Category Archives: Vintage

1940 Philco 40-185XF Antique Radio Restoration

Posted on April 2, 2014 by retrovoltage

I had the privilege of working on a very well preserved Philco 40-185XF recently. These are top performing pre-war sets featuring 8 tubes, an RF amplifier front-end and push-pull audio output into a 12″ speaker. Definitely worth fixing up! This … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

1938 Zenith 5-S-220 eBay Tune-Up Special

Posted on March 26, 2014 by retrovoltage

I’ve had the opportunity to work on several very nice Zenith radios lately and this one is especially interesting. It’s the Zenith 5-S-220 Cube. This is the first time I’ve seen one of these in person, they’re somewhat uncommon. Electrically, it’s a … Continue reading →

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The Speaker Spotter – Speakers of Craigslist – March 21st, 2014

Posted on March 21, 2014 by retrovoltage

There’s always something interesting for sale on Craigslist, especially in Seattle. Here’s a selection of especially notable vintage speakers and other audio products for sale on the local Craigslist. I’m not affiliated with any of these sales, but if you’re interested, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Collections, Photos, Speakers, Stereo, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Craigslist and eBay Antique Radios – Be Careful!

Posted on March 19, 2014 by retrovoltage

It’s not uncommon to run across antique or vintage radios on Craigslist, eBay and other sales site which are advertised as “working”, “repaired” or “restored”. Many times these are in fact professionally reconditioned items – just like you read about … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Electronics, Photos, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Speaker Spotter – Speakers of Craigslist – March 14th, 2014

Posted on March 14, 2014 by retrovoltage

There’s always something interesting for sale on Craigslist, especially in Seattle. Here’s a selection of especially notable vintage speakers and other audio products for sale on the local Craigslist. I’m not affiliated with any of these sales, but if you’re interested, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Collections, Photos, Speakers, Stereo, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

1939 RCA K-60 Console Radio Repairs

Posted on March 10, 2014 by retrovoltage

This beautifully preserved RCA K-60 radio came to me after a Golden Retriever puppy got a little too up close and personal. Otherwise, it’s been beautifully refinished in the past, and was fully overhauled in the late ’90s according to … Continue reading →

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The Speaker Spotter – Speakers of Craigslist – March 7th, 2014

Posted on March 7, 2014 by retrovoltage

There’s always something interesting for sale on Craigslist, especially in Seattle. Here’s a selection of especially notable vintage speakers and other audio products for sale on the local Craigslist. I’m not affiliated with any of these sales, but if you’re interested, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Collections, Photos, Speakers, Stereo, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ohm Acoustics Model D Speaker Refurbishment

Posted on February 21, 2014 by retrovoltage

Classic speakers are always a delight to work on, and speakers have capacitors and other parts which require service, too. Over the years those components can fail and result in poor sound and even potential speaker damage. In this case, … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Hi-Fi, Projects, Speakers, Stereo, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

1945 Westinghouse Little Jewel “Refrigerator” H-126 Radio Repair

Posted on February 18, 2014 by retrovoltage

A local client brought me a radio which was in the family for many years, a cute little “fridge radio” made by Westinghouse from 1945-1947. The same year Westinghouse released this new model of home refrigerator, they also released this Little … Continue reading →

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1962 Zenith MK2670 Classic Tube Hi-Fi Console Stereo Repaired

Posted on February 15, 2014 by retrovoltage

A version of this article appears in the October 2014 issue of Nuts and Volts magazine. I recently got to work on something a little bit different – a tube hi-fi stereo console! This particular one, a 1962 Zenith MK2670, was a very high-end … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Projects, Radios and Tubes, Stereo, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments