What was the last year Zenith used the Cobra tone arm?

Doug VanCleave · **Posted:** Jan Sat 24, 2009 9:10 pm

Tony,
Motorola made an early Hi-Fi model, I think it was called the Sonata or something like that, model 53F2. It was in a brown Bakelite cabinet and was exactly as you describe yours. I got the impression that the plug-in cartridge was an early ceramic. I remember looking at the schematic for that set and what stood out as different was that it used a voltage doubler to increase the B+ voltage to give it higher audio output power. I didn't notice a separate phono oscillator circuit. Maybe it used the AM oscillator or something not so obvious.

Hi-Fi in Fiberglass · **Posted:** Jan Sat 24, 2009 11:12 pm

Doug VanCleave wrote:

Hi-Fi in Fiberglass wrote:

...I was refering to the later Cobra type,the same style used on the Calypso that takes the Astatic 93T stylus.
I have heard it said that they were hard on record grooves.

In their day, they weren't the worst. They usually tracked around 6-grams, had good frequency response and were easy to replace. 6-grams are not as bad as it sounds on a mono record groove. At the time there were many other style ceramic cartridges that were much harder on the records.

If you have ever played a stack of 45-rpm records on a Dual 1229Q turntable with a Shure V15 type 3 moving magnet cartridge tracking just under 1-gram, anything less seems almost barbaric. :lol:

Does anyone sell replacement styli for the Calypso that have a stereo tip?
When I first got my Seeburg M100W many years ago the only styli available for the original Pickering redheads were nos "mono tip" type and when you played a stereo record on it it sounded horrible.
Thankfully they are now available with the .7 mil tip.
Just wondering if there is an updated version of the 93t available.

The only Dual I have had was a 1019 and I liked it a lot.it was very well made.
It had a cool asymmetrical walnut plinth and smoked dome.
Speaking of 1019's I was watching the Sanford & Son episode "The Blind Mellow Jelly Collection" yesterday and there is a 1019 sitting on the counter when Fred and Lamont go in to donate their 78's.

"I want my Daddy's records" Lol

Doug VanCleave · **Posted:** Jan Sun 25, 2009 12:01 am

Plinth? Dome? Are you British?

Hi-Fi in Fiberglass · **Posted:** Jan Sun 25, 2009 3:50 am

Doug VanCleave wrote:

Plinth? Dome? Are you British?

No,but I do appreciate some of their old tv shows,like "the Avengers","the Saint","Thunderbirds",etc!

45sguy · **Posted:** Jan Mon 26, 2009 12:26 am

Doug VanCleave wrote:

If you look through any record changer parts and service manual, you will not find any reference to anything called a stacker. :roll:

Sorry, as an old TT guy that word bugs me. It was invented by a boutique store owner who didn't know the proper name of any of the parts on an automatic record changer. :lol:

Ha ha! That is pretty "slang", isn't it? I suppose it's hard to fix something when someone keeps making things up!

I sold electronics for a few years, I should know that!

eric

Doug VanCleave · **Posted:** Jan Mon 26, 2009 3:44 am

Eric,

I'm glad you took it the way I meant. I try not to be this cranky old coot who hates change but I've had a long time interest in the phonograph. My greatest pet peeve is that phonographs play records, not "vinyl". I don't understand the need to re-define the already well defined, but that's my problem. :lol:

45sguy · **Posted:** Jan Mon 26, 2009 3:32 pm

Doug VanCleave wrote:

I don't understand the need to re-define the already well defined, but that's my problem. :lol:

Nope. Ours. Also, several others I've run into. I'm not a fan of ambiguity. I'm a teacher's aide, so I like things clearly defined.

eric

gary k. · **Posted:** May Tue 29, 2012 3:08 pm

Just picked up this counter demonstrator model but the red cartridge is bad. Does anyone out there have a spare cartridge that they'd be willing to part with?

What was the last year Zenith used the Cobra tone arm?

Who is online