Ed's Review of the Proton 320

Ed provides us with a review of the Proton 320

I worked for Proton for a year in the mid-80's. At that time their reputation was based on a Clock Radio (the 320) and a table radio (the 300). I knew those products intimately, went to the factory in Taiwan where they were made, and as head of Customer Service spoke to users every day about them. While I still own a Model 300, I haven't listened to a 320 clock radio in about a decade. So I thought it would be interesting to see how it stacks up to today's crop of clock radios.

The 320 was the Cadillac of clock radios in 1983. It cost about $100, which was outrageous considering others, like Sony's, could be had for only $25. It looked different. It was all black (Proton having virtually started the "all-black" look in electronic components). It was sleek, its cosmetics having been designed by a fancy design firm. It was packed with features: Dual alarms, Ramp-up alarm/radio volume, an automatic display dimmer, separate Bass and Treble controls, and hefty 3 watt amplifier to drive a huge (for the time) 4" speaker.

When I received my ebay purchase, where it still sells for a respectable 50-70 bucks 25 years later, the first thing I noticed was its WEIGHT--this is one hefty radio. No wallwart; the substantial power supply transformer is built-in. I still like the turquoise color of the florescent digital display. It uses analog tuning and has no presets (the Nakamichi radio was first, which I had something to do with, but that's another story). It uses that ubiquitous dangling wire for FM. It is susceptible to computer interference, but a strong station will cover it completely. 

But the sound? The second I turned it on, I felt air puffing out the seams around the tuning dial from the bass notes! The bass is strong, like I remembered, but it's not as powerful or clear as today's best--you get about about 60% of what we hear from the BA radios.  The bass distorts at mid-high volumes, but it plays loud enough. The bass control MUST be turned down on rap stations (not that I listen to them.)

Otherwise the sound is a bit plastic-y; the 320 is not a bass-reflex design, like the BA. There are really no sparkling highs to speak of. It's a bit on the warm-muddy side on voices. It is not the ultimate in clarity, but it is impressive on a quick listen. You will probably opt to turn down the bass for long-term listening.

Reception-wise, it is excellent on FM with just the short dangling-wire antenna. All stations of interest are there (88.1, etc). It was still very good on AM--I could get Airline Info from LAX on 530 AM, which doesn't come in on my BA Duo right next to the 320. Distant stations have some hiss, which can be tamed a little with the Treble control. Sensitivity like this also lets it pick up stray hum on AM from other nearby devices, unfortunately. Don't sit it near other radios, clocks, etc.

So if you can get one of these that is still working well (they had really high failure rates, about 30%! ) for around $50, go for it. It is in the "classic" category and is still a beautiful design. It really was the "first high-end clock radio."

Comments

[¾ Blind]

The Sangean RS-330 clock radio with matching RS-332 control module appears to be a spiritual descendant, if not actual manufacture under license knock off of the Proton 320. I wonder how the Sangean compares to the Proton in performance and quality of construction. Is the digital display "real" blue florescent tubes or blue LEDs? I have a mid '80s vintage Toshiba microwave oven whose blue florescent display is so bright I do not need to turn on the kitchen light when sneaking a midnight glass of water. The blue florescent digital display on consumer electronics just screams "I'm from the 1980s!" Today's electronics have more comprehensive but boring low contrast LCDs.

http://www.sangean.com/products/products_main.asp?pid=30&pan=5&um=3

[Paul]

Reviews of the RS-330:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000023VW1

[Angelo]

I have to say, I really like the architecture/design. In fact, if the speaker grille was modernized, the radio really doesn't look dated. Put a few rubber trim pieces on it and it could pass for something new. And by the way, I like the display color too.

[Patrick]

I have a Proton 320 that still works & sounds great. The tuning dial no longer lights. This seems to be a common problem with these. Is there actually a light bulb that can be replaced?
I recently picked up a 300 & 301 companion. While they sound very good, I find the treble to be weak, even when the treble control is all the way up. I also made sure the individual controls on each speaker were up too. Does anyone know if this is a common complaint for the 300? Any cure?

[Ed]

I noted in my review that the 320 has no sparkling highs, but if you notice no change at all when turning the treble control, it could be defective. I did have a 320 that had the Bass pot go bad.
The tuning dial light is replaceable. It unplugs, and a replacement bulb/wiring assembly is available from Radio Shack or other stores that sell electronic parts... search online if necessary. Good luck.

[Ed]

Pat- I meant to say the TReble control in your 300 is probably bad. It could be a costly repair. TRy giving it a shot of De-Oxit first.

[Mike]

I received one of these from ebay recently. It took a shot from UPS to the right side that knocked the volume pot into the Sleep switch, breaking it. It is on my workbench as I type this. I thought I'd give some info I have acquired.

My radio is white and in really good shape. However, the white buttons have faded qite a bit (maybe from UV). I may try a white sharpie or some white plastic paint to brighten them up.

Disassembly is straight-forward. Remove the screws on the bottom (all have arrors pointing to them) and the 2 on the rear. Make note- different lengths and threads here. The front pulls away easily. The speaker unplugs from the board. The antenna is also plugged into the board, so if you want/need to replace, that is easyt to do. The dial light is accessable from here. Mine works, so I haven't looked into that yet. I may replace it with an LED. IDK yet. The main circuit board comes loose from the rear panel with the removal of (IIRC) 5 screws. One screw is hidden under a ribbon cable in the center-top of the board. The switch assembly on the rear unplugs. This is where I am at. I am searching for a source for a replacement switch (Digi-Key is the best I have found so far. I can't find a direct replacement yet). Distortion with the bass turned up and moderate volume appears to be from the amp clipping and not the speaker running out of excursion. The power transformer is fairly small. I may do a little reverse-engineering and see if there is a way to increase wattage. There is a single 25v/2200uf filter capactior. Nichon, I think. Looks to be in good shape, but I will probably replace this as well. Amp is a 5 lead IC (to-220 maybe?) on a heat sink mounted near the bottom. When I get the VA rating of the transformer and the amp #, I'll see if maybe a 4 ohm speaker is a possibility. There are some nice full-range options out there. It's a 4" square frame. I'll post again with more details and maybe some pictures.

[Mike]

Quick update- Power amp is an NEC uPC1238- about 8/12 watts at 8/4 ohms. Here's a link to the datasheet:
http://www.datasheetarchive.com/pdf-datasheets/Datasheets-34/DSA-678873.pdf

Haven't done any testing, but I am guessing the radio's power supply is giving up the ghost before the IC is. Trying to find some info on the transformer- any help out here? Markings are 29-2096-4 and below that is A1(H) 036-2-48F. Also, stamped on the transformer is 87.38 or maybe 8738- the 3 is a little messed up. Thanks! Still no luck sourcing a switch...

[Jeffrey McMahon]

Best luck, Mike. I hope a reader has some info. Jeff

[Jim Riesberg]

Great Radio, however, I have two 320's and both have blown dial bulbs. I took the radio apart (easy) and removed the bulb. Does anyone know what amperage the bulb is and where to buy them. Also, if I go LED, do I need to do anything different?

[Bob Linders]

I was given a Proton stereo clock radio made in 1990 ...it is a bit longer than my Model #320 but has no model # on it....It is digital with six FM and AM buttons. Do you kow the model # or anything about it??

[Radio Russ]

I had a Proton 320 for many years until it was stolen from my office at DuPont by the cleaning people. I agree with the comments about its performance. The only problem I had with it was the button that turned it on failed. I took it apart and installed a small toggle switch in its place. Since I removed both the on and off buttons (if memory serves), I plugged one of the open holes with an expanding foam earplug. It worked great.

To substitute an LED for the pilot light, see what voltage they used to power the original bulbs (I'm assuming it's DC). I can give you the resistor value you need to avoid burning out the LED if I know the voltage. I would use a type of LED known as an "inverted cone" which emits more light to the sides rather than out the top. They run great at 3 Volts/20 milliamps. I bought mine from a vendor on eBay but should be available from any decent electronics jobber.

[Alan Brinton]

Hey, I just picked up a Proton 320 at a thrift shop for $4.50. It had the look and feel of a high quality piece of equipment, so I figured Why not? It sounds better than my other cheap portable radios/combo radio & cassette or CD.

[Alan]

I have two Proton 320 clock radios, and the lamp which lights the AM/FM tuning window is out on both of them. Can someone specifically identify the replacement lamp and what the task entails?

[Gary in NYC]

Earlier in the comments thread, Ed said "The tuning dial light is replaceable. It unplugs, and a replacement bulb/wiring assembly is available from Radio Shack or other stores that sell electronic parts." The OEM is a "grain of wheat" style filament bulb. From what another person said on another forum, these bulbs have unpredictable lifetimes (could be short as a few months, but no longer than a few years).

The best bet would be an LED replacement. Radio Russ made a comment that a 3V/20mAh LED would work (make sure you get the +/- leads put in place correctly). There hasn't been a mention of any resistors used, but I've heard that for these older clock radios it is a good idea to have one as a guard against power spikes.

I haven't done this yet myself, but I'm preparing to, once I get a response in another location for confirmation on the LED specs.