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Lost a chance to win a magnavox amp on ebay.

ltr317

ltr317

Active Member
:tears:

The winning bid was $104.01, but my top bid was only $86.00. I think it's either a Magnavox 175 or 185 amp. I have no idea what they're worth, since I'm a neophyte to Magnavox amps. I'm looking to find a cheap tube amp to replace the ss amp in my bedroom system and I read good things about these amps. Does anyone know the market value for either an 175 or 185, in unrestored or restored condition?
 
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Take the $86 you just saved ... feel good about it and realize you are now $86 closer to a nice scott or FIsher integrated.

Steve
 
guys. Why encourage the ripping apart of perfectly nice sounding magnavox equipment? Magnavox is a pioneer of audio reproduction and in the 50/60's they took a different approach from everyone else. Integrate the entire system for an overall effect.

As a result magnovox made some outstanding systems in the 50s and 60s. However you can not pull a maggie amp out of a maggie console and run a pair of say ar3's and expect that elusive "tubie" sound. You are actually destroying a piece of audio history by killing that very fine magnavox console you just robbed the gutts from.

See them itty bitty output trannies? You need a very efficient specifically designed speaker and cabinet system with electrical equalization to make them adequate.

IF you love Magnavox sound... save a maggie console! you'll wind up with a better sounding system than you could by ripping the same console apart.

Steve
 
I have a pair of Maggie amps, unfortunately someone else robbed the cabinet of the good parts. I have the second channel speaker cabinet intact yet but the main console is long gone. Its a pity too, judging by the cabinet on the second speaker. Its a real beauty. Amp itself sound OK, but I really need to get them on a decent set of matched speakers to see what it sounds like.
 
Magnavox amps

They are Great. Take them out of the console and hook them to some 90+db speakers and WOW. Repclacing caps is recomended. Resistors too.
 
Totally agree. I had a Fisher receiver a while ago and I was unimpressed with the sound. It probably needed a recap, but it didn't motivate me to do anything about it at the time, and I sold it, no regrets.

I have yet to hear a Maggie that I didn't like, especially love the single-ended EL84's.
 
Too much money for those amps. Keep your eyes open and you WILL find one of those consoles out on trash day, or in a dumpster, or at the town dump (if you have one) or in a neighbor's garage.

EDIT: Do be sure to ask the neighbor if it's OK before you try to remove the Maggotbox console from his/her garage! :-)
 
targeteye said:
guys. Why encourage the ripping apart of perfectly nice sounding magnavox equipment? Magnavox is a pioneer of audio reproduction and in the 50/60's they took a different approach from everyone else. Integrate the entire system for an overall effect.

As a result magnovox made some outstanding systems in the 50s and 60s. However you can not pull a maggie amp out of a maggie console and run a pair of say ar3's and expect that elusive "tubie" sound. You are actually destroying a piece of audio history by killing that very fine magnavox console you just robbed the gutts from.

See them itty bitty output trannies? You need a very efficient specifically designed speaker and cabinet system with electrical equalization to make them adequate.

IF you love Magnavox sound... save a maggie console! you'll wind up with a better sounding system than you could by ripping the same console apart.

Steve
Click to expand...

Collecting consoles takes up way too much space and expense on making them work right. At least to me, anyway. If you're inclined to collect them all, God bless you. I've kept one console that was in pristine shape that now serves duty as a table in the entry way in my house but I don't have it set up to play. One other is in the garage but the wood is so messed up that I don't want to spend that time on refinishing it. I did, however, salvage it's guts, used the amp for myself, and sold off the parts for the people that are trying to get them back in working order. I guess the same goes with old TV's for me. Nice to look at but they take up too much room and time on going thru them and a stacked pair of TV's doesn't really "sound" that great. (pun intended. :D )

We all have our own takes on this hobby. That's what makes it so much fun.
 
My 2c: Being a relative noob to tube amps but loving the sound of the SOHA, tried to find an inexpensive way in (other than built Chinese ones). Searched around & found some info supporting bare Maggie console amps as a way to achieve this.

Snagged a good working cond. unrestored amp-175 on the bay for $90 delivered. Noticed that nicely restored ones seem in the $225-$275 range & being handy I tackled it. Found much of what targeteye says to be the case for me in that to bring it up to the level I desired (somewhat comparable w/other approaches that are initially more expensive) involves re-cap & out-of-spec resistors & OPTs. Also minor circuit mods as Gordon has shared and to get decent power & some contouring a preamp is necessary.

It adds up to a lot of fun and learning (time & $$$ of course) and will give a lot of satisfaction when done. Might want to consider other paths depending on what you are looking to get out of it.

Oh & I'd sure not rip apart/scrap a Mag console just to get the amp.... But by buying them/creating a market for them I guess we encourage those who do:worried:
 
Always fun to revive an old thread. I scored a Maggot console in 2007 for free at a garage sale...actually my wife did. Asked if our TV would fit on it. LOL. Anyway, wood was in ok shape, had sat for years covered outside in Colorado. Packed full of pollen. Turntable worked for a couple days and died, one oval (mid range) speaker buzzing hard, voice coil shot probably. Nice heavy piece.

Amp 175-67 inside, which since I have pulled. Building boxes for what's left of the paper speakers...15s and 2- high range plus mids (4 speakers total per side). I am trying to figure out how to normalize output cabling as the amp has 3 wires with a jumper between. No stereo sound here that I know of.

For my boxes, I'm side firing the 15s and pointing the highs/mids toward the listener. I've saved the tweed speaker cloth from the cabinet to cover in. As for the pre-amp, who knows yet. I'll find or build something else... And as for the cabinet, well, thats another project. I have a water turtle who will love her new 175 gallon wonderland some day.
 
yosemitesam said:
I am trying to figure out how to normalize output cabling as the amp has 3 wires with a jumper between. No stereo sound here that I know of.
Click to expand...

If you mean the speaker outputs, the "jumper" between is the common ground. Three connections, left, right and ground.
 
Thanks for the reply! So to get stereo, I need to split the OTs right? Is there a map of some sort to doing this properly?

Thanks again!

Sam
 
No. They are already separated. Are you sure you're looking at the LR speaker outputs and not the center channel? You should be able to find a 175 schematic online. I did. The only necessary mod to get the amp working is to properly rewire the umbilical to the preamp and maybe rewire the balance control. Other mods are optional. Do a search here...lots of 175 mods available and instructions on how to get it working as a stand alone.
Otherwise PM me. I just did a 175 and an 8804.
 
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