Phonoland

My wife recently inherited a Magnavox console stereo and record player that was purchased in 1963.
It seem to be working except for the sylus/needle, which is busted.

I know next to nothing about this model or stereos of the era in general, so please keep that in mind when you post

Anyway, if you have any idea of how I can go about fixing this, please share. I'd greatly appreciate it. The console came with a stack of classic records I'm dying to play.
Pics below:


This is the best shot of the console itself I could get. This things weighs almost as much as my wife's old upright piano.


This is the brochure that came with it. I just thought it was cool and wanted to share.


A close up of the make and model.


Here's the record player itself. Everything but the stylus seems to be working.


The issue at hand. If you know how to fix this, please let me know!


Some needles and the piece the flips between speeds? Not sure what to do with these.

Thanks again for any help you can provide!

That's a mid/late 60's Astrosonic, not early 60's.
Appears the tonearm if damaged/broken? - that'll need replacing, then a proper realignment done.
Those changers always need a complete overhaul anyway after decades.
Those "needles" pictures are not from that unit.

Thanks for the response, MattTech.
I unscrewed the tonearm so that I could get a decent picture of the underside of the arm where the needle goes.
Do you have any recommendations for repairing this?
I also don't know what is involved in an overhaul/realignment. If there are any guides out there you can point me to, I'd be much obliged.

Thanks again!

Collaro brand record changers are complex, and require specific knowledge to service - certainly not for a novice or tinker to mess with, sorry.
My advice is to have it professionally done by someone who knows Collaro's, otherwise you'll likely wind up with a bag of parts.
There really wasn't a need to remove the tonearm from it's delicate pivots, which you've done already.

Ok got it.
Do you have any suggestions for the Jacksonville, Florida area?

If this was something purchased back in 1963, it would have a different turntable, like a W604 series with the black curved tonearm, and would look something like the pics below.

I would say what you have is something definitely after 1966/1967, especially with that W620 series turntable. --BB




Yes, they've even progressed into the W714 series and W800 series which looks very similar to the W620's.

And, from looking at that speaker grille, you might be sporting two horns for each channel. Check out your date of manufacture stickers on the radio/amp chassis and model number on the underside of the turntable.

You might have some type of Astro-Sonic 100 or at least an Astro-Sonic 40 in your possession, and with that heavy cabinet, it's not gonna sound boomy. --BB




Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

The fun part will be getting back the adjustments that may change because you took the arm pivots apart.

I know this is an old post, but I just came across it.

What you have is a 1967 through 1969 Magnavox Imperial in the Aegean Classic cabinet. It was top of the line - only select dealers could carry them. It should also have a 2 button remote control, of which the functions are duplicated on the control panel (the power tuning / record changer cycle and volume control).

That record changer has a solenoid on it to allow remote cycling of the unit. If a replacement changer is installed, the solenoid may be transferable. But what happened to the arm did not ruin the changer - it just needs the arm pivot re-assembled. Those changers had a quirk where the arm only lifted a small amount, barely enough to change the stylus. To change the cartridge requires removal of the changer. As already stated, not a changer for the beginner - very complex, very high quality, very repairable.