(Re-post)
Greg, a reader from Ann Arbor, Michigan, was kind enough to Fed Ex me his Grundig Satellit 750, which has a Kiwa speaker upgrade. Therefore, I have to assume the stock 750 speaker sound has less fidelity than the one I'll be using by my bedside for the next two weeks.
As I will be using the 750 as a bedside radio, I'm not too worried about fidelity since I'm not cranking the thing up by any means. All that I ask is that its AM sound not be as harsh and punishing as my C.Crane CSW. Thankfully, the 750 is easier on the ears.
When I took out the 750, I was amazed like other Tecsun radios at how light the radio is (Tecsun makes many Grundig and Eton radios, including the GS750). I prefer my radios to be heavy like tanks, which is why several months ago I went on a vintage radio spree, getting my grubby hands on some classics so that I could use them as a point of comparison for some of today's radios.
Here's the bright side of the GS750's light weight: It makes a very good portable radio, much better than I initially thought. It's easy to handle and not as big in person as you might think. If you're a camper or do a lot of outdoor radio listening, I can recommend the GS750.
One thing I like about the 750 is the way it looks on my bedside table. Its cockpit control styling makes me feel like a little kid on a toy airplane or flying in a pretend rocket to Mars.
The 750 by your bed says boldly, "You have arrived at the Mothership." Before I geek-out too much, let me transition to function and performance.
The learning curve for time controls, direct key entry, and presets is fairly easy. It took me about five minutes to comprehend the manual; however, I have toyed around with Tecsun radios before, so I am fairly familiar with their functions.
As a bedside radio, it's nice that you can toggle through your stations with the up and down arrow buttons.
I haven't used this radio at night yet and doubt it is illuminated sufficiently without my needing a pen flashlight. Clearly, the 750 is more of a general table radio than a clock radio, but I'm using it by my bedside because that is where I listen to radio most often and I want to get as many hours in as possible during my two-week loan.
What about performance? Excellent on FM and AM. I was able to eliminate birdy on weak AM stations by rotating the rotational antenna, called a Gyro on vintage Panasonics.
The FM antenna is huge and can be rotated 360 degrees. There is also an FM antenna button that gives you varying degrees of attenuation to maximize reception.
I'd say FM was as strong as my current FM champion, my C.Crane CSW. Better yet, the GS 750's AM sounds much better.
Truth be told, I am more impressed with the GS750 than I thought I'd be. I love its look, its performance is excellent, its functions and options are plentiful without being too busy.
I think if I were to buy one on Amazon for their sale price of $220 and free shipping, I'd have to put it in the workout room and move the Boston Acoustics Horizon Duo, a completely different kind of radio, in my bedroom. The question is will I buy a GS750? Hard to say. For about $150, I should be able to get a C.Crane CCRadio 2, which may be a better fit in my bedroom. While I am confident the CCRadio 2, made by Sangean, will match the GS750's AM performance and have richer speaker sound, I am not convinced that its FM will be able to compete with the GS750's.
Update: After several weeks and comparing it to my $70 Sangean PR-D5 on AM, the GS750 sadly lost that AM battle. My conclusion: The GS750 is a good but not great radio.
''Hacker Herald RP35''An unheard of vintage British radio has been reviewed by Jay Allen.http://radiojayallen.com/hacker-herald-rp35/
Posted by: vimal oberoi | July 22, 2011 at 09:18 PM
Good looking radio:
http://cgi.ebay.com/280711826496
And some history (click on the second photo down to see it):
http://www.missileforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1307
Posted by: Paul | July 23, 2011 at 12:07 AM
"After several weeks and comparing it to my $70 Sangean PR-D5 on AM, the GS750 sadly lost that AM battle. My conclusion: The GS750 is a good but not great radio".
What a clueless comparison. Did it ever occur to you that the Sangean PR-D5 is abnormally strong on MW? Jeesh, you raised-on-the-internet & video games 'radio experts'.
Posted by: Larry Lanberg | February 26, 2012 at 07:18 PM
No such thing as "abnormal" AM strength. Additionally, the GS750 must be held to a high standard, especially considering its price point.
Posted by: Jeffrey McMahon | February 26, 2012 at 07:22 PM