1968 Zenith YT960

[chazglenn3]

I will post some actual pictures of my console after I get it put back together, but I thought I would add this for now...

[William]

I am jealous, that is the cabinet I wish I had. Thanks for sharing.

Bill

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

From the brochure detail, it appears this has the nice
in-house Zenith made Microtouch changer.

This is around the last year it was produced.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVODx5PxDSw

[electra225]

I like the louvered cabinets.

[chazglenn3]

This one is a 1968 model. They used the Zenith Professional Turntable one more year in 1969.

[hermitcrab]

was this Zenith's only attempt at putting a R2R in a console?... I have never seen any others.... other than this one model...

[electra225]

Wonder how much of that 320 watts of peak music power is real? 50 watts maybe? This was built about the time Zenith started kicking Magnavox's butt in styling, quality and performance.

[TC Chris]

In those days, power ratings came out of the advertising department, not the engineering lab. They were all fanciful. The FTC promulgated a trade regulation rule to govern statements of power output because the numbers were so detached from reality and deceitful to the public.

Of course, the quest for high power--even honestly reported power--was a problem in itself. Ultra-high power output does not guarantee good sound, and low-powered amps can sound very good with high-efficiency speakers.

The high-end folks always talk about auditioning systems. For most of us, that's not really possible, so we do tend to look to specifications as a sort of guide to quality. They may be an imperfect guide, but it's best when they are accurate numbers at least.

Chris Campbell

[hermitcrab]

one of these has been up on FB marketplace for a while... so far no takers at the lowered 2500 bucks

[electra225]

Maybe if they were to move the decimal point one spot over. If it is complete in working condition, it might sell at $250...

[William]

If it has the tape deck and is the MCM cabinet, it probably is worth a grand. I have the butt ugly Early American version and the sound will blow you away. Mine is in storage and if the cabinet was not so over the top Early American it would probably be in the house.

Bill

[chazglenn3]

I played the YT960 and the 1962 Concert Grand that I sold to Hydrolastic back to back and actually found that I liked the sound of the Zenith slightly better than the CG. That plus the cabinet styling pushed the Zenith to be the one I kept. The guts arrived back yesterday from my guy in Nevada. I just need to find time to reassemble the console...

[electra225]

I can certainly understand why you would prefer the sound of the Zenith. Good luck with the re-assembly and I hope you enjoy it for many years.

[chazglenn3]

The only place that I think they might be able to sell it for $2500 is California. I'm not on Facebook so I can't see the ad. Mine was listed for $200 and one leg was broken and the spindle for the turntable was broken. I told them I couldn't pay that much for it in that condition. A week later they contacted me to just come and pick it up because the house had sold and it needed to go. Lucky me! I probably have $1500 into it by now but I plan to have it forever!

[electra225]

We've all been there, Charles! Being "upside down" in this stuff is part of the game, isn't it? I have a fortune in a GE stereo I redid the Tolex on, 25 times more than I could ever get out of it. The challenge is your reward. Great job saving an old stereo from an undesirable fate.....

[William]

I fully understand your statement that you like the Zenith better than the CG, although I have never heard a CG to make that comparison. The Zenith is amazing, the bass will shack the cabinet apart if you turn it too full and have the bass boast on as well. For a console, it is very must like a component system. I would probably restore mine and find a place in the house if it had a decent looking cabinet.

Bill

[chazglenn3]

Finally some pictures of my YT960

[chazglenn3]

The pictures loaded sideways in the post, but are orientated correctly when you click them...

[TC Chris]

They looked pretty good, even sideways.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

I'd agree with that. You have quite the handsome instrument, Charles. I like those louvered cabinets. Thanks for sharing....