Cool radio find at Target

[radiolee]

Like I really need another radio.

It's the NR 31 model-

http://www.emersonradio.com/Retro/

This thing's got ported cabinets, analog vernier tuning, aux inputs, obviously a rip off of the KLH/Tivoli concept.

But I always give credit where credit is due. This thing sounds great and it cranks. Amazing bass for 3" drivers.

Closed out at 29.99.

Eat your heart out Mr. Bose.........

[Jeffhs]

Originally posted by radiolee
Like I really need another radio.

It's the NR 31 model-

http://www.emersonradio.com/Retro/

This thing's got ported cabinets, analog vernier tuning, aux inputs, obviously a rip off of the KLH/Tivoli concept.

But I always give credit where credit is due. This thing sounds great and it cranks. Amazing bass for 3" drivers.

Closed out at 29.99.

Eat your heart out Mr. Bose.........

These replica radios are nice, but I think putting FM in a cathedral set spoils things as all the cathedral radios I've ever seen only had AM. I have a replica cathedral in my bedroom with FM, and it works well on that band (although the AM isn't much better than a crystal set, especially in my small town 45 miles from the Cleveland stations--I can't hear most of them at night on that particular radio, though my 1959 Zenith pulls them in much better).

If you have a big-band station on AM or FM in your area, I'd keep a replica set tuned to it. (If not, I would consider playing older music from CDs or MP3s through these radios using a small FM transmitter, as others here have done.) These stations play the music which, so I'm told, was popular when real cathedral/console radios were the rage (decades before TV). Somehow, hearing modern rock (especially the acid-rock stuff from the mid-to-late '60s) coming from even a replica set in a cathedral or other antique-style cabinet doesn't settle well with me. I don't even like listening to talk radio on my replica cathedral, let alone the noise that passes for music on most FM stations these days.

The remark that ends your post, "Eat your heart out Mr. Bose....", is interesting; however, I don't think these replica sets sound that good (they will never, IMO, outsell the Bose Wave radio or radio/CD systems). Bose's Wave radios, including the Wave radio/CD combos, are specially built for high-fidelity sound from a small package; the replica sets, while probably sounding fairly good, are not meant to replace hi-fi systems, not with their 3-inch (!) speakers, regardless how good the bass may or may not sound. These units sell because of the nostalgic looks of the cabinets, not for the sound.

Now that I think of it (and after rereading your post), perhaps your Emerson unit is an exception to the foregoing. I've seen those sets advertised in the local paper (especially in the color ad flyers in our Sunday paper) and in novelty-store catalogs, and they look really good. They look very well built; with the aux inputs, they can accept external speakers and/or outboard units such as MP3 players and the like. Perhaps the company which manufactures these (I honestly do not think for a second, however, that it is or was the real Emerson Radio and Phonograph Company, which went out of business maybe 20 or thirty years ago) and uses the Emerson name and logo under license from the company, did in fact model these units after those great old KLH FM/stereo tuners of years ago, particularly their Model Eight which also had vernier tuning. The tuning dial on your set looks a lot like those old KLH tuners, even down to the vernier tuning drive mechanism.

What's next? Zenith knockoffs, complete with the old lightning-bolt logo and so on? Now that the original Zenith Electronics Corporation (and the Zenith Radio Corp. before it) is history, I wouldn't be surprised.

[Ultra-Hog]

It's interesting to see someone post about that little radio. I actually bought the last one that a local Target store had. It was marked down to $20.00 and I needed a simple radio for the garage. It did remind me of the old KLH 11? radios, as well as my memory serves me, that I used to sell back in the late 60s. I wasn't expecting this cheap NR 31 radio to sound as good as I remembered the KLH radios did, and it doesn't, but I was still pleasantly surprised. The reception is good and the sound quality is very good, all things considered. It never made it to the garage. I use it in my home office. I resurrected an old Pioneer receiver and and old pair of Realistic 8" speakers for the garage since I found myself spending a lot of time there recently. The NR 31 has an AUX input and a 1/8" headphone jack on the back. I suspect that these are the same radios that are being marketed under a variety of brands and colors in catalogs.

[radiolee]

Wish I had another dozen of them to sell in my store. I use it now for my computer. Good companion to the Ramsey FM transmitter. Very satisfying little radio.

Bose is still crap.

Lee

[Charlie]

I, too, have a couple of these replica radios. One of them I found at Target about five years ago... seems I recall getting it for ten bucks... there were only a few left. It has AM/FM. I guess it's supposed to look like a small tombstone.

The other is a cathedral with AM/FM and a cassette on the side. Like Jeffhs points out... that's kinda cheesy. However, I'm sure they wouldn't sell as well if they were AM-only. This cathedral actually has a few years on it. My grandparents bought it back in the early 80's.

Both radios pick up stations pretty good... considering I have them up at my cabin in the woods... where there aren't any local radio stations. The FM bands definately pick up great... I pick up Lufkin (80 miles away), Beaumont (40 miles away), and Houston (90 miles away).

I don't really play them very often. I might turn them on softly just for some background music. If I wake up early enough on Sundays, I'll listen to the Cajun music program on 560 KLVI.

Anyone here on AK would likely see one of these sets and immediately know it was a modern replica. However, it's amazing to me how most people think these sets are actually from radio's early days. I've had guest here and their reaction is something like, "Wow, look at that neat old radio! Does it work?" Even when they examine it closely, they don't realize it's a replica. As far as they know, FM has been around since radio first came out.

The wood cabinets seem to be pretty nice. However, I think they could have scrapped the little plate that says "Thomas Collectors Edition 1932".

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Charlie

I, too, have a couple of these replica radios. One of them I found at Target about five years ago... seems I recall getting it for ten bucks... there were only a few left. It has AM/FM. I guess it's supposed to look like a small tombstone.

The other is a cathedral with AM/FM and a cassette on the side. Like Jeffhs points out... that's kinda cheesy. However, I'm sure they wouldn't sell as well if they were AM-only. This cathedral actually has a few years on it. My grandparents bought it back in the early 80's.

Both radios pick up stations pretty good... considering I have them up at my cabin in the woods... where there aren't any local radio stations. The FM bands definately pick up great... I pick up Lufkin (80 miles away), Beaumont (40 miles away), and Houston (90 miles away).

I don't really play them very often. I might turn them on softly just for some background music. If I wake up early enough on Sundays, I'll listen to the Cajun music program on 560 KLVI.

Anyone here on AK would likely see one of these sets and immediately know it was a modern replica. However, it's amazing to me how most people think these sets are actually from radio's early days. I've had guest here and their reaction is something like, "Wow, look at that neat old radio! Does it work?" Even when they examine it closely, they don't realize it's a replica. As far as they know, FM has been around since radio first came out.

The wood cabinets seem to be pretty nice. However, I think they could have scrapped the little plate that says "Thomas Collectors Edition 1932".

Charlie -

I reread my post just now. I didn't say anything about the replica radios being "cheesy" because they have FM or cassette players; at least I didn't mean to imply that. I was simply pointing out that, in my own opinion, it is odd to see 88-108 MHz FM in a radio that is supposed to be a replica of a cathedral set from the '30s.

I did mean what I said, however, about the AM sections of these radios being not much better than crystal sets, but that comment could apply to the AM tuners of most radios and even low-end stereo systems made in the last 30 years. I had a Zenith stereo in the early '80s that had an excellent FM tuner, but the AM tuner was so bad I was getting shortwave stations on it after dark!

Poorly designed, no doubt. I read in Popular Electronics some years ago where someone had an FM tuner that would receive shortwave after sundown; same thing. Not to mention that the tuner in my stereo wouldn't pick up the local AM stations in Cleveland very well at night (no provisions for an external AM antenna), and I lived about 15 miles closer to town at the time.

The FM section of my replica cathedral, however, is very good, getting most Cleveland stations using just the short FM wire antenna that came with the set. I have yet to hear anything on FM 80-90 miles away on this radio, though (I bought the set some four or five years ago). I think that may be due to the fact that this set has fixed AFC, which prevents it from receiving stations very close to strong locals. Doesn't really make much sense, considering the FM tuning scale is very wide on this radio (it takes up fully half of the round tuning dial).

As to the "Thomas Collectors Edition 1932" plate on one of your replica sets, I would say just take it off the cabinet if it bothers you. The thing is just advertising for the company that made the radio, anyway; the set will work just as well without it. You will know it's a Thomas replica cathedral, but anyone else (other than we AKers) will look at it and think it's "the real deal" from the early thirties. The number "1934" is stamped in raised numerals on the lower half of the dial bezel of my replica cathedral set, but it means nothing; it is just part of the dodge Thomas (or whatever company made my replica set; I don't see any manufacturer's name anywhere on the cabinet) uses to make these radios look like real early-thirties sets. No matter. I use the radio mostly on FM anyhow, and I like the looks of the cabinet. Besides, it was a bargain at Big Lots for $20. I'm glad I snapped it up then, as I haven't seen these replica sets in that store since I bought mine (Big Lots' motto is "when it's gone, it's gone").

[Charlie]

Sorry, Jeff. The cheesy remark was my own wording... you pointed out that the FM in a cathedral kinda spoils it... which is kinda what I meant as well... just worded differently.

The date being printed on the front doesn't bother me to the point of taking it off, but, I would have left it off had I designed it.

In any case, I'm glad that someone did take the time to make a replica of the old sets. Too bad it says "made in china" on the back! Whether or not you're a radio collector, these play pretty good and are nice to look at.

[Charlie]

As many of you likely have at work, we have a new safety program that passes out awards for keeping all of our fingers and toes. If someone is chosen, they get to pick thru a small catalog of items to be sent home.
The items aren't anything real expensive, but, they're free.

I narrowed my choices down between The Weather Channel Electronic Weather Monitor and this Emerson radio. I already have two electronic weather monitors, so I went with the radio (one can't have too many radios).

The little table radio/cd player looks kinda neat. The little plastic knobs are a little cheesy... but hey it was free! Nuttin better than free! The CD goes in kinda like a record. The little stereo speakers sound pretty decent (considering they're probably little 3" speakers). Of course, it doesn't have that "full-bodied sound" of an actual vintage radio, but it does okay for background music.