Tube Rolling?

[jeffsod]

I am curious if any of the German radio collectors/owners here have experimented with various output tubes (EL84's) to see its effect on the sound quality? Reading the Tube Audio forum the tube rolling is common but just wondered if anyone has tried it with the German Table Radios. I also wonder what the better NOS EL84's are for these.

One of the radios I have and really like the sound of I noticed has a Siemens EL84 and I wonder if I swapped that to another radio whether I would like it as much or whether its just good in that radio.

[myrgatroyd]

Well, i think there is no need to do that. Tube rolling is a high end hobby, and I do not believe that the little output transformers and the sounded prestages in our old radios would affect the sound they make... changing the cap coupling the prestage to the endstage could do more... there are only working and non-working ELs... that´s my opinion.
If you had a pp-amp things could be another way. But your Carmen (?) is single ended. (Ah, I see it´s a Turandot, your dial is total different to the german ones.)
There are Telefunken, Valvo, Sovtek, RFT and no-names in my amps. It didn´t change anything.
By the way, did you check your electrostatic speakers? They are known to get week.

[jeffsod]

Thank you for the input! I haven't checked the electrostatics but based on the level of highs I am obtaining from this radio at least a couple of them are working properly. This radio has some very unique options for the highs. It has switches labeled 'Presence' and 'Brilliance' which alter the highs in significantly different ways.

[myrgatroyd]

At your service. Yes, the sound switches... they are the source of fun but also a source of trouble when dirty...
The radios where built "with the ears", but not to amplify a clean linear line. That is their charms. Placed in the edge of a room (I think the engineers had this place in mind) you can alter the bass and the mid-bass + 6db.
Have fun with your really nice Turandot.

[jeffsod]

Well I went ahead and picked up two new EL84s to try on another one of my radios. The Turanadot's sound is really quite good and couldn't see messing with that one. But this Grundig I picked up for an amazing price thanks to a poor listing last summer had been giving me a bit of a weird sound on one of the more powerful stations I listen. I am not sure if it was 'mircophonics' so I figured a backup EL84 couldn't hurt. So I am currently running an old German made Valvo EL84 in it and have a nice US RCA to try in it for fun too.

The tube that it was running was an old Telefunken which has a really nice sound. I especially like the sound of the harmonica on the blues programs and the horns when listening to Jazz.

Under a thick layer of who knows what (cigarette tar?) in this original photo lies a mint 3045

[myrgatroyd]

Nice thing you got there, Jeff.
There is a button missing? Perhaps I could look for it.
Blues harmonica? Horns? That´s the music those radios were made for. I love to listen to big band music or rock´n´roll on those old beasts too.
But I still do not believe you can "take the sound" from one unit to the other simply by rolling the end tube. You know why?
Then take a look to the sound stages and the speakers. Your Telefunken has little bass-woofers, your Grundig has a big one, I believe it sounds smoother, the basses are softer and deeper.
Every brand had it´s own philosophy of sound, and the sound even changes from year to year on the same model... a ´56 Loewe Opta Meteor sounds totally different to a ´57 model. I restored a ´57 Graetz Melodia and found that the engineers fine-tuned the sound stage. There are two caps linked parallel, which is not neccessary. You simply could take another capacity...
Harsh sound with poor basses are often caused by a weak coupling capacitator. You should replace that thing to get the real sound.
Have fun!

[jeffsod]

I agree totally but was curious to try a couple of output tubes just to see if there were any discernable difference. Especially since if I bring another of these beautiful sets home the wifes gonna throw me out .

All set with the button but I really appreciate the offer. That is the as bought photo. It has been completely clean up, button matched and replaced. And completely restored by an experienced German radio tech here in the states. All wax capacitors and normal modern upgrades have been done.

[myrgatroyd]

Grin. My darling dear is a fan of old radios too, she is adopting those things (but not every one). She would throw me out if I gave away her beloved console or meteor... When her little comet died, she cried.

You are lucky if you found someone willing and able to restore an old radio! If your Grundig is recapped, you should have fun for another 50 years, if someone still is transmitting in the fm band then.