New toy- old console...

83Hertz

Well-Known Member
IMG_4122.JPG Picked it up off Facebook marketplace for a reasonable price... guy even delivered it to my door. It's a sylvania SC-147K. Sounds nice, tuner pulls in stations pretty well, turntable works in manual mode, but the auto changer doesn't work. Looks great except for a bit of a wrinkle in the grill cloth on the left speaker. Most importantly my wife approves!

I might look into upgrading the cartridge/stylus, figuring out the auto feature, and adding a Bluetooth receiver to the optional tape inputs. For now I'm just enjoying Christmas music on the radio...
 
So, I've never used an auto table. I'm pretty sure I can figure out where the grease is and relube it, but how do I use it once I get it working?
 
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Here's some close ups of the cartridge and stylus. I'd like to replace at least the stylus, but don't see any identifying marks, so I'm not sure what to order.
 
That's a very versatile stylus, if as I suspect, you can flip it to also play 78 records. That's the only thing I miss about my old console. It was great for listening to great old 78s I found at thrifts and estate sales. I had to get rid of it due to it being ugly AF.
 
That's a very versatile stylus, if as I suspect, you can flip it to also play 78 records.

Thanks for that bit of info!! You can flip this stylus, and there's definitely a tip on either side, but both sides of the "flag" that sticks out the side say "LP". How do I know which side is which?? The table will play 16, 33, 45 and 78 rpm.
 
I've noticed a bit of crackle in the right speaker when playing records, so I checked the connections on the cartridge and found the right positive lead barely attached to its connector. A bit of solder took care of that issue!

I've also found that loud passages sound tinny/hollow. For example, Ravel's Bolero sounds great at the beginning, but as the song progresses, and the intensity of the music builds, it sounds worse and worse. This doesn't happen with that record on my main system, so I know the problem isn't with the record. The distortion is not affected by the volume control on the console, and is not present when using the tuner, or when feeding my iPhone through the tape inputs. I've also noticed that the cartridge seems to have a cheaper look than the rest of the turntable/console. I suspect the stylus is worn, and the cartridge may be a cheap replacement that isn't able to cleanly "read" loud passages. Am I thinking right?
 
Thanks for that bit of info!! You can flip this stylus, and there's definitely a tip on either side, but both sides of the "flag" that sticks out the side say "LP". How do I know which side is which?? The table will play 16, 33, 45 and 78 rpm.

Maybe the previous owner changed out the original with an "LP Only" one. . In my experience, true LP/78 needles say something like "LP" or LPS (stereo?) on one side and 78 on the other... I think also there was a period where one side would be LP and the other LPS denoting mono and stereo (I think...maybe someone with better knowledge will chime in and corroborate or correct that information).

One thing to try, albeit a little scary, is to remove the stylus and take a picture, then send the pic to Needle Doctor and see if they have the needles to get the most out of the console. The good news is that unlike those crazy high end cartridges, your needles are often priced under $20. So it's a fun and cheap way to play around.
 
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Here's a few pics. Haven't pulled the back off yet...

Garrard 3000, custom styling for Sylvania. Lower to lower middle of the line Sylvania in this era used this changer. Yours uses a ceramic, the higher up Garrard had a Pickering Magnetic cartridge (with a magnetic phono stage in the receiver) The middle to highest end used Duals, the highest end models Dual 1009 and 1019, with Pickering magnetic cartridges.
 
Ordered a Bluetooth adapter. The console has a switched power plug inside, and rca jacks for tape inputs, so it will literally be plug and play! I just hope it has a good signal with the BT receiver mounted inside the cabinet, because I really want to hide the receiver...
 
Just got the BT receiver installed. Works great! Gets great reception all through our apartment, but I didn't hide the receiver inside the console because you need to have access to the pairing button. I mounted it on the back of the console so it's out of sight, but still accessible for pairing...
 
These old consoles are cool. I wish I had room for one or two. I loved the old bass-heavy "warm" sound of those things.
 
I should have grabbed my folk's Magnavox when I had the chance. It was a big bastard, like 6+ feet long. I wouldn't care about the TT, but the receiver in it (as I remember) was pretty good for nice FM background stuff.
 
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