MCM Mid Century Modern Magnavox Imperial Stereo Console FOR SALE Part I (Introduction)
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- SOLD ON EBAY 4-14-2023: www.ebay.com/i...
This 1967 Magnavox Imperial is the finest Mid-Century Modern Magnavox console Radio-Phonograph ever made. In 1967, it retailed for a whopping $1095...which is (with sales tax) slightly over $10,000 in 2021 dollars! No other Radio-Phonograph console ever made - by any other manufacturer - had ALL the amazing features of this instrument. It even has wireless (and battery-less) Remote Control for Radio Station selection, Volume adjustment, Record Reject, and On-Off. Be sure to also see Part II and III.
I'm drooling absolutely beautiful
that speaker display is to die for! 🤤 I've never seen those type of speakers chromed or galvanized or whatever that finish is. I'll just about guarantee they were done like that just for that display.
Thanks Connor. I myself have only seen two of those Magnavox dealer speaker displays...and this is one of them. Given to me by a very good dealer friend. Yes, they were specially chrome-plated.
That has to be the most beautiful example of craftsmanship. In real life as apposed to youtube. Truly a sound worth driving interstate for. Thank you. Paul. New Zealand
Great observations, Paul...I heartily agree and appreciate your kind remarks!
I love this one❤❤
i know only reputable stores sold Magnavox when i was young
Thanks for sharing. I scored a 64 mid range magnavox for free. I just had to get the wheels to get it home. Other than the radio face plate for the radio having some wear... its very clean for its age needs cleaning and needle. After i woke the speakers back up... its loud and clear. I love the old magnavox stuff.
I have a 1965 Magnavox Astrosonic console that I restored, recapping and replacing some noisy transistors. Everybody who hears it loves it. Yes you are right, none of my other hifi gear can fill a room like the Magnavox. No matter where you are, even in the kitchen you hear full balanced sound. Most people don't realize the stylus tracks at 2.8 grams, or tenth of an ounce, it won't ruin your records.
I told a customer at work a guy about my age, 2 grams maximum tracking pressure, and he looked at me like I had just walked off the set of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'. Folks these days think it takes 2.8 POUNDS to properly track a record...! 🤦🏻♂
Why not a magnetic cartridge?
@@M10000I prefer the early 60's rock, Beatles, Kinks, Stones, on one of these consoles with the stock ceramic cartridge. Engineers recorded things at the time to sound good on AM radio, and ceramic cartridges, because that is what most common folk had. Vocals had to punch through the mud to be heard.
Thank You for interdiction, you have done some deep study on these Magnavox, I’am sure Magnavox would have chosen you to be a representative to advertise there 💎s,(Console),
Your right, to on the sound of the console, I’m a piano tuner,
It’s the box that makes a the difference of sound travel, just like the sound board of the piano harp that’s lies on the sound board itself,
My Father had the highest end Zenith in 65, in was over a 1000 also and it was boarded with 12 woofers for bass and 8” full range and 4 horns, and all of was covered with chrome even the turn table and the cobra arm and controls,
With dual amplifiers, you felt like you where in a theater when the volume was only set a quarter turn,
The Console wood wood resonate the quality of the sound itself,
Made in USA 🇺🇸, I’m near 70 now and I haven’t seen one these since the 70s, cause only people of high standard could afford them then, and they still have and carried down to there grand kids, same with the Magnavox, what gets me they used the 15” in most of there units, you can feel the on the floor, I’ve got me one before they decide to throw it away cause the turn table wasn’t working, it’s sad, I’ve seen more Magnavoxs at the road for the past years here Texas, I’m surprised there’s not many left, anyway Thank You for educating us the quality that Magnavox consoles had provide for in the day, may to people will considering to keep there and have them fixed, 🙏🏻good job👍🏻
Thanks so much for taking the time to make such a thoughtful reply!
You forgot to mention the know just above the tape deck that controls an additional set of remote wired stereo speakers that can be set up in another room, outside patio, or at the poolside cabana !! ( it's labeled internal speakers/external speakers/ or both! Since you added Bluetooth, I believe that you could incorporate a Bluetooth transmitter into the external speakers switch which would send a Bluetooth signal to a pair of powered portable speakers with Bluetooth that would eliminate any additional remote wiring for external speakers!, just an idea ! Great video! Thanks 😊
The woofer on the right with the square magnet appears to be a CTS brand woofer. It looks very similar to the woofers used in the mid to late 60's in Klipschorns and other Klipsch Heritage models, which were made by CTS (Chicago Telephone Supply) and labeled by Klipsch as their model K-33P or K-33B. Very efficient and powerful woofer for the day.
You have akeen eye...and yes, they are quite efficient - especially in a 6 foot long coupled acoustical tunnel!
That tunnel seems like something Amar Bose would have invented.
Absolutely beautiful !!!
Thank you!
Absolutely gorgeous 😍 ❤️
I do have a Magnavox AstroSonic!
I love it!
As well you should! Magnavox was the world's biggest selling stereo console for good reason! Thanks for watching, and Happy New Year!
I remember as a kid ... my Family would shop at a local furniture chain that also sold electronics..when we went shopping for stuff like this , it was like buying a car... the Salesman would sit you down on a couch and demonstrate all the features of the system ...and explain the pros and cons of it.... of course there were never any cons... but they always exclaimed you could throw a block party with these TOTL systems ... the good ole days...
We had one in the year 1970 or 71 that we bought at Macy’s New York I was a little kid, and this thing was huge. It was bigger than the one you have, it was by Magnavox, and I remembered that the turntable was a chromatic slide out from the front with a slide out real to reel and FM radio has had huge horns with removable grills. The thing was gigantic and the sound was amazing. I don’t know the name of the model. It was Mediterranean or imperial one of them and it had like a full marble on top and black just a gorgeous unit.
Wow...your folks had very good taste and spent a lot of money. That was the very rare Magnavox Custom Imperial. Introduced at $1695 in 1970, which is the equivalent of $14,000 today. There were four Custom Imperial models and I have them all. Someday I will cover them in a video. I was featured with my Espanole in an episode if HEY REMEMBER! On HGTV about 20 years ago! They visited my private museum collection. Thanks for your comment!
@@murphman76 that's so cool I'd love to see that episode, I'm sure your museum is quite magnificent, so you have all four models. My goodness you are a lucky man indeed. And I would love to see a video of that stereo. It would bring a tear to my eye. It's just been so long since I've seen it. I remember recording mixtapes on the reel to reel from Motown to rock 'n' roll. It was just so much fun to use. I was only six years old, but I was mature for my age and I had a collection of record players already. By the time I was obsessed with them and I still am. Good talking to you sir thank you.
@@dannysvinylrainbow4852 Danny, I will let you know when I can either find that Hey Remember! episode or when I am able to post my own. I collect too much, and your model is in a walkway right now...not suitable for a decent video. It is like new though and everything works! Thanks again for your kind words and postings.
Don't forget to mention the optional reel to reel tape deck !!
I didn't forget the optional tape deck...it's "the star" of Part III !
GREAT FT. WAYNE, IN STEREO. HAD A FRENCH PROVINCIAL IMPERIAL MODEL. RECORDS SOUNDED GREAT ON IT. GRANDPARENTS HAD A NEW ONE IN 1964.
Thanks...great memories. Your grandparents had great taste. Merry Christmas!
i have several changers that were used in those stereos
I have always favored Magnavox. I, too, have a collection of Magnavox Consoles, covering the years 1942 through 1961. From the later years, I have a 1959 Concert Grand (Traditional Cherry Style); a 1960 Imperial Classic; 1961 Imperial French Provincial. As a side note, My late dad had a TV Sales/Service business here in San Francisco. He sold Magnavox from 1961-1976. Sadly, in those later years, the overall quality declined. I have all the service literature and the complete model reference, covering all the sets, both television and stereo styles. I remember your set, as I had one, but in the "Agean" style. Quite a unit. Astro-Sonic sets were introduced in 1962.
Kool! Consider Capehart. Capehart was famous for being overbuilt with exclusive features. Capehart used their famous flipover record changer through the late-40's. Another feature which was revolutionary was the use of the GE VR magnetic cartridge. Most record changers were using crystal and ceramic cartridges before and after the capeharts. The least expensive model cost about $1,000. in 1948-49. There were also much more expensive models. How much do you think a Capehart(back before they became a bargain-basement manufacturers) would cost in today's $$$?
Yep. Magnavox was probably the most premium console manufacturer until Philips ruined it.
There is a company in San Diego CA that makes modern console stereos like this with vinyl record playback and Bluetooth receiver technology called Wrensilva!
Wrensilva makes a finely crafted modern interpretation. However, their best costs $12,000 and has nowhere near the acoustical power of the Magnavox Imperial shown, nor will it extend the sound with the reach of the Imperial. Much of this difference is simple physics and the much reduced amount of air that their speakers can move versus two 15" woofers in a coupled acoustical tunnel with 7 pounds of magnet weight and four Exponential Horns with the efficiency of up to 40 cone speakers.
@@murphman76 I know! they don't make them like they use to!
Your videos and information is excellent! I have a 1mv417m that I have been trying to find information on with no success. Believe it’s a 1962 model of the little information I have found. Do you possibly have any information on this tv stereo console? Thank you!
I am just now seeing this video. I would bet this unit sold rather quickly. Being a lover of vintage hifi systems it is a wonderful example of the style of the 60s console systems. My Sony based component system is mid 70s vintage. I don't suppose you still have this wonderful unit?
Hello, thanks for your kind remarks. I look at the 1960s and 1970s as the "Golden" age of hi-fi. This fully serviced/restored Magnavox did sell rather quickly...for $5000.
I guess based on what you said about $1967 vs $2023 dollars, Wrensilva - look em up! - would be justified in charging north of $8,000 for their modern consoles with Blue Tooth and Phono, etc.
That is a very realistic way of looking at it. Wrensilva (very familiar with them) is justified, and is likely not getting as rich as you might think. Wrensilva cabinets are made of quality wood and they have to source (buy) everything that goes into the set. Magnavox was a huge industrial company with many efficiencies in cabinet and component construction that just don't exist today, The Wrensilva's content is quite simple...turntable, preamp/amp, and speakers. If it had additional complexities like an acoustic tunnel, reel to reel tape deck, radio, remote control chassis and relays/motors like the Magnavox...it would cost even more!
Magnificent . I would love to hear it first hand . Here in the uk we never see anything like that . I have a 50s English made console radio that I have fitted a bluetooth unit to. It sonds great but yours must be amazing . Is the Magnavox tube or transistor ?
Thanks for your kind remarks. You'll be proud to know that the fine record changer in the Magnavox was made in Barking, England. The set is solid state, but it was designed to have the warmth generally associated with tube equipment.
The one I'm looking at has no auxiliary or tape input it only has fm am and phono
Don't heavier magnets require alot of wattage to power?
Not at all. It depends on the windings on the voice coil. With gear like this, efficency was the word. The tubes or transistors run in PushPull configueration and the speakers were highly efficient. These units would have had no more than 30 watts per channel. Back in the day, electricity use was never factored in with these beasts. The remote receiver probably consumed 50 watts on stand by. Something that would never be considered today. You do not need 100 watts a channel like the 70s 80s and 90s. 30 watts a side was LOUD.
Anybody ever tell you your voice sounds like George Clooney’s?
No...but I'll take that...probably not a bad thing!
Why doesn't such an expensive stereo have a magnetic cartridge?
Magnetic cartridges are designed to as neutral a spec as possible because the maker has NO idea what components you will use it with. Magnavox achieved the best sound per dollar spent by engineering the stereo console instrument as a WHOLE...with each individual piece in the sound chain designed to complement all the others for the best sonic result. You can spend as much as you like on separate "components" but there will never be a "perfect" (magnetic or otherwise) cartridge to connect to a "perfect" pre-amp, and then to "perfect" amplifier/speakers. Trying to engineer each individual component to as close to perfect as possible is a laudable goal - but has never been absolutely achieved - and is not cost-efficient. So Magnavox preferred to "accept" the different variances from perfection that each element of a stereo system will have, and work to select and engineer those pieces of the sound chain to complement each other for the optimal sound at each pricepoint. Magnavox called it "Integrated Design". They worked very closely with Electro-Voice (which - in itself - was a highly respected manufacturer of very high quality audio equipment) for a proprietary cartridge that "fit" Magnavox's tuner/amplifier/speaker/cabinet characteristics. Admittedly, this approach required unusually good "judgement" as to what kind of sound the overall public would like...but it worked, and helped make Magnavox the world's best selling stereo console brand. Today, objective audiophiles who are willing to "put away the oscilloscope" and their requirements for "this or that" for a moment and "just listen" are usually very impressed with what Magnavox achieved...particularly in the Concert Grand (1957-1962), Imperial (1964-1969), and Custom Imperial (1970-1972) top-of-the-line series.
More expensive than a VW Beetle at that time.
Hmmm. I don't know if I'd call that mid century modern...
Well, it's mid-century, and it's modern. Perhaps not what you think of as MCM, but legs (for an example) are common to many - but not all - MCM designs. But no matter what you would like to call it...it sure ain't Mediterranean, French Provincial, Early American, or Italian as 90% of all consoles of the time were.