Just Found Zenith K731
 

I was in a flea market today and found one of these sets. I have read about how great they are and now I can find out for myself. It works but not that well. It needs the usual restoration attention. The cabinet is in the early American style in dark stain. The tubes appear to be all original. The dial pointer is crooked as it seems to be on so many of these. It is a little newer than I usually collect. I generally prefer 1940s bakelite sets. I will give it some loving care and see how it turns out. These are beautiful radios.

I'm listening to one right now - it's my FM set at my desk. I should probably recap mine and swap out a few tubes (it occasionally squeals on both bands) and the selenium rectifier. But it has been a fine "daily driver."

Yes, those are excellent performers when working right. Certainly among the better radios from the last days of tube radios.

I'll add that it's a good sounding set even though I don't believe my electrostatic tweeter is working anymore. I've read where they often do not function after so many years but I have no reason to do anything about mine.

I have a sibling of that set, a Zenith C730W, which is about a year younger. Yes, they are great performers. Mine was in rough shape when I got it and I did a write-up on the restoration here:

http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=120245

I noticed when I operate the band switch, the plastic bezel separates from the cabinet as I slide the switch down. Are they all like this? I hope the bezel is not cracked inside. I usually avoid radios with plastic dials and bezels because of this sort of thing. Give me metal and glass in a radio any day. It does have great sound though.

I have a K731 that looks and sounds wonderful, for being 47 years old. The caps and even the selenium rectifier in this set are original, still working well. I got this radio on eBay about five years ago, from a gentleman in Miami, Florida. The radio worked right out of the box as soon as it got here, and has been working exceedingly well since (excellent sensitivity as well; it can get stations 70+ miles distant on a good day, using only the line cord FM antenna). I only replaced one tube in it so far, a 12AU6.

The bezel on my '731 is still solid. I would guess yours is glued on, and the glue has lost its effectiveness over time. I'm not sure what type of glue was used to secure the bezel to the front of the cabinet; perhaps someone else will chime in with a suggestion.

Another person who also has a K731 mentioned in this forum that his set was excessively bassy. Mine is as well, with maximum bass (and I mean maximum, as in almost speaker-rattling) at the counterclockwise position of the tone control. I find the best sound is with the control set just short of full treble, but that may be a function of aging components in the tone compensation network or, as this person also suggested (didn't occur to me until I read the post), that today's FM stations emphasize the lower frequencies to extremes and often overmodulate their signals besides.

AM radio these days is almost all talk programming, so signal quality probably isn't as much of a priority as it was when these stations were music broadcasters 35 years ago or more; however, even then some stations were either current disasters or disasters waiting to happen. One such station was the former WIXY-1260 AM in Cleveland, now WWMK-1260 Radio Disney. This station had a signal at the time, mid-'60s through at least the '80s (5kW full time, IIRC) so weak that it was unlistenable more than fifteen miles or so east of Cleveland, although it boomed in just fine in the Cleveland suburb in which I grew up (Wickliffe, Ohio, 16 miles east of downtown). However, I was probably at or very close to the edge of this station's coverage pattern to the east. Where I live now, a small town some 35 miles from Cleveland, I don't know if I hear it at all, as I haven't tried to tune in the station recently; however, I understand the signal was recently upgraded to 10kW daytime/5kW nights so I might hear it reasonably well 24/7 on all my radios, including my K731. Mine is a keeper, as they don't make them like this anymore. Great sensitivity and sound, solid walnut cabinet -- Zenith, IMHO, had a winner times at least ten in this radio. Nothing cheap or borderline about it.

What a coincidence, yesterday there was an auction near me and I got an Early American version of the K731 for $5.00! It works, but is going to need to be refinished, new grille cloth, and of course gone over inside.

I'm curious. How bad are the grille cloth and the cabinet finish? If you say the cabinet will need a complete refinish, it must be quite bad. I hope it isn't scratched all to pieces; if so, you will have a real job on your hands getting it looking right again.

As I said, these radios are excellent performers, especially in RF-deprived areas far from local stations, thanks to the 12DT8 FM RF amp and three-stage IF amplifier (the 12AU6 limiter tube acts as a third IF amp; there are two actual IF amplifiers in the set). I don't know offhand where you are in Pennsylvania (the name of your town doesn't ring a bell), but if you are some distance from any major city in the state, your K731 should bring in those stations just as well as if they were local. I'm guessing, and will look it up on Google after I post this, but I think you're in the Scranton area.

I'll pry those plastic bezels back just enough or if it removes completely (easily) and insert a little super glue in there...a little goes a long way!

Jeff, if it wasn't for the top finish being scratched and partly alligatored around the edges, and other nasty alligatoring around the bottom edges, It might clean up. I will try cleaning it up first and then assess. Might only have to do something to the top. The grille cloth is a total loss: nasty and torn and pulling away from the edges. Luckily I have an almost identical cloth, gold threads and all, that will be a perfect replacement. This must have been a kitchen radio that never got cleaned off. Whenever I get around to this set I'll take photos and write it up.

BTW I'm in South Central PA, about 20 minutes east of Hershey.