any idea what year this maggie is?

[hermitcrab]

only asking 30 bucks ... is it worthy ? https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... 518c48d478

[electra225]

I won't hazard a guess as to the year. It's a Magnavox, and basically kinda, sorta works, so I'd say it was worth $30. If you don't like restringing tuners, that might be a minus.

[William]

It's a Magnavox Magnasonic 210 from 1956. Model 272, with radio. Model 271 was without radio. 12" woofer, 5" tweeter, and 10 watts of power. Model 271 sold for $149.50 in Mahagony. Also available in oak and cherry.

Bill

'

[TC Chris]

It's a Magnavox Magnasonic 210 from 1956. Model 272, with radio. Model 271 was without radio. 12" woofer, 5" tweeter, and 10 watts of power. Model 271 sold for $149.50 in Mahagony. Also available in oak and cherry.

I was going to guess 1957, but I bet Bill has looked it up. My reasoning is this. I have my Grandmother's '56 Magnasonic phono (no tuner). It has a slightly older tonearm--the one that has a plug-in headshell. And it has 2 12" speakers and 2 5" tweets. It has a 6V6 parallel P-P amp. The one in the photo looks like it has legs and it has a burlr crotch mahogany veneer, neithr of which my '56 has.

Chris Campbell

[William]

Chris, the Magnasonic came in two different cabinet styles, well sort of. The biggest difference, one has legs, and one does not. But the brochure I looked at only showed one each of the speakers for the Magnasonic. Your Grandmothers must be the more deluxe Magnasonic, they used that name for several years. With Grandma's having the plugin head that should make it a Collaro 456. My Maggie Berkshire has the plugin head and it's from 1956. The Magnasonic was actually offered for several years in different variations so you could be correct in your 1957 guess. The brochure I started with was dated 1956 and the Magnasonic was in that brochure, so I stopped looking.

Bill

[Motorola minion]

I noticed two 6AQ5s on the tube map. I think that is the extent of the push pull audio output stage.

The tuner dial and knobs look too new to be 1957 but I agree that is what year it is.

[Firedome]

2 x 6AQ5 is sort of puny, like maybe 3-4 watts per channel?

[electra225]

I always thought the 6AQ5 was the seven-pin version of the octal 6V6 and the nine-pin 6BQ5. I may stand corrected, however. I would say closer to ten watts output. I don't think Maganavox built anything with only 3 or 4 watts of output as far as a record player is concerned.

[hermitcrab]

Well after the first comments , I decided to go after it, seeing it was only 30 miles away ... but when I contacted the seller he said it was sold... in like the first few hours ... there seems to be many vintage magnavox collectors out there... Looks like this weekend I am taking a ride up to Rogers city for that RCA if the weather is decent...

[electra225]

I looked up the 6AQ5 in my RCA tube manual. "Performance characteristics similar to the octal 6V6, 6V6GT and 6V6 GTA" The tube manual lists plate dissipation for the 6AQ5 in class A1 service as 12 watts. Triode-connected for vertical deflection amplifier service in TV receivers, it lists 10 watts plate dissipation. So the 6AQ5 in P-P service would be about 15-17 watts.

[William]

That is good news, Elton. Once it's home will you see what it can do? I can't remember what Mitch said about it, working or not? Photos please! I have one just like it that needs total everything including cabinet restoration. If it does work I'm am interested on how it sounds.

Bill

[Firedome]

I'm no EE and I can't recall where I read that 6AQ5 was lower output power than 6V6/6BQ5, evidently drive voltages differ? here's a description from an amp designer of a PP version of a 2 x 6AQ5 amp he created. He seems to like the fact they will distort more easily, which guitar people prefer (due to the voltage being only 250v?) He describes the output of this PP 6AQ5 amp as being 5 Watts:

"The 6AQ5 output tubes are described in the RCA receiving tube manual as being lower voltage versions of the larger 6V6 beam power pentodes. The maximum undistorted power output from this amplifier is about 5 watts, which is plenty loud for a practice amp. The amp can drive an 8", 10" or 12" guitar speaker. A big advantage of the lower power 6AQ5 output tubes is their ability to reach plate starvation, with it's inherently pleasant sounding distortion, at much lower volume levels. This can be an advantage for recording, and for those who wish to preserve their hearing. There are several military versions of the 6AQ5 including the 6005, the 6669 and the 6094, the latter is a 10K-hour tube with ceramic spacers and thick glass."

What's interesting to me is that not many vintage amps used 6AQ5 as output tubes, while 6V6 and 6BQ5 models are common, I wonder why that is.
Also the price of NOS/NIB 6AQ5s is quite reasonable, unlike the other 2.

Does anyone have a console with 6AQ5 tubes? The small 1962 GE console amp I have does use 2 of them (in SE mode), but I have not seen others other the years.

[Ken Doyle]

I believe a 6AQ5 is similar in performance to a 6F6.

The Magnavox FM16 AM/FM table radio runs a pair of 6AQ5 tubes in push-pull, perhaps this console uses a similar chassis.

[electra225]

I was taught that the 6F6, 6K6, and 6V6 were similar tubes and were subs for each other. I have a little Olsen amp, and a GE Trimline stereo with SE 6AQ5 output.