12-31-2012, 10:19 PM
The big passion for Zenith sets was based on the fact that the Walton family on a TV series had a certain Zenith radio.
Zenith sets are OK as long as a person likes them for what they are, rather than what they see on a TV screen
I regard Zenith radios a "blue collar" radio. They were priced a bit lower than RCA sets, and Philco as well. Their chassis were decent performers, and their cabinets were cheap and, ranging from acceptable appearing, to out- and-out gauche. With possibly one exception, Zenith never had a cabinet with doors on it. That would have been a big cost increase. There were many RCA and Philco models with doors on their cabinets. Finish quality was, again, acceptable, but mot exceeding that of other brand's cabinets.
Zenith had a nasty habit of bloating tube counts. The best example of it was their "Stratosphere" model. Other models used two type 6X5 rectifier tubes, rather than a single 5Y3 or 5U4, for example.The 6X5's were noted for breakdowns, and burning power transformers. Coupled to that, they used marginal specs for heir power transformers, and suffer need for replacement. If you're looking for a good radio, with bloated tube count, possibly a Midwest would please you.
I've always observed that Zenth's success in the market, was the big round dial. I'm sure that lots of buyers felt that the larger the dial on a radio, the more stations it would receive.
One big hidden issue is performance. Beginning with Philco's model 16, Jim Skinner, pres. of Plhilco had the audio response extended to 7000 cycles, from the usual 4500 CPS. While broadcast stations weren't putting out that fidelity, it made Philco sets sound more enjoyable, because harmonics and overtones were enhanced. Not even RCA did that, so in that respect, Philco had an unnoticed edge. And to take advantage of their good audio, Philco had some pretty husky speakers (The "U" and the "W" types, on some models. Zenith never came within a mile of that!
However, if Zenith is your "thing", have at 'em!
Zenith sets are OK as long as a person likes them for what they are, rather than what they see on a TV screen
I regard Zenith radios a "blue collar" radio. They were priced a bit lower than RCA sets, and Philco as well. Their chassis were decent performers, and their cabinets were cheap and, ranging from acceptable appearing, to out- and-out gauche. With possibly one exception, Zenith never had a cabinet with doors on it. That would have been a big cost increase. There were many RCA and Philco models with doors on their cabinets. Finish quality was, again, acceptable, but mot exceeding that of other brand's cabinets.
Zenith had a nasty habit of bloating tube counts. The best example of it was their "Stratosphere" model. Other models used two type 6X5 rectifier tubes, rather than a single 5Y3 or 5U4, for example.The 6X5's were noted for breakdowns, and burning power transformers. Coupled to that, they used marginal specs for heir power transformers, and suffer need for replacement. If you're looking for a good radio, with bloated tube count, possibly a Midwest would please you.
I've always observed that Zenth's success in the market, was the big round dial. I'm sure that lots of buyers felt that the larger the dial on a radio, the more stations it would receive.
One big hidden issue is performance. Beginning with Philco's model 16, Jim Skinner, pres. of Plhilco had the audio response extended to 7000 cycles, from the usual 4500 CPS. While broadcast stations weren't putting out that fidelity, it made Philco sets sound more enjoyable, because harmonics and overtones were enhanced. Not even RCA did that, so in that respect, Philco had an unnoticed edge. And to take advantage of their good audio, Philco had some pretty husky speakers (The "U" and the "W" types, on some models. Zenith never came within a mile of that!
However, if Zenith is your "thing", have at 'em!
