jig saw to open up the shelf in order fit the new components. I used a table saw and hand jig to cut a new shelf out of aspen wood and finished it with linseed oil.
For the speakers the guys at parts express were very helpful in finding speakers the same size as the originals. After doing entirely to much research online I settled on using the eminence 3 way crossover. There is a lot of information out there saying not to use a generic crossover, however I have no desire to become a sound engineer. I would recommend this crossover to anyone, they create a great sound, at least to my untrained ears.
The mounting post for the new speakers needed to be moved, this required carefully peeling back some of the speaker fabric, moving the post and re-glueing the fabric back in place.
The speakers were easy to wire into the new beefy crossovers. The Mac is mounted with makeshift metal brakes from ace hardware, and the height was adjusted using some spare change and neoprene. It is all plugged into a remote controlled power strip. The vinyl sounds great and we hooked up an echo dot to use with spotify.
I love the sound and look of this console. I hope this was helpful to anyone who may be thinking about refurbishing an old console stereo.
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20170526_193050-1.jpg59.4 KB · Views: 107
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2017-11-17 12.36.53.jpg40.4 KB · Views: 101
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Original componets.jpg54.5 KB · Views: 100
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Replacement shelf.jpg40.5 KB · Views: 94
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Pioneer turntable installed.jpg36.1 KB · Views: 94
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Original speakers.jpg75.9 KB · Views: 98
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Fabric pulled back.jpg47.4 KB · Views: 94
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Finished product.jpg44 KB · Views: 78
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Out with the old.jpg51.4 KB · Views: 76
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