Graetz Spitzen Super 177W

Graetz Spitzen Super 177W – en

5th March 201725th April 2023
by giovanni

The Graetz Spitzen Super 177W is the most prestigious Graetz radio produced in the early 50s. “Spitzen Super” means extra strong, the device’s vocation.
This device is huge and does not hide its pride of being on the A list. The cabinet, in my opinion, is the best among the Graetz devices. The wood flames are deliberately noticeable and give the cabinet a certain lightness. Its blunted edges and again lighten the overall aspect of the cabinet.

The sound of this device is rather smooth and its knobs can be turned without twitches. Tuning stability is given by the heavy fly-wheel located on the same axis of the control and ensuring inertia.

The power stage is a push-pull of two EL84 like many other later Hi-Fi amplifiers. The remarkable loudspeaker array with a huge wide band elliptical woofer, an elliptical midrange and a cone tweeter on the backside.
The sound is powerful and very precise. Graetz favored sound quality over pure power and wanted to document the details of this choice. Further on, on this page, you can find an entire section describing the actions made on this device. Usual profound bass, medium is there and acute is sharp. Clearly the valve final creates no problem with the listening.

This Graetz is certainly the result of an accurate study and of an expensive project in order to be among the best at that time.
The counterreaction circuits are very complex and tone controls are inside them, so that the emphasis given to the controls varies according to the volume. This effects adds to the fact that the circuit is equipped with a more than one stage loudness. When the acute sounds are at the highest the medium AM bell-shaped curve can be changes with the help of a switch integrated in the potentiometer. By doing this the acute sounds of that band can be further raised.
Many other remarkable elements characterize this device. An example is the number of condensers employed. A beautiful high quality device, with a fascinating aesthetics, perfectly functioning and with a powerful and “cozy” sound.

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.

The Ehrich & Graetz metalworks was a factory established in 1866 in Berlin by Albert Graetz (1831–1901) and the tradesman Emil Ehrich (died 1887) under the name "Lampen-Fabrik Ehrich & Graetz OHG" (E&G).
By 1897 the firm was controlled by Albert's sons, Max Graetz, and Adolf Graetz. The company grew rapidly, and in 1899 factory complexes were built in Berlin, in the United States, France, the UK, and Bombay.
Around 1910-1916 Max Graetz developed the famous Petromax Lantern. Around 1925 the factory also produced radios, and other electrical appliances under the name Graetzor.

In the Second World War, just as in the First World War, the company was part of the war industry. With the use of forced laborers from France, Russia and the Netherlands the company made huge gains in production.
At the end of April 1945 the factory was claimed by the Russian army.

In 1949 the firm became part of the "peoples" program, "VEB-VolksEigenerBetrieb" and since 1950 "VEB Fernmeldewerk, Berlin Treptow (RFFT)." VolksEigenerBetrieb, means that the factory was owned by the people for the people (Communism)

In 1948 Erich, and Fritz Graetz founded a new company in Altena, Germany known by the name The Graetz Firm, which was successor to the lost family company in Berlin. The new company produced mainly radios and televisions.
In 1961 the company was then sold to Standard Elektrik Lorenz (SEL) AG, but since 1987 has been to the present owned by the Finnish company Nokia.

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 see the rotation mechanism and the position indicator of the aerial.
The reception sensitivity with internal aerials is very good. This unit was in fact produced in a period when there were not many radio stations and those available fairly apart from each others.
Using an external aerial sensitivity is further increased.

On the left side you can see the volume control knob (with incorporated loudness).
On the same axis there is the regulation of the ferrite aerial.
On the right the magic eye indicating the perfect tuning of each station.
Below the bass tones indicator and further below its control knob.
The Long, Medium, and Short Wave AM scale and the FM scale.
On left-hand corner on the bottom the Off, record player, recorder buttons and those for Long, Medium 1, 2, Short and FM Wave bands.
On the right the treble indicator and its control knob.