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Vintage Radio (domestic) Domestic vintage radio (wireless) receivers only.

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Old 27th Dec 2016, 5:07 pm   #1
threeseven
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Default Round Ekco sets.

Is there anything to choose performance wise between the round Ekco's?
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Old 27th Dec 2016, 5:45 pm   #2
MurphyNut
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Default Re: Round Ekco sets.

The only round Ekco I have is a AD75 and I suspect the least best performing one of the range. I think being Introduced after the outbreak of war compromises were made.
Still a nice thing to look at but the others will certainly outperform it in sound quality.
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Old 27th Dec 2016, 7:54 pm   #3
Lloyd 1985
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Default Re: Round Ekco sets.

I can say the AC76 is a good sounding radio, has MW, LW and a gram input, mains energised speaker sounds nice too.

I think the best looking set is the A22, mainly because you can find them with good clear and not shrunk dials, plus if the dial is damaged there are some pretty good looking replacements on eBay.

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Old 27th Dec 2016, 9:22 pm   #4
paulsherwin
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Default Re: Round Ekco sets.

Their high prices result from their 'design icon' status, not their performance. They are primarily bought by design fans rather than mainstream vintage radio enthusiasts, and I doubt if many are ever switched on.
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Old 27th Dec 2016, 10:00 pm   #5
threeseven
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Default Re: Round Ekco sets.

Thanks. I won't be expecting anything exceptional, one look at the circuits and internal layout is enough to tell me that, I was just curious which of them did perform the best.
Aesthetically, the A22 is most appealing for me. It would be nice to have one but price of ownership is quite daunting.
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Old 27th Dec 2016, 11:02 pm   #6
David G4EBT
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Default Re: Round Ekco sets.

The A22 is a doddle to restore and performs very well on all three bands.

If price is an issue there are a number of things that pull down their condition and thus lower their price, but which are capable of correction. I've restored three - two for my (adult) son, one for myself. One needed a new dial and had cracks where they often appear - where the hollow 'feet' join the cabinet. It's a known weakness and if the radio has been plonked down rather hard, these cracks appear. Always something to look out for. They can't be seen ordinarily, and the cabinet can be repaired using fibreglass impregnated car body filler, internally and externally, then painted to blend in - especially on a black cabinet.

Another shortcoming is that the mains transformer is a bit on the puny side and prone to going open circuit. The other bugbear is that the EBL31 output valve - a double diode pentode which s well as being the audio output stage, looks after AGC and detection. Genuine ones are rare, but do turn up and EBL1s which are electrically identical but have a side contact base can be converted to octal. Then of course, the backs are sometimes missing.

What I'm saying is that if price is really an issue, look out for a 'basket case' which has some/all of these faults, all of which can be sorted, and you might find one at a price that fits your pocket better than one needing little work. Furthermore, a set in dilapidated condition will put many potential bidders off, and hence, keep the price low. Electrically, they're very straightforward to restore as most components are mounted on the outer periphery of the circular chassis.

The original Ekco A22 service data available at the top RH of the page, is excellent.

None of the other round EKCOs appeal to me - some are a nightmare to work on to sort out the 'rat's nest' of wiring, and I'm not keen on AC/DC sets or TRFs. That's a matter of personal preference of course - each to their own.

I hope these notes are of some help.

Good luck in your quest.
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Old 27th Dec 2016, 11:39 pm   #7
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Default Re: Round Ekco sets.

I have 4 out of the 5 round EKCO's and my favourite is the B&C AD65.

It's the original and IMHO the best.

However SWMBO only allows the B&C A22 to be on constant display in the dining room.

None of the round EKCO's are the best performers from EKCO but they look good, sound pretty good, are icons from the era and all of them well worth restoring.

I don't believe that serious collectors don't want these sets in their collections any more than they don't want a Murphy A8, Emor Globe, or a PYE M78F.

Sometimes you just have to pay up and smile

Its true prices are pushed up by non "core" radio collectors but that true of almost anything from chairs to vintage cars.

A Decent AD65 can be bought for about the same price they were fetching in 1988 so not inflation proof then

Cheers

Mike T
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