Magnavox Micromatic

My wife has just brought home a Magnavox Micromatic console Am /Fm stereo phonograph.It needs a new needle for the phongraph.The turntable has #150927-2 on the top.The cartridge says Electrovoice and has 426 in blue ink on the side. The back of the cabinet has Model#15T689 serial#3544280. Can anyone give me some help with what I can replace the needle with(I just want it to work).It would be nice to know more about what we have too(when it was made,current value,etc.)Is there a reprint available of the owners manual?Thanks in advance for the help.I am new to the forum

I am new to the forum and really appreciate the info the old hats are sharing.I am still looking at the archived posts but thought asking would be a quicker path to getting my turntable up and running(AND making the wife happy )

I'll take a shot at helping you...I think the 5 in your model # is a S and not a 5 making it model # 1ST689 and if that's the model # you need the needle I'm posting a link to http://www.turntableneedles.com/find10. ... lect=Model
Radio shack also sells needles and did not have what you need from what I can tell...turntableneedles calls your needle part # 365 priced at $14.99 and if Radio Shack had it you would pay like $ 4.99-5.99 for it. Double check your model # and we will get you pointed in the right direction.

WELCOME TO THE BOARD!!!

It does my heart good to see that the interest is still out there for these old, vintage, antique, whatever...relics. Okay, I'll try to keep it simple, since I can be quite long-winded.

You're on the right track as far as cartridge numbers. There may be an addtional number on the back of it. I have a sample of an EV275 with a Magnavox 560345 number on it. I don't know with the 802 and 742 designate.

For date of manufacture, look for some date stickers on the receiver/amp chassis. Something like "Chassis 10/65". Also, your amp could say something like "A575-02-00" or a seperate receiver "R204-01-10". Your turntable could be something like a W620-01-00. These are components from a gutted Astro-Sonic 100 that has a separate receiver and amplifier.



Every internal component has its own service manual. Turntable, receiver, amp, extra 8-track, reel-to-reel, cassette deck. That cabinet/serial number is of no help because the cabinet could have been used for several years so the "guts" will be different..





Again, a hearty WELCOME to the Board, and I'm sure you'll find all your answers here!!! --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

Bobby, and All,
You "long winded" ---
On the cart.'s added numbers--it is a "custom" that when one company uses a pre-existing part ( or has one built to specs.) made by another company and adds their own "in house" part number, that a "date code" is added at the time of delivery (and hopefully "incoming" QC inspection). If it's a three number code such as this, it is usually read as the year-and week number. Thus "742" would indicate the 7th year ( of the 50's, or 60's?) and 42 would indicate the 42nd week of that year. "802" would be the 8th year, 2nd week. If the product is used past ten years, often the code gets switched so that it would designate the week first, and the year last. Thus "742" would now read "427" for the 42nd week of the seventh(eenth) year--- Ron Rich

O.k. lots of good info on how to understand Magnavox's numbering system, but no one answered the question of what needle should he purchase?
I think Bobby wants the rest of the numbers off the cart. in order to tell you the correct needle # to purchase and sorry for being no help at all.

Thanks, Ron

Regarding that "3rd" number/in-house part number. I was totally clueless. No tech here, just playing it by ear. There must be more on that cartrdige other than "426", unless he has an older model that may only have one number.


I'm thinking he has a unit from between 1966 and 1968. He needs to look at the underside of the turntable to see exactly what he has...Maybe a W620/W621/W622 turntable. In that case, he may have the small EV275 or an Astatic 165D, very little, if no, difference. Just remove the single screw that holds that mounting bracket to see what other numbers may be hidden.


If Radio Shack still has them online, they were between $4.99 and $5.99 years ago.

Sorry for all the pics, but since it's allowed here, I'd like to contribute what little I have to help the newbies and other first-time posters, though it may be redundant at times. Some of the full-time lurkers may benefit, too. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

I found out something interesting today. The Electrovoice Model 275 is different for each set it's installed in, from the $59 mono portable, up to the most expensive set, they apparently are different output tuned to each amp they're paired with, like one version will play up the bass, one will play up the treble, so you are advised to give the Model and Run Numbers when you replace one, even when you are dealing with used.

If these cartridges were ordered by the thousands to have in stock, I think that would be expensive to have each cartridge tuned to a particular unit by part and run number.

I'm thinking that any tweaking would be done in the preamp section to best utilize the specified cartridge being used. If you were to take a console with a W621 with an EV275 cartridge and swapped in an older W608 that takes a larger cartridge there would be a big difference, because the EV275 puts out about .25 volts, while those larger cartridges put out about 1 volt. Four times the output and there would be distortion.

I've never experimented in the preamp area before, but I think it would involve some different values of resistors/transistors and/or caps to pad or boost the signal/output. That would be key link between the cartridge and the amp and this is just my hypothesis and guestimating.

The preamp reminds me of a PA system that can accept a variety of mics and be able to tweak them all to your liking with its preamp/mixer section, but in consoles, the setting is hardwired for a particular cartridge. It's similar to folks who use a magnetic cartridge in these consoles and have to install a preamp to alter/boost the original hardwired signal.

When I've ordered cartridges from Garage-a-Records and other places, there was no mention about part and run numbers, just cross-reference charts.

I have two Astro-Sonic 100's from 1965/1966 with identical tuners and amps, BUT they have different turntables. See Sample below. These are just spares that I have, and I truly apologize for any misinformation stated here. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

71stereotheatre wrote:I found out something interesting today. The Electrovoice Model 275 is different for each set it's installed in, from the $59 mono portable, up to the most expensive set, they apparently are different output tuned to each amp they're paired with, like one version will play up the bass, one will play up the treble, so you are advised to give the Model and Run Numbers when you replace one, even when you are dealing with used.

There are only two basic "275" style cartridges.
One produced 160 mv, the other 250 mv output.
It's got nothing to do with bass or treble though.
It depends on the input circuitry of the individual unit its used in.

Thanks for those last two answers, the two different outputs makes more sense. I need cartridges for two Automatics, and two 40 watt sets, eventually. I had to have misconstrued what I thought I heard.

Actually, the tweak was an RC network under the plinth of the turntable.

thepirk wrote:My wife has just brought home a Magnavox Micromatic console Am /Fm stereo phonograph.It needs a new needle for the phongraph.The turntable has #150927-2 on the top.The cartridge says Electrovoice and has 426 in blue ink on the side. The back of the cabinet has Model#15T689 serial#3544280. Can anyone give me some help with what I can replace the needle with(I just want it to work).It would be nice to know more about what we have too(when it was made,current value,etc.)Is there a reprint available of the owners manual?Thanks in advance for the help.I am new to the forum

sure.

Hi Record-changer,
Am I correct in assuming that there is only one cartridge, with the same number ? It would be my hope that the maker would not make a change such as that without changing the cartridge part number-or, at least adding a prefix,or suffix designator--- but anyone who reads, has seen the "disclaimer" that states something like "--specifications subject to change without notice". Ron Rich

The difference is easily corrected with the volume control. They may have just made a production change that resulted in better sound. And it may be that the real difference was in a better stylus, rather than a different cartridge.