Grundig Concert Boy 1100 lack of bass & volume - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

davidwf · 19th Aug 2018, 9:08 pm

As per title really.....my trusty old steed seems to be lacking in bass (can you believe that!!!) and also volume

Not sure where to start really...I have a cct diagram and am OK with electronics & soldering etc. /.... some guidance or advice appreciated as I STILL havent found anything that sounds decent enough to replace it with !!!
I have fitted a modern power supply inside and it is the same on batteries or mains

davidwf · 19th Aug 2018, 10:37 pm

sorted !!!... the main audio output capacitor had split it's casing and all dried out...interestingly it had been inserted with the wrong polarity...maybe a previous repair

Anyway the 45 year old radio is now fully working again

simpsons · 20th Aug 2018, 10:04 am

David

I am glad to read that your Grundig Concert Boy is fully functional. Its audio performance is really exceptional so much so, it was because of this that I realised that my ears were full of wax. Why? Because my neighbour couldn't hear himself speak whilst I was quite happy listening to the radio at full belt with no distortion.

It is only bettered by the Melody Boy 1000 which the mind boggles on just how the Grundig engineers did everything without a computer in sight.

Happy days

Chris
PS The volumes been turned down after an ear jet wash!!

Thyristor · 20th Aug 2018, 11:29 am

Those Portugal-made Grundig Boys are quite something.

I think Grundig Engineers were verging on genius; they can be a bit flimsy (the radios, not the engineers !), but the sound quality is astonishing.

I have a Concert Boy Luxus 1500, it wipes the floor with everything in sight; including Hackers, Roberts, and even my Tandberg.
It was top of the Boy range (above the Concert Boy 1100) in the mid 70s, and it shows.

ajgriff · 20th Aug 2018, 5:03 pm

I have a lowly Grundig Elite Boy 600 sitting next to a Roberts R505 at the moment. Both have been recently refurbished and are in good order. They were both available at roughly the same time and at similar price points. With apologies to Roberts devotees, I have to say that the Grundig knocks spots off the Roberts in just about every way. Even the handle doesn't fall apart if you carry the radio around a lot.

In terms of sound quality one thing that intrigues me is that the audio stages are very similar. Both use the AC187/AC188 combination in push-pull mode and yet the Grundig is markedly better despite its plastic case. All down to good design and speaker selection I guess.

Alan

Restoration73 · 22nd Aug 2018, 7:54 pm

The main weak point is where the main and slider pcbs are soldered together, and the
telescopic aerial contact. I have an 1100, and it is only bettered by my late model(1989)
Hacker Sovereign. The Clarke & Smith schools transistor radio is also exceptional
with its 8" round speaker.

19th Aug 2018, 9:08 pm	#1
davidwf Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Eye, Suffolk, UK. Posts: 8	Grundig Concert Boy 1100 lack of bass & volume As per title really.....my trusty old steed seems to be lacking in bass (can you believe that!!!) and also volume Not sure where to start really...I have a cct diagram and am OK with electronics & soldering etc. /.... some guidance or advice appreciated as I STILL havent found anything that sounds decent enough to replace it with !!! I have fitted a modern power supply inside and it is the same on batteries or mains

19th Aug 2018, 10:37 pm	#2
davidwf Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Eye, Suffolk, UK. Posts: 8	Re: Grundig Concert Boy 1100 lack of bass & volume sorted !!!... the main audio output capacitor had split it's casing and all dried out...interestingly it had been inserted with the wrong polarity...maybe a previous repair Anyway the 45 year old radio is now fully working again

20th Aug 2018, 10:04 am	#3
simpsons Octode Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Harrow, London, UK. Posts: 1,493	Re: Grundig Concert Boy 1100 lack of bass & volume David I am glad to read that your Grundig Concert Boy is fully functional. Its audio performance is really exceptional so much so, it was because of this that I realised that my ears were full of wax. Why? Because my neighbour couldn't hear himself speak whilst I was quite happy listening to the radio at full belt with no distortion. It is only bettered by the Melody Boy 1000 which the mind boggles on just how the Grundig engineers did everything without a computer in sight. Happy days Chris PS The volumes been turned down after an ear jet wash!! Last edited by simpsons; 20th Aug 2018 at 10:05 am. Reason: brain not switched on

20th Aug 2018, 11:29 am	#4
Thyristor Pentode Join Date: May 2015 Location: Hove, East Sussex. Posts: 147	Re: Grundig Concert Boy 1100 lack of bass & volume Those Portugal-made Grundig Boys are quite something. I think Grundig Engineers were verging on genius; they can be a bit flimsy (the radios, not the engineers !), but the sound quality is astonishing. I have a Concert Boy Luxus 1500, it wipes the floor with everything in sight; including Hackers, Roberts, and even my Tandberg. It was top of the Boy range (above the Concert Boy 1100) in the mid 70s, and it shows.

20th Aug 2018, 5:03 pm	#5
ajgriff Nonode Join Date: May 2004 Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 2,587	Re: Grundig Concert Boy 1100 lack of bass & volume I have a lowly Grundig Elite Boy 600 sitting next to a Roberts R505 at the moment. Both have been recently refurbished and are in good order. They were both available at roughly the same time and at similar price points. With apologies to Roberts devotees, I have to say that the Grundig knocks spots off the Roberts in just about every way. Even the handle doesn't fall apart if you carry the radio around a lot. In terms of sound quality one thing that intrigues me is that the audio stages are very similar. Both use the AC187/AC188 combination in push-pull mode and yet the Grundig is markedly better despite its plastic case. All down to good design and speaker selection I guess. Alan

22nd Aug 2018, 7:54 pm	#6
Restoration73 Nonode Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Surbiton, SW London, UK. Posts: 2,801	Re: Grundig Concert Boy 1100 lack of bass & volume The main weak point is where the main and slider pcbs are soldered together, and the telescopic aerial contact. I have an 1100, and it is only bettered by my late model(1989) Hacker Sovereign. The Clarke & Smith schools transistor radio is also exceptional with its 8" round speaker.