german radios - cn Archives – 第3页共7页

Telefunke…

20th 3 月 202020th 3 月 2020
by giovanni

Designed and created in 1954, the OPUS 55 TS was the flagship model of the entire Telefunken production for the years 1954-55.
Since 1949, Telefunken decided to distinguish by the name “OPUS” the radio models at the top of their production. In fact, the first Opus model is the 1949 OPUS 49. This denomination remains until 1978, when the last Opus model, the 7050 HI-FI, is produced. In the following years the different models will be distinguished by alphanumeric abbreviations, such as TR550 and such.

The restoration of this device was very challenging, as the chassis had been cannibalized. As a matter of fact, potentiometers, tube sockets, many components, wires were missing and the HF coils had been torn. In short, the device was in terrible conditions. But a machine like this deserved a much more glorious end and the final result proved us right.
The amplifier stage has been literally rebuilt, the very fine wires of the high frequency coils have been reconnected through a very meticulous work.
The phases of this challenging restoration are documented with photographs, which can be seen at the end of the page in the dedicated section.

The declared output power was 15W but judging by the scheme and the voltages it must deliver about 10.
The good amount of power delivered and the high efficiency of the 6 loudspeakers allow the Opus 55 to successfully sonorize large rooms.
The double medium frequency stage, the complex feedback network, the push-pull output stage make it a classy and elegant radio. The configuration of this device will remain pretty much unchanged also in the following models, until the transition to the production of stereophonic models.
The devices of the Opus series are still among the most wanted by collectors for their extremely high quality standard.

The songs in the playlist highlight the incredible virtuosity of the performers. All these tracks were chosen specifically to put the device to the test. Below is a brief description.

- The first song proposed is a flamenco. Inspired by Playa la Barrosa in Cadiz, Spain, it was composed and interpreted by Paco de Lucia. The talent of the Spanish Maestro makes flamenco enjoyable even for those approaching this peculiar musical genre for the first time.
- With the second track we fly to Paris to meet the Russian-Israeli trumpet player, Sergei Nakariakov. Known as “the Paganini of the trumpet”, Nakariakov's work is fascinating because it continuously experiments with transcriptions of songs composed for other instruments, such as the song proposed here, “Moto perpetuo”, written for violin by Paganini himself.
- The third song, known as “Vento d'inverno”, ranked as op.25 no.11 is a technical study written by F. Chopin in 1836. This study was specifically written with the purpose of developing technique and endurance. It deserves to be seen played live, as it is truly disconcerting. However, Chopin did not mean to impress his listeners with the demonstration of his skills, but he believed his fingers to be “handmaidens of his soul” and with his soul he wanted to be heard, not with ears (H. Heine).
- The fourth track is a 1987 song taken from the album “Surfing with the alien” by guitarist Joe Satriani. An album that was recorded on the cheap, with a very limited budget, the three guitars used by Satriani were modified by him and electronic instruments were used to simulate many drum effects. However, the album was extremely successful thanks to Satriani's skills and creativity. The proposed song is a remastered edition of 2014.
- The last track, “Drum solo”, is a live recording of a performance by Daniel John Erlandsson (Malmö, 1976). Erlandsson is a Swedish drummer, who became successful with the metal band Arch Enemy. It is characterized by a very precise ritmica suono that mixes classic metal passages with the death-metal typical of his band. The song is undoubtedly exciting even for the non-lovers of the Metal genre.

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。

- 蓝牙接收器加装-该单位配备了一个蓝牙接收器，直接由收音机供应电源。这使得有可能控制放大器从任何外部数字设备作为一个iPad，智能手机，或一个复杂的多媒体站。所以你能无线听到您喜欢的网站或你的无损档案。无线接收器可根据要求选配。

– 多平台连接-一个定制的适应电缆连接任何数字设备，如iPhone，智能手机，笔记本电脑，CD播放器等将提供这台收音机。这种特殊的电缆适合现代设备和接收机之间的不同阻抗。此外，两个立体声信道流入一个不增加负载的输入单元。

1903 To prevent the English Marconi Company from having a monopoly on wireless transmissions,,Kaiser Wilhelm II orders the company AEG and Siemens to set up a joint venture to develop wireless telegraphy in Germany. It was established under the name of Gesellschaft für drahtlose Telegrafen mbH.

1923 The company name is changed to Firmierung in Telefunken, Gesellschaft für drahtlose Telegrafen mbH. Abbreviated as Telefunken, where Tele means Telegraph and Funken means "Lightning" in the sense of being fast and immediate.

1930 Production gradually moves from military and Government equipment to the production of consumer appliances. During this period, Telefunken enters the market of radio-television, recorders and etching of records.

1930 As radio transmissions are now needed not only to transmit telegraph messages, but also true music and speech broadcasts, it becomes necessary to introduce the concept of sound compression, to avoid continual volume level changes of the radio. Telefunken designs and produces the U3, the first compressor for transmitting stations in the world,. TheU73b, as seen in the picture, represents the evolution of previous models—it allows you to change the compression level, the release times and the attack times.

1941 All Telefunken’s actions are transferred to AEG, which effectively becomes the sole owner of the trademark Telefunken, its factories and patents.

1948 Germany is not invited to the Copenhagen Conference, where the division of Medium and Short Wave radio frequencies of Central Europe is decided. The war has just ended, and officially Germany isn't considered as a technologically important nation. Because of this, Germany decides to develop FM broadcasts even if the quality of the transmissions is considerably higher than those in the AM. At this time, Telefunken develops the V72 microphone/amplification system and its evolutions, intended to be used in all German broadcasters and most European ones too, as well as at the most important recording studios, such as EMI, Decca, Telefunken, etc.

1955 The company becomes Telefunken GmbH.

1967 Telefunken is joined with AEG and the company becomes ‘’AEG-Telefunken’’.

1970 Poor management causes the company to lose market shares. AEG begins to outsource entire business segments and make constant rearrangements.

1985 Daimler-Benz AG buys what remains of AEG-Telefunken.

1996 The name Telefunken is cleared and all activities related to audio products stop.

Today The company name has been renewed in Telefunken Holding AG. Telefunken and its use worldwide are responsible for the name. In United States Telefunken USA buys the rights to build and market worldwide original microphones and some audio equipment under the brand Telefunken Elektroakustik.
The original company that helped spread the music throughout the world doesn’t exist anymore.

This device is equipped with a set of 6 loudspeakers.
Only the Saba Freiburg 14, the Nordmende Tannhauser 59 and some later models of the Opus series are equipped with the same number of loudspeakers. All other German radios, even top-quality ones, have 5 loudspeakers at most.
In the front we find two wideband loudspeakers and two electrostatic tweeters. These loudspeakers are very directional so they are fixed to a prism structure that directs them so that the resulting spread angle is as wide as possible.
Two 10 cm cone tweeter are placed on the sides, cut with a 6 dB/oct filter so that along with the treble they also reproduce medium-high frequencies. The whole audible spectrum is then spread evenly in all directions, granting the listener a complete freedom of movement.

The frontal loudspeakers visible in these photos are not Telefunken originals. All the other loudspeakers are original.

philips - cn

Philips B…

19th 3 月 20202nd 6 月 2020
by giovanni

The Philips BX998A is the largest and most important radio a valvole device ever built by Philips.
It appears clear that only the performance and exclusivity required by the public to whom such device was addressed were taken into account in the design. There is no other commercial radio built in Europe which is equipped with 16 valves, some of which are double, for an equivalent of 22 single valves.
As I had the opportunity to discuss in the past with some lucky owners of this device, some valves could be saved, reducing the overall price of the device, but, clearly, the price was not the problem, on the contrary.

The Philips BX998A is equipped with some special features that make it exclusive in the context of European production of the time. These are:

- Motorized band selection
- Separate amplifiers for treble and bass
- Ironless Amplifier for the Bass (OTL)
- Double FM band with high and low sensitivity/quality
- Double Medium Wave band to store two simultaneous stations
- Two of the three shortwave bands with separate fine tuning
- High damping with feedback circuit
- High impedance woofer

All these precious things are analyzed in detail in the next page, so I won't talk about them here, in the general description.

The Philips BX998A has considerable dimensions with a front of 71 cm in width and 44 cm in height. The friezes of pure brass and the wooden surfaces of different colors significantly reduce the frontal impact of the cabinet, making it pleasant. The overall design is however the most classic and conservative that could be found at the time. Also in the design the orientation of the project to an audience of a specific social class is evident.

The bass are really deep. This is determined by the separate OTL amplifiers and the 26 cm diameter big woofer.
The excellent 17 cm diameter dual-cone mid-tweeter reproduces the medium and high range very softly.
The arrangement of the speakers favors frontal listening.

The High and Medium Frequency sections.
The FM group has high amplification and stability.
The FM Haute Qualité band is equipped with a automatic noise reduction in the presence of signals below 1.7 uV, the output is muted to avoid rustling and noises when searching for stations.
The deenphasis circuit is set to 50 uS, valid all over the world except for the USA and South Korea. In these countries the filter must be brought to 75 uS.
The AM section is equipped with an orientable antenna for the OM and OL bands. It can be controlled by the crown that surrounds the magic eye on the front.
The medium frequency sections are composed of 9 separate filters for AM and FM. With these filters it is possible to precisely adjust the sensitivity, selectivity and intervention of the noise suppressor.

The listening lacks the nervousness in the trebles which is necessary for the reproduction of Jazz, Rock and post Rock music. In fact, this radio is particularly suitable for listening to symphonic, lyrical and baroque music. The great choirs are expressed with incredilbe dynamism but, at the same time, the madrigal is reproduced with the necessary precision.
But what surprised me was listening to the bordone in Wagner's prelude to "Das Rheingold ". It is unlikely that a radio could do better with these musical genres.

The tracks chosen for the listening are dedicated to Dutch artists, such as the manufacturers of this device.
The first track is Pieter Bustijn's Suite N.6 in A min – Giga.
Pierre Bustijn (1649-1729) was a Flemish composer. Harpsichordist, organist and music box player.
Only his 9 Cembalo Suites survived the destruction of the Middelburg Archive during the Second World War. Almost nothing is known about him, but his nine harpsichord Suites were very popular at the time.
Bach's influence pervades the suites both in their melodies and in their form, clear in their elegant construction.
The second track, by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, is taken from the 2012 KoninginnedagConcert requested by Queen Beatrice for the 450th anniversary of the composer's birth. Sweelinck studied with Gabrieli during his stay in Venice. Andrea Gabrieli (Venice 1510-1586), singer in San Marco, composer of madrigals and musics for triumphal occasions, such as the victory of Lepanto on 7 October 1571.
Sweelinck's great ability was to merge and renew the English counterpoint forms with the choirs of the Italian and German schools.
The reverberations and depth of live recording are noticeable when listening to the file.

The third track is dedicated to a Dutch harpsichord maker, Willem Kroesbergen.
It is a work by Bach, English Suites, interpreted by Masaaki Suzuki with a harpsichord built by Kroesbergen.
The harpsichord is the largest pluck and keybord instrument. It is used a lot in Baroque music as a continuum performer to build a solid sustenance plot for the piece. The sound is bright and full of harmonics.
Flanders were one of the most important harpsichord production centers. The instruments built by Kroesbergen are regularly used by soloists such as Ton Koopman and Masaaki Suzuki and by groups such as the Bach Collegium Japan and the Musica Antiqua Köln.
The fourth track is the Symphony No.1 "Pan" (1917) by Willem Pijper (1894-1947).
Of humble origin and self-taught, he was a pupil of Johan Wagenaar. He became director of the Rotterdam Conservatory, where practically all the Dutch composers of the 1900s were educated.
He was influenced by Mahler, Fauré, Debussy, up to evolve his research to contemporary music, inspired by Stravinsky and Schönberg.
The chosen track is taken from his first symphony, close to the Mahlerian symphonies. Pijper's later works will be very different.
The last song is by singer Anouk Teeuwe. The song is titled Nobody's Wife. Anouk is an award-winning Dutch singer, born in Den Haag in 1975. Her songs are of good quality, a pure and classical rock that is best expressed in concerts.

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。

In 1891, the brothers Gerard and Anton Philips, started to produce the first incandescent bulbs in Eindhoven.
Later, Philips specialized in the production of electro- medical equipment, and in 1918 introduced the first X-ray tube.
In the following years, Philips began specializing in the broadcasting industry. In 1932 the company succeeded in selling over one million radio equipment and became the world’s first producer.
During the Second World War, Philips transferred to the Netherlands Antilles, and returned to the Netherlands at the end of the conflict.
In the second post- war period, began the production of the first televisions, then the launch of the music cassettes in 1963 and the production of the first integrated circuit in 1965.
In 1982 Philips launched with Sony the first compact disc player.
In 1984 Philips acquired the control of the German Grundig.
In the 90's Philips faced a financial crisis.
In 1991 it inserted on the market the Video CD and it is one of the first companies in the world to develop high definition television.
In 1999 Philips established a joint venture with LG Electronics, named LG Display, which ends in 2009.
In 2006 together with Sony launched the first Blu-ray.
In 2009 Phillips launched the first full-HD LCD TV in 21:9 format.
Phillips holds 48,000 registered patents.
Currently, the production is focused on low- energy lighting products and LED systems and services for diagnostics and production of medical devices.

Year of production: 1955
Superetherodyne IF 452/10700
9 AM Circuits
11 FM Circuits
Wavebands::
Long Wave (150-345 KHz)
Medium Wave 1 (517-1620 KHz)
Medium Wave 2 (517-1620 KHz)
Short Wave 1 (1,6-5,2 MHz)
Short Wave 2 (5,1-15 MHz)
Short Wave3 (14,7-26,5 MHz)
FM 1 (87,5-100 MHz)
FM 2 (87,5-100 MHz)
Loudspeakers:
1 woofer
1 mid-tweeter
Dimensions (LHP): 710 x 440 x 317 mm / 28 x 17.3 x 12.5 inch
Net weight: 28,1 kg / 61 lb 15.9 oz
16 Tubes: 2xEBF80, ECH81, EF80, EC92, EM34, EF89,EF85, EAA91, ECC83, EBC41, 2xPL81, EL84, 2xEZ80

The output stages are two, distinct, one for low and one for high frequencies.

The first stage of the preamplifier is unique and drives both the output stages. It consists of a section of the ECC83 double triode.
On this section is the volume control with two physiological corrections of the frequency response (loudness). At the output of this section are the two Baxandall type tone controls. At this point the bass and trebles are divided.

The bass tone amplifier is of the SRPP (shunt regulated push pull) type, with no output transformer (known to be the critical point of the stadio finale).
This configuration is still used today in some HIGH-END voltage amplifier.
The output transformer limits the frequency response of the entire amplifier. The bass are limited by the primary winding inductance.
The two PL81 output tube of each channel are connected in series with DC-DC coupling. Each PL81 is configured as a triode.
The output is taken from the cathode of the first PL81. The speaker has an impedance of 700 ohms, identical to the average impedance that occurs on the cadhode, so direct coupling (without transformer) between the output stage and the speaker is possible.
Therefore, the Philips BX998A is totally free from all the problems deriving from the output transformers.
This amplifier controls a 26 cm woofer.

The treble amplifier consists of the second section of the ECC83 double triode and a output pentode, EL84, configured in class A.
The output transformer in this circuit has no critical issues anymore since it cannot be saturated by low frequencies. Moreover, this is a high quality transformer, with the winding layers alternating between primary and secondary.
Finally, the damping of the speaker is kept high by the low dynamic resistance of the feedback circuit.
This amplifier controls a 17 cm Mid-Tweeter.

Another feature of the Philips BX998A is the motorized band selection.
On this radio you can hear from nine different possible origins.
Long waves, two bands in medium waves, three bands in short waves, two bands in FM, auxiliary input (Bluetooth).
Given the mechanical complexity, and therefore the fragility, that would have been necessary to build a band selector suitable for Philips, they decided to divide the selector into two separate selectors, one rotating and one slide. The two selectors are mechanically connected to each other.
The rotating switch is operated by a motor which, thanks to a series of switches and cams, rotates the selector to the position determined by the band button that has been pushed.
This mechanism ensures regular rotation and protection of the contacts for a long time.
Of course, the mechanism must be cleaned and lubricated from time to time. Regular maintenance should be done at least every 10 years.
I understand that we live in an era where an 8-month device is considered obsolete, but for these machines it is not like that.

During the rotation of the motor, a Muting circuit start, therefore no annoying noise is reproduced on the speakers.

机壳内有一个半波偶极天线FM调频接收和旋转镍锌铁氧体天线AM调幅接收。
旋转镍锌铁氧体天线可以从外部旋转，实现了在AM调幅完美的调整。
在这张图片中，看到旋转机构和空中的位置指示器。具有内部天线的接收灵敏度很好。
使用外部天线灵敏度进一步增加

To reach an excellent reception of short waves, turn the antenna contact downwards (red arrow) and insert the external antenna on the appropriate socket (yellow arrow).

german radios - cn

Imperial …

29th 6 月 201928th 10 月 2019
by giovanni

Like all the Imperials, the Imperial J406W Stereo is also very beautiful.
The cabinet has an unusual shape, slightly wider at the top. This peculiar stylistic choice gives the device a majesty that is not common to most of other radios.
The golden vertical streaks, of different length and thickness, placed in the rounded front corners, remind of the grooves of the columns, increasing the impressiveness of the cabinet.
The particular manufacturing of the lateral canvases, where the weft intertwines with the warp in order to highlight some vertical lines, contributes to further hurl the silhouette of the cabinet.
The peculiar coloring of the wood, tending to red, and the shading adopted in the dyeing of the lower layer give further movement to the cabinet.
The final glossy painting completes the manufacturing.
The result of such stylistic choices and accurate workings is a slender, important and very elegant cabinet, easy to match with different types of furniture.

The sound is what I would call the “Family Sound” of the Imperial, clean trebles thanks to the electrostatic tweeter and very fast bass, without resonances, as they are reproduced by two elliptical speakers rather than just a very large one.
This device is particularly suitable for the reproduction of vocal music and electronic instruments.

Also on this model the name “stereo” is inappropriate. The device is monophonic. The use of two loudspeakers placed in an angled position does not make it stereophonic, the purpose is to allow a more uniform sound distribution in all directions.

Examining the circuit, an interesting peculiarity can be noticed, the polarization of the EL84 control grid is made by a negative voltage obtained from the power supply. The interesting thing is that a trimmer was inserted in the bias circuit, which allows to fix with precision the operating point in order to minimize the buzzing.
Of course, a feedback network is provided to linearize the frequency response.
The loudness circuit is obtained by tapping the preamplifier section from two taps on the volume potentiometer.

Also interesting is the equalizer controlled by the large central knob visible between the speaker panel and the display.
The use of the equalizer is explained later in the page.
The electronic section was clearly designed with the same care used for the cabinet.

The choice of the tracks of such a Teutonic brand was almost a judgement call. All the songs chosen in the playlist are dedicated to the music of German authors.

We are at the beginning of the 1200s. Art in Europe opens up to a noticeable internationalist impulse. The Minnesingers (love singers) in Germany, like the Trouvères in France, sing the beauty of love, nature and material happiness. Epic legends resemble each other, copy themselves, are adapted to one's own language. The exploits of the Christian Cavalry, composed of nobles from different nations, encourage this osmosis. It is in Germany, in this favourable climate, that the Ring of the Nibelungs appears. The Wartburg Castle was at the center of the German lyric and the reference to Wagner in his Tannhauser is clear here.
The first song is by Oswald von Wolkenstein, a late but highly refined Minnesinger. At this time the Nobility, with its values, is giving power to the bourgeoisie. The folk song is mixed with the Gregorian. The track in the playlist (A good noble man) is a good example of this.
From this series of artistic and cultural upheavals, the movement of the Cantor Masters was born.

With the second song we take a 600-years leap forward, we go visit the German opera with Carl Maria von Weber's Freischütz. This score made him the father of German musical Romanticism. The psychological research and the evocative drive are very strong in Weber's works, especially in this one. In the Freischüt we find prints of Beethoven and Mozart and this work will also serve as a stimulus for the French operatic school. Weber's numerous Lieds will also deserve a listening, in the near future.

With the third track we come to 1912. The listening here is more difficult at first, I am talking about Arnold Schomberg's Pierrot Lunaire, for speaking voice and instruments. Born in Vienna in 1874, Schomberg breaks with the sound of his predecessors, and that of his contemporaries like Strauss, experimenting abstract melodies without tonal supports, dissonances, to arrive to dodecaphony (compositions with 12 notes). The feature of music classified as “Expressionist” is the detachment from nature, tending towards more abstract productions, without material references. The connection with Expressionism and Cubism in painting appears clear. The difference between the Polytonality of some of Stravinski's works and the Atonality of those of Schomberg is also big.
The Pierrot Lunaire is based on a selection of tracks by the Belgian poet Albert Giraud.

With bold irreverence with the fourth song we get excited, without asking ourselves too many questions, with the beautiful Helene Fischer, who plays a great success of hers, Atemlos durch die Nacht (Breathless Through the Night). Helene Fischer is a singer, dancer and showoman, very popular in Germany. Her music is popular with young and old people, in the most modern cities as well as in the most conservative towns. Eclectic and reckless, yet extremely pragmatic personality, Helene is also involved in an association against child prostitution (roterkeil).

We close the playlist in peace with a beautiful track by Marcus Loeber, a German composer and pianist with a great experience and a generous artistic sensibility. From a strictly experiential point of view, together with Hildegard von Bingen's compositions, Marcus' piano songs are among the pieces that most realign me, when needed.
Below is his biography, entirely taken from his website.

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.

In 1923, long before the official launch of broadcasting in Germany, a little crew of specialists began AG in Staßfurt the development and production of radio devices.
At that time, workforce barely reached 20 people, but soon after the introduction of broadcasting in Germany, the number of employees grew to 400.
In 1927, more than 25.000 radios and a lot of components had been produced.
In 1928 it was the first German company to launch the superheterodyne receiver into the market.
The production of IMPERIAL receivers, which become known by the name “"Staßfurter Imperial", is started.
The products of this company quickly gain excellent reputation and sales increase to such an extent that the number of employees rises up to 600 in 1932.
In 1938 a more modern factory is built, of about 7000 square meters besides administration buildings and laboratories.
In 1939 the production increases and the number of employees rises up to 850.
During the war, the production of civil radio is interrupted, to make room to that of communication devices for Wehrmacht.
Another warehouse of 6000 square meters is built and the number of employees increases to 1700.
After the end of the War the company is expropriated but, thanks to the staff's strong persistence, the production is restarted.
In 1947, another company is created in Osterode / Harz under the name Continental Rundfunk GmbH.
In 1955 the number of employees rises up from 100 to over 500.
In 1958 the company is taken over by Gerhard Kubetschek, owner of KUBA, to whom the know how of the Continental Rundfunk are transferred.
The story of Kuba... is another story.

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.

Two beautiful Isophon elliptical loudspeakers are located on the front, in a reclining position towards the sides.
On the sides there is an opening.
In this way the sound is perfectly audible both frontally and laterally.
Put to the test, this solution is better than the classical lateral positioning of the tweeters, as in this way the whole audible band is reproduced laterally, not only high frequences.

The loudspeakers are supported frontally by an efficient electrostatic loudspeaker.

The result is a very clean sound, especially in the listening of liquid music through bluetooth.

siemens - cn

Siemens M…

8th 4 月 201911th 2 月 2021
by giovanni

The Siemens Meistersuper 843W was produced between 1954 and 1955 and had a good sales success, even though the lion's share was taken by the models of the Schatulle series.
The most interesting feature of this device is the unusual combination of the two large elliptical loudspeakers (26x18 cm) and the class A output stage.
The two large loudspeakers, equipped with a 10.000 Gauss magnet, can easily withstand the power developed by the final EL84. From the musical point of view, the quality of these speakers correspond to a very extended and rich bass frequency response. At the same time, the linearity of the class A amplifier provides soft and bright mid and high tones.

The cabinet is very refined.
The large size needed to include the two big loudspeakers are mitigated by some stylistic solutions that were later adopted on many models.
The side walls are, in fact, raised compared to the front side. The corners are rounded with different radii of curvature between the lower and upper sides. The streaks of the coating, moreover, are placed orthogonally to those of the front. Besides, the streaks of the edges are very pronounced. Finally, two thin golden lines interrupt the front edges in width.
All these expedients slim down the large cabinet, making it very pleasing to the eye as for its overall balance.
Moreover, the coatings were chosen and combined with ancient mastery, making the most of the contrast created by the streaks.
In this restoration we have tried to bring this cabinet back to its lively original character, without softening it nor hiding anything.

The tuning stability allows to find again a perfectly centred station, even if the radio has not been switched on in a few days.
The mechanics are “simple” and sturdy. The electronic parts are quite complex, but they have been completely restored, so no fear.

BLUETOOTH

Bluetooth receiver embed

MULTI PLATFORM CONNECTION

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

There are two loudspeakers, actually very large. In the long side they measure 26 cm and 18 cm in the short side.
Apart from being large, they are equipped with an alnico magnet that guarantees a 10.000 Gauss magnetic flux density.
The resulting efficiency is noticeable, so very little power is enough to produce a very high sound pressure.
Moreover, the profile of the cone is slightly trumpet-shaped, so that the high frequencies are effectively reproduced in the central part of the cone and the rest of the profile contributes to adapt the acoustic impedance between the membrane and the surrounding air.
The result is a very extensive reproduction, both at low and high frequencies.

It is no coincidence that this is one of the few devices with a single-ended amplifier that easily support the bass of the Area's track Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero).

5080 - cn

Grundig 5…

5th 4 月 201925th 6 月 2024
by giovanni

The Grundig 5080 Hi-Fi Zauberklang is one of the most powerful devices produced by this brand.
Grundig used to produce different classes of equipment. Those of the 1xxx series are the cheapest, those of the 2xxx and 3xxx series are middle class, those of the 4xxx and 5xxx series are high class.
Of course, the 5080 Hi-Fi Zauberklang belongs to the best series, and it shows.

It is the most gifted of the Grundigs. Only the 4055 can compare, as for the power stage and the loudspeakers set, but without having the 5 bands equalizer, but having two FM dials.
All about the 5080 is designed for the best performance. The power stage with two EL84s in push-pull.
The 5 bands equalizer, even in this case no radio device has ever had more. (highlighted in yellow in the diagram).

Loudness circuit (highlighted in green in the diagram) on the feedback circuit (highlighted in red in the diagram), for an effective emphasis and contemporary distortion reduction.
An extra preamplifier stage to make the most of the actual capabilities of the push-pull to receive double the input signal.
A Medium Frequency stage more for a perfect tuning even in the most difficult situations.
The radio section is clearly at the highest level for the time, but listening to liquid or vinyl music is impressive.

Everyone remembers the famous Bose 901 box with 9 mini-woofers of 10 cm. With that many speakers they stimulated the imagination of us all when they were launched on the market.
Well, the Bose 901 had a radiant surface of 700 cm2. The sum of the surface of all the speakers together covered an area of 700 cm2.
The speakers of this Grundig cover an area of about 1100 cm2 ... excluding the two tweeters from the calculation!!!
The radiant surface is not everything, of course, but this extreme simplification can already give an idea of the performance this machine is capable of.

BLUETOOTH

Embed Bluetooth Receiver upon requests

MULTI PLATFORM CONNECTION

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

- Bluetooth receiver embedded - The unit can be 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. can 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

As indicated in the initial description, there are five speakers. They are placed on the three sides of the device.

The main cone is a huge elliptical broad-band measuring 31 x 19 cm. It is made of sturdy alloy and has an Alnico magnet.
The dimensions of the magnet are considerable and also the weight of the speaker reveals its sturdiness.
In fact, it has to support the energy given by two EL84s.
The curve of the cone is of the exponential type, as befits a very high quality broad-band.

The two electrostatic tweeters in front cover the highest audible frequency range.
On both sides there are two 25 x 17 cm broad-bands of Grundig production, also very efficient.

The final result is clearly a powerful sound, with very deep and fast bass.
The mid is also very clear and the voices are credible and highlighted, never mixed up.
The treble are bright but sweet, not strident.

An important musicality to be a radio.

m47 - cn

Siemens S…

13th 2 月 201925th 4 月 2023
by giovanni

The Siemens Schatulle was produced between 1954 and 1955 and it was another of the best and most successful models of the entire Schatulle series.
Sold in a limited number of items due its high cost and dimension, it was, together with the P48, the model with the most impressive sound impact of the entire Siemens production.

- The power stage is the same as the P48's one, a pair of Push-Pull EL84, a sophisticated counterreaction system, physiological volume control, separate high and bass sound controls.
- There are three ELA series loudspeakers, all of them with double come and highly efficient. Siemens used to have these loudspeakers on its professional installation and in movie theatres.
- Despite its power, this device reproduces sounds with such a fascinating smoothness that can be had , once again, through the large band loudspeakers. These loudspeakers reproduce indeed the entire audible array with a continuity and linearity unknown to multivia systems. Extreme acutes are not so sharp as in electrostatic loudspeakers, but the maker's choice in this device aimed to create roundness and pleasentness of sounds.
- Dimensions are those of an important device. Its shape captures our attention and in every ambience the device's majesty makes it the epicenter of the room, especially when its front windows are open.

This device is best to be listened in on in a spacious room and played out loud.
The tuning stability allows the last station to be perfectly centered after days.
The mechanics is “simple” but robust. The electronic parts are rather complex, but don't worry, it's completely restored.

This one is a device only for a few lucky ones.

BLUETOOTH

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MULTI PLATFORM CONNECTION

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

german radios - cn

Graetz Me…

13th 2 月 2019
by giovanni

La Graetz Melodia 14F si distingue immediatamente dagli altri apparecchi prodotti nella metà degli anni 60 dalla prestigiosa marca di Berlino per il look modernissimo che faceva largo uso di metalli e plastiche.
Questo interessante esperimento di design lo si ritrova, oltre che sulla Melodia 14F, solo sul modello Stereo Unit 250.
Confrontando, nelle foto a destra, il modello Melodia 1118 finita di produrre solo l'anno prima e la Melodia 14F , non si può non rimanere impressionati dall'incredibile evoluzione stilistica dei due apparecchi.

Da sempre i prodotti Graetz sono stati caratterizzati da design ricercato e curatissimo, ma negli anni '60 c'è stata una vera e propria accelerazione anticipando uno dei più grandi movimenti creativi degli anni 70 conosciuto sotto il nome di "Space Age".
Dalla famosissima "Ball Chair" del grande designer Finlandese Eero Aarnio, alla Lampada Eclisse dell'italiano Vico Magistretti.
La Space Age sperimenta nuovi materiali e questo rende possibile esplorare forme nuove, precedentemente difficili da realizzare.
Molte aziende realizzano in quegli anni degli insuperati "oggetti" tecnologici oggi molto ricercati.
Tra i produttori di apparecchiature tecnologiche cito solo, oltre naturalmente alla Graetz con la Melodia 14F Stereo Unit 250, la Grundig con la serie di diffusori acustici HI-FI sferici AudioRama e l'italianissima Brionvega con la sua Tv Algol e la Radio cubo.

Nel 64 Charles Mingus lascia il contrabbasso per registrare l'album "Mingus Plays Piano", debuttano i "The Velvet Underground", e "The Who", in Italia si forma il gruppo "I giganti" e concludo la recensione rubandogli il loro grido di battaglia - Mettete dei fiori nei vostri cannoni ...

La Sezione Amplificatore è composta da una EL84 in classe A per ciascun canale, pilotata da una sezione del doppio triodo ECC83.
Il potenziometro di Volume è dotato di presa per la correzione fisiologica. (Giallo). Come noto infatti quando si ascolta a volume molto basso le note basse e quelle acute non vengono percepite con la stessa intensità sonora delle note medie, che appaiono nettamente in prevalenza.

Il Controllo di bilanciamento (Blu) è inserito tra i due canali all'uscita del preamplificatore.

La Rete di Controreazione (Rosso) è stata progettata per ridurre la distorsione ed equalizzare la risposta in frequenza dell'apparecchio. Infatti l'apparecchio è dotato di autonomi altoparlanti per ciascun canale. Questi altoparlanti pur essendo a larga banda e di ottima qualità non sono in grado di riprodurre fedelmente l'intera banda udibile. la loro risposta in frequenza infatti decade agli estremi, in particolare quello basso. Il circuito di controreazione compensa le cadute di efficienza dei diffusori ai due estremi della frequenza. Il risultato è una risposta sorprendentemente lineare su una banda di frequenze molto estesa. Non ci si aspetta un suono del genere da diffusori così piccoli, e questo è il modo in cui è stato ottenuto.

Anche la Sezione Radio è molto curata.
La caratteristica più interessante è l'elevata selettività di questo apparecchio dovuta al doppio stadio di Media Frequenza. Infatti sono visibili nelle foto i due pentodi EF89 ed i numerosi trasformatori MF.
In FM è stato implementato addirittura un ulteriore trasformatore accordato all'interno del convertitore per rendere ancora più stabile ed insensibile ai disturbi la ricezione di queste frequenze.

Infine la batteria di Altoparlanti.
La Graetz 922 Luxus monta 6 altoparlanti. Quattro altoparlanti sono disposti frontalmente e due sono collocati ai lati.
I quattro altoparlanti frontali sono due tweeter e due ellittici largabanda. I tweeter sono posti davanti ai largabanda, sullo stesso asse. Questa particolare disposizione ha il grande vantaggio che la provenienza del suono è assimilabile a quella prodotta da una sorgente puntiforme.
Questa caratteristica si traduce in un diagramma di dispersione molto lineare, e quindi di una acustica nell'ambiente molto più regolare che non se tweeter e woofer fossero disposti uno in fianco all'altro.
I due altoparlanti laterali sono, a questi livelli di potenza, dei Mid/Tweeter, e permettono un ascolto equilibrato da qualunque posizione ci si ponga rispetto alla radio, frontalmente o lateralmente.

Quest'ultima caratteristica rende l'apparecchio molto godibile nell'ascolto quotidiano. Non verrà più voglia di accendere l'impianto stereo ...

BLUETOOTH

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MULTI PLATFORM CONNECTION

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

- 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.

Gli altoparlanti sono due Lorez LP 1318/19/105 AF con magnete in Alnico. Sono molto efficienti. I 4 Watt di ciascuno dei due canali viene trasformato così in una notevole pressione acustica.
Per un ascolto a volume "normale", non fastidioso, la manopola viene posizionata ad ore 11.
La potenza sonora quindi è abbondantemente sufficiente per sonorizzare anche ambienti di medie dimensioni.

In tal modo la risposta dinamica è molto pronta, ed i bassi sono frenati ma molto presenti.
Questa caratteristica permette di sfruttare appieno l'ingresso AUX con file digitali lossesless o CD fornendo una riproduzione brillante e ricca di dinamica.

german radios - cn

Saba Stud…

13th 2 月 201911th 12 月 2020
by giovanni

Saba Studio I is the latest Saba receiver built entirely with tubes, apart from the multiplexer. The next devices will have tube tuner section but solid state amplifier stage. A few years later the devices will be completely solid state.
This receiver constitutes an element of break in Saba's production. It sanctions the transition from a design that had remained unaltered from 1953 to a modern, essential and functional idea of industrial design.
The classic canons in the front panels of the German receivers are abandoned, like the windows with the tone controls indication, the tone knobs placed on the keyboard, the knobs symmetrically arranged on the sides of the dial glass etc.
The commands are grouped in the right side of the front panel. They are essential and simple to understand and use. They are also simple to build, which leads to a reduction in the risk of failure.
All the following devices will adopt this rationalization of the front, whose design philosophy will remain valid until the introduction of touch-control displays.

A second break with the past is the engineering oriented to the compaction of the elements.

Everything on this machine has been designed to reduce its size. This is a result that is difficult to obtain on a top range device.
Unfortunately, the restoration of this device was particularly complex due to the need to dismantle many components and entire schede in order to access the circuit sections in question.

The final stage uses excellent ECC808 double triode as preamplifiers and ECLL800 double pentode and triode as final tubes.
Also the radio section uses all multiple tubes, in order to contain the overall dimensions.

The Automatic Frequency Control is very efficient, in fact the frequency stability of this device is well known.
The sound is sweet and well defined, especially thanks to the large output transformators that do not saturate even at high levels of listening.
But the most important advantage is the use of separate loudspeaker boxes. First the cabinet is much more compact, and this makes it easier to place it in the room, second because it is possible to pair the device with the most suitable loudspeakers and place them in the most appropriate way for ideal listening.

These possibilities that the receivers offer, including the Saba Studio I, are very important. If well used they can radically change the sound of a system.
I quote the indication I gave in the description of Saba Freiburg Studio A, as I consider it very important.

Do not place the electronics between the two loudspeakers.

In the pictures the receiver is in the middle of the two loudspeakers, are exclusively for photographic needs.
In a real configuration it must be placed on one side.
Listening to music is a total experience and captivates other senses beyond hearing. Try to listen to a track in the dark and then listen to the same track in the light in your home. Also, listen to the same track used as a soundtrack watching a film. Lastly, try to listen to the same track once more watching the video of the concert.
In all these cases, and in many other situations, the brain will detect and develop sound in different ways. It will create different feelings even though we are listening to the same track.
Placing the electronics in the middle of the loudspeakers distorts our perception of the sound.

BLUETOOTH

Bluetooth receiver embed

MULTI PLATFORM CONNECTION

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

– 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.

Most of the radios and receivers do not have a stereo decoder, so listen in stereo is only possible when the phono input is selected.
Saba Studio I Automatic, instead, is equipped with the Saba E1 stereo decoder, so actual stereo listening is also possible in FM.

When pushed, the stereo button allows the listening and reception of FM stations in stereo.
If you are listening to an FM station that is broadcasting in stereo, this button inserts the stereo decoder, and the left and right channels work separately.
If the button is not pushed (mono) the input of the two channels is shorted, then the left and right channels process the same signal.

5040w/3d - cn

Grundig 5…

28th 11 月 20186th 6 月 2022
by giovanni

The Grundig 5040W/3D is one of the best products made by this brand.Grundig used to produce different classes of devices. Those of series 1xxx are the cheapest, those of series 2xxx and 3xxx are medium-class and those of 4xxx and 5xxx are high-class.
Clearly, 5040W/3D belongs to the best class, and this is visible.

The radio section is very interesting from a technical point of view, as it is provided with an automatic search feature of the stored stations. The audio section, moreover, is totally satisfying from the acoustic point of view.
Let us focus on them separately.

Audio Section

The output stage is formed by a Telefunken EF804 tube as a pre-amplifier and a EL12 as a power section.
EF804 is a pentode appositely studied to have low noise and high gain. The pinout, different from any other pentodes, is designed in order to minimize the buzzing of strings.
The cathode is built in a peculiar material appositely imported from American International Nickel Corporation, which minimizes the microphonicity of the valve.
This valve was used in devices designed for professional studios... and in Grundig 5040W/3D
The EL12 is a pentode with 18W of anode dissipation, with a maximum output delivery of 8 Watts.
A tube with such features allows to have a class A output stage of noticeable power.
The efficiency of the four loudspeakers (three of which in alnico) is very high, so that the acoustic pressure delivered by this device is also really high.

In the photos and videos published on the website, two of these stereo configuration machines were used, one for each channel, during a Grundig device exposition.
The result is difficult to describe. The most common reaction was surprise. The audience didn't expect a couple of machines from 60 years ago to sound like that.
I hope to replicate this exhibition in some other public demonstration.

Radio section

The radio section in even more interesting technically.
The different receivable AM frequency bands are divided into several ranges, in order to increase noticeably the tuning precision of each station.
The subdivisions are the following:

KW1 - 50,8 to 35 mt (5,9 - 8,6 MHz)
KW2 - 35 to 24 mt (8,6 - 12,5 MHz)
KW3 - 24 to 16,7 mt (12,5 - 18 MHz)
MW1 - 585 to 318 mt (515 - 945 kHz)
MW2 - 321 to 185 mt (935 - 1620 kHz)

Bands LW, KW1, KW2, MW1, MW2, UK1, UK2 are provided with motorised memory.
The automatic memorisation is activated with the lever under the tuning knob. Then, the tuning knob is turned to the station that is to be memorised.
Now another band button can be pushed to memorise another station in the same way.
When the button of the previous band is pushed, a motor takes the index exactly to the station previously memorised on that button.
Beautiful to see and very useful.
The station research mechanism is complex and delicate to calibrate. Later on in the description, it will be further analysed.

Only Grundig 5040W/3D and 4040W/3D are provided with the automatic research system of the memorised stations.
Saba Freiburg is provided with automatic research of the stations, but it is a very different system, with different results.

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Embed Bluetooth Receiver upon requests

MULTI PLATFORM CONNECTION

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

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

The tones control system is very efficient. Above the large tone control knobs there is a band that lights up gradually indicating the emphasis on the band on which it acts.
Interesting the high-tone control knob linked to two thin ropes. One of them is for the position indicator of the control itself, whereas the other changes the position of the ferrite in the MF transformers modifying the inclination of the transformer’s curve.
By doing so high tones were attenuated/accentuated even before getting to the BF stage. Tone control was usually put into effect with the potentiometer on the voltage amplifier stage

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.

The tuning can be activated manually, as in every normal device, by turning the tuning knob with the automatic tuning switch turned to the right.

When it is turned to the left, instead, the station that is being played is “mechanically” stored.
For example, I have pushed the UKW2 button and I am listening to a station in 89,90 MHz.
By pushing one of the other harmony buttons, the motor takes the index on the station that was last played.
By pushing the UKW2 button again, the motor takes the harmony exactly to 89,90 MHz.

This operation can be repeated for any station on the UKW1, UKW2, MW1, MW2, KW1, KW2 and LW bands.

The automatic memorisation is obtained with a series of clutches, springs and steel rods and levers which require an accurate calibration. Once calibrated and lubricated, the mechanic system is totally reliable and solid. There is no danger of slippage as there are sprockets, and clutches are made of high-quality flexible steel blades.
A real masterpiece of mechanical engineering.

As indicated in the description at the beginning, there are four loudspeakers. They are placed on the three sides of the device.

The main cone is a huge elliptic broadband which measures.... it is built in solid alloy and has an alnico magnet.
The dimensions of the magnet are impressive and the weight of the whole loudspeaker reveals its robustness.
Actually, it has to sustain the weight of the big EL12.
The cone curvature is of the exponential type, as befits a super-high-quality broadband.

The frontal electrostatic tweeter covers the very-high frequencies range.
On the two sides are two Mid-Tweeter produced by Grundig, also very efficient.

The final result is, of course, a very powerful sound with very deep and fast bass.
The medium range is also very clear and the voices are credible and in evidence, never imprecise.
Trebles are brilliant but sweet, not strident.

A remarkable musicality for a radio.

The first knob we find is that of the Volume with integrated loudness.
Coaxial to it is the rotation knob of the ferrite aerial for MW and LW.
The position of the ferrite aerial is visible, see-through view, is the windowpane of the magical eye.
The latter indicates the perfect tuning of each station.
Going further on the display, we can see the AM and FM bands scales.
Further on the right is the tuning control knob.
Coaxial to it is the lever which turns on and off the motorized research of the preset stations.

922 - cn

Graetz Fa…

23rd 10 月 20187th 6 月 2022
by giovanni

Graetz is one of the most prestigious German radio manufacturers. The Graetz Fantasia 922 Luxus - Stereosuper was the flagship model in 1960.
Graetz devices have always been appreciated for their refined and elegant finish, as much as for the innovative acoustic solutions and their respective patents.
In designing the line of their flagship model, Graetz designers chose a classical and statuary kind of elegance.
The cabinet is in dark wood and the paint is very shiny. The sides with their variable width make the profile look slimmer. The base looks wide and solid, without making cabinet look heavy.
The strongly embossed texture of the canvas covering the speakers, the golden lines highlighted on the dark display and the light knobs make the visual impression even more pleasant and lively.
The stylistic attention, as in Graetz's tradition, is very accurate.

The Amplifier Section is the best that could be imagined at the time.
The Volume potentiometer has two sockets for loudness (red). As known, in fact, when listening at a very low volume the bass frequencies and the treble are not perceived with the same sound intensity as the mid, which appear to be predominant.
The loudness modifies the response of the preamplifier stage specularly to the Fletcher-Munson curves. This allows to maintain the correct perception of the sound, even at low volume levels.

The Tone Control was designed using the complex Baxandall circuit (green). The advantage of such circuit is its high precision, while the disadvantages are its cost and construction complexity. Much simpler and cheaper circuits were normally used. But not in this device.

The Balance (pink) is inserted into the feedback circuit. It works by changing the percentage of signal that is downgraded/relegated to each of the two channels. This signal is in inverted phase compared to the main signal. In this way, by acting on the balance, the level of one channel is lowered in comparison with the other and, at the same time, the distortion is reduced.
By turning the knob at the ends, this type of balance does not cause a reset of the volume of the channels as in the modern balance control, but it is to be considered a “fine” adjustment of the level between the two channels.

The Phase Inverter (blue) is of the Catodina type. As an advantage, it is very well-balanced. This circuit is still used in hi-fi amplifiers.

The Push-Pull section (blue) uses two separate tubes (EL95) for each channel. The EL95 are pentodi expressly designed for audio use.
In the receivers, even high-class, provided with Push-Pull output power, bulbs were normally used, which enclosed multiple valves (ELL80, ECLL800). In this way, space and components were saved. But if one of the pentods inside thei complex tube decays differently, the reproduction is altered, with an exponential increase in the crossover distortion. These multiple tubes, once common, are rare and expensive today, so the replacement can be economically significant. The use of separate pentods, as in the Graetz Fantasia 922, eliminates this problem, and it is possible to select pairs of EL95 with the same characteristics.
Only the Graetz Fantasia 922 and 1022 and the Telefunken Opus 2430/2550 use 4 x EL95 in the stadio finale.

The Tuner Section is also very well taken care of.
The most interesting feature is the high selectivity of this device, due to the twin IF stage. The two EF89 pentods and the numerous IF transformers, in fact, are visible in the photos.
In FM an additional transformer has been implemented, accordato all'interno del convertitore in order to make more stable and insensibile ai disturbi the reception of such frequencies.

Finally, the L0udspeakers set.
The Graetz 922 Luxus features 6 loudspeakers. Four are placed frontally and two on the sides.
The four front loudspeakers are two tweeters and two oval wideband. The tweeters are placed in front of the wideband, on the same axis. This particular arrangement has the great advantage of making the origin of the sound close to that produced by a point source.
This characteristic corresponds to a very linear scatter diagram, and therefore to a much more regular realistic sound image than if the tweeters and the woofers were placed side by side.
The two loudspeakers placed on sides are, at such power level, the mid / tweeters, and allow a balanced listening from any position with respect to the radio, frontally or sideways.

This last feature makes the device very enjoyable as for daily listening. You will no longer want to turn on the HI-FI system ...

BLUETOOTH

Bluetooth receiver embed

MULTI PLATFORM CONNECTION

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

As previously mentioned, the most luxurious model produced by Graetz in 1960, the Fantasia 922, features 6 permanent magnet speakers.
The low and middle notes are reproduced by two large conical speakers, elliptical 26x17 cm.

High-pitched notes are reproduced by four cone loudspeakers. Two measuring 10 cm and two 6cm.

From the acoustic point of view, the interesting thing is not only the number of loudspeakers, but also their placement. The two 6 cm tweeters, in fact, are attached to the frontal Mid/Woofer, in a concentric position.
This is always my favourite placement and it is used in many of the best modern diffusers, such as KEF, TAD and Tannoy and many more.
The main advantage of a coaxial is the linearity of the off-axis response, both on the horizontal and vertical plane.
With the traditional positioning of the loudspeakers, the mid/woofer next to the tweeter, the off-axis listening is consistently disturbed by the phase cancellations caused by the length differences of the route between the two drivers.
The 3D graphics on the side display the measurements off the vertical axis of a box with coaxial loudspeaker KEF LS50 and one with traditional positioning of the YG Anat III. The difference is noticeable. (source: www.acousticfrontiers.com )

While frontally such an excellent configuration was used, what was done laterally is no less. In fact, on each side was installed a cone tweeter, protected by a metallic dome, Isophon HS10.
This loudspeaker has a very wide frequency response, from 1.000 to 20.000 Hz. So that all frequencies with pretty strong directivity features are reproduced also laterally.
The response to low frequencies is entrusted to the big frontal elliptics. In fact, low-frequency waves – as they are not directive by nature – do not need lateral loudspeakers in order to be perceived.

With this set of loudspeakers placed as described, the response is clearly quite linear from all angles, frontally, laterally and three-quarter.

As they are loudspeakers with an Alnico magnet, they are very efficient. The 7 Watts of each of the two channels are transformed into a noticeable acoustic pressure.
To provide a reference, during the listening at “normal” volume, not bothersome, a 0,2 Watt power delivery on the loudspeakers is measured.
The sound power is thus amply sufficient to sonorize even large environments.
The use of two separate Mid/Woofers has another advantage. The cones have less inertia compared to a larger single cone. In this way, the dynamic response is quick, and the lows are curbed and without resonance.
This feature allows to make the most of the AUX-in with lossesless digital files or CD, providing a brilliant reproduction rich in dynamism.

The tones control system is very efficient. Above the large tone control knobs there is a band that lights up gradually indicating the emphasis on the band on which it acts.

By pushing any of the Klangregister buttons, the tone-controls are excluded, since the frequencies connected with the chosen button are enhanced.
For this reason, the lights that enlighten the scale which indicates the tone-control position are turned off, too. They can be turned on again by pushing the Raumklang button and switching back to the manual setting of the favourite response curve.

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.

Left from the top:
- The Magic Eye that indicates the perfect tuning of each station.
- The antenna position indicator.

- The volume control (with built-in loudness)
- Axially this balancing.
- The rotation command of the ferrite antenna is still in axis.

- The bass control knob

In the center:
The AM display for long, medium, short waves and the FM display.

Right from the top:
The BANDBREITE indicator (High / Low selectivity in AM)
The tuning knob, whose movement is very pleasant being supported by a large flywheel
On the same axis there is a selector to control the selectivity in AM.
-The treble control knob.