Classic Hifi Care

As I was wasting time today I came across these:

https://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/atq/ ... 13529.html

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/atq/d/ ... 07563.html

https://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/atq/ ... 77694.html

https://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/atq/ ... 30372.html

https://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/ele/ ... 66009.html

https://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/fuo/ ... 98163.html

Kind a proud of a few of them.

Bill

That Zenith in Chicago has the familiar "Cobra" tone arm. But were they using their modulated RF pickup system in the stereo age (what was it called, "Radionic?")?

Chris Campbell

I hate to say this, but I liked the Zenith as well. Perhaps one the changer gurus will chime in and enlighten us on whether this had a Radionic cartridge or not. I'm guessing no, but I've been wrong before. Some of the prices were rather optimistic, yes?

As to the prices, they make me feel like an astute investor. "Hey, I've got a nicer one than that!" But mine aren't for investment, they're for fun & enjoyment.

Chris Campbell

I didn't buy mine for an investment, either. But, I'm cheap. Part of the fun is in the buy. If I think I pay too much, it ruins the project for me. I "loosened" my "cheapness" when I bought my Concert Grand. I got it cheap by what they ask for them today, but, at the time, I kicked myself for a couple hours until I regained my senses and realized what I had.

Sorry, but I'm going to win any cheapness contest. The right price begins with F and I don't mean Forty of Fifty. It's genetic. We were in San Fransisco in the early 70s for my brother's wedding, driving along in a rented car, when my Mom announced, "There's a pair of cowboy boots!" Sure enough, there they sat in a trash pile. Buzz around the block, leap out and snag the boots. Nice Justin boots, just needing to be half-soled. Half-soled once, half-soled again, and I still have 'em.

Chris Campbell

You just might win, Chris. I have been known to pick trash before, but, never for something to wear. Probably because it would not fit me. Tall, thin, and big narrow feet.

As for the Zenith/VM changer. I have worked on a few Cobra changers and they all had power point cartridges. I have never heard of the Radionic cartridge? Now that I Googled it, I now know what it is. It sounds like they really never go bad, but, buy one in todays world is very pricy.

Bill

I like that black lacquer on the zenith... and that admiral TV sure looks a lot like the RCA I got from you ... same cabinet mfg?

That 61 Zenith is a flagship model with that stereo PP 6BQ5 amp, I suspect its not the radionic cartridge used in mono models in 57-58.

Although stylish and very practical, that Motorola is over priced compared to the Zenith.

I am pretty sure I have never seen a Webcor console, popular as they were.

I have that Admiral TV combination in an early American cabinet. That has a decent SS console stereo as well.

Elton, that Zenith is nice, and, should sound nice too. Like Dave said, it's TOTL. The Admiral does look a lot like your RCA. Even the TV has the same look. As far as the cabinets go, they very well could be the same company.

Bill

Not to put too fine a point on it, I wouldn't call it "pride" or "optimistic" I'd call it "greed".

That Clairtone looks a lot like an Electrohome console that was for sale around here once, and being it says made in Canada I'd imagine that might be the case.

I like the Admiral color aircraft carrier but my guess is they'd be lucky to find someone who'll take it away for $100.
It's only saving grace these days is the modern cabinet style.

I would go for that Admiral just because they were not that common. I like working on them as they were built as well as and made a similar picture to Motorola, which displayed sub-optimal color even when set up properly.

Make no mistakes, RCA and Zenith were tops at that time. Admiral was not known for great performing color TV. RCA made a much nicer color picture and Zenith made a brighter, much more reliable one.

I have a Zenith like that black one, but it's in photofinish mahogany. It is a nice stereo and used a EV26 cartridge that was dead on the one I picked up. I think the model I have was a SFD2560 which was a 1959 or 1960 built unit. Zenith also used the Euphonics cartridges as well. The radionic cartridges were mono if I remember correctly.

Motorola minion wrote: ↑Tue Feb 15, 2022 3:52 pm That 61 Zenith is a flagship model with that stereo PP 6BQ5 amp, I suspect its not the radionic cartridge used in mono models in 57-58.

Zenith was using the Radionic modulated-RF system by 1948. My Wurlitzer jukebox uses a Cobra arm with the Radionic cartridge/oscillator, and they were putting it into home consoles the same year:
https://people.ohio.edu/postr/bapix/Zen48RP.htm

I suspect that the moving-vane cartridges really reduced record and stylus wear and also offered better fidelity than the prevalent crystal cartridges.

A stereo version would have been more challenging and doubled the ocscillator/detector parts count. And by then, better quality ceramic cartridges were available.

Chris Campbell

The red, green, and red/green cobra cartridges were radionic, and Zenith used them until about 1954. The cobra cartridges that came just after that are ceramic and do not use the oscillator circuit. Wurlitzer used the radiaonic cartridges right through their last mono jukebox in 1962.