Another Console Dilemma!

I have had dealings with a couple of consoles before. Now today I find a nice looking console at a Salvation Army thrift. It gave all indications of being a DIY project and it turned out to be just that. The cabinet is a nice maple finished veneer and lattice over cloth grills. The speakers caught my eye and I decided I would like to have them.

Actually, my idea was to buy it and take the speakers and electronics out right there on the spot. The 12 inch speakers are Olson SP-970 3 way's! Huge frames and nice alnico magnets! I figured they could work in another project or if not I would just sell them for a profit to fund something else. The little drop in tuner/amp is a SD "Standard" (?). It is quite dense and heavy and has adequate inputs that plug into the bottom of it. It sits down in a frame and appears that it can just be lifted out after pivoting one end of the frame. It is obviously a no name but it does a good job with the very efficient speakers.

I ask the lady at the store if I could take the electronics out and redonate the nice cabinet. She said no! so, I ended up taking this huge console home in the back of my wife's mini van! I would not have this dilemma if she had let me take it apart there!

Of course when I get home I plug her in to see if everything works alright. Wouldn't you know it....It sounds great! I couldn't resist rubbing over the finish with a tung oil maple stain mix to freshen it up!

Now the dilemma is.....Do I still break up this nice looking great sounding unit? I don't have the room for it that's for sure! It seems a crime since it was obviously someones pet project. The weakest part is the Garrard SL turntable with a little ADC(?) cartridge but even it sounds good. The FM works very good too. I plugged a Minidisc player into the AUX input and it really sounds wonderful!

It could be modified more by upgrading the turntable and using the existing amp or using a different amp/receiver with different sources?

I wish I had never gotten home with it intact because I tend to fall in love with anything that looks good and sounds good even if it is not practical! I start thinking about how I could use it and improve it. I just wanted the speakers!

If anyone has any ideas let me know. Does anyone have experience with Olson speakers? I did some research on them and found that they and the company's founder Dr. Harry Olson are well respected even if they are not very valuable they do sound nice! Also, if someone close falls in love with the cabinet let me know. Best! Franksta

I forgot to post pictures!









Thanks! Franksta

There is no way I could dismantle that collection of wood. Those woven lattice grills are crazy! I'd find a way to stuff it with other sources (tube) and speakers if they didn't suit me.

That's a beautiful piece! If you hadn't saved it, the next guy would have broken it up and dumped the cabinet. Here in L.A., "mid-century modern" homes and furniture are in high demand. I wonder if it newer components like a small Marantz receiver can be installed? Glad you kept it together.

That "Standard" brand is, I assume, the same Standard Radio that made Marantz (and other) receivers that folks here talk about all the time.

That's a gorgeous looking Eames-esque cabinet and it would be a real shame to break it up.

If you can delivery I'll take it off your hands. I am looking for a nice console for the listening area. Nice piece!!

It looks to nice to cut up,someone put in alot of effort on that console. If you do gut it I'm sure someone would take the cab as a project(like a bar).

I saw a console recently that was tall and narrow. Absolutley beautiful workmanship and design. I thought about ripping the stereo out and keeping just the cabinet. Coudln't do it and it was free.

I thought I would check back in and show you guys what I did with the console. I kept listening to it and it sounded really nice. I assumed that it was mainly because of the nice Olson triaxial speakers. The little amp is/was a Standard Radio. It was heavy and did a reasonably good job but nothing special.

I just couldn't work up the nerve to scrap the nice console. I did remove the amp and turntable and tried to modify the mounting board to accomodate a SL-95 Garrard TT I have. It went in but it was a bit cramped. When I put the amp back in it played for a little while and then the volume control froze up! Strange!

I came up with an entirely new idea! Simply because I liked the looks of the cabinet and the sound of the Olsons. I brought out my Advent 300 receiver and hooked it up. I just sat it on top of the cabinet. I then got a real wild hair and decided to pump things up a little. I incorporated a KLH 8 inch 40-50 watt powered SUB that I have into the unit.

The Advent speaker outputs are input into the high level inputs on the SUB and then out to the Olsons in the console cabinet. It sounds fantastic! I even added a pair of Cambridge Soundworks cubes up on top of the cabinet connected to the speaker B connections on the Advent. With them switched in the sound really balances out. The SUB fires forward towards that front middle panel and adds deep bass. The CS cubes add just the right amount of highs! The Advent does alright running all the speakers!

In order to make the console fit in the room I took the old rattan table out and put it in storage. I also took the Original Large Advents that were beside it out to the computer room and stacked them on top of a pair of New Large Advents. I took the Dynaco A-25's that had been there and swapped them. They are smaller and that made everything fit better. The Advents had been hooked to a Marantz 2252B that is on the other wall. Now the Dynaco's are hooked to it. I really didn't loose much there!

I like the looks of the unit and the sound will suprise most people that listen to it I'm sure. I plan to knock the old mounting board out and attempt to cut a new template board for the Garrard or another turntable that might fit. If I can't make that happen I will just store CD's Minidiscs and accessories inside.

You never can have too many systems or can you? :scratch2: ! Best! Franksta

I just breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like a neat setup

Way cool! Very nice treatment.

Nice job!

Nice, looks like a cradenza. Cool phone too.

I bought a nice old Zenith console at the local GW. I asked them if I could strip it and redonate (is that a word?) the console. They said they would take it as people buy them for projects.