1958 RCA Victor Hi-Fi Stereo Console with turntable

[basspig]

I always get a kick out of how RCA used to call the volume control "Loudness".

That electric eye tube is quite unique. I've only seen it on one other piece of equipment, a Collins FM tuner that I'd had some fifty years ago.

[lrd9999]

Cool tuning eye! Shows both signal strength and center of channel. I've never seen one like that before.

[gbennett1987]

whats the first record you played?

[EXTREME4YEARSTOCOME]

sounds absolutley beautiful. sereo in the home came out in late 1957 so you have one of the first

[Nivicoman]

Sweet piece. I can hear the warm easy tube sound right through my computer sound card and Nivico solid state console hi-fi.

[segersystem]

I have the exact same model here in Michigan

[desoto1961]

Beautiful!! I would love one!!

[maynardcat]

Very nice sounds great. I just saw one of these today at an estate sale in nice cosmetic condition, they had it priced at 140.00. The ticket said works fabulous, but it didn't at all,It sounded really bad. The radio picked up stations,but were badly distorted. The changer worked ok ,but not much sound. I would say it probably needed all new caps, & maybe tubes. Since I have an RCA console, and two smaller table model RCA hi-fis, and running out of room I decided to pass this time..

[MusicMike1285]

I wish you would post another video of this stereo if you still have it!  I'm jealous lol

[RedDodge1968]

Very Nice, am currently searching for a similar model. Great piece!!!!

[isethaitchison]

I have a console similar to that but mine has 2 open back tweeters and one 12" woofer.

[RonnieShred]

pretty clean!!!

[jennieconqueso]

I picked up this exact model at a local thrift store, and have been searching for information about it everywhere. Not sure if mine works though...definitely will be a summer project. How did you go about restoring yours?

[fabianromano]

that's amazing. Tube sound is the best !

[Mrtriumphchopper]

What a lucky find! It looks as though it was used sparingly for all these decades. Looks great and sounds even better.

[RCALennon]

This is great!

[Oniconga]

Where would one sell these things?? no-one knows what they are lol i've asked pawn shops and thrift shops.

[LynolsOffice]

I usually see them at yard sales and thrift shops or antique shops.

[podiumman2]

@Oniconga Check Cragistlist...

[BrentAudi]

Very Nice!!!!

[erin69696969]

what is the price of this turntable today?

[Sabei0990]

That's amazing, fine piece.

[galaxiesoo]

donde vas a conseguir los bulbos ? ya no se fabrican , y tienen una vida corta

[wb5oxq]

Very great sound. Neat way RCA does its tweeters at a angle to make the stereo separation seem wider. Your camcorder has real good audio pickup too.

[47DJC]

I am looking for a turntable needle for a similar model. Anyone know where to look?

Thanks

[1rossman2000]

Look on e-bay.This guy needledaddy is a great seller.Look him up.Send him an e-mail in one of his listings and he we set up up.

[47DJC]

Thanks!

[MO3MINI]

I love the way these old radios don't do anything as soon as you turn it on. wait and wait for the tubes to respond however i have seen allot slower. I believe my family had one very similar but it was broken up like 30 years ago only found out because i found the old motor in the ground.

[boooooby01]

I'm so totally jealous!!!

[papibas]

vau!

huh huh.....

[renofirvine]

hmm, i note vince guraldi's piece from 'charlie brown xmas'-and amongst my collection a 1970's realistic amp and 1961 sherwood fm only tuner with tuning eye-so new/old that the stereo part is a separate module-got it from the uc irvine fine arts scene shop..

[peugteobike]

How much are these in this kind of conditon

[Agent0061958]

That's an awesome console! I'd love to have one like that. You can find nice consoles at thrift stores sometimes. I've seen a few for under $100 that were pretty nice, despite often needing minor work.

[derkoa]

What kind of music is that?

I would like to hear that at home after a stressful day^^

[scottblanch]

That sounds better than anything made today!!

[horneyhush]

Hi, A couple years ago I found one just like yours. It included the satellite speaker. I love it! I don't know how to post a video. If you like, I would send you some pictures.

Merry Christmas!

[renofirvine]

i have its competitor-a 1959 zenith rigoletto-25 dollars from the choc(children's hospital orange county)thrift store in 1986-that model has been in many movies and tv shows-on youtube look up the julie newmar clip from 'the marriage go round'-she and james mason do a wild latin dance to music blaring from a rigoletto

[brentjohnpalmer]

Dig the FM radio. The year of that stereogram's manufacture was still a quarter century before my home country, New Zealand, got its first FM broadcasts!

[KevinRexrod]

This is what i,d call: American craftmanship!

[Trance88]

man that is such a nice old stereo! I love that style of console units with the little pedestal legs and totaly mesh front.

[nakamichiguy]

I LOVE these old consoles! I'm always happy to see someone bring one back to life rather than trash it or part it out. Ugh. Look on eBay and see how many people are selling parts from these things. Sad. Good job!

[GRQQVY]

Great find! These old consoles are like magic. All the integrated circuits and transistors in the world can't reproduce the warmth and character of the vacuum tube! Love the old records you chose, too - the last one sounds like the soundtrack from one of those old black and white cartoons!

[nostalgiabufff]

Absolutely beautiful sound good sir!!! =)

[fromthesidelines]

The Victor Talking Machine Company first used their copyrighted phrase "Orthophonic Recording" when they introduced the first 78rpm electrical recordings in mid-1925, 'vashon'; when RCA acquired Victor in 1929, they continued to use that on their record labels until the mid-'30s. Then, when they began marketing "33 rpm" long-playing records in 1950, the term "Orthophonic" was revived [as in "New Orthophonic High Fidelity"]. "Stereo Orthophonic" was introduced in 1958...

[mortitio]

What a beautiful player!!! Nothing sounds like the old tube record players!!!

[PeterCRissKISSgod]

excuse me,

i have a major problme.

im 12 years old so there is not much mechanical work i can do,

i have a 1967 RCA solid State Stereo Record Player.

3 speed.

When you put a record on, the songs are noticeably faster and in a higher key.

i have tried using coins, but i would like a permanet fix, is there anything you would recommend?

[ninjabluewings]

Hi Most Old Record Players Are Direct Drive Which Means They Have A Rubber Wheel Underneath The Turntable That Turns It, That Rubber Wheel Is Held Against The Motor With The Turntable, To Be Honest Those Old Motors Are Non Adjustable So In Short The Coins Are Probably The Only Option, If This Is A BIG PROBLEM! Then You Can Buy Turntables That Have A Pitch Control On Them Which Keeps The Speed Accurate For About £25 From E-Bay

[damusician]

thatz a common problem with most record player with those rubber drive wheels especial those cheap kiddie players and the bsr record changers from the 70's.

[fresnel1956]

The solution to the too fast" problem: Lift and remove the turntable. You'll will see a tiny shaft that sticks up from the motor, on there will be several "steps" and a next to it, a rubber wheel which couples that motor to the inner rim of the turntable.. First check to see if some of the rubber has deposited on the motor shaft steps, clean it off with alcohol The problem is that the rubber makes the shaft wider/faster. You can use a small file to reduce the step size but GO VERY EASY on this..

[fresnel1956]

..what I mean here is to -carefully- a little at a time..file down the step of the speed that is too fast. You will need to have the motor spinning and just gently press the file onto the shaft step a few second then clean with alcohol place turn table back and test. Be sure you have are filing the step that is for the speed you need to adjust. ..the smallest one is for the slowest speed. Just be careful and this will be an easy fix. The made them fast to "brighten" the music. Bad idea.

[PeterCRissKISSgod]

Thank You Very Much!

as you can see,

my comment was from a few months ago and i fixed the record player last summer, but that is exactly what happened, and thats exactly what i had to do!

thank you!

someone who knows their stuff!

[ninjabluewings]

There Is No Beating These BEAUTIFUL PLAYERS! Those Valves Are What Give It That GORGEOUS SOUND!

[robatsea2008]

what a stellar piece of equipment - it really produces a brilliant sound

[Trance88]

Beautiful stereo console! I love the way this one looks!

[vashonislandguy]

Notice the word "Ortho?" that is who you would have to see after lifting this thing! Good system and please, do not be offended by my joke

[LynolsOffice]

Lol. It was VERY heavy, and I had to haul it up to the 3rd floor!

[radiogram56]

Wonderful machine!!!

[75lester]

I would love to hear this thing play a 33 or 45 that is in good condition.

[radlam64]

Wow. So you never recapped it, just a tube replacement? That is great sounding console.

[jsemancik1]

RCA knew how to make 'em to last back in those days even their more portable units even sounded good

[evster59]

Love your HiFi, Check out my 1958. Got it off craigslist from some nice old guy for 125 clams. Yours looks great.

EVAN....

[ViktorDragmire]

I have a clockwork record player that plays the shellac records like you have shown in your video. I haven't listened to them all yet. I have a great deal many...

[monumentfloyd]

So awesome. They just dont make 'em like that any more.

[MusicMike1285]

This stereo sounds Great! My Great-Aunt has an RCA similar to this one, and I have always loved it!

[SpeakerPolice]

Consoles are amazing machines, aren't they? :) I just completed a restoration on an RCA Total Sound all-tube console from 1962. I'll be posting a vid as soon as the new turntable stylus gets here. :)

[peugteobike]

That's a nice RCA Stereo.Still looks band new

[tubeie07]

I love it and I want it now! Great vid... :)

[Trance88]

Man! What a console!!!!

[bertskoi]

that 2nd "Brunswick" record is from like WWI or just about right after it, it wouldn't have a higher fidelity sound to begin with. I have an original 1959 RCA HiFi STEREO, I am the original owner, I believe it was the first that year ('59). Great vid, keep it up!

[LynolsOffice]

Thanks. I wish I could play HI-FI records on it, but I only have a good needle for playing 78's right now; I just wanted to illustrate the changer. I found a way to read the date codes on it, shows it's from 1958.

[bertskoi]

They used to sell cartridges for any record needle at record stores and at electronic stores. Radio shack was the last place I checked that stocked cartridges, but that may be at one individual store amongst thousands. You can always search online or on the auction sites, there is always a bargain to be found using that option. Good Luck!

[damusician]

me too! i find them on the speaker magnet, audio transformer, record changer, and the potentiometers.

[Bowtome09]

Thats OLD but it sounds decent

[37atver]

Are all RCA Victor Hi Fi's tube amps?

[ItaliaBill59]

That unit is in beautiful shape, great vid five *****'s. I have always liked tube amps best... my console stereo is solid state but one of the first ones, it has great sound but I still like the sound of my jukebox better (tubes) check some of my vids and thanks for posting this one...

[audiophile559]

I love these machines. The RCA SHC and SHF models were the best instruments and in my opinion still are. I play mine all day, everyday. We should start a club. I uploaded a video of mine but it's still processing. Check it out after a while. I'll tell ya about some mods I made to mine as well if you're interested. Best to ya! -Ted

[damusician]

lynolsoffice, what records were you playing? i like the music!

[LynolsOffice]

They are:

Jimmy Dorsey- Dolimite

Schubert's "Scherzo" (Opus 99)

Harry James- Cherry

[damusician]

lynols, can you play a 45 or lp on it?

[LynolsOffice]

I only have a good needle for 78's. Anyone know how I can find out what type of needle it needs?

[audiophile559]

Those are sonotone, go to ebay and search the store "carols needles" she'll have one for you

[chao772]

LynolsOffice the model number for this unit is SHC-6

[wilkes85]

that stereo is AWESOME!!!! it really has a great sound too!! i've had my eyes pealed for a unit like that for a long time, but I just can't find them anywhere, and the ones on eBay all say "UN-TESTED" which basically means BROKEN, but i guess restoring something like that would really be a cool project.

[chagall56]

I think I would like to get a pre-1955 hi-fi for playing 78s as I've been told that they changed the RIAA curve after that which made 78s sound too scratchy. I have the first Victor Orthophonic: the 1925 Victrola Credenza model! I should film it in action.

[chagall56]

This clip really inspires me! I remember back in the 60's trying to listen to symphonies on a crummy little portable record player and then my mom finally bought a fine Packard Bell console hi-fi in 1967! The sound of it blew me away! So as a senior in high school I got to hear Beethoven, Tschaikovsky, as well as Sergeant Pepper, the Stones, etc. on one those great old consoles. I just was given an RCA console Model VMT-52-L from the 68-70 era.

[damusician]

i'm sure that crummy little portable record player sounds better than those lofis from the 70's and 80's. i have several of those and the sound is not that great on them.

[jefferyb304]

I think you have some fiiine radio stations in your area and a fiiine console to listen to them on.

[coondogtheman1234]

LynolsOffice can you hook a cd player or an ipod up to this unit and do a video of it

[coondogtheman1234]

Holy crap that sounds frickin awesome, it would be cool if i can get my amp to sound this good, I like that tuning eye, when the indicator is skinny and they both line up the signal is clear and it they are fat then its fuzzy or not tuned in I like that, that would be useful in a stereo set hooked to my computer for recording stuff off the radio and making some warm sounding mp3s

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Terrific find! According to the audiophiles, tube amplifiers are the best sounding amps and I think they are right. There also very roughed and this set should give you many years of good service.

[LynolsOffice]

Thanks. This truly is a nice set, I think. The sound quality of this stereo blows some of my newer "better" solid-state units out of the water.

[damusician]

omg! that set is awesome. i saw that same model on ebay, but a blonde color. classical is perfect on that unit too, but i like hearing other tunes on there as well especially 80's and newer music. does the radio have flywheel tuning? i noticed the dial moved kind of fast while tuning.

[LynolsOffice]

Thanks. I guess mine's a Cherry finish, but I realy like that blonde Maple finish they used in the 50's cabinets. It has a normal tuning knob, I was just being hasty. Soon as I get a needle I have to put up a video of my late 50's Motorola Hi-Fi phonograph.

[coondogtheman1234]

Lynols you have a late 50s hi fi phonograph is it like my 1957 vintage motorols hi fi phonograph look on my profile

[LynolsOffice]

It's almost exactly like yours. The finish is a little different and the front trim is flatter.

[coondogtheman1234]

does the amp work in your player, can you post a video of it playing music