OK, so I have this 1957 Realistic tuner and amplifier. Vacuum-tube city,
don't you know?
There's also a 1952 Webcor record changer, a Bluetooth receiver, a
little utility mixer . . . and a Gough speaker enclosure built from
plans sold by Welsh speaker-designer Jabez Gough in 1961. I've been
highly impressed at the sound this cabinet gets out of a single 8-inch
driver. Now I'm doubly impressed now that I've replaced the
Electro-Voice Wolverine LT-8 triaxial speaker with an older (and
heavier) E-V SP8B coaxial driver.
YOU'D THINK a two-way driver would be a bit of a drop-off from the
three-way. In this case, you'd be wrong. The difference was marked, and
for the better. That SP8B sings in that Gough enclosure -- good high
end, great midrange presence and deep bass that's just the right amount
of low end. All this from one 8-inch two-way speaker that was a "starter driver" for
your average late-1950s "hi-fi nut" building his own speaker system. Go
figure. For me, though, it just sounds like my childhood . . . only in mono and probably a bit better than the 1962 Magnavox Stereo Theatre that defined
"good sound" for a budding Baby Boomer audio geek.
I am sure a smartphone and earbuds serve a purpose. Actually, one good purpose my iPhone often serves is feeding Internet radio to the mid-century audio extravaganza.
I likewise am sure earbuds or "smart speakers" serve a purpose, whatever the hell that might be. Really, I'm sure they're just fine.
This is a vintage Pilotuner FM tuner, made by the Pilot Radio Corp., of Long Island City, N.Y. Back in the day, you'd hook this up to the phono input of your existing "standard" radio or console to enjoy the exciting full-fidelity world of frequency modulation broadcasting.
As such this vintage Model T-601 might be called the granddaddy of hi-fi tuners for your sound system. And some 67 years on, it doesn't sound bad -- in glorious monophonic sound with none of the bells and whistles of modern FM gear, but not bad at all considering. SO . . . if this awakens your inner audio geek, here's a video of my mono hi-fi setup -- an 1957-vintage Realistic FM
tuner and amplifier pair, along with a Zenith stereo record changer
(outfitted with a modern magnetic cartridge) which has seen better days
and likely will be replaced soon . . . and the vintage 1947 Pilotuner I just found
via eBay. The Pilotuner is what's playing here, with only a length of wire for an antenna.
The speaker , which you've seen (and heard) before here on the blog is a newly built Gough speaker enclosure from the original 1960 plans and outfitted with
a 1962-ish Electro-Voice "Wolverine" 8-inch triaxial driver.
Eventually, the Pilotuner will live in our bedroom, paired with a 1951 (or thereabouts)
Bell amp and a 12-inch Electro-Voice Wolverine speaker kludged into a vintage Wharfedale speaker cabinet.
No, my geekery knows no bounds. I have a loving and tolerant wife, thanks be to God.
The speaker: A mid-'60s Electro-Voice "Wolverine" 8-inch, full-range driver in a new Gough speaker enclosure built by a friend who has a custom furniture business from the original 1960 plans sold by Jabez Gough of Cardiff, Wales.
The hi-fi: A 1956-57 Realistic amplifier and FM tuner. The glory of vacuum tubes! The result: Pretty dadgum amazing . . . and all in glorious monophonic sound, being that stereo was awfully new-fangled in 1957.
Now, what you can't feel is the floor shaking -- all from a 10-watt tube amp. What you can see is that our house is undergoing a never-ending remodeling. This dining room here is due for a new floor next week . . . then on to the painting and whatever else. I'm sure there will be "whatever else."
