Advice on Magnavox console speakers

[COLB]

I'll preface by noting that I am a complete and total newb to electronics and audio, and as I laid out in my intro post, just dipped my toe into vintage audio this by assembling a system from Craigslist and thrift shops.

Basically, I bought a 1958 Magnavox Magnasonic Console, along with a companion speaker, because I thought they looked cool, and would make a great vintage stand for my TV and liquor. But then I thought how much cooler it would be if they actually worked.

When I bought them, the turntable, tuner, and amps were gone, and the seller was using them as guitar speakers, wired into a table amp system. They were apparently working as passive speakers, so I used them as a starting point.

Then I bought a very nice Garrard Lab 95B turntable for $100, and the seller threw in a near mint Mitsubishi DA-R11 tuner for $35. So I wired all that up, bought a couple of records, and miraculously have a working system that sounds OK to my untrained (and aging) ears:

The speakers each have four drivers: a 15" P232 AlNiCo woofer, a P232 AlNiCo mid-range driver, and two tweeters. There aren't crossovers -- they are all soldered in serial with a couple of capacitors:

All of the drivers are functioning, and appear undamaged -- the sound is decent, but there is little bass. The lack of the original tube amp or any replacement crossover makes these dubiously efficient.

I added a pair of JBL LXE330s I got for $49 at a thrift store, and those really filled the room - and provide the low end the Maggies lack.

Recognizing that this is a bit of a shoestring operation, what advice would folks have to get more out of this system?

Is the gear even compatible enough to make it worth some DIY? Or should I just use the consoles as furniture? I know these came with ~20W Tube amps -- so the 35Wpc from the R11 are in the same ballpark. Is there a risk of torching my tuner trying to push these old monsters (not that I am worried about the $35 invested -- but it is what I have at the moment!)

What would be within the art of the possible for a newb with a couple hundred bucks to spend?

Thanks for any input!

 

[Lavane]

Just don't push them to distortion. I run higher powered power amps with lower watt speakers all the time. Just make sure the amp your using can handle 4 ohm speakers. The speakers Magnavox used with there tube amps were 4 ohm. You could add a sub woofer for better bass. Most of the push pull amps Magnavox used were 10 to 12 wpc. The smaller single ended amps were around 4 to 5 wpc. So figure on those speakers being able to handle around 20 watts. But they are pretty efficient so you don't need a lot of power to get them loud.

 

[COLB]

Thanks for the reply -- according to the specs I've found the Mitsubishi can handle 4 Ohm speakers:

https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/mitsubishi/da-r11.shtml

Since it is in a condo building, I'm pretty sensitive to volume, so I haven't pushed them.

I wondered if I could get one of the small hybrid tube amps between the receiver and the Magnavox speakers -- that this might produce an input closer to what the speakers were designed for.

Something like a Dayton Audio HTA20BT:

 

[Lavane]

If you decide to get a tube amp make sure it has 4 ohm speaker taps. You really don't want to run 4 ohm speakers on 8 or 16 ohm taps. You can run 8 ohm and up speakers on 4 ohm speaker taps on tube gear. Although it will reduce the power output. And if it's a hybrid with tube front end and SS output you still want 4 ohm speaker connections though. There are plenty of single ended and Push Pull tube amps out there at around 10wpc for not too much $$. Either way, a lot of these amps just have a volume control. So you could run from a preamp out on a receiver or integrated to the tube amp. Just leave the volume control at max on the tube amp using the volume control on the receiver to adjust volume. Or use a tape out from the reciever to the tube amp and use the tube amp volume control. No tone controls in circuit using the tape out though.

 

[gadget73]

The caps are your crossover. Pics don't load for me so I can't see what you've got but I expect its a simple cap between the woofer and the horn to keep the bass out of the horn. Those woofers don't go real low. I have a Magnavox extension speaker from that era with no amp myself, and its loud but it does zero on the bottom end. I've even put that woofer in another cabinet just to try it out, still does nothing on the bottom. I think if you want any real bass out of it, you need a different driver. Its not a sealed cabinet or anything so you'd need to modify that or use drivers that work in that setup. If the boxes are different volume inside, you'd have to deal with that too.

 

[COLB]

Thanks for the responses -- I don't think I want to try messing with the cabinets. The JBL's I bought to complement the Maggies do pretty well on the low end. Given that the wood is pretty nice, and the drivers all work, I think it is best to leave them as is -- I may look into a tube amp, though. Frankly, I'm not sure what they are supposed to sound like, so it is hard to know if their current setup is as good as it gets, or if something like a tube amp would make a big difference.

The modern tube hybrids I'm looking at will run 4 ohm speakers. That may be an interim solution while looking for a period one. Lot's of education required there!

 

[COLB]

reloading the pictures:

 

[COLB]

The caps are your crossover. Pics don't load for me so I can't see what you've got but I expect its a simple cap between the woofer and the horn to keep the bass out of the horn. Those woofers don't go real low. I have a Magnavox extension speaker from that era with no amp myself, and its loud but it does zero on the bottom end. I've even put that woofer in another cabinet just to try it out, still does nothing on the bottom. I think if you want any real bass out of it, you need a different driver. Its not a sealed cabinet or anything so you'd need to modify that or use drivers that work in that setup. If the boxes are different volume inside, you'd have to deal with that too.

trying to get the pictures to post

 

[gadget73]

thats different, usually Magnavox used horn tweeters, not paper ones. I think thats the same 15" woofer in my extension cabinet though.

Its worth replacing those caps. If they are from 1958, its a pretty solid bet they're toast by now.

 

[COLB]

I will check the Caps, but I think they are newer. They have metal cases. The prior owner soldered the wiring rather than using spade connectors, and I think the caps were put in at that time.