The 8-track sounds great! I love old Magnavox consoles. I have a couple currently. Both need work. They have to get in line. The later BLR turntables aren’t quite as good as the earlier Collaro, but even the SS plastic 70’s junkers sound better than virtually anything consumer grade you can buy today.
Very true my friend. Ive got a mid 70s Bradford console, AM/FM, PHONO, 8-TRACK, one channel on the amp sounds terrible, sounds like a speaker is blown, but its not. And the 8 track needs a belt. Any thoughts on where to get a replacement belt?
@@mountain177 Of course Amazon has belts. (As you would expect) I had a VCR business back in the day, and belts were easy to buy. I'm sure Amazon is used by one or more of the suppliers now.
Looking at the receipt, it was an "uneven" exchange. The owner bought another set less than a month earlier for $339 that he brought back and exchanged it for this $499 set. The additional cost was about $160
AC motor for the 8 Track are more rugged. Don't need to worry about motor brushes. They do tend to produce a lot of heat so need ventilation. Only thing is you really can't get a fast forward feature. Some fast forward features on AC motors are done using a mechanical gear shift.
Thanks for this. I miss listening to my mother's 45's and LP's in our living room on her old console she received as a present from my nana back in the '70's. Mom is with nana now and dad resting in peace, but we still have her vinyl collection. I think I'll try to get that Garrard zero 100c turntable going that's in the garage and clean up the vinyl with the label saver gadget I picked up to take me back some more.
I’ve worked on many of these consoles. They actually sounded really good for what they were. The record changer auto mechanism has a switch to mute the cartridge when cycling. I would clean up the mechanism and repaint the cabinet. The auto mechanism is so gummed up that it’s causing the tone arm to bind at the end of the record.
A guy near me did something like that. Except he wasn't trying for a 'vintage' look. He painted his a weird purple with some funky zebra-stripe grille cloth, and neon lighting in the equipment well. Sounded good, though.
Pro tip on "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" - when someone asks you to transfer their old wedding film from silent 8mm to VHS, don't use this song as the soundtrack - they won't like it!
@@acoustic61 8-track had a hideous problem with head track alignment due to the floating/ shifting head, and the freq response was sub-par compared to cassette which was to follow. most 8-Track decks had a range from 50 Hz to 12 Khz. Typical basic Cassette was 35-12000Hz and then they improved on that to vastly widen the range with better tape formulas, THEN came CD... and we all know that story.
I always liked and started collecting 8 tracks and cassettes and reel to reels. 8 tracks can sound surprisingly good if you have a good deck and good tapes. When 8 tracks came out they sounded leaps and bounds better than cassettes (which were only made for speech). Then cassettes got more and more popular and instead of improving the 8 track, they improved upon the cassette and the rest is history.
@@frankowalker4662 I like playing my Stereoscope 8 track. Very nostalgic. Yeah, it sounds like crap, but it is a distinct crap sound that brings back memories...
One day you could do a livestream Dj-ing on those consoles and playing all those records you have. And invite to the party the phone center callers, the airplane pilot, and the motorcycle ryder.
Me too. I've fixed most of mine repairing/replacing the foam pads, broken splices. I posted several videos on my channel here on how to open and do repairs.
I've never clicked a video so fast in my life! I just restored a similar Magnavox model and it's amazing. My cabinets in near perfect condition. I had to free up both motors too and touch up some solder joints on the knobs. Only thing wrong now is it won't go into fm stereo. It gets great reception though. Really hoping you do more with this
8track unit is probably the best one ive ever heard, built in England, really good quality, the flywheel weighs about 1 1/4 pounds and the belts still pristine after 45 years, us english sure know how to build hifi stuff
Yes looks similar to the BSR one that also turn up in American equipment at the time . The powerful motor insures the flywheel gets to optimum speed quickly
That's quite a beefy motor just to power a 8-track player. But after lubing it up, it sounded pretty good! I"m surprised the belt hadn't turned to goo yet. I remember my mom and dad bought a console stereo in 1970, when I was only 5 years old. It was a GE. Must have been made from real wood because it was flippin' heavy. They were married in 1961 and before the console, they had a record player (the kind that folded up into a suitcase), and a reel to reel player for their music enjoyment. They finally donated it to a thrift store in 2001. It had it's problems over the years though. They actually had a technician that would come in to fix it in home. There was one point that when you turned it on, nothing came out of the speakers. But oddly enough, stomping on the floor next to it brought it back to life! From watching youtube videos on old consoles, it seems the late 50's into the 60's produced the best ones.
Im so glad you flimed in 4K 60frames so I can enjoy it in a 13 inch laptop with an internet connection that barely allows 720p .... Sounds legit. This museum grade item deserves to be document at that resolution.
I see so many TVs and stuff in the garbage all the time in today's electronic and this unit still working great! Just goes to show that old audio is still the best
Wow. My parents had one of these. The console was different, but everything else is exactly the same. My dad loved it. He ran speaker wire through the whole house and to the patio outside for a single speaker and an in-ceiling speaker in our sunporch. My parents also had questionable taste in music listening to Ann Murray and The Carpenters.
I was amazed about the sound quality, especially after it being left outside to the elements. It was a miracle it even powered on!! For you to get annoyed that the turntable wasn't spinning correctly, annoyed me. I am in awe of you though, for having the ability to restore these wonderful pieces of audio treasures. Save them all!!
I don’t care if the wood isn’t real, it’s still beautiful and they still had to carve the plastics and stuff. These things were meant to be a beautiful piece of furniture and looks better than record players made now.
My aunt and uncle had a console stereo but no 8 track, they weren't invented when they bought theirs. It was solid wood with slider tops instead of a lid, and actually a beautiful piece and both the radio and the turntable sounded so good. I am actually amazed that anything is working on this one you are videoing and considering it's condition it sounds pretty damned good!
No wonder the 8 track had such a good motor, made in England. Just needed a bit of a lube after so many years. Much better than the nasty cheap Chinese DC motors. Considering the condition and sound over the net, it did seam to sound reasonable. I wish I was closer, New Zealand's a bit far to pick up for a proper restoration.
Love Frankie Knuckles. I had the pleasure of hearing him spin 5 or 6 times in the late 90s. He was amazing. Kind of hate to see a copy of the Whistle Song tortured on that turntable. Robin S you can torture all you want. I was tortured with it being played to death 25 years ago, only fitting that the torture be returned. 😉
i cant believe how good that 8 track player sounds good lord...especially considering its powered by a washing machine motor and it soundsl like its still playing the proper speed...i love your videos
I'm not surprized the "Blue Gloved , "can't touch this", one has a Rupaul trinklidink platter in possession. You go friend. Rather a lovely Saturday afternoon hit!
That old 8 track actually sounds decent, usually the wow and flutter on a unit of such age would make it un listenable. As a kid I do remember successfully taping a Pink Floyd 8 track back together after being lightly eaten by a Soundesign 8 track transport mechanism.
Lovely look at the old Magnavox. It may have been built to a price but it sure sounds good. It looked like the returned a product and bought this console unit paid the difference. The speaker domes in polystyrene sound better than they look.
Yeah I wondered about that. Not even the far more expensive 60s consoles had enclosed woofers. I wonder if it's a true acoustic suspension or just to dampen resonances. The tape transport looked solid too, there are far worse 8-tracks. Apart from the turntable and extensive use of polymers on the outside (lol) this is a neat unit.
I hear Sylvania was famous for those and the TV technicians I worked with really liked them. I was told there was a top-line Sylvania combo that had a high power amp and honeycomb speaker baffles and a flying spot scanner built in for displaying slides on the television. I'm imagining how heavy that must have been.
@@johnnytacokleinschmidt515 Yep, I had a Sylvania that had those, Looked like a Bee's Nest and sounded pretty good!, Magnavox used a Square type foam Cube before this one, Had a '12 Woofer and 4x8 Horn
Some issues you can have with phono cartridges are if there are colored wires sticking out the back then one wire can come loose. Another thing is the wire connections can become dirty over time and need some contact cleaner on them. If your phono cartridge does not have colored wires sticking out of the back of it then the phono cartridge just plugs into the tone arm and if you pull the cartridge off of the tone arm then you can spray some contact cleaner directly into the tone arm. Another thing to do is take the stylus out of the phono cartridge and spray some contact cleaner into the phono cartridge then put the stylus back inside.
Oh man.....sweet unit, seriously; still somewhat of a memory catcher. My parents had one n their living room next to the reel to reel and console Packard Bell TV....those were the days. Green shag carpet and orange counters and olive-green appliances.
I'm honestly astonished that it came back to life so readily - especially considering it hasn't been used since probably the 1990s and as you said, sitting in the weather. Many of these units had a feature that would 'mute' the output from the phono cartridge when the changer is cycling, so you wouldn't hear the noises from the mechanism through the speakers. The switch for that is in the changer itself. That particular changer mechanism isn't really all that bad, but after they've been sitting you absolutely do need to clean and relube them before they'll work right. I think you could order these with a 3-speed BSR changer, as well. The reason for the AC motor in the 8-Track is to pull the longer tapes hitting the market at the time, such as the blanks provided for 8-Track recorders (remember 80 and 90 minute carts? Takes a fair bit of power to run those!). I'll agree the cabinet is ugly and cheaply built. It was just the way of things at the time, since consoles were already on their way out of 'fashion' by 1976. But if you think it was only starting in 1976.... naw. I have a mid-1960s Astro-Sonic that is basically a particle board box with veneer and plastic trim. Those styrofoam enclosures for the bass drivers are consistent with the era. This was when some stereo manufacturers were experimenting with 'air suspension' (or 'acoustic suspension') speakers. As far as I can tell, it was basically just a gimmick to make cheap speaker drivers sound slightly better, but I've been told that it required more power to drive them. I'm not saying it's worth a full restoration. But I think it's a bit harsh calling it 'junk'.
@@eaglewi I refinished my old Fisher I found by the side of the road. The electronics were shot. The receiver used tubes but as a cabinet for my other stuff, it looks pretty good. Those chalk paints at Ace hardware can really turn a piece delaminating crap into something nice.
@@suzakule Probably not a bad woofer, but debris caught between the cone and the grille cloth. Or the glue on the voice coil dust cover has partially failed. Maybe a bit o' both?
@@bonemar66 It's possible that the dust cover could be buzzing on all around, but it's more likely for dust and debris to become lodged in-between the woofer cone and cloth cover. In my early days of being the 3rd-4th owner of my eBay Zenith Trans-Oceanic D7000Y, it had dust in front of the speaker due to a foam gasket having disintegrated into nothing over the period of 45+ years, and it sounded exactly like that "bad" left woofer driver. Actually, I made a video on it demonstrating just that a few hours before I dug into the receiver and vacuumed the dust all out: photos.app.goo.gl/ctr5Ychmze5DXxL26
Wow ! I remember May company ! The who family would all look forward to shopping for everything at May company ! They had a fantastic electronics/TV department. If you were looking for a nice suit or woman's wear, they had a great clothing department, hopefully you can fix the magnavox console stereo!
Sounds great, but more suprised at your selection of music. Never had you down as a raver, but I guess it all makes sense. Great lyric "I beg your pardon" reminds me of theft and shrubbery.
I did have the song Rose garden on record when a kid :) I have made alot of speakers trough the years, and i am starting building paper speakers again, i love paper in mid's and low's, one of the absolute best materials to make mid's and low's speaker elements of, stiff and light weight.. the modern plastic cones wont sound as good as paper does. Silk for tweeters to get it light weight there too for a cheap price.. Add some berylllium high frequency tweeter domes that has the best material for replicating high freequency without distortion and with a high freq super-tweeter crossover and they will work really great for those that want every hertz the human ear can hear. Add a bluetooth recieiver and a DAB+ radio and its ready for the future :) The round shapes of the bass speaker enclosure in this furniture hifi piece gets rid of reflections in standing waves that suare cabinets have, i bet this sounds good :) It may need a small isobaric subwoofer too to get the techno trance music players satisfied with the modern bass music. My favorite speakers i has found is the Yamaha NS 1000/1000M from 1970's (closed cabinet, beryllium tweeter and beryllium midrange and 12" paper woofer) this will satisfy fast detailed music becourse it is transparent crystal clear. And Yamaha NS 20 from 1967 . Open baffle cabinet everywhere exept tweeters i think, paper tweeters and midrange, and a strange very large square shaped perhaps 20 inch styrofoam bass element, (probably sounds fantastic for classical music). NS stands for natural sound. Yeah, they really made things better back in the days, it was HIFI wars back then, so people did go to listen what sounded the best before they did buy things.. so it was get better or get bankrupt for the companies. Today the competition is all about getting the right advertisement with the right spec of things and added unneccesary features and the lowest price and cheapest parts to get the most profit, where everyone is trying to scam everyone a little.. its kind of sad, noone needs reputation anymore in their brand name becourse average people look for price and specs on the internet and order it. Yeah one gets crap that way. They used 1'st order crossover back in the days with +/- 2db, today they use loads of capacitors and coils to get the crossover curve on paper to get +/- 0.5db.. becourse people ask for it and think a real flat curve is better than a somewhat less flat curve with less compromises. Simplicity is often better than over-engineered so they kind of make the perfection of mediocrity that way loosing the fine details in the music for a flat computer curve that looks good. People can not build real good speakers anymore becourse they priotitize the wrong things, they let microphones and computer software curves decide instead of the human ear. All these things is the reason you think this wood furniture piece of art sounds good an you has totally right, it is better than todays crap sold cheap :)
I restored a 1973 version of that, some, the tuner was a little different, my tape deck had the same motor, and it too worked. I had to clean the wafer switches that controls the track lights. I lubed the turntable. Removed the old grease. Had to repair solder connections on the amplifier board because the dial lamps didn't work. It had a great sound I ended up selling it. I didn't even have to replace the needle.
In the late 1960's - mid 70's these consoles were the in thing. A fine piece of furniture for the living room combined with a stereo. Many were quite expensive. Of course, there were cheapo models too, for those that wanted a console stereo but couldn't afford a real good one. Some were combined with a color television, making it an all-in-one entertainment system.
Love that faux wood finish, NOT. Any competent artistic person can redo the finish with modern paint pens. Ooo, an 8 track cassette with truck driver songs. It has a very good collection of vintage trucker tunes. Baritone voiced Dick Curless is probably the best truck driving singer on this collection. AM radio works great. Dirty pots of course cause it spent time outdoors. Impressed by the amplifier! 45 year old electrolytic capacitors still fine.Old grease is keeping record player motor from turning properly. Working the Shango magic and it now it is a sellable piece of vintage equipment.This was an awesome resurrection Mr. Shango ! Party on!
@@AmericanLocomotive1 Is there a name for this type of motor? It looks like the little AC induction motors used to drive desk fans, dehumidifier fans, etc.
Most electronics built in the 70's, with rare exceptions, had compromised quality. This was due in large part to a significant decrease in the purchasing power of the U.S. Dollar during that decade, as the Federal Reserve was up to their BS. Manufacturers had to cut costs on materials to remain profitable. We had a pretty serious energy crisis back in those days.
@@channelsixtysix066 As I remember, 45 years ago many people had different tastes in what they would consider desirable. After all, avocado green refrigerator-freezers, ranges, dishwashers and shag carpets were very much _avant garde_ back then -- but most people today wouldn't be caught dead with home furnishings sporting those colors.
@@Mike1614b The gas lines were real and quite inconvenient. Retrospectively, it was really a *contrived* shortage; although, none of us alive at that time seemed to realize this. We just believed what the TV and radio "news" media told us. Inflation caused by the Federal Reserve was very real, and affected the high prices of goods and services back then, including gasoline.
Now I have a vision from the movie _Boogie Nights_ where in an early scene Don Cheadle as a stereo salesman is trying to convince a customer to buy a stereo (by demonstrating an 8-track playing country and western style instrumental music) and telling him that if he buys the unit "as-is" it won't sound good; he added that it would sound better with a slight "in-store modification" (yeah right!). Funniest part was where he mentioned "quads per channel" (when he meant watts) then tried saying it was 'technical talk' and that it didn't concern the customer.
Our Family had a 1974 Magnavox Console 8-track record player fm/am stereo It always worked well and had good sound, my parents use to drink and play cards with their friends every weekend and that console was very loud for hours and hours and never skipped a beat. the 8-track was above the radio dial at a slight forward angle with the turn table to the right. The speakers are sorta like this one, except the woofers are in a composite wood/cardboard balloon dome. not this styrofoam looking stuff in this video. Funny thing is I took the whole thing apart when I was 11 years old and took the woofer boxes out and put in some cheesy 8inch woofers screwed to the openings and kept the composite boxes and later in woodshop made mahogany wood speaker boxes that those composite boxes fit into. Radio shack had a nice tweeter/midrange sealed in a tube with the cone surround that was reverse shaped that I drilled a hole in the front of the wood panel that the woofer is mounted to with the carboard dome glue-stick like glue that holds the dome to the particle board wood. Still using them for watching TV to this day. Funny stuff.
Founded in 1877 by David May of Leadville, CO. Moved to St. Louis, MO in 1905. bought by Federated Department Stores in 2005, ceased operations in 2006. Except for Lord & Taylor, most stores were converted to Macy's.
The early 8 tracks were engineered like pinball machines inside. The circuit that changes the program lamps is just very simple mechanical rotory switch with incandescent lamps switched by a solenoid, a plunger, and a cogged wheel, which also lifted the head in steps. Those were different times, now everything has a microproccesor in it.
Nothing exciting. Just 12" paper cone woofers with small magnets on them. They actually sound good and last a long time as long as you don't overdrive them.
16:50 Most synchronous motors have that permanent magnet in the armature; the squirrel cage layer starts it and the permanent magnet keeps it in sync with the line frequency. I don't know if they all get weak, but Garrard models have a problem with the permanent magnet coming un-glued. It seems that Magnavox bought that tape player from Callaro, the maker of the changer; I would have expected something from Japan. Anyway, that cabinet looks a lot better (condition aside) than many of the plastic-fantastic 1970s consoles; it would look pretty convincing if in good shape and polished up. Of course, it would still feel like plastic. I've seen the cube-shaped Styrofoam speakers in Magnavox consoles, but never those dome-shaped things. I wonder if they were made that way to minimize resonance. Too bad that isn't in better shape; I like last-of-a-kinds.
you may sneer at those foam surrounds, but they lasted 45 years. they shoe horned the 8track deck into an existing design, seen it on other consoles too. C- gummy grease.
That is a 4 pole synchronous motor in that 8 track. It will run along happily at 1600 rpm all day whether it is cold or warm, as long as it isn't stuck.
That old console brings back the 1960's and the Silvertone console I remember as a kid and the 8 track player my brother had in his VW Bug. 1960's Cool!. I really like the Igloo speaker insulation adds soo much definition and fidelity... The ratchet mechanism in the turntable is one of a kind. EOL it!
That's a FUGLY console but I'll bet there were a lot of good times had in a house somewhere with that playing the background. That thing rocks the suburbs. Rest easy old soldier, rest easy
Funny that you posted this, I threw out the cabinet to a similar magnavox console the other day, although that one was more particle board and plastic than this one.
I have an old Fisher cabinet that I restored. It has the same Turntable and I have the same Trucker album on Lp still. It has more wood than particle board but I had to tear out the receiver and speakers since it was left outside for some time. The bones are still good and it was my first shot at refinishing anything.
That 8 track player sounds much better than the record player, I don't remember 8 track consoles sounding that good. Ah, that Robin S song is a classic. Good jams on that
My Parents had one of these in the 70’s, they had the Cherry Walnut color. They had the Tape player on the other side of the sliding top lid with the Radio. On the right side of that sliding lid was the record storage and record player. Awesome sound, the record player met its demise in mid 80’s with the rest to follow. My grandparents on my Dads side had the same thing as us, my Grandparents on my moms side had the nicer one, theirs was all oak but their radio was all push button and theirs came with an extra set of speakers which they put in another part of the house. I must say, the sound from these were fantastic, radio reception was great even without an antenna.
The 8-track sounds great! I love old Magnavox consoles. I have a couple currently. Both need work. They have to get in line. The later BLR turntables aren’t quite as good as the earlier Collaro, but even the SS plastic 70’s junkers sound better than virtually anything consumer grade you can buy today.
Brad, I didn’t know you knew Shango, cool. I wonder if he also watches your great channel. Great minds think alike!
Very true my friend. Ive got a mid 70s Bradford console, AM/FM, PHONO, 8-TRACK, one channel on the amp sounds terrible, sounds like a speaker is blown, but its not. And the 8 track needs a belt.
Any thoughts on where to get a replacement belt?
@@mountain177 Of course Amazon has belts. (As you would expect) I had a VCR business back in the day, and belts were easy to buy. I'm sure Amazon is used by one or more of the suppliers now.
@@mysneekers5862 He suggested shango's channel in one of his videos from like 2017 iirc
@@iworkout6912 how would i go about searching for belts? 8-track player replacement belts?
That video just took me back to the 70’s when I was in middle school. I can still smell the off gassing of the particle board! Thanks Shango!
Looking at the receipt, it was an "uneven" exchange. The owner bought another set less than a month earlier for $339 that he brought back and exchanged it for this $499 set. The additional cost was about $160
I don't think you can do that nowadays.
Only if you pay the difference.
Wow that old 8-Track works like a champ. Thought it would have horrendous Wow&Flutter, but it was actually really good.
You can actually tell by the watching the stroboscopic effect of the motor fan on camera. Looks almost static.
Has a winch motor to run the capstan.
There's no wow & flutter with that big ass overkill motor and that thick and heavy flywheel
AC motor for the 8 Track are more rugged. Don't need to worry about motor brushes. They do tend to produce a lot of heat so need ventilation. Only thing is you really can't get a fast forward feature. Some fast forward features on AC motors are done using a mechanical gear shift.
The phono output is muted because it’s in the middle of a cycle. It’s supposed to mute the output when the arm is moving.
Ahhh that explains it. I guess I will be prepared for 500 comments telling me the same thing
At least...
@@shango066 i really would like to get that motor with the fan on the top for a project . would you like to donate it to me?
you beat me to it, and 2000 others!
"Ah what a n000000000b!!! Blah blah blah"
Thanks for this. I miss listening to my mother's 45's and LP's in our living room on her old console she received as a present from my nana back in the '70's. Mom is with nana now and dad resting in peace, but we still have her vinyl collection. I think I'll try to get that Garrard zero 100c turntable going that's in the garage and clean up the vinyl with the label saver gadget I picked up to take me back some more.
I watch for the schematics, but I stay for the music!! Thanks for the fantastic video!!
I’ve worked on many of these consoles. They actually sounded really good for what they were. The record changer auto mechanism has a switch to mute the cartridge when cycling. I would clean up the mechanism and repaint the cabinet. The auto mechanism is so gummed up that it’s causing the tone arm to bind at the end of the record.
I think that was the head hitting the up-turned cup his phone was lying on - for speed reference
A guy near me did something like that. Except he wasn't trying for a 'vintage' look. He painted his a weird purple with some funky zebra-stripe grille cloth, and neon lighting in the equipment well. Sounded good, though.
Pro tip on "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" - when someone asks you to transfer their old wedding film from silent 8mm to VHS, don't use this song as the soundtrack - they won't like it!
You sound like you have experience😁
Reminds me of the bit from comedian Tim Hawkins called "Inappropriate Wedding Songs". 😂😆
I always called that cut The Cliche' Song! Wall to wall cliche's
Or Shotgun Wedding!
Use "Afternoon Delight" by the Starland Vocal Band
"Along with the sunshine, there's gotta be a little rain sometimes..." That 8-track player is amazing. It was a great medium, it rarely jammed.
Although the 8 track player in this video appears to be about the best example I've seen, I thought the medium was terrible.
@@acoustic61 8-track had a hideous problem with head track alignment due to the floating/ shifting head, and the freq response was sub-par compared to cassette which was to follow.
most 8-Track decks had a range from 50 Hz to 12 Khz.
Typical basic Cassette was 35-12000Hz and then they improved on that to vastly widen the range with better tape formulas, THEN came CD... and we all know that story.
I always liked and started collecting 8 tracks and cassettes and reel to reels. 8 tracks can sound surprisingly good if you have a good deck and good tapes. When 8 tracks came out they sounded leaps and bounds better than cassettes (which were only made for speech). Then cassettes got more and more popular and instead of improving the 8 track, they improved upon the cassette and the rest is history.
Yeah, it rarely jamms, but it does tend to snap at the splice with the foil. I still use 8-Track and Reel to reel.
@@frankowalker4662 I like playing my Stereoscope 8 track. Very nostalgic. Yeah, it sounds like crap, but it is a distinct crap sound that brings back memories...
One day you could do a livestream Dj-ing on those consoles and playing all those records you have. And invite to the party the phone center callers, the airplane pilot, and the motorcycle ryder.
"And now we welcome up on stage tonight's guest of honor.... "'LIL PENIS"" _excited rev limiter noises_
Lmao
This is all very funny and also a great concept.
I own over one hundred 8 track tapes and they all still sound really good. 👌🏾
Me too. I've fixed most of mine repairing/replacing the foam pads, broken splices. I posted several videos on my channel here on how to open and do repairs.
I've never clicked a video so fast in my life! I just restored a similar Magnavox model and it's amazing. My cabinets in near perfect condition. I had to free up both motors too and touch up some solder joints on the knobs. Only thing wrong now is it won't go into fm stereo. It gets great reception though. Really hoping you do more with this
I had a console like this and had no stereo fm. I ended up having to replace the multiplex ic.
8track unit is probably the best one ive ever heard, built in England, really good quality, the flywheel weighs about 1 1/4 pounds and the belts still pristine after 45 years, us english sure know how to build hifi stuff
🇬🇧 - British, United Kingdom
Yes looks similar to the BSR one that also turn up in American equipment at the time . The powerful motor insures the flywheel gets to optimum speed quickly
Made by Collaro, They built most Magnavox Record Changers too!
That's quite a beefy motor just to power a 8-track player. But after lubing it up, it sounded pretty good! I"m surprised the belt hadn't turned to goo yet. I remember my mom and dad bought a console stereo in 1970, when I was only 5 years old. It was a GE. Must have been made from real wood because it was flippin' heavy. They were married in 1961 and before the console, they had a record player (the kind that folded up into a suitcase), and a reel to reel player for their music enjoyment. They finally donated it to a thrift store in 2001. It had it's problems over the years though. They actually had a technician that would come in to fix it in home. There was one point that when you turned it on, nothing came out of the speakers. But oddly enough, stomping on the floor next to it brought it back to life! From watching youtube videos on old consoles, it seems the late 50's into the 60's produced the best ones.
That 8 track deck isn't a junk Taiwan unit it's a English made over engineered unit.
Making me want to get my realistic 8 track going.
@@XMguy my Realistic 8 Track deck from the 70s is a Japanese made unit OEMd by Hitachi.
those are great decks I save them and use them in other sets or make stand alone box for them
That 8 track player sounds bloody fantastic seriously.
That RS "Truckin' tape" could be fleabay gold.
That is a perfect encapsulation of the era.
8-track tapes in general are good money on Fleabay.
🎶🇺🇸
@@volvo09 I surely agree, I remember those times well.
I had that truckin tape on cassette at one time.
Im so glad you flimed in 4K 60frames so I can enjoy it in a 13 inch laptop with an internet connection that barely allows 720p .... Sounds legit. This museum grade item deserves to be document at that resolution.
I see so many TVs and stuff in the garbage all the time in today's electronic and this unit still working great! Just goes to show that old audio is still the best
Sounds surprisingly good, that console.. and some nice 90s house deejaying there, Mr Shango. Cheers from Germany, stay safe
The 8 track really is the thing that worths this set. Not germanium goodnesss there. Nice vids as usual. I really love the console ones.
That Radio Shack truckers 8-track, I bought the LP version of it back then, still have it..its still one of my favourites. ~Jack, VEG
👍🏻👍🏻 on that!
Just curious, what's the catalog number for that album? Maybe even the record label ID number as well.
8 track is 8XL-8017 and the LP is SL-8017. Search , Put The Hammer Down on Fleabay and you will find both for sale there.
It's not on CD, and not posted to YT. You can still see the big trucks going down the road nowadays though.
@@Art7220 No one said it was available as a CD. There are some tracks on YT if your search is Put The Hammer Down..
Wow. My parents had one of these. The console was different, but everything else is exactly the same. My dad loved it. He ran speaker wire through the whole house and to the patio outside for a single speaker and an in-ceiling speaker in our sunporch. My parents also had questionable taste in music listening to Ann Murray and The Carpenters.
That amplifier might be worth saving. This is one of my favorite videos now.
I was amazed about the sound quality, especially after it being left outside to the elements. It was a miracle it even powered on!! For you to get annoyed that the turntable wasn't spinning correctly, annoyed me. I am in awe of you though, for having the ability to restore these wonderful pieces of audio treasures. Save them all!!
I don’t care if the wood isn’t real, it’s still beautiful and they still had to carve the plastics and stuff. These things were meant to be a beautiful piece of furniture and looks better than record players made now.
My aunt and uncle had a console stereo but no 8 track, they weren't invented when they bought theirs. It was solid wood with slider tops instead of a lid, and actually a beautiful piece and both the radio and the turntable sounded so good. I am actually amazed that anything is working on this one you are videoing and considering it's condition it sounds pretty damned good!
No wonder the 8 track had such a good motor, made in England. Just needed a bit of a lube after so many years. Much better than the nasty cheap Chinese DC motors. Considering the condition and sound over the net, it did seam to sound reasonable. I wish I was closer, New Zealand's a bit far to pick up for a proper restoration.
i took a collaro motor apart and oiled then put it back together, it turns very smoothely and quietly now
18:59 " Shango I beg your pardon, I never promised you a particle board garden”
Love Frankie Knuckles. I had the pleasure of hearing him spin 5 or 6 times in the late 90s. He was amazing. Kind of hate to see a copy of the Whistle Song tortured on that turntable. Robin S you can torture all you want. I was tortured with it being played to death 25 years ago, only fitting that the torture be returned. 😉
When you started playing that Frankie whistle music I’m pretty much lost it. Another great video. Really enjoy your stuff. Thank you so much.
i cant believe how good that 8 track player sounds good lord...especially considering its powered by a washing machine motor and it soundsl like its still playing the proper speed...i love your videos
That little motor would barely wash your socks.
I’m pretty sure it’s a synchronous motor, so it will be pretty damn close to rock solid on its speed.
Love these old units, I work on them all the time, usually simple fixes like you just did! Perfect for a garage radio. Love the stereo sound.
Seems like the perfect unit for a "clubhouse" or a garage, or something. Looks like junk so it's not stolen, but it still something good to listen to.
I'm not surprized the "Blue Gloved , "can't touch this", one has a Rupaul trinklidink platter in possession. You go friend. Rather a lovely Saturday afternoon hit!
That old 8 track actually sounds decent, usually the wow and flutter on a unit of such age would make it un listenable. As a kid I do remember successfully taping a Pink Floyd 8 track back together after being lightly eaten by a Soundesign 8 track transport mechanism.
Lovely look at the old Magnavox. It may have been built to a price but it sure sounds good. It looked like the returned a product and bought this console unit paid the difference. The speaker domes in polystyrene sound better than they look.
Yeah I wondered about that. Not even the far more expensive 60s consoles had enclosed woofers. I wonder if it's a true acoustic suspension or just to dampen resonances. The tape transport looked solid too, there are far worse 8-tracks. Apart from the turntable and extensive use of polymers on the outside (lol) this is a neat unit.
I hear Sylvania was famous for those and the TV technicians I worked with really liked them.
I was told there was a top-line Sylvania combo that had a high power amp and honeycomb speaker baffles and a flying spot scanner built in for displaying slides on the television. I'm imagining how heavy that must have been.
@@johnnytacokleinschmidt515 : RCA did that back in the late 1930's on some of their radios. I've got one that's a 12 tuber push-pull.
@@johnnytacokleinschmidt515 Yep, I had a Sylvania that had those, Looked like a Bee's Nest and sounded pretty good!, Magnavox used a Square type foam Cube before this one, Had a '12 Woofer and 4x8 Horn
These old console units are works of art in themselves, I am glad there are people like you that repair and preserve them.
Great records selection, gotta love the 90s classic house!
the styrofoam speaker cocoons are sexy
I was gonna say... I mean - they appear to work very well! AND lasted 51 years.
They look line The Coneheads.
@@KameraShy ... "...from France..."
You could hide your beer in there!
According to the printed documentation it's actually fiberglass.
What’s most frightening is that I remember when the songs were new!
Best sounding revived 8-track I've ever listened to
Some issues you can have with phono cartridges are if there are colored wires sticking out the back then one wire can come loose. Another thing is the wire connections can become dirty over time and need some contact cleaner on them. If your phono cartridge does not have colored wires sticking out of the back of it then the phono cartridge just plugs into the tone arm and if you pull the cartridge off of the tone arm then you can spray some contact cleaner directly into the tone arm. Another thing to do is take the stylus out of the phono cartridge and spray some contact cleaner into the phono cartridge then put the stylus back inside.
Oh man.....sweet unit, seriously; still somewhat of a memory catcher. My parents had one n their living room next to the reel to reel and console Packard Bell TV....those were the days. Green shag carpet and orange counters and olive-green appliances.
I'm honestly astonished that it came back to life so readily - especially considering it hasn't been used since probably the 1990s and as you said, sitting in the weather.
Many of these units had a feature that would 'mute' the output from the phono cartridge when the changer is cycling, so you wouldn't hear the noises from the mechanism through the speakers. The switch for that is in the changer itself. That particular changer mechanism isn't really all that bad, but after they've been sitting you absolutely do need to clean and relube them before they'll work right. I think you could order these with a 3-speed BSR changer, as well.
The reason for the AC motor in the 8-Track is to pull the longer tapes hitting the market at the time, such as the blanks provided for 8-Track recorders (remember 80 and 90 minute carts? Takes a fair bit of power to run those!).
I'll agree the cabinet is ugly and cheaply built. It was just the way of things at the time, since consoles were already on their way out of 'fashion' by 1976. But if you think it was only starting in 1976.... naw. I have a mid-1960s Astro-Sonic that is basically a particle board box with veneer and plastic trim.
Those styrofoam enclosures for the bass drivers are consistent with the era. This was when some stereo manufacturers were experimenting with 'air suspension' (or 'acoustic suspension') speakers. As far as I can tell, it was basically just a gimmick to make cheap speaker drivers sound slightly better, but I've been told that it required more power to drive them.
I'm not saying it's worth a full restoration. But I think it's a bit harsh calling it 'junk'.
What was once somebody's pride and joy now reduced to the whims and perversions of Mr Fixit here.
these looked nice when new at the time but were all fake wood
the stereo sounded pretty good for what it was
After hearing the phrase "This is when design and craftsmanship really took a flush down the toilet", i immediately subscribed.
19:38 I expected it to sound terrible, I'm actually surprised.
A classic case of not judging a book or in this case, a stereo console by its cover.
@@channelsixtysix066 still too ugly to use
@@eaglewi I refinished my old Fisher I found by the side of the road. The electronics were shot. The receiver used tubes but as a cabinet for my other stuff, it looks pretty good. Those chalk paints at Ace hardware can really turn a piece delaminating crap into something nice.
I just love your videos shango you're the best and I learn so much off of you. I watch you day and night Sir
Don't care if it's plastic trash, I'd love to have that thing. 😁 it sounded pretty good!
In the 80s these things were often found for free next to dumpsters.
I have on in my man cave that came out of my wife’s grandparents house. It was turned on twice in 40 years before I got it
even with 1 bad woofer!
@@suzakule Probably not a bad woofer, but debris caught between the cone and the grille cloth. Or the glue on the voice coil dust cover has partially failed. Maybe a bit o' both?
@@bonemar66 It's possible that the dust cover could be buzzing on all around, but it's more likely for dust and debris to become lodged in-between the woofer cone and cloth cover.
In my early days of being the 3rd-4th owner of my eBay Zenith Trans-Oceanic D7000Y, it had dust in front of the speaker due to a foam gasket having disintegrated into nothing over the period of 45+ years, and it sounded exactly like that "bad" left woofer driver.
Actually, I made a video on it demonstrating just that a few hours before I dug into the receiver and vacuumed the dust all out: photos.app.goo.gl/ctr5Ychmze5DXxL26
I am truly amazed that the tapes actually played and didn't shred, disintegrate, and sprinkle iron oxide all over.
No kidding, the foam behind the tape to keep the tape in contact with the head is usually rotted off 20 years ago
@@mrbyamile6973 they just need new foam and splice done hundreds of them
This is the console stereo that people born in the 80 prefer. It beautiful even with its flaws
Wow ! I remember May company ! The who family would all look forward to shopping for everything at May company ! They had a fantastic electronics/TV department. If you were looking for a nice suit or woman's wear, they had a great clothing department, hopefully you can fix the magnavox console stereo!
That stereo is still better than the junk made today
Not brilliant, but better than a bloody Crosley!
Sounds great, but more suprised at your selection of music. Never had you down as a raver, but I guess it all makes sense.
Great lyric "I beg your pardon" reminds me of theft and shrubbery.
he got records from another console
he dos rave d j at burning man with a huge system and tv console
@@force311999 "Burning Man"...is that still a thing???🤔🤔😁😁😁
this is not that bad of a set, has some nice bass and that 8 track deck is awesome
My grandparent’s have a very similar unit but it also has a cassette player in it, it is so fun to use
Oh gosh we have one of these out in the garage rotting away.
That 8 track is impressive! Get that rattley bass driver fixed and give it more beans!!
I did have the song Rose garden on record when a kid :)
I have made alot of speakers trough the years, and i am starting building paper speakers again, i love paper in mid's and low's, one of the absolute best materials to make mid's and low's speaker elements of, stiff and light weight.. the modern plastic cones wont sound as good as paper does. Silk for tweeters to get it light weight there too for a cheap price..
Add some berylllium high frequency tweeter domes that has the best material for replicating high freequency without distortion and with a high freq super-tweeter crossover and they will work really great for those that want every hertz the human ear can hear.
Add a bluetooth recieiver and a DAB+ radio and its ready for the future :)
The round shapes of the bass speaker enclosure in this furniture hifi piece gets rid of reflections in standing waves that suare cabinets have, i bet this sounds good :)
It may need a small isobaric subwoofer too to get the techno trance music players satisfied with the modern bass music.
My favorite speakers i has found is the Yamaha NS 1000/1000M from 1970's (closed cabinet, beryllium tweeter and beryllium midrange and 12" paper woofer) this will satisfy fast detailed music becourse it is transparent crystal clear. And Yamaha NS 20 from 1967 . Open baffle cabinet everywhere exept tweeters i think, paper tweeters and midrange, and a strange very large square shaped perhaps 20 inch styrofoam bass element, (probably sounds fantastic for classical music). NS stands for natural sound.
Yeah, they really made things better back in the days, it was HIFI wars back then, so people did go to listen what sounded the best before they did buy things.. so it was get better or get bankrupt for the companies.
Today the competition is all about getting the right advertisement with the right spec of things and added unneccesary features and the lowest price and cheapest parts to get the most profit, where everyone is trying to scam everyone a little.. its kind of sad, noone needs reputation anymore in their brand name becourse average people look for price and specs on the internet and order it. Yeah one gets crap that way.
They used 1'st order crossover back in the days with +/- 2db, today they use loads of capacitors and coils to get the crossover curve on paper to get +/- 0.5db.. becourse people ask for it and think a real flat curve is better than a somewhat less flat curve with less compromises.
Simplicity is often better than over-engineered so they kind of make the perfection of mediocrity that way loosing the fine details in the music for a flat computer curve that looks good.
People can not build real good speakers anymore becourse they priotitize the wrong things, they let microphones and computer software curves decide instead of the human ear.
All these things is the reason you think this wood furniture piece of art sounds good an you has totally right, it is better than todays crap sold cheap :)
Frankie knuckles.........excellent! you surprised me. my mom has one of those console units with 8 track too.
I restored a 1973 version of that, some, the tuner was a little different, my tape deck had the same motor, and it too worked. I had to clean the wafer switches that controls the track lights. I lubed the turntable. Removed the old grease. Had to repair solder connections on the amplifier board because the dial lamps didn't work. It had a great sound I ended up selling it. I didn't even have to replace the needle.
In the late 1960's - mid 70's these consoles were the in thing. A fine piece of furniture for the living room combined with a stereo. Many were quite expensive. Of course, there were cheapo models too, for those that wanted a console stereo but couldn't afford a real good one. Some were combined with a color television, making it an all-in-one entertainment system.
Clean out the potentiometers, vacuum the inside, do some cosmetic work on the cabinet and you have a vintage luxury home stereo console!
would probably sell if that done and milk painted
I think spray bomb it camo!
Love that faux wood finish, NOT. Any competent artistic person can redo the finish with modern paint pens.
Ooo, an 8 track cassette with truck driver songs. It has a very good collection of vintage trucker tunes.
Baritone voiced Dick Curless is probably the best truck driving singer on this collection. AM radio works great. Dirty pots of course cause it spent time
outdoors. Impressed by the amplifier! 45 year old electrolytic capacitors still fine.Old grease is keeping record player motor from turning properly.
Working the Shango magic and it now it is a sellable piece of vintage equipment.This was an awesome resurrection Mr. Shango ! Party on!
Basically it's a combination induction motor and synchronous motor. The magnet lets it run at a very precise speed with no slip
If only Lucas had got the memo!
Would these also function as a generator?
@@samuelfellows6923 In a limited capacity, possibly.
@@AmericanLocomotive1
Is there a name for this type of motor? It looks like the little AC induction motors used to drive desk fans, dehumidifier fans, etc.
I always was fan of 8 track actually pretty amazing how good they can sound
We used to have those growing up. Wish we still have...feeling nostalgic.
Most electronics built in the 70's, with rare exceptions, had compromised quality. This was due in large part to a significant decrease in the purchasing power of the U.S. Dollar during that decade, as the Federal Reserve was up to their BS. Manufacturers had to cut costs on materials to remain profitable. We had a pretty serious energy crisis back in those days.
Agreed, but it doesn't go toward explaining why something had to be made so frigging ugly. In this instance someone really went to town.
@@channelsixtysix066 the 70's were a low point in american design
a fake energy crisis- there was no gas shortage
@@channelsixtysix066 As I remember, 45 years ago many people had different tastes in what they would consider desirable. After all, avocado green refrigerator-freezers, ranges, dishwashers and shag carpets were very much _avant garde_ back then -- but most people today wouldn't be caught dead with home furnishings sporting those colors.
@@Mike1614b The gas lines were real and quite inconvenient. Retrospectively, it was really a *contrived* shortage; although, none of us alive at that time seemed to realize this. We just believed what the TV and radio "news" media told us. Inflation caused by the Federal Reserve was very real, and affected the high prices of goods and services back then, including gasoline.
Nice video That old stuff. Still works.
36 years old, first ti.e seeing an 8 track
8:10 Salesmen be like: listen to that baby purring!
**slaps top**
And he BOUGHT the extended warrantee!
Now I have a vision from the movie _Boogie Nights_ where in an early scene Don Cheadle as a stereo salesman is trying to convince a customer to buy a stereo (by demonstrating an 8-track playing country and western style instrumental music) and telling him that if he buys the unit "as-is" it won't sound good; he added that it would sound better with a slight "in-store modification" (yeah right!).
Funniest part was where he mentioned "quads per channel" (when he meant watts) then tried saying it was 'technical talk' and that it didn't concern the customer.
Our Family had a 1974 Magnavox Console 8-track record player fm/am stereo It always worked well and had good sound, my parents use to drink and play cards with their friends every weekend and that console was very loud for hours and hours and never skipped a beat. the 8-track was above the radio dial at a slight forward angle with the turn table to the right. The speakers are sorta like this one, except the woofers are in a composite wood/cardboard balloon dome. not this styrofoam looking stuff in this video. Funny thing is I took the whole thing apart when I was 11 years old and took the woofer boxes out and put in some cheesy 8inch woofers screwed to the openings and kept the composite boxes and later in woodshop made mahogany wood speaker boxes that those composite boxes fit into. Radio shack had a nice tweeter/midrange sealed in a tube with the cone surround that was reverse shaped that I drilled a hole in the front of the wood panel that the woofer is mounted to with the carboard dome glue-stick like glue that holds the dome to the particle board wood. Still using them for watching TV to this day. Funny stuff.
The May Company - my favorite store from my childhood.
My grandma bought a nice rca colortrak tabletop tv from there when I was a teenager.
Smelled good in there.
My parents went to Federated Group in San Bernardino to get their stuff like this.
@@nathanlewis5682 My friends and I invaded the West LA store to play their Vectrex before they threw us out. Kids on bikes.
Founded in 1877 by David May of Leadville, CO. Moved to St. Louis, MO in 1905. bought by Federated Department Stores in 2005, ceased operations in 2006. Except for Lord & Taylor, most stores were converted to Macy's.
The early 8 tracks were engineered like pinball machines inside. The circuit that changes the program lamps is just very simple mechanical rotory switch with incandescent lamps switched by a solenoid, a plunger, and a cogged wheel, which also lifted the head in steps. Those were different times, now everything has a microproccesor in it.
I want to see what the drivers look like under the Styrofoam coolers . Love the techno 909 808 beat 💓
Nothing exciting. Just 12" paper cone woofers with small magnets on them. They actually sound good and last a long time as long as you don't overdrive them.
My dad had one identical to it. The place you reached into is a record well for storing vinyl records. The video brings back memories.
Just got this exact one for free. Hearing this guy's commentary I now understand why the dude was so desperate to get rid of it 😂😂
Just swelled with pride when I saw that 8 track motor is made in England.
16:50 Most synchronous motors have that permanent magnet in the armature; the squirrel cage layer starts it and the permanent magnet keeps it in sync with the line frequency. I don't know if they all get weak, but Garrard models have a problem with the permanent magnet coming un-glued. It seems that Magnavox bought that tape player from Callaro, the maker of the changer; I would have expected something from Japan. Anyway, that cabinet looks a lot better (condition aside) than many of the plastic-fantastic 1970s consoles; it would look pretty convincing if in good shape and polished up. Of course, it would still feel like plastic. I've seen the cube-shaped Styrofoam speakers in Magnavox consoles, but never those dome-shaped things. I wonder if they were made that way to minimize resonance. Too bad that isn't in better shape; I like last-of-a-kinds.
you may sneer at those foam surrounds, but they lasted 45 years. they shoe horned the 8track deck into an existing design, seen it on other consoles too. C- gummy grease.
That is a 4 pole synchronous motor in that 8 track. It will run along happily at 1600 rpm all day whether it is cold or warm, as long as it isn't stuck.
Opps.....I meant 1800 rpm. The grid would have to bog down to 53.3333 Hz to get 1600 rpn...
That old console brings back the 1960's and the Silvertone console I remember as a kid and the 8 track player my brother had in his VW Bug. 1960's Cool!. I really like the Igloo speaker insulation adds soo much definition and fidelity... The ratchet mechanism in the turntable is one of a kind. EOL it!
I have an 89 console from sears I would love to get fixed....love old consoles like this starting to like the 8 tracks again
Fascinating. It looks like something Victor could’ve made on the outside (aka really nice wood and fancy) but it’s a facade!
That's a FUGLY console but I'll bet there were a lot of good times had in a house somewhere with that playing the background. That thing rocks the suburbs. Rest easy old soldier, rest easy
damn, $500 was a lot of cash back in 1976
19.27... you got a yell outa me n my foot started tappin away, lmao. good man
Wow, at the end of the video You discovered a new way to create samples... I'm always wait your good stuff uploads!
yours is one mans opinion, I think it is beautiful.
Funny that you posted this, I threw out the cabinet to a similar magnavox console the other day, although that one was more particle board and plastic than this one.
I have an old Fisher cabinet that I restored. It has the same Turntable and I have the same Trucker album on Lp still.
It has more wood than particle board but I had to tear out the receiver and speakers since it was left outside for some time.
The bones are still good and it was my first shot at refinishing anything.
Wow. Nice vinyl selection!
For a 45 year old piece of history (I mean crap) it sounds pretty good. Wonder if today's wonders of tech will sound as good in 2066?
Nobody will know what to do with it in 2066. There's a reason stereo consoles went extinct - they were too damned big.
That 8 track player sounds much better than the record player, I don't remember 8 track consoles sounding that good. Ah, that Robin S song is a classic. Good jams on that
the styrofome domes reminds me of the covers on the 1930s zenith radio speakers
that makes them have great base
It was expensive back then 499$ even today that's kinda alot I love vintage stuff very interesting
My Parents had one of these in the 70’s, they had the Cherry Walnut color. They had the Tape player on the other side of the sliding top lid with the Radio. On the right side of that sliding lid was the record storage and record player. Awesome sound, the record player met its demise in mid 80’s with the rest to follow.
My grandparents on my Dads side had the same thing as us, my Grandparents on my moms side had the nicer one, theirs was all oak but their radio was all push button and theirs came with an extra set of speakers which they put in another part of the house.
I must say, the sound from these were fantastic, radio reception was great even without an antenna.
Happy Seeing 😀 Retro Stereo come to life Very Cool
those are good tape players and can stand alone with any stereo