# Vintage Magnavox speakers



## xBruce88x (Aug 30, 2014)

I need some help figuring out just what these things can handle power wise. right now they're running off my ghetto modded sub unit but i think they could do better with more power. I think they're only getting about 10w or so. they ran pretty good off an old record player i had... before it got hit by a power surge.

anyways... here's some pics

















they still sound pretty good 

Thanks in advance!


----------



## xBruce88x (Sep 3, 2014)

well i just sent an email to Magnavox's support, hopefully somebody there will have an answer.


----------



## Sasqui (Sep 3, 2014)

Is that a sticker on the back of the speaker saying 120v, 60Hz?  That makes no sense.  It would be like saying they should be plugged into a wall socket.

If the back of the speaker case can be removed, the woofer may have a wattage (peak RMS) stamped on it.


----------



## XL-R8R (Sep 3, 2014)

I'm going to say that 10w is fine for every day use with these particular speakers.... I would give them no more than 15w each and it should be clean power also.....I wouldnt expect they will do much more than that, in all fairness.

I expect these to be Alnico based 8" 2-ways and a tweeter that'll go somewhere up-to/around 18khz.



Treat them nicely; they appear to be quite rare.


----------



## xBruce88x (Sep 4, 2014)

they've had better bass response on my old record player... but that thing got fried. they're now running off my little 2.1 system. I don't plan to let go of them any time soon, as far as treating them nicely... that's why i want to know what they can handle, dont want to over power them. as for the 120v 60hz thing, i think they came bundled with a radio/record combo unit way back when. (not the one i was using though, it was a Panasonic) BTW,... Alice Cooper's Special Forces album rocked on these things

also... i though about removing the back but it can't be removed. The only way would be to un-screw the speakers but they are also glued in place and I don't want to ruin the seal. Not exactly sure what they mean by Air Suspension either...


----------



## xBruce88x (Sep 8, 2014)

well not even Magnavox knows... they just keep telling me its the wrong serial number.


----------



## 95Viper (Sep 8, 2014)

xBruce88x said:


> Not exactly sure what they mean by Air Suspension either...



The 60's & 70's had a lot of speakers that were air suspension types(also, called acoustic suspension)... they were sealed enclosures.

This wiki listing should help with the info on acoustic suspension, passive, ported(bass reflex) or other variations.

As far as the model number...I am guessing, Magnavox probably doesn't keep info on old antique systems or they don't know where to research on antique items, as, Magnavox has been acquired by Phillips, which then merged Phillips, Philco, and Magnavox and they split off some departments(divisions) and so on.
I would suspect the records could of been lost, destroyed, or stored away in some storage room that has a few layers of dust.
And, the sticker is generic sticker applied to all the parts and the 120v 60hz was printed on all the stickers; and, as you stated, it was probably part of a stereo system or the optional rear speakers on some console stereo systems.

I remember my parents had a Magnavox stereo console system that had the same looking (rear) speakers as those.


----------



## ste2425 (Sep 8, 2014)

I have a pair of pioneer units, the drivers look identical and about the same age. I can post some pics of the drivers and various stickers. Probably of no help but if there the same resistance might give a very rough guess at power ratings?


----------



## Tatty_One (Sep 8, 2014)

Might be wrong but I don't think the speakers were part of a system, the model number is actually S-8753 shown on the first pic, I would guess they are late 60's possibly 1970, I only say that because I think production moved to Tennessee from Indiana late 70/early 71..... might be a little out there though.  These probably have CTS OEM drivers as CTS supplied most of the bigger and decent brandnames back in the day including Magnavox, Marantz, Fisher etc.

Can't seem to find any specs though, maybe that CTS can help if you let them know the model name, I am sure CTS would know what components they put in them!

http://www.ctscorp.com/about/beginnings.htm


----------



## Sasqui (Sep 8, 2014)

ste2425 said:


> I have a pair of pioneer units, the drivers look identical and about the same age. I can post some pics of the drivers and various stickers. Probably of no help but if there the same resistance might give a very rough guess at power ratings?



The resistance for almost all speakers in that day were either 8 or 4 ohm.  It has to do with impedance matching with the amplifier, not power unfortunately.  The closer the internal resistance between the two, the more efficient the power transfer would be.


----------



## xBruce88x (Sep 9, 2014)

thanks for the info guys, guess i'd better not break their seal lol. they're running just fine, just not as much bass as before. the subwoofer in my 2.1 unit makes up for it though.


----------



## ste2425 (Sep 9, 2014)

Personally I would pair it up with an equal quality Amplifier of the same age. Bearing in mind the matching impedance as Sasqui mentioned.

I have my Pioneers running of an Sony TA-515 i found in a charity shop for £10 nothing wrong with it just old and dirty.

[Not Mine but Identical, minus the green light]





It sounds so much better than when i ran my speakers of a 2.1 desktop system. I don't run it max out because i believe It's too much for the pioneers to handle, or the plaster on the walls.

Point being (Besides an excuse to brag about the amplifier, sorry  ) is you can pick up decent amplifiers that will compliment your speakers better quite cheap.


----------



## xBruce88x (Sep 9, 2014)

yea i've been thinking about picking up an old receiver or amp for the speakers at a pawn shop or something


----------



## xBruce88x (Sep 11, 2014)

I've decided to just use my old car stereo. puts out peak 45w per channel at 4ohm, but is rated to power 8ohm speakers also, so it should power these just fine. I've got an old 300w computer power supply that can give it enough power for the 2 speakers, and with the RCA out on the back i can run my normal desktop speakers to it as well, though i probably wont need to...

and now pics...
















what do you know... 180w. Just enough for the 45w x4 channels lol. though i'll only be using 45w x 2.

edit: got it all hooked up and rockin... only weak point now is my HD7850's rather poor audio codec


----------



## Sasqui (Sep 11, 2014)

xBruce88x said:


> I've decided to just use my old car stereo. puts out peak 45w per channel at 4ohm, but is rated to power 8ohm speakers also, so it should power these just fine. I've got an old 300w computer power supply that can give it enough power for the 2 speakers, and with the RCA out on the back i can run my normal desktop speakers to it as well, though i probably wont need to...
> 
> and now pics...
> 
> ...



Re-purposing awesomeness.  I want to hear your impression of the sound when you get it hooked up.  Are you making an enclosure for the stereo?


----------



## xBruce88x (Sep 11, 2014)

my original plan was to make a semi portable version with the power hookup in the back and two 6x9s, one on either end, in a vertical position with the power supply and stereo in the middle in a box of their own. the whole thing would have a handle on top. but... my 6x9s are missing... and my other speakers needed a power source... sooo.... i have a new pc system now lol. they have a bit of a flat sound (if that makes sense) but that's a lot to do with my HDMI audio and the HD7850. I might put all the stuff in a old pc case, like a micro atx or something with a sub in it, there's a set of RCAs on the back i can output a signal to my current 2.1 system and have those going as well lol

edit: also... i can hear the bass outside when i go to check my mail 

edit 2: seems the unit is too wide to fit in a pc case... i guess i'll just build a box for it later... I think i might have the PSU mounted under my desk and the head unit at the edge next to my keyboard tray so i can adjust settings easy. will have to do that later tho... kinda broke right now. Still recovering from a car accident a while back (jul 23) and i just started back at work, though i'm still sore as hell. won't get my first paycheck till the end of the month due to their lovely bi-weekly pay. at least i get tips lol (though most goes in gas, i deliver pizza... in a jeep cherokee)


----------



## ste2425 (Sep 12, 2014)

Awesome 

Not too sure if you need to worry but ive read about people having issues running amps from a pc power supply because the draw from the amp isn't constant, fluctuates depending on the volume, (Think the thud thud of dance music). So they put a capacitor of some some in-between to smooth out the draw from the power supply, similar to when putting an amp in a car.  Not too sure if a car stereo will cause similar behaviour though, probably not now i think about it. (Forgive my non technical terms and description, i aint an electrician but you get what im trying to say  )



xBruce88x said:


> l (though most goes in gas, i deliver pizza... in a jeep cherokee)



When i delivered pizza at Pizza Hut i had a friend who used to use a Mustang, think it was an 05 plate, around that age. He was lucky to get upto 10MPG. Never got tips either for some reason


----------



## Sasqui (Sep 12, 2014)

Have you tried onboard audio?  I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that the HD audio sucks till you try the amp/speakers with something else


----------



## xBruce88x (Sep 13, 2014)

the hdmi audio on the 7850 has very basic drivers, about the only thing i can do with it is adjust the volume.


----------



## The Von Matrices (Sep 13, 2014)

ste2425 said:


> Not too sure if you need to worry but ive read about people having issues running amps from a pc power supply because the draw from the amp isn't constant, fluctuates depending on the volume, (Think the thud thud of dance music). So they put a capacitor of some some in-between to smooth out the draw from the power supply, similar to when putting an amp in a car.  Not too sure if a car stereo will cause similar behaviour though, probably not now i think about it. (Forgive my non technical terms and description, i aint an electrician but you get what im trying to say  )


That's really only worth consideration with large (>12") subwoofers or when using multiple subwoofers.  With two moderately sized speakers on a head unit, it's not likely to ever reach that extreme, especially considering they are 8 ohm speakers and will draw less current than the 4 ohm speakers the head unit is designed for.  More likely you would blow out these speakers before you could ever raise the volume enough to cause the effects you are describing.


----------



## xBruce88x (Sep 14, 2014)

Yea no power problems yet, speakers sound better now. Once i get some extra money ill get the adaptors and cables i need so i can use a better sound card


----------



## suraswami (Sep 14, 2014)

Nice.  All I noted is 'Made in USA' yay!!


----------



## xBruce88x (Sep 14, 2014)

yea you don't see that very often these days lol.

edit: i still have my old Gamestop HD selector that i can use to swap audio sources. it has a ton of RCA connectors on it for up to 4 devices.


----------

