Favourite Hi Fi System Radio Unit?

[Synchrodyne]

Some sense of what the German setmakers were offering in the period of interest may be gleaned from this 1953 BBC Research Report: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/reports/1953-02.pdf.

As it turned out, the German industry was able to export FM receivers to the UK market in the later 1950s, although I don’t think that that extended to FM tuners to any material extent. The German setmakers were also successful in the US market in that period, and in fact introduced the single-valve FM front-end to American practice.

To put this recent discussion about available receiving equipment during the Wrotham experimental period into perspective, it involved just a small number (four identified above) of the smaller hi-fi equipment makers, but not the bigger hi-fi makers, nor as far as I can determine, any of the setmakers. The previously mentioned models shown by HMV and K-B at Radiolympia 1949 appear not to have made it into regular production. So, we’re talking about a fractional part of the market.

Perhaps Jason could be added to the group of pioneer UK FM tuner makers. It was advertising at least as early as 1954 September, and it did refer to the Wrotham experimental transmissions.



Once the modulation issue was decided and the go-ahead given for the BBC FM service, both the setmakers and the hi-fi industry moved to offer FM receivers and tuners. An interesting, perhaps ironic outcome was that Pye, whose C.O. Stanley had issued a minority statement supporting VHF-AM, contrary to the TAC decision in favour of FM, offered what was arguably the best of the initial 1955 crop of British FM domestic integrated receivers, namely the FenMan II, which as mentioned earlier, had the same RF section circuitry as the HFT111 hi-fi tuner.


Cheers,

[Peter.N.]

That 'Wireless world' is from the year I started work in London so visited a lot of those stores. I also had a couple of the Jason kit tuners with EF91s which worked very well, in fact I still have some reel to reel tapes of 'Pick of the pops' recorded via them.

As I have mentioned before I think the Hi Fi equipment we sold then is at least as good as anything I have heard since although it was way out of my price range, the Jason tuner with my home built amplifier and large baffle speaker, WB Stentorian I seem to remember that was, can't remember what record deck but also a Philips EL3542 tape recorder all sounded very good to me - but to loud for my parents!

Peter

[thyratron]

I have just bought this s/h tuner on the Internet. I got it on the bench expecting trouble but it all checks out. I put HT only on and see what's leaky. Then lighting the burners and again all fine. Sensitive and selective; I can't fault it so it's installed and running a treat. DEFINITELY MY FAVOURITE

[TonyDuell]

Err, isn't that a Quad? Not surprising it's very good!

[dazzlevision]

Originally Posted by TonyDuell

Err, isn't that a Quad? Not surprising it's very good!

It'll probably be even better if all those brown Hunts Moldseals were replaced.

[John Caswell]

As I've commented before, I believe the Germans were forbidden AM transmissions after the war so devoted all their time and efforts to FM. During my servicing days (58-73) all three of us in the service department had Grundig table radios in our homes as they knocked spots off the equivalent UK offerings. It was almost as if the UK manufacturers adopted the "well it lights up and makes a sound, so get it out the door" attitude, whereas the Germans in particular strived to get maximum results from a given circuit. My first continental FM station was heard on a Grundig in a flat in Chelsea, whereas my second was on a homebrew TSL FM tuner (mono) with a dipole hanging out of the window of a first floor flat in West London, listening to the weather over the Harz mountains in W.Germany. This was November time with some Sporadic E at work.
The TSL kit had a preassembled Gorler ECC85 front end, permeability tuned, and an assembled printed circuit IF strip using 6AU6 plus diodes. It performed really well.

John

[Synchrodyne]

Originally Posted by TonyDuell

Err, isn't that a Quad? Not surprising it's very good!

From its "Acoustical" rather than "Quad" name on the front, I'd say that it was an early version with the Series A circuit, possibly built somewhere in the 1955 - 58 time range. (The S/N could be used as an indicator of what iteration it was.)

Cheers,

[thyratron]

It's serial 4023 so I make that series B? I love the GLOW.

[Synchrodyne]

Yes, very early Series B, which started at #4001. Well, it shows that the change from "Acoustical" to "Quad" labelling did not happen with the change from Series A to Series B!

The early Series B added both AFC and neutralization of the 1st and 2nd IF amplifiers, but retained the original arrangement of smoothed AGC to the RF amplifier, none on the 1st IF amplifier. The change to unsmoothed AGC to the 1st IF amplifier, none on the RF amplifier, and "swapping" of the RF and 1st IF valve types, came at #8677.

Cheers,

[Happy Listener]

Love my A&R Cambridge Arcam T 21 tuner...
Aside from sounding great, I love the tuning scale made of discreet LEDs!

[jez_145]

Yes, my vote goes with the A&R (Arcam) T21 too. When I purchased my A&R A60 amplifier some 35+ years ago, there's no way I could afford the T21 when it first appeared. Then, a couple of years ago, I found one on eBay and won it for a tenner - expecting it to need some work. It turned out to be perfect and it's been in daily use, along with the A60, ever since. The LED displays tell you everything you need to know and, most importantly, it's a great sounding tuner - certainly the best I've ever heard - with a good aerial.

Jerry

[stevehertz]

Originally Posted by dazzlevision

It'll probably be even better if all those brown Hunts Moldseals were replaced.

They're even splitting open! I bet most of those are leaky and exhibit DC resistance, par for the course with hunts caps.

[stevehertz]

Originally Posted by John Caswell

... During my servicing days (58-73) all three of us in the service department had Grundig table radios in our homes as they knocked spots off the equivalent UK offerings. It was almost as if the UK manufacturers adopted the "well it lights up and makes a sound, so get it out the door" attitude, whereas the Germans in particular strived to get maximum results from a given circuit. ...

I agree about the great performance of the Grundig and other German sets, no doubt about that, but the UK's Pye Fenman II, Bush's VHF64/94 (and others?) were certainly up there with a similar level of performance and sound quality.