RCA Victor model VHT52W console stereo

Gotcha.

I may hook it up anyway just to see what it sounds like.

My parents had a similar rig but it was much smaller width and taller. I remember it had one huge speaker in the bottom. It sounded terrible. I had a couple of Led Zeppelin albums (I and II) that I tried to play loud (of course, I was a teenager back then) and the thing was just awful.

Indeed, inflated power ratings give the unsuspecting and clueless solace.
Power, Size, etc.... all hype to make them think they have something special.
Just like those men with little weenies driving a sportscar or Hummer.... oye.

What do you guys think about gutting the existing speaker drivers and replacing with the drivers from a pair of 10 year old Infinity floorstanding speakers? I can remove the drivers and crossover from the Infinity and mount them in the console (with a new plywood mounting plate). The Infinity drivers are 1" tweeter and 6.25" midrange. There is also a 10" woofer but I don't think it will physically fit so I would just use the other 2 drivers. These were pretty good speakers but of course taking them out of their factory enclosure may screw the sound up - just don't know how much. Then there is the issue with the open back of the console but I am not looking for audiophile speaker performance here - just something good enough for regular everyday TV watching.

Thanks.

Well, I wound up practically gutting the darn thing after all. Removed the amp and speakers and the plywood panels that the speakers mounted to. Made new plywood panels with new grille cloth. Built small riser boxes behind the grilles and set my small Polk bookshelf speakers on the riser boxes as close to the grille as possible. ( I used some rubber feet under the boxes and the speakers to keep them from sliding and also eliminate vibration.) Then I put the Onkyo receiver and Sony bluray player in the back between the 2 speakers. I used a remote eye extender threaded up behind my center channel speaker which you can't even see. I also removed the legs in order to drop the height down so it now sits on the small riser the legs were attached to (about 22 inches overall now). I made some new shorter legs that mimic the original taper legs. I put those large felt circles under the bottom so I can slide it around easily. I left all the wiring , the turntable and the tuner intact in case anyone might want to convert it back at some point.

It looks good, it works and it sounds just fine. The cabinet gives a classy look to the room. Sure beats the black glass and mdf Sanus low-boy cabinet stuffed with speakers and gear that I had there before.

I also saw where there is a company on the internet that takes this exact same console cabinet and installs some rather high end components. They put a very high end turntable where the old one was, fit some new large amps into the cabinet and off you go...............Not sure the cost nor how much to ship it but I am sure it ain't cheap. Don't remember the link or I would post it - saw it one night when I was surfing............