Console Stereo rehab

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.
 

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Really nice. For some homes, a console like this is just "perfect".
Good job on the speakers - I like your choice to go simple with the recommended crossover. It would take me months of research to pick something that others would consider "exactly right" and I'd probably not hear any difference. Adding the Echo system should make it a very useful piece of kit.
 
That's a really great job!
I think your choice of components are great as well. I bet it's never sounded nearly as good as it does now.
 
While nice. Be very mindful of ventilation on the MAC 1900. And also if you're using the console speakers acoustic feedback is a major issue which requires attention.And the speaker system in the console, won't handle what the MAC 1900 outputs. Console amplifiers and speakers are also bass limited to reduce vastly or eliminate acoustic feedback. Consoles are designed as a system. Also, a Sylvania console in better models is more than respectable quality wise from the 1960's. and even 1970's. Many of their best sound great.
 
Very nice work, I found a 1961 Zenith last year that was in almost new condition. It used a 5G29 tube amp, EL84 outputs and 12AX7 preamp, with a Cobramatic turntable and 12" 49CZ852 full range speakers. I thought about modifying it to accept a modern turntable like you did. The cabinet on mine is just so nice I couldn't bring myself to cutting it up, so I deconstructed it. I rebuilt and modded the amp to a Decware EL84 clone. Pulled the speakers and made some quick open baffles for them out of scrap plywood I had. I still haven't finalized my design for the open baffles yet, but this system is so much fun to listen to, I really don't care what the speakers look like. As a bonus the cabinet is just the right size to hold my system.
20170617_055213.jpg
 
Very nice work, I found a 1961 Zenith last year that was in almost new condition. It used a 5G29 tube amp, EL84 outputs and 12AX7 preamp, with a Cobramatic turntable and 12" 49CZ852 full range speakers. I thought about modifying it to accept a modern turntable like you did. The cabinet on mine is just so nice I couldn't bring myself to cutting it up, so I deconstructed it. I rebuilt and modded the amp to a Decware EL84 clone. Pulled the speakers and made some quick open baffles for them out of scrap plywood I had. I still haven't finalized my design for the open baffles yet, but this system is so much fun to listen to, I really don't care what the speakers look like. As a bonus the cabinet is j
Very nice work, I found a 1961 Zenith last year that was in almost new condition. It used a 5G29 tube amp, EL84 outputs and 12AX7 preamp, with a Cobramatic turntable and 12" 49CZ852 full range speakers. I thought about modifying it to accept a modern turntable like you did. The cabinet on mine is just so nice I couldn't bring myself to cutting it up, so I deconstructed it. I rebuilt and modded the amp to a Decware EL84 clone. Pulled the speakers and made some quick open baffles for them out of scrap plywood I had. I still haven't finalized my design for the open baffles yet, but this system is so much fun to listen to, I really don't care what the speakers look like. As a bonus the cabinet is just the right size to hold my system.
View attachment 1048270
That cabinet looks really nice. They don't make pieces like that anymore.
 
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