5050W - en Archives – Luxuryradios

Grundig 5050W Enhanced- en

13th October 20237th February 2024
by giovanni

Also this reviews will be accompanied by a section with graphs of technical measures of the most important parameters.
There is no such thing anywhere else, as far as I know. Not even the manufacturers themselves detailed the technical features of their own devices at this level.
This new section has been developed for an objective comparison of different devices.
In order to avoid interpreting the measurements incorrectly, it is very important to read the warnings carefully the first time.

The Grundig 5050W was the most prestigious model produced by the German company in 1953. The version we present in this review has been modified in order to maximize the performance of this device.

The FM converter stage is particularly interesting. Unlike the usual stages composed of the classic ECC85 double triode (specially designed for this) two separate tubes were used on the 5050W in order to avoid any capacitive interference between the antenna amplifier stage, consisting of a single EC92 triode and the oscillator stage /mixer, consisting of a double ECC81 triode. The stability and silence characteristics of this stage are excellent. It is only recommended to be very careful when replacing the ECC81 due to the differences in interelectrode capacitance between tubes from different manufacturers, which could cause differences in the operation of the stage.

The power output stage is an excellent example of a Push-Pull amplifier, with two EL84s with well-known sonic characteristics.
The phase inverter stage consists of a double triode Ecc81 in "Anode follower" configuration. Also in this case the characteristics of the tube are important. To have correct driving of the two final EL84s, which work in counter-phase, one on the positive half-waves and one on the negative half-waves, it is advisable to check the signal present on the two grids of the final pentodes. A possible correction can be obtained by intervening on the R8-R53 divider but the modification requires a certain amount of expertise and equipment.

The feedback is moderate, and affects the response curve. The resulting sound is very open, with great presence in the mid and high tones and sufficiently damped bass.
The cabinet is very robust and free of vibrations and resonances.

There are four speakers, all on the front.
These are two full-range cones of 25 cm each and two coaxial electrostatic tweeters which are inserted when the TA button or the UKW/FST button is pressed.
The advantage of having two separate full-range speakers is that for the same amount of air moved, the cones and the voice coil support are much lighter to move, so each speaker is much faster and more responsive. All this translates into more responsive and muffled bass and without serious resonances.
The die-cast baskets ensure the mechanical rigidity of the speaker itself, therefore again reduction of resonances and greater efficiency of the transducer (no force is dissipated in the vibration of the basket).
The entire frequency range is sent to these speakers and the high part is cut mechanically.

The front canvas covering the speakers is never completely acoustically transparent.
For this reason, the only way to obtain maximum performance from the appliance is to eliminate it.
We built a dummy frame into which the original canvas was installed. This frame attaches to the speaker panel with magnets.
In this way it is possible to detach it when you want to listen to music with maximum transparency and put it back in its place when the radio is at rest to protect the loudspeakers from dust and to restore the original aesthetic appearance of the unit.
As an example, we publish on the page a photo of a device previously made with detachable canvas.

All this translates into exciting dynamics, brilliance of sound, lack of oscillation of the canvas in the presence of low frequencies, making listening to this beautiful device very realistic and pleasant. With a pinch of eccentricity.

The first song Elli is taken from Avishai Cohen's album Continuo. The album consists of 10 songs where Cohen's bass is always present. The entire album is inspired by traditional Middle Eastern music with great attention to classical music and with energetic solo cues that make it one of the artist's most interesting productions. Amos Hoffman contributed the characteristic sound of his instrument, an oud, to some songs on "Continuo".

The second piece is the famous "Ave Maria" by Franz Schubert performed by the tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Schubert composed ''Liederzyklus vom Fräulein vom See'' (Song Cycle from the Lady of the Lake) in 1825, inspired by the poem The Lady of the Lake'' by Walter Scott. The third lieder of Schubert's work, it was composed for the female voice but is often performed by baritones or tenors.

The third song is taken from Ana Caram's album "Postcard from Rio". This is Samba Torto, a song by Antonio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim. Tom, as Jobim called himself, knew how to blend samba and jazz, giving life to Bossa Nova. Tom then made Bossa Nova known in the USA and around the world. His most famous album, “The Man From Ipanema”, is worth listening to.

The fourth song is the very famous Back to Black by Amy Winehouse. Literally Back to Black actually means returning to a state of depression after the end of a love relationship. She herself specifies that it is a state of despondency in which the pain of loneliness drowns in alcohol and drugs. The reference is to her tormented history with Blake Fielder-Civil, which led to her death after a physically and psychologically toxic marriage, where Amy, already debilitated by eating disorders, did not last long.

The fifth song is Corpus Christi Carol by Benjamin Britten performed by Jeff Beck. Corpus Christi Carol was first performed by Leslie Woodgate. The text appears to be an allegory in which the crucifix is described as a wounded knight, and the knight could be Christ who bleeds incessantly for the sins of humanity. The lyrics of Britten's re-edition were taken from the Christmas carol "In the cold/grey, midwinter" by the English poet Christina Rossetti.

BLUETOOTH

Bluetooth receiver embed

MULTI PLATFORM CONNECTION

Each radio is equipped with a cable for connection to any digital device.

– Bluetooth receiver embed – The unit is equipped with a BLUETOOTH receiver powered directly by the receiver power supply. This makes it possible to control the amplifier from any external digital device as an IPAD, a Smartphone, or a sophisticated multimedia station. So you can hear your preferred web station or your lossesless file without cables on the room. Wireless Receiver can be equipped upon requests.
– Multi Platform Connection – A customized adaptation cable to connect any digital device as Iphone, Smartphone, Laptop, CD Player etc. will be provided with this radio. This special cable suits the different impedances between the modern equipment and the receiver. Furthermore the two stereo channels flow into one without increasing the load to the input unit.

1930 - At 22 years old Max Grundig begin a radio repair business.

1939 - The II world War start. Grundig works primarily for the Wehrmacht and repair of telecommunication equipment.

1945 - Immediately after the war, the demand for repair work was very great. Max Grundig built the first two Grundig appliances: the Tubatest tube tester and the Novatest testing device.

1947 - Start the sale of a kit radio, the Heinzelmann. The unit is the basis of success, sold more than 15,000 pieces.

1950 - Very high frequency (VHF) is introduced to Germany and places new demands on the industry. Grundig launches the 380 W on the market.

1952 - The first television channel starts up in Germany. After intensive research, Grundig launches the FS 080 onto the market. In the same year the first portable tape recorder Reporter 500 L is created.

1956 - After a lot of radio produced with progrssively high performances was produced the Concert Radio 5080 equipped with an equaliser, which has five controls and a visual display.

1965 - A new factory is established in Braga, Portugal. The Satellit 205 is one of many appliances in the Satellit series. This product marks the beginning of Grundig production of high-quality global receivers.

1970 - The Audiorama 7000 Hi-fi was produced, it has twelve dynamic speaker systems in one speaker.

1976 - The Reel Tape Recorder TS 1000 is equipped for semi-professional use.

1980 - The slim-line Hi-fi Tuner ST 6000 and the Monolith Hi-fi Dynamic Flat Top Antenna, which has 22 speaker systems, are two particularly popular appliances in the new hi-fi range.

1984 - After severe drop in sales Philips increased its stake in Grundig 31.6 percent and takes over the corporate management.

1997 - Philips pulls out of its involvement with Grundig.

2003 - The company files for bankruptcy.

2008 - Turkey's Koç Holding took full ownership of Grundig Multimedia B.V., the parent company of Grundig Intermedia GmbH in Nuremberg.

Courtesy of: Grundig

MEASURED TECHNICAL FEATURES

IMPORTANT REMARK
(to be read carefully at least the first time)

The following measures have been carried out in order to compare, from an electrical point of view, the devices that will be reviewed on this site. It is not possible to make comparisons with measurements made by other laboratories on different devices. The instrumentation and measurement conditions are probably very different.
The instrumentation used for the measurements is obsolete and unprofessional. We believe that more precise instrumentation is not necessary due to the tolerances of the human auditory system. Distinguishing a distortion of 1% from one of 1.1% or 1.001% only makes sense from the electrical point of view. Probably no one can hear the difference by ear. Only a child and very few lucky people can perceive the difference between a flat response curve up to 16 KHz and one up to 20 kHz.
The perception of sound depends on many factors, namely the age of the listener, the listening environment, the musical genre that is being reproduced, the listener's expectations, his or her listening habits and knowledge and many other factors, besides of course the quality of the other devices. Therefore, there is no direct and unique relationship between the results of the measurements made and the pleasantness of listening to a specific device.

BANDWIDTH

Normally the measurement of the bandwidth is done on a resistive load. Therefore, the deformation caused by the loudspeakers' inductive load and the effect of the mechanical resonance of the speakers themselves on the feedback circuit are not considered. The effects are by no means negligible, the measurements carried out on a purely resistive load are always very linear but they don't coincide with the real frequency response.

On the other hand, this response curve was measured on an inductive laod, that is, with its own loudspeakers.
The frequency response measurements were made with a sinusoidal generator and a Wandel & Goltermann WM – 20 level meter.
You can see the actual frequency response on the vobulator' screen.

Inside the cabinet there is a dipole for FM reception and a ferrite rotating aerial for AM reception.
Ferrite aerial can be rotated from the outside to achieve a perfect tuning of the device in the AM.
In this picture you can see the rotation mechanism, and the aerial position indicator.
The reception sensitivity with internal aerials is very good. This unit was in fact produced when there were not many radio stations, and those available were far from each other.
Using an external aerial sensitivity is further increased.