Grundig S450 DLX Appears to be a Rebadged Redsun RP2100--And Has Same Problems

 

 

Reports from Doug and Ed discourage me from getting a Grundig S450. Doug writes:

My Grundig S450DLX arrived today.

Functionally, it is very similar to my Kaito KA2100 (= CCRadio-SW = Redsun RP2100). It has a slightly different case, and uses 9 battery volts rather than 6, but otherwise seems quite similar.

I am still testing, but my initial reaction is that it appears to be a slightly improved KA2100.

To my eyes, the S450DLX is much better looking than the KA2100, but it still has the same "cheap" feel to the knobs.

To answer questions:

(1) As far as I can determine, one can only cycle through the memories in one direction (same as KA2100)

(2) The sounds seems closer to the KA2100 than the S350.

Ed adds:

I received mine from Universal today, and I have bad news. It appears to have a flaky problem out of the box. Breaks into weird audio distortion, brief oscillation...
I had high expectations, but this reminds me too much of the Kaito 2100. Too bad, the AM section seems extremely sensitive. Damn, wish those far East factories would learn to solder and QC better.

It has the same problem my 2100 had-- the dead FM select switch! Unbelievable! It's going back tomorrow.

 

Comments

[randy]

Gee! what a shock! cheaply made crap from you know where. Give up!! Save up and buy a Palstar or keep surfing for a Sony top end receiver. These new ones always provide for the same level of hype followed by the inevitable disappointment. Why they couldn't make a cheap plastic part that kept the DL350 tuning knob from feeling like it would fall off I'll never know. Would it have been that hard? Does anyone test this stuff to see how it feels or how a customer might feel when they get it in their hands? Hey 75 to 100 bucks is still a lot of money to put out for some of us. It would be nice to get something that feels like quality for a change. Can't that be engineered into the design? No more junk for me. I'm saving up for the palstar.

[Dave Chugani]

I still feel that Sony 7600GR is the best value for money today.Porable doesnt overload with outdoor antenna can buy a charger and rechrgeable batteries .And long lasting.Manufactured by Sony in Japan.
Grundig just seems to be just a trading firm they dont seem to be designing the circuit ets.
I think Ill start buying some Ten-Tec kits and slowly upgrade my hobby and as and when I can afford will buy Icom or Palstar or similar products.

[Harry]

I received mine last night. Based on a quick run through it seemed sensitive on MW, good on SW and FM. I liked sound quality - treble and bass varied sound considerably. The beep when pressing the buttons or accidently hitting the snooze bar is annoying. The quality of the band selection knobs left something to be desired. Q-Tune feature is useful to move quickly through band. Were I to own only one radio, this would probably not be my choice. However, considering the price, the type radio, how I will use, sound, etc.. I like it.

[Gary]

Harry - On the RP2100 and its clones, there is a way to cancel that button beep. Press and hold the Snooze button while the radio is on to toggle the button beep. Maybe this will work on the S450DLX as well.

[Keith B.]

I have the RP2100, and am very pleased with it, so I'll pass on the S450. Good luck, though.

[Ed S.]

Someone has to buy a sample to evaluate for this blog, don't they? It's not like I don't own any other radios... I've owned/own some of the best made. I feel I am doing a service for others here when I warn them that a new model may be a dog. I wasn't really expecting much for $100, really. If it works decently, it will be quite a good buy, but right now there are some new production bugs to be worked out, which is par for the course. Remember the Eton 1-XM? It blew up batteries at first!

[S Patrick]

The Eton 1 XM was trashed completely when it was in production. The couldn't give them away at half price at big market stores.

But amazing, once they stopped production, everyone started to praise them and now they suck up a premium price on ebay.

[Harry]

Gary - holding the Snooze did turn the beep sound off... which would seem to indicate it is completely different than the RP2100 (LOL). A quick scan and I am listening to Deutsche Welle with a clear signal. Am still pleased.

[Chris Compton]

Got my Grundig S450 DLX Dec 24. Out of the box with brand new Duracell batteries the AM/ SW started motor boating
after 3 minutes. The FM was deaf. Universal sent a replacement I should have in hand on Monday 1-3-11. A BIG disapointment!
On topic of quality, I went through two defective
C Crane "CC radio EP"s before I got a good one.
The first one had a defective volume control.
The second one drifted badly on FM when the LED dial light was switched on or off.
Crane tells me the first 2 were Pre-Production units
The third unit however is quite good on a par with my RP2100 on AM with good selectivity and sensitivity, that is,once you get the the hang of adjusting the Twin Coil Ferrite knob. Adjustment is necessary for tuning stations above 1200 khz.
The Music/Voice switch is a bandwidth selector and the two bandwidths are well placed.
I like the audio because the Bass is not harsh ala my RP 2100.
The FM is OK, nothing to brag about.Sensitivity is good but adjacent channel selectivity is not so good.
What I really like is the led dial light feature. It can be left switched on with very little impact on battery life.
All in all a nice replacement for GE SR3.