My Opus Telefunken 6
 

Hi:

I recently inherited this radio from my grandfather and thought you guys might like to see it. It is in very good condition. Many of the pictures of this radio I see on the net have discolored fabric, but this is perfect. I think because my grandparents didn't smoke, as was common back in the day. How does it sound? Fantastic! This radio also has sentimental value to me because I spend a lot of time with my grandparents back in the early 80's and he always listed to this radio in the kitchen. I feel very lucky to have it.

I'm still learning how the SW feature works. Seems you have to use two different dials to change the stations and then fine tune the reception?

One technical question. When I turn it off or switch bands, a pop sound occurs. Don't know if this is cause for concern or if that is normal.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...t/IMG_0976.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...t/IMG_0978.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...t/IMG_0967.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...t/IMG_0968.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...t/IMG_0969.jpg

that is an awesome looking unit...congrats!

Nice piece.

I could be wrong, but a good cleaning of the switch contacts with deoxit may get rid of some of the pops.

Joe

That is in fantastic condition! THe only other Opus I've seen in that kind of condition still had a missing back and the FM didn't work. You even have the manual and schematic.

CLeaning the switch contacts on these does help alot. If you are going to put it into daily use, I would recomend replacing the capacitors. Over time they dry up and drift off value. You'll be amazed how good it sounds after you do.

Stunning
 

That's beautiful...just breathtaking dcbullet. Twist the knife why don'tcha? :-)

I agree with cleaning the contacts on the volume and band-selector pots, but don't forget to wipe the dirty cleaner up right away after it flows out; that nasty stuff can stain a otherwise clean chassis. And although there are many talented do-it-yourself-er's here, I'd send the radio off to a qualified repairman for a thorough service and upgrade. I'd contact (moderator) Chad Hauris or Sandy G for tips on getting it where it needs to be.

Whatever you do, DON'T barf up that beautiful radio! That one needs to be preserved-

Thanks for the encouragement! I do feel lucky to have such a nice piece of history as well as an object which brings memories of my relationship to my grandparents.

I should perhaps be more clear. The pops do not occur when twisting the dials, there is no "scratchy" sounds or anything with their operation. It is when I press the buttons, either the off button, or press the buttons to change the band from FM to AM or SW that the pop occurs.

It would still be a good idea to use deoxit on the volume and control knobs as well as the pwr/function switches. Do not spray the tuner gangs, though.

That is a beautiful Opus. I take it you are turning the volume to its lowest setting when you change bands or tun it off? My Tele pops if I don't turn the volume down.

I have not been turning the volume down but will do so if that is standard operating procedure.

Bill

Beautiful! I acquired an Opus 6 on ebay a hile age. Had a local shop go through and replace/clean as needed. What a terrific radio. Great tuner and reception. A real gem and pleasure to own.

What a beautiful set!! It is definitely a keeper. I also have an Opus 6 and an Opus 8. My 8 needs a full restoration eletrically, does anyone know of a good shop near Cincinati. I hate to ship it with my UPS history........

If you'll take a picture only with the scale and the keyes, I can give you a piece of information with how S.W. (K.W.) works!
The F.M. (U.K.W.) works on 88-108 Mhz or only in 87,5-100 MHz?

Just noticed this thread. Based on the pictures, I also inherited the same unit from my grandfather. I still works and is in almost as good condition as that shown above. I have all of the original paper work including the owners manual. I will verify that it is the same model tonight.

Opus.
 

I have the Opus 5430 which has detached speakers , sounds good and looks even better but it is in need of a ECC 808 or a 6KX8 tube which is hard to find , does your Opus use the same tube ?? Thanks , Gary .

Opus
 

I have the Opus 5430 which has detached speakers ,sounds good and works Ok but needs a ECC-808 or a 6KX8 , does your unit use the same tube ? Thanks , Gary .

Just checked, and mine is an Opus 7. The main difference I can see on an initial comparison is a few preset equalizer buttons (jazz, orchestra, etc.). Pictures to follow.

I received a request for a scan of the Opus 7 manual from AK member "Funkster". Not sure of the protocol on info (I'm a newbie) but I can email a copy to anyone interested. It includes a circuit diagram that I can rescan if it's illegible. I also have the 1956 log of FM and SW stations that came with it.

Still haven't gotten to the pictures yet but will post soon.

Bump on this thread!

I've just acquired an Opus 7 via eBay. Got it for around $150 which is quite reasonable for a set of this quality.

I'm going to pick it up next Sunday. A short drive to Los Angeles. Can't wait to get it.

Here's a picture of how it looks like. Not my unit, but it is the exact same model. I prefer this "modern" style cabinet with the wooden bars on the grille.

http://www.mbzponton.org/kc2oqg/radi...front_back.jpg

http://www.jllacer.com/Euro_Radios/images/TOpus7_r.jpg

It's making me drolling.

Beautiful isn't it?

I think Telefunken really hit the nail on the head with this styling. Later models were not as attractive, IMHO.

The 7, along with the earlier 6 were the high point in the Opus series, IMO.

The nice thing about the "US" version is that it has the full FM band all the way to 108 MHz. It also has a much cleaner dial design without the city and country markings.

The Opus, being the top of the line from Telefunken, has 6 speakers including two electrostatic tweeters. The amplifier section uses a pair of EL84s in push-pull arrangement. The speakers have Alnico V magnets.

In the past I owned the second model from the top, the "Concertino". But this is the first Opus for me.

I'm going to be recapping mine and performing some minor restoration. Stay tuned for a dedicated Opus 7 thread in the near future!

It's tube Hi-Fi. I think it beats my East-German Grosssuper Capri Typ 6401 (I'll put a picture with it on a topic).

I've seen pics of several East German sets and they looked very nice. Similar styling to Telefunken.

Would love to see a picture of your set...

Here it is:
http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthr...874#post721874
I'll put some techincal data about it later

TELEFUNKEN ELA V:music:

TELEFUNKEN Ela V 304 MONO RÖHRENVERSTÄRKER (seltenheit, Sammlerstück) BAUJAHR: 1955 mit RÖHREN: Telefunken EL 84 AUSGANGSLEISTUNG: 10 Watt Sinus
Let's take a look of this TELEFUNKEN mono amplifier at this site: http://www.audio-extasa.eu/product_i...products_id=74

Interesting amp.
Would this be similar (in design and power output) to the Opus 6/7's amplifier?
They both use the EL84 in push pull configuration...

very nice indeed!!!

i am sending my unit to Terry D. to get 100% finctional..

Not a bad idea at all.
I'm going to be careful recapping mine because I don't want to upset the RF alignment. Perhaps I'll just replace the caps on the first audio and power amplifier sections. Plus the selenium rectifier.

BTW, my recollections of listening to shortwave radio in my younger years was one of the main reasons to buy the Opus.

My plan is to recreate the old Voice Of America Jazz Hour shows on mp3. With a good audio editor such as Audacity, I can put together a simulated vintage radio show.

They can be broadcast to the radio using a small AM transmitter I have at hand, or better yet using a Squeezebox network player and the tape/pick-up inputs of the radio.

Also, the Squeezebox can be used to receive internet broadcasts from around the word. Should be awesome to listen to them via the Opus 7. Talk about the best of both worlds: the classic tube sound of a vintage hi-fi radio plus the ability to listen to Internet radio streams!

do you have adapters to hook up tape/phono? mine came with them, so terry will have to make me some RCA-tfk cables...

No, I don't have the adapters. Would have to work something out!

Drool...drool...Droool.....Green w/envy...Drool some more....

I do this with my low power FM transmitter. I bring up the big band/swing stations on the internet and listen to them on the antique (and reproduction) radios around house. I've found old time radio shows with Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and more along with comedy, drama, sci fi. It's cool to listen to them on the radio again. Shoutcast.com has several of the big band/swing stations.