RCA "living stereo" 1962 model PVCR184

[Motorola minion]

I just picked this up for $50, via FB ad placed by a contractor who ended up having to "dispose" of a customer's furniture. On my own way home from a jobsite, I hustled over to the shop last friday, getting there right at 4pm when they were going home. I really like the wood louver in front of the 15" woofer, reminds me of the SHF-1's speakers

The PVCR model means it has only "provision" for reverberation, which I have never seen an RCA equipped with anyway . Had the model been "RVCR-XXX" then it would have it.

This is an RS-189 three-channel amp using all 6CG7 twin triodes, a hugely popular, uber-common and dirt-cheap TV tube that rarely fails. The drawback is requiring double the number of preamp stages than a 12AX7, feeding three single ended 6BQ5 amps, center channel OPT is bigger than R+L channels. I just restored a 1961 model VCR244, which is refinished walnut petite Scandinavian that will command big money in the right market. I now have this new one and a third one that is very early American.

These all use the RC-1192C with AFC, a troublesome 12DT8 German-made tuner and a three-position selector, with FM-AM for stereo simulcasting, A channel is FM mono with the B-channel on an AM station. Where the third channel got its signal was a blend. Between the differences in modulation, dynamic range and equalization, I can't imagine it sounded any good at all, but RCA was selling records and this was one way to introduce them on the air.

Thanks to Zenith (and Edwin Armstrong for FM ) for a real sub-carrier multiplexed stereo.

PVCR184 resize.jpg (43.09 KiB) Viewed 8916 times

[electra225]

Interesting circuit. Is that one of the ones that has series-strung filaments, yet uses a power transformer? Actually a line isolation transformer with 1:1 primary/secondary. A 35W4 supplies enough B+ for all those tubes? They used that setup to prevent hum? I like the look of the knobs and tone arm on those models.

[TC Chris]

Between the differences in modulation, dynamic range and equalization, I can't imagine it sounded any good at all, but RCA was selling records and this was one way to introduce them on the air.

We forget that AM broadcasting can be done in high quality. It requires bandwidth, a local transmitter to avoid noise, and a broadcast engineer who would adjust compressor/limiter for music broadcast and not speech optimization. And the receiver must be capable of wide bandwidth. The old high-fidelity AM radios had variable IF choices to optimize for music or for selectivity. I wonder how RCA designed their AM section in that regard--did they favor good sound or was it just a standard AM tuner?

Chris Campbell

[Motorola minion]

Interesting circuit. Is that one of the ones that has series-strung filaments, yet uses a power transformer? Actually a line isolation transformer with 1:1 primary/secondary. A 35W4 supplies enough B+ for all those tubes? They used that setup to prevent hum? I like the look of the knobs and tone arm on those models.

That is exactly what it is, an AM-FM radio without audio section. Those knobs lasted until tube models were phased out, after 1964?

[Firedome]

That's a very nice looking unit in a not-too-huge size and I like that wood tone too.. I've seen a couple of these with the same amp/tuner control panel in different styles recently.

[Motorola minion]

We forget that AM broadcasting can be done in high quality. It requires bandwidth, a local transmitter to avoid noise, and a broadcast engineer who would adjust compressor/limiter for music broadcast and not speech optimization. And the receiver must be capable of wide bandwidth. The old high-fidelity AM radios had variable IF choices to optimize for music or for selectivity. I wonder how RCA designed their AM section in that regard--did they favor good sound or was it just a standard AM tuner?

Chris Campbell

Thanks for a reminder of that. I have two FM-AM tuners from this brief era that were probably optimized on AM, judging by the excessive number of tubes and circuits just for the AM side. 1959 Fisher 101R (Firedome gets this next) and my Grandpop's 1960 Sherwood S-2200, which has a spot for an FM mpx sub chassis.