1962 Philco Stereophonic Console

[DavGoodlin]

After major letdown at an estate sale for a TV shop, I checked out a HiFi listed on craigslist on the way home. No use wasting a trip an hour south.

The owner had it listed for a few months at $150, that was down to $55 by the time I saw the ad. After seeing the unit in never-moved, great condition , I dint mind giving asking price. It was only used during holidays, yet the VM record changer still worked fairly well with some help.
I even saw the furniture store (the name changed once in 50 years!) at which it was bought on the way home.

Opening it up, it was inhabited by a family of dust bunnies, covering up a schematic on the bottom inside. All the tubes are original, testing good emission with only the 6BJ7 triple diode having heater-cathode leakage. Covered in Sams 589, I realized this unit was the same as in a combo unit having a 21" "cool chassis" BW set my great uncle had given me 30 some years ago.

What I do remember from that combo is the bummer when I realized the FM lacks a multiplex decoder, having only output and input jacks. This unit is no different, except for speakers. What it does have is a center-channel for the single 12" woofer.
There is a pair of 4" tweets and 8" mids, each driven by single-ended 6BQ5's.
The center channel is a third output transformer that seems to be connected to both SE output tube plates. Quite a step down from the Motorolas from the same era.

I have the caps ordered but meanwhile, the record changer's on the bench and it plays good enough after the usual cleaning and re-lube. The odd thing is the small, cylindrical cartrige, which should have a new stylus. This may be a ceramic cartrige because there is only one 12AX7 for the stereo pre-amplification stage.

Photos coming...