Quote:
Originally Posted by radiotvnut
That's actually a neutral setting. The only 8 rpm players that I've seen were for playing talking books for the blind.
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Interesting (to me, anyway) that Admiral would use the numeral "8" on that changer's speed selector to mark the neutral position. I would expect, rather, to see the letter "N", which would make more sense. What was the neutral position used for? I don't recall ever seeing a record changer before this one which had it. The only thing I can come up with is the neutral position stopped the turntable and disengaged it from the drive mechanism, so the amplifier could be used with an external radio tuner, or as a PA system amplifier; however, with only two transistors, that amplifier couldn't have had much output, even at full volume.
As to the cartridge, I'm sure there are suitable substitutes for the original to be found if you do some looking. Crystal cartridges lose output as they age, so after 46 years, it is little wonder this one is almost dead. You could substitute a ceramic or magnetic cartridge, but this would require the use of a preamplifier ahead of it since this type of cartridge does not have nearly as much output as does a crystal cartridge. My best guess is this unit was fitted with a crystal cartridge because it was a low-end model, probably intended for use by teenagers to play their favorite rock-and-roll records of the time. This player has a mono amplifier with parallel-connected speakers for the same reason. Again, my best guess is these players were sold at cheap prices, so it would be unrealistic to expect them to have stereo amplifiers or high-end cartridges.
Most record changers or single-play turntables designed for use with "talking book" records had a 16 2/3 rpm setting on the speed selector. I don't know how long the 8-rpm speed was used. I had record players as a kid which had four-speed turntables, one of those speeds being 16 rpm. The 8-rpm speed may have been eliminated by the time your Admiral record player was introduced.