RoxyLinoleum
New Member
Picked up this interesting portable unit, which is branded “Libertyphone” — apparently a house brand for a New York City radio shop. Information seems rather scarce on these units, although a user here discovered a console unit under the same name with similar components. It’s portable in the sense that it folds up and has a handle, but the more I investigated the unit, the more impressed I became. There’s a small integrated amp in there that uses 6AQ5s in a push-pull configuration, with decent sized output transformers, and the unit has a number of nice features that set it apart from the pack.
The speakers appear to be Jensens with a small port on the front. The power transformer is on a separate chassis from the output transformers, and there are accessory ports for both AUX and TUNER. In addition to this, there’s filters and switches for rumble, scratch, loudness, and mono. The turntable (which was my original interest in this unit) is a suspended Garrard 210, which, blessedly, works. And to round it all off there’s a Pickering 380 cartridge.
Since it has a removable headshell, this gives it great versatility for listening to 78RPM discs but the unit is no slouch with stereo. Indeed, the stereo separation on this unit is shocking. I haven’t got any idea who actually made the unit, though. The output transformers are marked M-7624 KMC171. The build style is definitely American in design and parts usage, and the NYC connection brings up some intriguing possibilities.
Tube compliment is 6AQ5 x 2, 12AT7 x 2, 12AX7 x 2.
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