german radios - cn Archives

Nordmende…

17th 6月 2023
by giovanni

Nordmende Tannhäuser 59

Tannhäuser, born into a family of knights in Salzburg, took part maybe in the sixth Crusade of 1228 and led a wandering life as a poet and a bard. He attended the court of Duke Frederick II in Vienna.
According to legend, during his life Tannhäuser found the Venusburg (mount of Venus), the subterranean reign of Venus, and lived with her for one year. He then left the goddess, full of remorse, and undertook a journey to Rome, in order to ask Pope Urban IV for forgiveness. The Pope reminded him that such sins lead to eternal damnation and promised to forgive him only in the event of a miracle: the appearance of flowers on his cane. Three days later Tannhäuser returned to Vienna and the cane bloomed.

The legend was put into music by Richard Wagner in his Tannhäuser.

Nordmende, in its heyday of technological growth, decided to name “Tannhäuser” its best device ever produced.
A device designed to represent the crest of the technical perfection of its time and extreme attention to detail.
The output stage is composed of a pair of EL84 in Push-Pull. The phase inversion is carried out with a section of the double triode ECC82 in Cathodyne configuration. This kind of inverter has an advantage, the possibility to be connected directly to its previous stage. Such stage consists of the remaining section of the double triode ECC82, which provides for the amplification of the signal after the attenuation deriving from the tone control circuit.
The triode contained in the multifunction valve EABC80 constitutes the input preamplifier and receives a signal from a logarithmic potentiometer with 3 intermediate sockets for a complex and very accurate physiological volume control circuit.

The radio section is of the same high quality. An additional medium frequency stage is present, in order to increase the selectivity.
This allows the receipt of transmissions, especially in FM, particularly stable and free from disturbance.

The complex of loudspeakers, moreover, is really impressive. All the loudspeakers are made by Isophon.
The reproduction of low and medium frequencies is ensured by a big elliptic woofer P 2031/19/105 which measures 31 cm in length and 20 in height.
To trebles, instead, are dedicated 5 loudspeakers built with 2 different technologies.
Frontally we have a 13 cm midrange for a soft reproduction, perfectly integrated with that of the woofer.
On each side was placed the famous HM 10/12/70 cone tweeter and an ST HB7 electrostatic tweeter

As Baudelaire wrote, the Tannhäuser represents the struggle between the two principles which choose the human heart as their battlefield, that is the flesh against the spirit.
Nordmende honoured this great piece of work with the realisation of its best product.

Frontally, we can find the famous cone tweeter HM 10/12/70 The trumpet exit of a DKS 6/13/100 and an electrostatic tweeter ST HB7 were put on each side.

BLUETOOTH

Bluetooth receiver embedded

MULTI PLATFORM CONNECTION

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

- Bluetooth receiver embedded - 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.

In 1923 Otto Hermann Mende founded Radio H. Mende & Co. in Dresden. After the bombing of the factory in 1945, Martin Mende (son of the founder) created a new company in Bremen, the "North German Mende Broadcast GmbH" whose name was later changed into NORDMENDE.

In the 50s and 60s it became one of the most prestigious German TV and radios manufacturer.

In the 70s the televisions by NORDMENDE became famous for their frames, cards and for the rigorous testing and quality controls carried out on their finished products. Unfortunately, the high cost involved in such detailed quality determined a competitive disadvantage when the price of color television began to fall.

In 1977 the majority of the shares was sold to the French Thomson. The following year, the family sold the remaining shares. In 1980, the factories of Bremen was closed, NORDMENDE becoming purely a trademark of Thomson.

Thanks Dan Ludington for the image.

The device has been equipped with a frequency response correction system independent of the tone controls.
It is made up of 5 keys which insert predefined equalization curves operating on the feedback circuit (they are not passive filters).

The Bass key emphasizes bass tones.
The Sprache key boosts the mid-range for cleaner listening to spoken broadcasts.
The Expander key (the large central one) inserts a feedback curve that slightly favors the mid-bass tones, increasing the sense of space.
The Solo key slightly accentuates the mid-tones for easier listening to single instruments.
The Jazz key greatly emphasizes the low and high tones to facilitate listening to this musical genre.

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.

Above the dial, in the loudspeakers panel we find the series of buttons of the Bandbreite Schltbar, previously described.
Moving downwards on the tuning-dial, we first find the magical eye, which indicates the perfect tuning of each station. Below, we find the volume control (with integrated loudness).
By pulling the volume knob, the circuit which powers selectivity in the AM bands is inserted.
From the top down are then indicated the AM dial for Long, Medium and Short bands and below we find the FM dial.
Moving further right, we find the indicator of the position of the ferrite aerial.
Finally, there is the tuning knob, which movement is very pleasant as it is supported by a big flywheel.
Coaxial to the harmony knob is the knob which rotates the ferrite aerial.
Below on the left we find the treble control knob set in a nice bakelite casing with ivory effect.

ready for sale - cn

Saba Meer…

27th 5月 202327th 5月 2023
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 Meersburg is one of the most prestigious models produced by Saba. The version that we present in this review has been modified in order to maximize the performance of this device.

The low frequency stage is an excellent example of a class A amplifier, with an EL84 with well known sonic characteristics.
The feedback is moderate, so the resulting sound is very open, with great presence in the mids and trebles and sufficiently damped bass.
The cabinet is very robust and free from vibrations and resonances.
There are no equalizers or filter circuits that could introduce distortion or blurring of the sound.
In short, the first models of Saba Meersburg represent an ideal basis for an upgrade.

The weak point is represented by the loudspeaker system, and it is precisely the section on which we have worked around.

The speakers:
The larger of the two, a huge SABA 1675U10 with TIGGES Permadyn magnet in Alnico measures 35 x 24cm.
It is a loudspeaker built starting from 1953, with a magnet with a flux density of 8000 Gauss, an impedance of 4.1 Ohm and a voice coil of about 25 mm.
It has a frequency response that extends from 55 to 10,500Hz within +/-3dB.
The entire frequency range is sent to this loudspeaker and the high part is cut mechanically.
The cone, despite being very large is relatively light, this property allows you to have bass that are very ready, really powerful and without tails.

In our opinion, the original 5330F15 electrostatic tweeter is too inefficient compared to the large oval mid-woofer and above all it has a too high cutoff frequency. It begins to feel starting from 9600 Hz, and at a level that is too low anyway. It works therefore as a supertweeter rather than a tweeter.
This loudspeaker is placed in front of the full-range, almost in the centre. This arrangement (if it were placed right in the centre) would in our opinion be the ideal arrangement, see Goodmans Triaxiom, Altec Lansing Duplex and so on, because it allows very precise focusing of the sound image. However, since the mid-high frequencies emitted by the full range are concentrated right in the central part of the cone, the treble is mechanically hindered by the electrostatic loudspeaker placed in front.
The end result is a sound that tends towards gloom and with some unpleasant reflections as the electrostatic tweeter is not placed exactly coaxially with the mid-woofer.

We fixed these issues with two essential changes:
1 - Replacement and correct placement of the original tweeter with a Saba 5238U8 cone tweeter
2 - Made the frame with the front canvas removable

1) The Saba 5238U8 cone tweeter has a diameter of 112 mm, is equipped with a 7500 Gauss magnet, a very light 12 mm voice coil and an impedance of 5.1 Ohm.
The frequency response starts already regular from 1500 Hz and rises up to about 13 kHz, and then returns to decrease towards 20kHz.
Remember that all acoustic musical instruments that reach higher are the cymbals (Cymbals) that reach just over 10 kHz.
The efficiency of the tweeter and its low cut-off frequency compensate for the mids and trebles generated by the central part of the rear mid-woofer which are absorbed by the shadow cone of the tweeter itself.
The tweeter is positioned exactly in the center of the mid-woofer, in a perfectly coaxial position, thus avoiding the annoying reflections generated by the misalignment of the original electrostatic tweeter, maintaining the invaluable advantages of coaxial speakers.
Finally, the crescendo response curve up to 13 kHz means that the treble is really very bright.

2) 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.

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 track is Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out performed by Bessie Smith. At the end of the WWI, the United States economy restarts strongly, a period of abundance begins, the Roaring Twenties. Written by pianist Jimmie Cox in 1923, after several interpretations and modifications to the original text, it was interpreted by Bessie Smith in 1929. The text speaks of the fortunes made by someone during the Prohibition era and highlights the precariousness of material wealth and interested friendships that result. On October 24, 1929, the collapse of the New York Stock Exchange will bring about the greatest depression that the United States and parts of the rest of the world have known.

This year Napoli won the Scudetto, so there was bound to be happy Neapolitan music. The second piece written by Umberto Bertini and set to music by Vincenzo Di Paola and Sandro Taccani Chella 'llà was one of Renato Carosone's fortes. The song tells of the joy of a man who manages to free himself from a relationship that caged him and who is savoring freedom. The song begins with a speech to become playful and catchy as only the Neapolitans can do.

The third piece performed by Dizzy Gillespie, the famous Tin Tin Deo was composed together with Gil Fuller and Luciano "Chano" Pozo. A thunderous opening that later transforms into a Latin rhythm and then returns explosively with the trumpets sliding towards swing. His style that combined entertainment and musicality has encouraged the spread of bebop. Gillespie's solos were breathtaking. Certainly a giant of Jazz.

The fourth piece is the Adagio for oboe in D minor by Alessandro and Benedetto Marcello. It is an interesting piece because it is a classic example of baroque with a musical theme adorned with flourishes. The flourishes are recognized above all in the repetition of the opening motif where the virtuosity and musical sensibility of the singer or performer could be expressed. Johann Sebastian Bach transcribed a harpsichord version of Marcellus' Adagio (BWV 974)

The fifth song is the very famous The River by Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen himself called this song "a revolutionary song". He himself also stated that he drew inspiration, in the lyrics, from a 1950 song by Hank Williams "Long Gone Lonesome Blues". The song recounts a conversation between him and his wife's brother. After losing his construction job, he worked hard to support his wife and young son, but he never complained. In Pittsburgh on September 22, 1984, he dedicated the song to Pennsylvania union leaders.

BLUETOOTH

Bluetooth receiver embedn

MULTI PLATFORM CONNECTION

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

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.

SABA is the acronym for Schawarzwälder-Apparate-Bau-Anstalt meaning engineering institute of Technological appliances of the Black Forest.

The company was founded back in 1835 by Joseph Benedikt with the initial name of Jockele-Uhren, but only in 1923 the production of radio devices began and the company went under the name of SABA.
Toward the end of the 20s SABA became famous with the well-known S35 and in the following years it became the second German producer after Telefunken. During the war SABA produced military equipment and in 1945 the company was completely destroyed by a bombing.
In 1947 the production of radio devices began again and SABA distinguished itself immediately for ist avant-garde and high- quality production.

hey also began to produce TVs (the first PAL color TV is a SABA), house appliances and medical equipment. Many Italians used to work there. The Alnico Greencone loudspeakers became popular for their linearity, power handling, constant impendence that would be employed in each Hi-Fi devices of that time.

The radio devices with motorized tuning became popular as well and SABA became the representative German brand meaning quality, reliability and detailed precision. In the 1970s the decline began. According to specialized magazines of that time not having a Japanese device at that time meant not having Hi-Fi. In the 80s Thompson took over SABA. In the 90s the other way around, having a Japanese device of the 70s meant not having Hi-Fi. They found out that they functioned with a 96% counterreaction and that a device with 0.001 db from 1 to 100 KHz extension did not necessarily sound good.

We do not trust our ears and we do trust what other people say not necessarily with a good purpose.
2007: due to insolvency SABA disappeared from the TLC (Chinese) and Thompson (French) joint venture, and SABA ceased to exist.

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.

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PHILIPS S…

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Anno: 1966/1967
Valvole ECC85 ECH81 EAF801 EF184 EM87 EM87 ECC808 ECC808 ECC83 ELL80 ELL80
Semiconduttori 4× AF126
Principio generale Supereterodina (in generale); ZF/IF 460/10700 kHz
N. di circuiti accordati 6 Circuiti Mod. Amp. (AM) 12 Circuiti Mod. Freq. (FM)
Gamme d'onda Onde medie (OM), lunghe (OL), corte (OC) e MF (FM).
Tensioni di funzionamento Alimentazione a corrente alternata (CA) / 110-125; 220 Volt
Altoparlante 2 altoparlanti / Ø 21 cm = 8.3 inch
Dimensioni (LxAxP) 730 x 240 x 250 mm / 28.7 x 9.4 x 9.8 inch
Stereo-Decoder
Potenza d'uscita 2 x 9 W
Peso netto 10.5 kg / 23 lb 2 oz (23.128 lb)

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NORDMENDE…

20th 2月 202320th 2月 2023
by giovanni

The Nordmende Spectra Futura is the only transistor device of the German brand that we will review on this site.
We will examine it for its design resulting from the collaboration between the Nordmende design center and the famous American designer Raymond Loewy.
Will talk about Loewy later on this page. However, we all know the products he designed, such as the Coca-Cola bottle or the Lucky Strike pack.

Collaborating with the American designer was a very good choice. The device was a sales success and overshadowed all similar radio receivers of other brands, which sometimes tried to awkwardly imitate its shapes.
It was produced in many versions, with many color combinations, as shown in the brochures of the time shown here.
The most flamboyant model is certainly the Orange-Red, while the most elegant is with solid aluminum bands and wooden cabinet.

Nordmende produced both monophonic and stereophonic versions of this device. Both models are visible in the photos on this page. Obviously the stereophonic version is the most satisfying from a musical point of view.

The electronic design of this model is interesting from our point of view. Being a few years that the transistors were used for commercial purposes, the circuits were very similar to the tube circuits. The voltages and polarizations changed, but the principle schemes were almost the same, so the sound of the amplifiers of this period is close to the sound of the tube ones.

The FM section is quite stable, very traditional and time-tested.

Conclusions: A beautiful device to look at, which adapts to modern as well as vintage furnishings, with a pleasant and sufficiently powerful sound. A piece of design made in the USA in a machine made in Germany in a handcrafted restoration made in Italy.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The first song is by Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa, it's called Sweetest Pie. Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, aka Megan Thee Stallion for her imposing build, is a Texan rapper and girl prodigy. In a few years he has received considerable public and critical success, famous on TikTok his Savage remixed with Beyoncé. In 2021, she was awarded Best Debut Artist. In 2022 he published in collaboration with the singer Dua Lipa, Sweetest Pie (Sweet cake). The song is permeated with very explicit sensuality, as is Megan's style. An irreverent debut in the presentation of the spectacular Nordmende Spectra Futura.

And irreverence and sensuality are the leitmotifs of the second piece, The quadrille of bullfighters from Bizet's Carmen.
The apparent lack of morality of the protagonist, her vitality, the immeasurable propensity for freedom make her incomprehensible, unacceptable to Don José, who falls madly in love with her and as in the worst traditions will end up killing her. The Spectra Futura, despite the small numbers, manages to highlight the chorus and the orchestra with a momentum typical of much more muscular machines.

The third song, played by Antonio Serrano (mouth organ) and Javier Colina (double bass,) is actually by Stevie Wonder, Overjoyed. The title, overflowing with joy, does not hide the meaning and impulse of the piece. The text of "Overjoyed" speaks of a love not reciprocated, indeed, hidden, lived all alone on one side. Stevie wants to reveal to his beloved how deep is the feeling he has for her, hoping that she will accept it and reciprocate. Musically, the piece is characterized by the continuous changes of key and the use of natural sounds as a rhythmic basis. Serrano's harmonica is well enhanced by the Spectra Futura which puts it a head ahead of the double bass, as it should be.

The fourth song is the famous Back to Black by Amy Whinehouse. “Back to Black” means returning to a state of depression after the end of a love affair. She specifies that it is a state of despondency in which the pain of loneliness drowns in alcohol and drugs. The reference is to the tormented story 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, again by Stevie Wonder, dedicated to his wife, Syreeta Wright. You are the sunshine of my life. The couple was actually already divorced by the time the song hit. Their marriage has always been difficult due to the singer's work schedule. "I've always lived in his shadow," Wright said. However Wonder was very devoted to Syreeta. In the song the husband looks at his now familiar wife and remembers why he loves her and promises he always will. But it didn't work out for this couple.

Raymond Loewy appears twice on the cover of the prestigious TIME magazine, in 1949 and 1990 as one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century

Born in Paris in 1893, he emigrated to the USA at the end of the First World War. He was one of the most prolific and creative designers in the world, and perhaps deserves the title of father of industrial design.

His work is not limited to a single sector but extends over the most diverse areas.

Much can be read about his work online and in the numerous books dedicated to him, but probably few know that in 1973 he worked on a diplomatic project between the United States and the USSR with the aim of easing tensions between the two countries during the Cold War period.

A very small part of his most famous works

1939 - The Pennsylvania Railroad S1 steam locomotive
1940 - The pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes
1954 - The Scenicruiser bus for Greyhound company
1955 - Coke - The first large format bottle, and in 1960 the first steel can.
1962 - Studebacker Avanti with bodywork made of fiberglass reinforced polyester, speed over 240 km/h.
1962 - Air Force One, designed following the color indications of President John Kennedy, who followed the tastes of First Lady Jaqueline.
1967 - The Nordmende Spectra Futura designer radio, which was successfully marketed the following year.
1971 - Shell logo, which has remained almost unchanged to this day.

蓝牙

加装蓝牙接收器

多平台的连接

每台收音机都配备了一条连接到任何数字设备的音频线。

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. 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.

As you can see the low tones are slightly enhanced due to the always active loudness correction.

The original speaker, or speakers in the stereo model, is a modest Isophon P13F.
Its most important features are:

Maximum power 5W
Resonance frequency 130Hz
Frequency response 80-14000Hz
Sensitivity N.C.

The loudspeaker seemed to us not being able to fully express the good characteristics of the amplifier, for this reason we decided to replace it with an excellent JBL GTO525e or similar.
The features of the last is completely different:

Maximum power 135W
Resonance frequency 80Hz
Frequency response 70 - 21000Hz
Sensitivity 92dB

With this new loudspeaker the frequency response and power handling have changed radically.
Compatibly with the small dimensions of the cabinet and the limited power, the sound is now much warmer and more convincing. The effect of exaggerated emphasis of the mid tones due to the difficulty of reproducing the low and very high tones of the old loudspeaker has completely disappeared.

In the end, a beautiful sound capable of filling even a medium-sized room.