Vintage Zenith Royal 2000 All Transistor Radio

[dennismiller]

Found this on eBay: Vintage Zenith Royal 2000 All Transistor Radio

No Affiliation! Just thought it may be of interest to some.

[Smoky Pond]

Thought I'd post this for future reference:

It sold for $46.52 and it looked to be in pretty good shape too.

[Celt]

Now, that's a radio that was made right!

[Smoky Pond]

Originally Posted by Celt

Now, that's a radio that was made right!

...and they sound great too! I've had one for many years. If you open the back and place it about a foot away from a wall, the audio can be spectacular!

[Celt]

I used to own one of those from that time period. It sounded fantastic and was very sensitive. Sadly, it was stolen many years ago.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Celt

I used to own one of those from that time period. It sounded fantastic and was very sensitive. Sadly, it was stolen many years ago.

The Royal 2000 shows up on eBay every once in a while. In fact, there is an auction for one going on right now, as another poster in this thread noted; he even provided a link to it. The only problem with the radio is, as the seller's item description will note, the volume is weak, even (I am assuming) with fresh batteries.

I'd put a bid on this one; even with the audio issue, I think it is a bargain for $46.52. These radios probably sold for over $100 when they were new and, from what I have read about them (I am a Zenith radio collector and try to read everything I can get my hands on regarding these sets), they have excellent sound (as yours did) and the RF sensitivity was great as well, which is a hallmark of all Zenith radios made by the original Zenith Radio Corporation of Chicago. I have two Zenith transistor portables in my collection (Transoceanic Royal 1000, 1958, and model R-70 from 1980) and can vouch for their sound and sensitivity; even the R-70, without the AM RF amp, gets stations from miles around during the day and at night, and the FM is just as good if not better. Four IF stages and one ceramic filter on FM, two IFs and a filter on AM. They don't make them like that anymore.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Celt

I used to own one of those from that time period. It sounded fantastic and was very sensitive. Sadly, it was stolen many years ago.

That radio had to be the most stolen radio, ever! They were a very impressive radio at the time.

[bgadow]

I have one (sold another) and agree, there will never be stuff built like that again. There were ads for these in National Geographic, somewhere around $200+. You could buy a halfway decent TV set for that money, right? Guess a lot of folks thought it was worth the investment, though (ditto in regards to the T-O's).

[KentTeffeteller]

This was closer to $269 new. Made in 1963, the first USA AM/FM transistor portable radio. Called the Trans-Symphony. Really sensitive and sounds excellent. Companion to the Zenith Trans-Oceanic Royal 3000, the first TO with FM band. Made with pride in Chicago, Illinois.