Magnavox record and am/fm console

[Coop442s]

Hey everyone,

This is my first post I have been lurking on and off for a while and have been looking to find an old record player and by chance yesterday was in a local thrift store and happened upon this console with no price. I asked them how much for as is and since the needle was not attached (believe that is what is in the little plastic case, I am completely new to record players) and they let me have it for 20.00 looking online it seems some of these came with a companion speaker record holder but they did not have it. The model is a Magnavox 1SR276, when I got it home I noticed the wheel was not attached (screws missing) and it looks like there is something missing that was attached under the wheel along with some pieces of something? I’m good with soldering and basic electronics repair (Mechanical Engineer) and anything to involved I send it to my brother who is an Eletrical Engineer. The cabinet itself is in really good shape aside from a few scratches and packing tape stuck to it. Is this worth saving and investing in or did I buy a box of parts? Also does anyone know where I could find a manual or parts diagrams so I can get the proper screws to reattach the wheel and needle? I bought this hoping to restore it as a gift to my father in law who has a large collection of vinyl, but no player if an easy fix or myself as a long term restoration.

Thank you for this wonderful site I do love reading the posts about these older machines.

Michael

 

[Tinkerbelle]

The tube amp looks like the AMP-185, push-push 6V6GT tubes. Well worth saving. To be sure, though, let us know what that chassis number is - see red outline in below pic



Do a search on this forum for Magnavox amp-185 and you will find lots of threads & info. The schematic is readily available here I believe. Check out here.

 

[wlgrant6]

Nice little 6vc stereo amp. Without having the matching cabinet that had the speakers for the other channel, you are rather limited as to what you can do. You don't want to fire it up without a load on the ch that drove the missing speaker cabinet. Would make a nice little stand alone amp. Like this one.

 

[FlaCharlie]

Nice find!

I don't know much about console turntables but many of them have a reputation for being a bit rough on records because their tracking weight was a bit on the heavy side. I'm sure there will be some comments about this particular turntable from those who are more knowledgeable. If it was made by VM (Voice of Music), as many console units were, you may be able to find replacement parts. If made by another company, who knows. Those rubber wheels get dry, crack and shrink which messes up the speed.

If you want to keep it relatively intact, I would suggest replacing the original turntable with a more modern one that is easier on records.

The other issue you have is the missing speaker cabinet. You could try to find the correct one but it would likely take a while. I'd just disconnect the existing speakers and find a nice pair of vintage ones. Lot's of choices but I'd probably go with something like KLH 17, Dynaco A25 or similar. Of course modern speakers would work fine too.

That 175 series amp is quite good. It should be restored just as any vintage amp and I'm sure there are threads on here describing the procedure. It's all point to point wired and has lots of room underneath so it's pretty easy to work on. It should not be powered up, especially with only one speaker. It could also be removed and turned into a stand alone amp if your father in law is not interested in the vintage console look.

 

[Dswankey]

The amp is a 175-55

 

[FlaCharlie]

I should mention that adding a modern TT would work fine as long as the unit is made to be used with magnetic cartridges. If the original turntable used a ceramic cartridge you would need to add a phono preamp. You could either build one inside the original chassis and add another input tube or simply buy an inexpensive tube phono stage online and run the TT into it.

There's already an extra hole in the chassis which is plugged, so no drilling required. That makes me think it's probably a ceramic cartridge. Either way, it would be easy enough to switch to a magnetic cartridge.

 

[Coop442s]

Thank y’all for the quick replies and the info on the amp. I’m afraid that the thrift store tried powering it on to test it and that’s how I got it as is. What damage may have occurred from powering on the amp? I’m leaning toward buying a modern turntable as a birthday and turning this into a longer term restoration. I’m going to try and track down the extension cabinet or build a copy and match the veneer finish the best I can. I really appreciate the help and promise this machine will play again. I’ll get more information on the turntable tonight and it’s condition. I didn’t want to power it on without pulling the amp and check the condition of the caps.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[Coop442s]

The tube amp looks like the AMP-185, push-push 6V6GT tubes. Well worth saving. To be sure, though, let us know what that chassis number is - see red outline in below pic

Do a search on this forum for Magnavox amp-185 and you will find lots of threads & info. The schematic is readily available here I believe. Check out here.

Tinkerbelle,

The chassis number is AMP 175-55

Thanks,
Michael

 

[cademan]

Chances are very good that it is fine to power up for testing purposes. It will probably sound and work fine but for a long term fix, prolly think about a recap.

Do not turn it on without another speaker connected to the left channel. The left channel speaker connection is the two screw terminals next to the that umbilical connection.

 

[Coop442s]

Looking into it the turn table is a Collaro (sp?) model F-200C I’m going to put this project to the side at the moment and get a modern tt for the FIL for now while I can take my time to restore this one and build a matching extension console from scratch or find a correct origional console. I will keep the updates coming as I work on this unit.

Hope everyone has a great evening!
Michael