Blake Gives Thumbs Up to the Grundig G6

My experience with shortwave radios includes the Realistic DX390, Sony ICF SW100, Grundig YB400, and some experience with my dad's Sony 7600G. 

My favorite radio of all these was the Sony SW 100 due to its high quality feel (velvetized plastic case), excellent performance (with proper sync detector), feature compliment, and excellent ergonomics for its size or any size. What really made the SW100 so great was that you got all of this in a pocket radio the size of a cassette case. My SW100 however proved to have reliability issues. The connection between the clamshell screen and the base went bad and I had to send it to Sony for repaired at over $100. After that the keypad went bad and I decided it was no longer worth fixing. Sold it on EBay as "not working" and still got $100 for it. Oh how I missed that radio and lamented that there may never be a pocket radio that I would like near as much. Well the remedy has finally arrived, the Grundig G6. 

The Grundig G6 is slightly larger than the SW100 but still what I would consider pocket sized. It fits comfortably in the front pocket of a pair of shorts like cargo shorts. It would also fit comfortably in a jacket pocket. The build quality, finish, and feel of the G6 are excellent and rivals that of the SW100. The G6 Includes a velvetized plastic finish that may be better described as a rubberized plastic which provides nice aesthetics and a slip resistant grip. Ergonomics are actually better than the SW100 to me and I actually prefer the push button volume as I can see level the volume and it does not get accidentally adjusted to ear blast levels when it moves around in your pocket. All the features of the SW100 are there and then some. One thing on the G6 that truly sets it apart from the SW100 and the other radios mentioned above is the tuning wheel that can be set to "Fast", "Slow", or "Lock". It is conveniently located on the front of the radio and comfortable to use with the thumb or pointer finger. The tuning wheel is smooth and quiet with no muting or chuffing making it great for band scanning. I have now discovered how much fun band scanning can be. A push button tuner simply does not encourage band scanning like a tuning wheel does. This is due to the speed and accuracy by which you can find signals over a vast range of frequencies continuously tuning across all of it. As a result I am discovering things I have never discovered before like clear SSB signals in the 7000 and 14000 MHz areas. 

So how about performance?: 

FM: As good or better than any portable radio I have used. My favorite FM station in Omaha (KVNO) has a weak signal and comes in clear as a bell on the G6. Even better than my car radio. Selectivity on FM is the best I have heard being better than my Tivoli Model One. 

AM: A little better than average. If my memory serves me well, the G6 is better than the SW100 in terms of sensitivity and on par with the SW100 in terms of selectivity even when considering its sync detector. AM sensitivity is just slightly behind the Grundig YB400. However the G6 has considerably lower circuit noise than the YB400 which mitigates the difference somewhat though you will probably pick up a little more with the YB400. Selectivity on AM is as good or better than my YB400. All the program listening I do on AM is more than satisfactory on the G6. 

SW: Sensitivity on SW is much better than what I remember with the SW100. Sensitivity on SW (with telescopic antenna) is better than my YB400 especially with the G6's lower circuit noise. It does such a good job on SW for me that I never even think of the need for a sync detector or a change of the band width. The G6 is a superb SW receiver in my opinion.

 
Dynamic Range: This is one thing this radio does not have much of. An external antenna will occasionally help but will mainly just overwhelm the circuitry. Good thing this radio does so well with its built in antennas. Dynamics range never seems to be a problem with the built in antennas other than occasional overloading on very strong SSB signals. I have however been able to cure this by just collapsing the telescopic antenna. 

SSB: Works very well on this radio. A slight warble on the strongest signals can improve by collapsing the antenna. The "Slow" tuning wheel setting with 20hz steps really helps dial in a clear voice. 

Air: Have not been able to pick up anything on the air band except bleeding from other bands. 

Audio Quality: While the built is speaker does not compare with the YB400 I believe it is very good for its size, much better than the SW100. As long as you listening to it while it is on your lap or right next to you in a intimate way the sound is not fatiguing and clear, very intelligible on SW. However if you blast it to try to fill a room it will be fatiguing over long periods but works well this way for shorter periods. Sound on headphones is very good on all bands especially if you phones are efficient. My pair of Senn PX100s though excellent in sound quality is not very efficient requiring my IPod to be close to full blast, same on the G6 though it does the job. Grados, earbuds, IEMs have plenty of volume out of the G6. I really enjoy the classical station on my high end IEMs through the G6. 

I whole heartedly recommend the G6 even at a $100 retail price though you can get it for less.

 

Comments

[Chris]

I second the thumbs up.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190327953423&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Someone is going to get a good deal on this one. I'd be me if I didn't already have one.