However, before bringing the line out, Philips stepped in and bought Magnavox. Also, they hoped it would save the company. The Magnavox engineers took on a task to make a no-holds barred system that would compete with the best and upgrade and expand the 1500 to capture a place in the hi-fi market that the Japanese were taking over. The Philips Laboratory Series trace their beginnings back to Magnavox and the model 1500 receiver that was very well designed and respected. They had silver aluminum faceplates with vinyl veneer-on-metal covers. Philips also made the exact same models with only three digits (without the "1" at the end 787, 786, etc). For that reason alone, the general consensus favors the 78xx series. The similar later versions like the 7961/7971 from Philips were almost identical except for some very slight downgrades on the power boards. Suffice to say that this AH-7871 receiver easily competes with the likes of the better Marantz and Pioneer receivers in that class of power output. It's a beautiful, powerful and unique piece of vintage history. Overall, the Philips AH-7871 is best described as way more powerful than it seems with no listening fatigue and a very neutral amp section. All the inputs, outputs, functions and lamps are working perfectly. Looking at the back end, the triple set of speaker terminals are unique very strong, spring-loaded push-buttons that result in very tight and secure wiring connections. The coating has a slight texture and it's easy to clean and/or will handle any type of stain finish for added luster. Underneath that black resin coating is a solid timberwood base. The case itself is also unique to this series from Philips. The discrete function slots and glass radio dial lamps cast a soft white glow in the dark it's a stunning visual because the polished silver accents reflect the faceplate's lamps in just the right amount. The proprietary Philips knurled-machined black aluminum step detent knobs and switches have polished silver edges. The black, anodized aluminum faceplate has coated white silkscreen lettering that doesn't fade or wear off over time. The cosmetic design of this receiver is simply drop-dead gorgeous. This unit also has an adjustable phono level input pot directly below the phono jacks. The preamp and phono sections are definitely excellent. The sensitive tuner section features a wide-scale glass and flywheel tuning knob. These units are praised for their wonderful midrange and can bring out vocals with the best of them (depending on choice of speakers of course!) It has additional thermal and circuit protection. Also, the 7871 does not use relays in the speaker protection circuit so no worries there. This build quality ensures very low (almost non-existent) noise. This yields ample headroom, excellent transient response, extended low frequency output and maximized channel separation. Under the hood of the Philips 7871, the boards are well laid out (easier to service when and if needed.) Looking further inside reveals a massive, cool-running transformer driving a very sturdy power supply. They were essentially the same except for the addition of a thin bevel on the faceplate, a slight mod of the knob design and having the meters placed sideways or vertical.) (The 7871 model overlapped with the replacement of the AH-7971. Proven to be of excellent interior build quality, the 7871 is a powerful receiver with connections for three pairs of speakers. Lastly, it was left powered up (under a low volume load) for 24 hours with no issues the transformer was only slightly warm to the touch. It was then tested for 100% perfect operation. All knobs/switch covers were removed and individually polished. This particular unit is absolutely perfect in both cosmetics and operation.Īs per our standard (and very thorough) service, this unit was opened up for complete inspection, bias, cleaning/deoxit (including all pots, switches, boards, etc). One of the most rare and most beautiful of the late 70's vintage, black-face stereo receivers, the Philips High Fidelity Laboratories AH-7871, rated at a conservative 60 watts per channel, was the TOTL from Philips and is universally considered VERY rare.
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