10-05-2022, 10:08 PM
Hi Bojangles,
I may be a little forward, but the price on this piece was rather high. (Actually very high!) She could have gotten (a lot) more for (a lot) less, unless she is attaching a high value to the unit as a piece of furniture. Based on the styling, current draw and the warning that there are no user serviceable parts, this is likely solid state.
Console and "Home Entertainment Centers" by Philco, RCA, Magnavox, etc. were nice but were not the "high end" of HiFi in the same way as units by Fisher, Scott, McIntosh, Pilot, and later, Pioneer, Kenwood, Marantz, Technics, etc. In fact, "component" stereo receivers from the 1970s and 80s, decent loudspeakers, and working Garrard 40B and similar changers or turntables can be had for a (relative) song on the various auction sites. Even these "Home entertainment centers" should be available at a reasonable price
More pictures of the turntable and control panel would be helpful, but this is likely a "Voice of Music" turntable and employs a "ceramic" cartridge. These cartridges can and do go bad over the years.
Voice of Music made their own phonographs, but their main business was making these turntables for just about every major US consumer "entertainment center" or portable phonograph manufacturer such as Philco, Sylvania, Capehart, and, later, Magnavox and RCA in the late 1950s through 1960s before the Garrard and BSR changers became popular.
Quick and dirty trick is to lift the tone arm, and with a jeweler's screwdriver, touch each of the 4 connections to the cartridge. 2 should give a rather loud hum. If so, then the amp and wiring are good, and the cartridge is bad.
Unfortunately, there was no standard mount for ceramic cartridges during this time period, so finding a replacement cartridge may be at issue.
If Philco Experts on the site can't help(and the likely can help a lot), and if the record changer is, in fact a V-M, there is a "Voice of Music" website that may be helpful in obtaining an exact replacement or retrofitting a new cartridge. An alternative is to replace the changer with a Garrard Changer with a magnetic cartridge such as a Shure, Audio Technica or Pickering, but you will need to add a "preamp" for the magnetic cartridge, but performance will be greatly improved.
It appears that the radio has separate pointers and tuning knobs for AM and FM. Look at the mode selector knob for the term "MPX" If not there, and there are 2 tuning knobs, then this is an "AM and FM Stereo" or AM A - FM B receiver. Prior to FM Multiplex Stereo, experimental stereo music programs were broadcast by transmitting one channel on an AM Station and the other channel on an FM Station owned by the same broadcaster. However, Multiplex was rolled out in the early 1960s, so obviously, this is no longer done. If this is a 1966 model, then it should be FM Multiplex Stereo
Hope this helps.
I may be a little forward, but the price on this piece was rather high. (Actually very high!) She could have gotten (a lot) more for (a lot) less, unless she is attaching a high value to the unit as a piece of furniture. Based on the styling, current draw and the warning that there are no user serviceable parts, this is likely solid state.
Console and "Home Entertainment Centers" by Philco, RCA, Magnavox, etc. were nice but were not the "high end" of HiFi in the same way as units by Fisher, Scott, McIntosh, Pilot, and later, Pioneer, Kenwood, Marantz, Technics, etc. In fact, "component" stereo receivers from the 1970s and 80s, decent loudspeakers, and working Garrard 40B and similar changers or turntables can be had for a (relative) song on the various auction sites. Even these "Home entertainment centers" should be available at a reasonable price
More pictures of the turntable and control panel would be helpful, but this is likely a "Voice of Music" turntable and employs a "ceramic" cartridge. These cartridges can and do go bad over the years.
Voice of Music made their own phonographs, but their main business was making these turntables for just about every major US consumer "entertainment center" or portable phonograph manufacturer such as Philco, Sylvania, Capehart, and, later, Magnavox and RCA in the late 1950s through 1960s before the Garrard and BSR changers became popular.
Quick and dirty trick is to lift the tone arm, and with a jeweler's screwdriver, touch each of the 4 connections to the cartridge. 2 should give a rather loud hum. If so, then the amp and wiring are good, and the cartridge is bad.
Unfortunately, there was no standard mount for ceramic cartridges during this time period, so finding a replacement cartridge may be at issue.
If Philco Experts on the site can't help(and the likely can help a lot), and if the record changer is, in fact a V-M, there is a "Voice of Music" website that may be helpful in obtaining an exact replacement or retrofitting a new cartridge. An alternative is to replace the changer with a Garrard Changer with a magnetic cartridge such as a Shure, Audio Technica or Pickering, but you will need to add a "preamp" for the magnetic cartridge, but performance will be greatly improved.
It appears that the radio has separate pointers and tuning knobs for AM and FM. Look at the mode selector knob for the term "MPX" If not there, and there are 2 tuning knobs, then this is an "AM and FM Stereo" or AM A - FM B receiver. Prior to FM Multiplex Stereo, experimental stereo music programs were broadcast by transmitting one channel on an AM Station and the other channel on an FM Station owned by the same broadcaster. However, Multiplex was rolled out in the early 1960s, so obviously, this is no longer done. If this is a 1966 model, then it should be FM Multiplex Stereo
Hope this helps.
"Do Justly, love Mercy and walk humbly with your God"- Micah 6:8
Best Regards,
MrFixr55
