The Best vintage UK Radio ever made

[Cobaltblue]

Apologies if this is something already asked.

I am mostly a Cossor collector, however I would accept that there are many (fools ) who might say these are not the best sets ever built.

So my question is this:

You need as a local respected vintage Radio person to provide as a present a set to a friend, couple VIP, etc that would both encapsulate vintage radio but also provide a reliable source of Radio entertainment.

It must be a valve sets no 3 legged fuses (Thanks Duke) allowed.

The obvious candidate is the DAC90A so cannot be suggested unless it turns out that it really is the best candidate.

Extra points (of no value other than smugness) awarded for pre-war suggestions.
Points deducted for continental suggestions unless widely sold in UK.
The recommended set must both be a looker and a performer (Think Honor Blackman a truly great British actress )
The point of this is to find out what set the majority of members would consider to be a set they would pass on with confidence as a representative set of our hobby.
Enjoy
Mike T

[Kat Manton]

If I put myself in the position of being on the receiving side, I'd be absolutely delighted if someone gave me a Pye FenMan II (though I'd prefer non-working as it'd be more fun.)

I personally think they meet the 'looker' requirement and I'm led to believe they meet the 'performer' requirement.

They are a bit big, though. But everything else I can think of which otherwise fits is huge and made by Grundig, Nordmende, SABA...

Kat

[avro]

If we are going for British I would say the DAC90A, but unsure of whether Brown or Ivory is better (they are both gorgeous). I saw one in mottled green at the NVCF a number of years ago, but AFAIK this wasn't a standard colour.

If Continental Sets are allowed, my favourite is the Saba Freiburg 125 Automatic. It's a looker and a sounder .

The best performing 'Vintage' radio I have is the Murphy A104, looks a bit odd but for AM use, brilliant. Having said that in the days when these sets where rife it was uncommon to have more than one so it must be 'the one you have' and this points to sets like the DAC90(a) et. al..

Kat, it has been said of me I would pay more for something not working.

[Steve_P]

I like big and noisy too. Murphy A40C.

http://www.classicwireless.btinternet.co.uk/mu37y.htm

Cheers,

Steve P.

[avro]

Originally Posted by merlinmaxwell

The best performing 'Vintage' radio I have is the Murphy A104, looks a bit odd but for AM use, brilliant.

I would love one of these, but SWMBO has me on a no more radios ban and it is not exactly the sort of set you can sneak by her.

[JHGibson]

My vote goes for the 1936 Murphy A30 or D30 console. I Wish I had one but the prospect of bringing it back to Canada on the plane is daunting. It is a 5 valve domestic radio but the circuity is sophisticated enabling a superior performance. I had to make do with the Murphy A24 - a similar circuit but a table top model. This I could get on the plane as a second piece of luggage.
John.

[Paul_RK]

Originally Posted by JHGibson

I had to make do with the Murphy A24 - the same circuit but a table top model.

Hello John,

Not the same circuit - the A30C is actually just 3V+R, a short superhet. The A24C is a console version and would meet your intentions.

Looks and performance together for me would have to mean either the A40C - another vote for that rather wonderful model - or a Hacker RV14 Mayflower. The DAC90A has style to be sure, but I doubt anyone would be surprised and delighted by its performance unless they had so little experience of valve radios as to expect them to be all crackles and whistles

Paul

[Lloyd 1985]

Hi,
May I suggest a big round lump of pre-war bakelite known as the Ekco AC76?!
Sounds good, and looks really nice in the black and chrome version
Prices might put some off though

regards,
Lloyd.

[Radio_Dave]

Originally Posted by Cobaltblue

The recommended set must both be a looker and a performer

Not wishing to offend anybody but surely this rules out the DAC90 and it's variants then? I've a few in my collection, I can see the visual attraction but as for 'performance' it must be over 10 years since I've even bothered turning one on

I haven't heard all the valve radios ever made but out of the ones I own my vote for best pre war goes to the Ferguson 603 and post war would have to be a Fenman II

David

[DangerMan]

Right, so a reliable performer does not need an external aerial, as VIP's etc. may not know where to put it, and may not even want the hassle of a piece of wire. That limits choice quite a bit.

What might encapsulate this type of set better than a DAC10... easy to use, safe, but otherwise no better than a DAC90A.
More to the point, a DAC90A is probably more recogniseable as a classic set, so fits the bill better.
Or, maybe a Murphy A100F (frame aerial). Very nice, but arguably not so "iconic" as a '90A.

For prewar extra points, with an external aerial, the Pilot Little Maestro is a contender... but first you'd have to get rid of the curtain burner line cord dropper without cooking the rest of the set.
Do we allow modifications?

For me it's the 90A or Pilot suitably modified, and overall Bush has it. You won't burn his house down or electrocute him/her.

Pete

[stitch1]

I haven't used a big enough range of radios to make an informed choice but:

Another vote for the Murphy A104, its definiatly my best performer especially on SW with the band spread and projector and baffle board design for great sound. The looks always impress. It also males a challenging restoratIion project.

Talking of which I also have an unrestored A46 which if it works as good as it looks may be a contender too?

[Cobaltblue]

Hi All
Murphy seem to be getting a lot of votes, which isn't surprising they are great sets my favorite is the A188C. Its push pull output and that big baffle mean it can make quite a decent sound. Its also a very elegant looking set and still looks very modern.
Yes the DAC90A was a low cost set but with its internal antennae its quite practical. and of course they are plentiful!
I was thinking when I started the thread the best set to give away. I have given away DAC90A's as gifts in the past. Easy to repair and reliable once done. But the performance is nothing exciting but to be fair most sets which do perform well do need an external aerial.
I very much appreciate the suggestions made so far.
Thank you all
Mike T

[hotbulb]

Ooh, what an interesting question.....

In terms of performance the Philips 681A is top notch, but the stylist must have been on holiday when it was designed as it has no style.

The Pye 39JH looks better and goes just as well, but for all round general AM performance and looks one of my favourites is the Pye P76.

For FM the Hacker RV14 gets my vote.

If I wanted a set that just looked stylish without worrying too much about what goes on under the bonnet it would be a Murphy A24.

Philip

[Studio263]

A little piece in this month's HiFi World magazine says that its the Pye FenMan II so it must be true. OK, so I wrote it but I've yet to see or hear anything better from a British manufacturer. Also commended: Bush VHF64, Hacker Mayflower II.

The DAC90A is OK but it's a bit "bread and butter", a bit like the MGB in the old car world. There's nothing wrong with the little Bush but isn't the similarly sized VHF90 a better bet these days? Both however were budget models and don't really give any sense of the scale of performance that a good "luxury" table set was capable of back then.

Much as I like them I think Philips must be excluded from consideration here, most of their sets show a heavy continental influence which gives them an unfair advantage!

[Billy T]

Originally Posted by Studio263

Much as I like them I think Philips must be excluded from consideration here, most of their sets show a heavy continental influence which gives them an unfair advantage!

I agree! Being better engineered, reliable and excellent performers is totally unfair to all the poorly engineered, unreliable and shonky performers out there.

Somebody has to get credit for setting a mediocre example so that we can all recognise quality when we see it.

Billy

[petertheorgan]

I am more than happy to be shot down in flames but if I had to slim down my collection the last two radios to go would be my Hacker Mayflower Mark one and my Ekco A274 , both mid 1950s VHF only sets and both sound superb !

[Leon Crampin]

Another pre-war Murphy fan here - and my vote goes to the A52 for sheer technical excellence. It's motor tuned, has effective AFC and is a double superhet on SW with full bandspread. It's performance is well up to communications receiver standards but it was costly to make and is now a rare set.

For audio performance the A40C takes some beating and again, it's a double superhet (on SW) into the bargain. It lacks the technical sophistiction of the A52 but it's a set I'd like to own.

Post war, things are more difficult as cost cutting became more important than engineering excellence. The Murphy A272C is unusual in being a baffle console with FM and it works well enough but is not particularly outstanding. Perhaps in this period we should allow styling to count - in which case my contenders are:

Ekco A22, Murphy A102 (with a projected SW scale), Bush DAC90/A, KB FB10, and possibly the Philips 141U.

There's no technical sophistication in any of these though - that had all gone to the Germans. If we include these, look at Saba...

Leon.

[David Simpson]

I'll echo Studio263's analogy with the motoring world. DAC90's seem to be refered to by many as if it was a "Beamer". Quite frankly, there are many far better looking & technically superior radios. I'll agree that Murphy should be considered as one of the best. My U128 looks fantastic, and what reception quality !
I've also a love affair with Ferranti Jellymoulds. That Chrysler Building look epitomises the late 30's/early 40's. Many of our visitors have said so.
I've never had one, but the Cossor Melody Maker looks a far nicer table top radio than the DAC90.
As many folk will know, domestic radios arn't my main electronic interest, but occasionally I'll take on something I really fancy. But my pet hate is the higgledy-piggledy layout of components underneath the chassis's of most domestic radios. Murphy's design engineers did seem to make a bit of an effort with their component layout.

That's my two-pennoth, David

Originally Posted by Studio263

A little piece in this month's HiFi World magazine says that its the Pye FenMan II so it must be true. OK, so I wrote it but I've yet to see or hear anything better from a British manufacturer. Also commended: Bush VHF64, Hacker Mayflower II.

The DAC90A is OK but it's a bit "bread and butter", a bit like the MGB in the old car world. There's nothing wrong with the little Bush but isn't the similarly sized VHF90 a better bet these days? Both however were budget models and don't really give any sense of the scale of performance that a good "luxury" table set was capable of back then.

Much as I like them I think Philips must be excluded from consideration here, most of their sets show a heavy continental influence which gives them an unfair advantage!

[minor8hp]

Depends what you are looking for in a radio.

The Ekco - Coats 30's designs have serious style (one of these days I'll own one - I hope).

The Ecko U76 has style, sensitivity and sounds really good.

The Masterradio "Sandown" in my eyes has clean style.....
so has the Philips V5a 'till you try to work on it.