Appleskinner Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 It's ironic that the subject of console stereos came up in an earlier post. This past week I stumbled across a craigslist ad for a custom 9' console built in the 50s. The workmanship on this piece was absolutely amazing and it had some attractive pieces of tube gear, but there was no way I was going to bring this hulk home without my wife telling me I was going to have to leave it in the back yard and live in it. With winter approaching, I decided it was best just to make the seller a full price offer under the condition that I take the electronics and leave what was left of the console after we extracted the gear with a circular saw. The booty: A Scott 130 preamp, a Harman Kardon HK250 amplifier and a Hermon Hosmer Scott 710 turntable with a wooden Grado tonearm. All pieces were pretty much pristine from being enclosed in the wood cabinet for all of these years. I also yanked the old Magnavox tube amp that was tied into the system. Does anyone know anything about these pieces? Would the Scott/HK combo be a good candidate for a rebuild and placement behind my Cornwalls or LaScalas? Pics are attached...please excuse the dust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 You scored!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 Big Time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcarlton Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 Sweet deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodog Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 Uh, yeah. what those other guys said. Congrats. I would definitely have them rebuilt before firing them up, however. woo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 ]Probably doesn't work away, old junk, just send it to me, I'll get rid of it for you ............ [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 Scott 130 preamp is pretty much my favorite vintage pre i have heard. Hope to own one someday. Do not know about the HK power amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HudsonValleyNoah Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Check here for specs on your 130 pre amp... http://www.hhscott.com/100-.htm ps - oh man, you did good! pps - I hope to own a 122 pre amp (shown on the same page) some day... ~Noah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschfoot Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Great Googli-Moogli! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschfoot Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Great Googli-Moogli! BTW, where did the Magnavox amp fit in? Did it go to a remote set of speakers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Appleskinner Posted October 14, 2007 Author Share Posted October 14, 2007 It was quite an elaborate setup. Apparently, the system was built by the original owner of the house back in the 50s and was too large to remove in one piece. It even contained two brass doors on the front that opened up to a reveal a television. The new owners were selling the system in an effort to clear out the home for a major renovation. The cabinet was built extremely well and appeared to contain two separate stereo systems--all enclosed in the cabinet. The tuner, which I left behind, was built specifically for console systems and was tied into the Magnavox amp and connected to two 15" Magnavox speakers. The components I pulled appeared to be sourced strictly by the turntable and had their own set of speakers. I did remove these, as they were very unique and I figured they were somewhat high end based on the other gear. I have been unable to find any information on the speakers and am beginning to think they are of little value. The interesting thing about the speakers is that what appears to be dust caps in the photos are actually small bulbs that screw out of the motor assembly. I believe the brand is "National Wide Sonic". I've posted two pictures below of the Magnavox amplifier and the speakers. I'm not sure if either of these pieces are even worth messing with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Appleskinner Posted October 14, 2007 Author Share Posted October 14, 2007 The Scott/HK system drove four of these speakers and each pair was run in a series. Has anyone seen this type of speaker before (probably from the 50s)? The label on the magnet says "National Wide Sonic". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Great! The little Magnavox piece could be cleaned up, recapped (if needed), and used for another small system. It appears to be a single-ended 6BQ5, with maybe a 12AX7 in the front (?). A couple of DIY forum members have done some nice work on the same amp. It might be an idea to take care bringing them back to life -- if you have a variac, bring the voltages up slowly, keeping in mind that our modern AC supplies run higher than what these were originally designed for, and because of that, the filament voltages will likely aslo be a little high. An inrush current limiter on the input into the power supply would be helpful in a situation like this. They will present an initial high resistance at turn on, which will be reduced when it warms up, and will provide a more suitable AC supply than what we currently have in our homes. Plate load resistors are often given more attention than filament voltages, but it's important to keep filaments pretty close to what they were designed for. Check with a technician about things you're not familiar with. Neat find! Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 My research this morning (Googling "wide sonic" speaker national) has me thinking the speakers were made by the National Company in Japan. Apparently, Matsushita made their speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkrop Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 You can get some info on the H/K amp from here: http://www.harmankardon.com/product_support/interstitial.aspx?sJump=om&Region=USA&Country=US&Language=ENG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 You scored!! The 130 looks like it will clean up very nicely and is worth $400 to $500 in original electrical condition more if properly rebuilt. It may very well work pretty good as is but should be brought up slowly on a Variac to give the caps and chance to form up. The HK250 is more obscure of a find but my guess its a very good score also. Both are worth a quality rebuild for sure. I found this in a quick search for the HK250 http://www.audioshopper.com/HK250.htm under his weakness statements I bet a good quality rebuild would clean that up. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott0527 Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Can I see the turntable? I want one of those but they don't show up very often. Nice find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Not as nice as one of those worthless Westinghouse tube consoles but pretty darn cool nonetheless.[] Nice score! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Appleskinner Posted October 19, 2007 Author Share Posted October 19, 2007 Scott, Attached is a pic of the Scott 710 TT. I almost left this behind, but figured I may be able to sell it to recoup some of my original investment. The mahogony wood was covered in felt for some reason. I had to take the tonearm off to remove it from the console, but it appears to be complete. The arm is one of the large wooden Grados you see on the old Thorens tables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted October 19, 2007 Share Posted October 19, 2007 The mahogony wood was covered in felt for some reason. Obviously, to make it look prettier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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