Zenith Console

[Dale Ploeger]

I purchased a Zenith console from about 1962. It has a tube radio and a solid state amplifier. The radio works but the turntable is hopeless. I'd like to replace the Zenith turntable with Technics (from about 1990). But, when I connect the Technics out put to the cables that went to the original turntable I get no sound.

Is this idea just unworkable? And if it is workable, how would I go about getting the TT to play through the Zenith amp?

 

[Bob91343]

The Zenith probably used a ceramic cartridge. If you want to use a magnetic cartridge in its place you will need a preamplifier. Ceramic cartridges have a whole lot more output signal than magnetic ones.

 

[holmesuser01]

Mag cartridge preamps are out there. I used to have one that ran on 120 volts. Nowadays, all I see use a 9V battery.

The preamp simply plugs in between your turntable and the receiver.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

And you can't mount that Technics inside without major surgery. Try getting your V-M changer rebuilt or find a Micro-Touch V-M changer which tracks at 2 grams tracking force.

 

[Wazz]

Ah, yes the wonderful Zenith consoles. My folks still have theirs, a 1964 all solid state version. I remember when we got it. Rated to 20 wpc, probably, "music power" Big woofers and horns, but still sounds like a juke box. Not an entirely unpleasant juke box, just no top end to speak of, in the modern sense. It has terminals on the back for extension speakers. I hooked a big woofer to one of those once, about 1973, to test it. Cranked up Edgar Winters Frankenstein. At some certain demanding passage, it blew a channel and I was like, Oh ****. Simple fix, a repairman installed a new pair of Germanium power outputs I guess. Yea they do use a high output ceramic type cartridge, so you might be needing something else to make it play with your fav. MM cart. The thing actually gets some use nowadays, it has phono jacks on the back and a walkman type CD player is plugged in there. Plays your favorite jukebox hits!

 

[33&athird]

The Zenith probably used a ceramic cartridge. If you want to use a magnetic cartridge in its place you will need a preamplifier. Ceramic cartridges have a whole lot more output signal than magnetic ones.

:yes:, I recently replaced a ceramic cart on a webcor unit with some astatic cart, output is around 3v give or take. Average moving magnet is maybe .5v-1v or so, from what I have read/seen.

Simple fix, a repairman installed a new pair of Germanium power outputs I guess

Hah!, must have been old, with those germanium outputs, they switched to silicon as soon as they could, due to cost and reliability.

 

[Renzor213]

You might want to be careful when uprgading your set up to a magnetic cartridge. The low gain ceramic cartridge section of your console, is probably already RIAA(large bass boost) equalized. Adding a magnetic cartridge pre-amp to the ceramic cartridge wiring will add another RIAA boost circuit. Can't imagine that sounding to pretty.

 

[Dale Ploeger]

Try getting your V-M changer rebuilt or find a Micro-Touch V-M changer which tracks at 2 grams tracking force.[/QUOTE]

Do you have any suggestions on where I could go to get this one repaired or to get a new (and better) TT?

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Gary Stork at www.thevoiceofmusic.com. He repairs and rebuilds them and has new old stock V-M parts available and service literature.

 

[Dale Ploeger]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. It looks like the best approach will be to restore the turntable at voiceofmusic. I have contacted them for an estimate. If this falls through, I might be back with more questions!

 

[TexAg71]

When one door closes, another opens

If you can't restore the V-M, which I'd say is unlikely with Gary's help, another option would be to buy a NOS changer from him. If I hadn't found a nice 1297 on the auction site, that would've been my next move. Either way, I think you'll be surprised at how solid and smooth the V-M changer is. :yes:

 

[orthophonic]

I have never seen a changer or turntable that was hopeless unless someone
took a hammer to it. They usually just need cleaning, fresh lube and sometimes a new idler.
If your Zenith is one of their top of the line models, it will have that wonderful
Zenith Built belt drive changer rather than the VM. Those top line consoles
sound amazing. I have modified some of those Micro-Touch arms with a
modern Ortofon OM magnetic cartridge and a small preamp, there is no double RIAA. But the Zenith 2G ceramic cartridges are not bad, just about the best ceramic ever made and are very kind to records.