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Replace Speakers in a 1950's Radionette Console Stereo

L

LisaLou111

New Member
I would like to replace the speakers in my vintage stereo console. The ones that are there are 6 x 8". Can someone recommend a replacement? I am attaching a picture of the back of one of the two speakers and the console itself. I was going to just purchase a car stereo speaker, but I want to make sure that I do not damage the amplifier itself. It took me forever to find someone to repair it, and it works great, now.IMG_6502.jpg IMG_7106.jpg
 
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Cute mid century modern piece.

Disconnect one side of one speaker and measure it with an ohmmeter. That'll give us some idea of what impedance speaker you can use.

In an case. it looks like you might have to do some retrofitting to fit a modern 6 X 9 in there, but it can be done.
 
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Don't have to, there are 6x8 (and 5x7) car speakers - Ford started using 6x8 as a std. size years ago. That said, if a 4 ohm speaker won't work you would probably have more luck finding a generic 8- or 16-ohm 6x9 than a 6x8.

John
 
It reads 3.7. Does that mean that I need to look for a 4 ohm speaker? If so, do you have any recommendations? And the limiting size on the speaker is the 6 inch dimension. I can go longer on the 8.
 
Well, 8 ohm speakers generally read about 6 ohms and 4 ohm speakers generally read around three ohms or so. These could be 6 ohm speakers so I'd wait until we see what advice others here offer. They SHOULD work without a problem, but let's wait and see what the survey says.
 
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Nice console! Is there something wrong with the drivers that are in there? If they are working fine I would think it unlikely you will find something modern/aftermarket that would perform remarkably better in this situation...:dunno:
 
Sandstrom said:
Nice console! Is there something wrong with the drivers that are in there? If they are working fine I would think it unlikely you will find something modern/aftermarket that would perform remarkably better in this situation...:dunno:
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They don't sound strong and have some crackliness to them. Not bad, I just thought that newer speakers might improve the sound. And thank you, I LOVE this stereo. I bought it from a neighbor's estate sale years ago and have had each part repaired. I am fortunate to have found folks that would work on something this old... and be successful. I just had the turntable refurbished as it started running slowly. It now runs well within reason. It is such a fun Mid Century Modern piece!
 
I'm thinking any decent automotive 6x8 speaker will fit, although depending on the cutout dimensions, you may need to make a baffle board to fit over the original hole, and then mount the new speaker to that.

I'd bet the JBLs at the top of this list would be a huge improvement over what you have in there now.
 
In this application speaker sensitivity may become important.

The first set of replacement speakers referenced have a rated sensitivity of 88 dB. The JBL's referenced have a rated sensitivity of 91 dB. That may not seem like a lot of difference, but it means that if the JBL's or other speakers with a similar sensitivity rating are used, the amplifier will need to produce only half as much power for any given listening level, soft or loud.
 
If "it works fine now" I would keep it stock. That's a real beauty and IMO deserves to be kept original. Even with new drivers it's never going to sound as good as even a budget component system, so why try? Enjoy it for what it is. Again, just my opinion and I meant no offense.
 
audiomagnate said:
If "it works fine now" I would keep it stock. That's a real beauty and IMO deserves to be kept original. Even with new drivers it's never going to sound as good as even a budget component system, so why try? Enjoy it for what it is. Again, just my opinion and I meant no offense.
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No offense taken. That may be the best advice. Perhaps the "older" sound adds to the charm. I am all about keeping things original. I have a turquoise and plywood cabinet kitchen, for crying out loud!
 
The best I can describe it is that nothing sounds crisp. My thought is that new speakers will fix this, am I wrong? I don't know technically what makes a difference in what I am listening to, but I do know when I like it. When we shopped for a car for me, we tested all the stereo systems to narrow down what car to look for, the sales peopld thought we were crazy...but I like a crisp sound with more treble than bass.
 
I LIKE MUSIC said:
In this application speaker sensitivity may become important.

The first set of replacement speakers referenced have a rated sensitivity of 88 dB. The JBL's referenced have a rated sensitivity of 91 dB. That may not seem like a lot of difference, but it means that if the JBL's or other speakers with a similar sensitivity rating are used, the amplifier will need to produce only half as much power for any given listening level, soft or loud.
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So this makes the JB:'s a good choice, right?
 
It does not necessarily speak to their particular sound quality (which you may or may not like), but speaker sensitivity is something to consider.

If there are some car audio shops in you area, they might have some speakers in their demo room that you could listen to.
 
I LIKE MUSIC said:
It does not necessarily speak to their particular sound quality (which you may or may not like), but speaker sensitivity is something to consider.

If there are some car audio shops in you area, they might have some speakers in their demo room that you could listen to.
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Really any speaker would sound better. I would just like to find something that will maximize the output that this system puts out and will not hurt it.
 
LisaLou111 said:
maximize the output that this system puts
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This is where speakers with higher sensitivity numbers may help. Although it is not known, it is likely that the speakers in the console have a relatively high sensitivity number.

At the price of the JBL's there is not much to loose by trying them.
 
LisaLou111 said:
No offense taken. That may be the best advice. Perhaps the "older" sound adds to the charm. I am all about keeping things original. I have a turquoise and plywood cabinet kitchen, for crying out loud!
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OooRah, table sounds cool too! I'd have to bet fresh high-efficiency 6×9 speakers would do it for you. Don't laugh, but I'd bet walmart auto dept car stereo section would have a set of full range or co-ax 6×9s you could try as a test.
 
nfafan said:
OooRah, table sounds cool too! I'd have to bet fresh high-efficiency 6×9 speakers would do it for you. Don't laugh, but I'd bet walmart auto dept car stereo section would have a set of full range or co-ax 6×9s you could try as a test.
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What am I risking hooking them up. Do I risk hurting my system if I have the wrong sensitivity or ohms?
 
I LIKE MUSIC said:
This is where speakers with higher sensitivity numbers may help. Although it is not known, it is likely that the speakers in the console have a relatively high sensitivity number.

At the price of the JBL's there is not much to loose by trying them.
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Thank you, I think I will try the JBL's.
 
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