[Paula]

I love those big, wooden FM table radios! I'm working on a Zenith right now that is identical to one my dad gave my mom for Christmas many, many moons ago. It works great already, but I need to upgrade it for reliability.

Speaking of the German imports, lately I've been reading through some old issues of Popular Electronics, and in the February '58 issue they had an interesting article, German Radios: How Good Are They?, by H.H. Fantel. He discusses a number of differrent brands, including Telefunken, Grundig, and Graetz. Here's what he had to say about their sound:

"A German table model radio usually turns out to be a real 'surprise package' in terms of sound. The larger models boast what is probably the most musical sound ever attained with a table set. The credit for this goes partly to the solidly built hardwood cabinet and judicious placement of tweeters to attain wide-angle sound distribution. But most of the credit is due to careful electronic compensation of audio circuits to prop up the response where it sags under the natural limitations of relatively small speakers and cabinets. German radio-makers apparently design their sets 'by ear'."

[BTW, is it my imagination, or is the model in the picture below wearing a very early -- and possibly experimental -- version of the now-popular cycling helmet??]