![]() ![]() For vintage radios, it's the Grundig RF121U. The CCRadio SW is probably second, well behind, at least some Royal 7000s are pretty good, but everything else (like the GE Super Radio III or Royal 3000) trailing those.įor tabletop transistor radios, the best I have is the Tivoli Model Two. For FM, the Royal 2000 easily blows them all away. There are a lot of pretty good ones behind those, like the GE P780 series. For BC, it's mostly a wash between the Zenith Royal 755, and the Royal 2000. I have A LOT of transistor portable radios. Last edited by bandswitch on Mar 8:42 pm, edited 1 time in total. "It helps that I have a single 1965 EV external speaker connected (10" w/Klipsch Horn)- and it will fill the room."Ĭan anyone recommend a powered speaker for plugging into the line out on these vintage sets? ![]() In researching the RF-1150 I found this snippet in a comment on another site: What is your favorite portable or tabletop music-listening radio? I have a Zenith J430W that sounds great thanks to a big speaker in a wood cabinet. ![]() The PL-880 makes a great showing, it has better definition and crispy highs, but it just can't compete with the huge speaker in the 1150 on the lows. Of my collection, my favorite portable is the Panasonic RF-1150. I see a lot of praise for the sound out of the GE Super Radio II on here but I don't own one. Now I'm interested in zeroing in on the better-sounding sets, in particular on FM for music. But it all started with the transistor radio way back in 1954.I've acquired enough radios to have a feel for the wide variance in reception quality across the frequency spectrum. While radio may be less significant these days, the concept of a small handheld device that provides access to music and ideas is more popular than ever in the form of today’s smartphone. The Boombox, the Discman, and the iPod arrived over the following decades, replacing the transistor radio and, further, eroding broadcast radio’s status as the most important way to reach the masses with music and ideas. The transistor radio began to decline in popularity in the late 1970s as the cassette and the Walkman took over. In providing this avenue for artistic expression and the dissemination of new ideas, the transistor radio played a significant role in many of the musical and cultural movements of the 1950s and 1960s. For the first time, young people had the freedom to listen to music and world news amongst themselves without the threat of parental disapproval. The transistor radio wasn’t just a revolutionary piece of technology – it also revolutionized music and youth culture. Many models even had a single plug-in earphone for private listening, not unlike the headphones used with later devices such as the Walkman and the iPod. In addition to lower prices, the first half of the decade also saw the addition of FM capabilities to the previously AM-only transistor radio. These Japanese models brought prices down significantly, and by the 1960s, transistor radios cost around $15 (about $117 today), making them affordable birthday and Christmas presents during the prosperous 1960s. Sony’s TR-55 and TR-63 were particularly notable, but Sharp and Toshiba also sold transistor radios. Shortly after the TR-1 went out of production, Japanese manufacturers began selling cheaper and smaller transistor radios to the American public. Image source: Stocksy United New Models & Further Improvements Instead of a family affair, teenagers began listening to the radio alone or with groups of friends. It was also highly portable and changed the way that Americans enjoyed radio. In contrast to these older models, the TR-1 was small and much less easy to break. In most cases, families would huddle around a single large wooden radio in their home and listen to programs together. Because these radios used breakable vacuum tubes, they were also very delicate. Previous models were large and mostly stationary. Signaling a Changeĭespite its short life, the TR-1 changed the face of consumer radio forever. Around 150,000 units were sold, but the TR-1 wasn’t produced for very long. ![]() However, it was quite expensive – the TR-1 retailed for around $50, which translates to nearly $400 today. It was able to receive AM radio stations and had an impressive 20-hour lifespan due to its 22.5v battery. It was easily portable, measuring just five inches high, and used four transistors. It featured a gold dial and was available in a variety of colors. On October 18, 1954, they released the Regency TR-1 just in time for the Christmas shopping season. Texas Instruments built the transistors and the Regency division of I.D.E.A. (Industrial Development Engineering Associates) and Texas Instruments. The first transistor radio was created as a joint project between I.D.E.A. Image credit: Julia Bujalski The Regency TR-1 ![]()
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