Tag: pilot

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Antique Hi-Fi Archive

Mono Pilot Hi-Fi Console System circa 1955

From PS Dot Com reader C. McColm come these images of his original circa 1955 Pilot mono hi-fi system.  I take C.M. at his word when he relates that there was a cult for Pilot in the 1950s; this website gets an unusual amount of traffic from individuals searching for, and reading, the few PILOT articles I have posted.

Pilotuners were made for a very long time, in many configurations; I’ve personally bought two in the past year alone.  Complete 1950s hi-fi systems like C.M.s are rare these days for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that many have been cut up and gutted for parts over the years.  It can be hard to find the space to incorporate a unit like this in a modern domestic-space, but for anyone who enjoys listening to 1940s and 1950s recordings, I can’t imagine a better way to hear it than on a system like this.

C.M. relates:

‘ALL PILOT electronics; Pilotuner tuner/pre amp, Miracord Auto Turntable.  Williamson Amp with a pair of Genelex KT66 tubes … Great sound: like you are really there. The Pilot pre amp tuner has adjustable AFC for the FM, EQ for the phono; roll-off  and turnover frequencies and a setting for early 78s; if you have 78’s, you need this eq setting to hear them properly. The built-in speaker cabinet is ported and bass reproduction is clear and solid. The High end on the triaxial speaker is great also. Speaker is branded University Sound; (this was) a division of Altec. Huge speaker with L-pads for the mid and high frequency drivers.

    ‘ This console, with the original Goodmans Speaker, won 1st place in a hi-fi show in NY city. My friend’s Father assembled it .This turntable has a Magnetic cartridge . A lot of systems then were (considered) hi-end if they had a Magnetic phono input . It has both LP and 78 needles switch-able without removal.’

‘This set sat inoperative for a long time . (I performed) a complete cabinet restoration, replaced a fuse, and cleaned the controls. This set really gets the job done. Pilot was really HI END; it was not as popular as Fisher or Marantz or Scott. People in the know knew about this stuff.’

See this link and this link for previous PILOT coverage on Preservation Sound.

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The Pilot ‘Pilotrol’ Hi Fi Preamp of the early 1950s

Pilot was one of the classic NYC Golden-Age Hi-Fi makers (see here for earlier coverage on PS dot com).  Although the Pilotuner mono FM tuner series was their most iconic product, the Pilotrol was their flagship offering.

(image source)

The Pilotrol seems like an attempt to satisfy the most compulsive hi-fi fans; it really seems like they tried to cram as many lights, buttons, features, and knobs in there as possible.  What with the excess of buttons, slant-front cabinet, and VU meter, Pilot seems to have been trying to turn the simple act of using your audio system into an experience; I see shades of ‘Mission Control,’ ‘The Cockpit,’ and maybe police radio as well in the design.  Anyhow, it’s too bad this is a mono unit; otherwise I’d be looking for one…

Here’s the schematic.  Nice pentode phono input.  Anyhow, we can see echos of the Pilotrol and its feature-laden ilk in much hi-fi gear of the 70s – consider a typical high-end receiver of that era.  Modern equivalents offer even more features, but nowadays the buttons and lights have been replaced with menus and screens.   In opposition to this thread, we have the minimalist streak best exemplified by Apple and its associates.   Which operating principle do you prefer?  Do you want the equipment to be in the background or the foreground of your audio-listening experience?  Exactly what is ‘the experience’ for you?  Hearing the sounds?  Or is the operation of the apparatus essential to your enjoyment? At what point will technology become so advanced and so pervasive that ‘controls’ themselves can only been seen as quaint and nostalgic?  Are we there yet?

See this link for some more thoughts on the function of ‘control’ in consumer audio equipment.

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Antique Hi-Fi Archive Manufacturers

Pilot Radio Corp Hi-Fi Line Circa 1962

Download the entire twenty-page 1962 PILOT hi-fi catalog:

DOWNLOAD: Pilot_HiFi_Line_1962_Catalog

Models covered include: Pilot 610, 602MA, 602SA, 654MA, and 746 receivers; Pilot Mark III, 280B, 285, and 780 FM tuners; Pilot 230, 240, 246, and 248B stereo integrated amplifiers; Pilot 200, 120, and 100 FM Stereo Multiplexers; Pilot-Garrard RC-3, RC-5, and RC-4 turntables; and Pilot PSV-2, PSV-3A, and PSV-4 speaker systems.

When you think of //Long Island City/Audio History//, what comes to mind, if anything?  Likely Fairchild and Marantz.   Pilot made neither pro-audio nor true high-end hi-fi, but as the graphic above reveals, they had quite a deep and storied history.   I have only one PILOT piece in my audio-pile (never say c%!!&ction) – an early stereo extension speaker – but I would bet that some of these pieces are pretty decent.