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In Reply to: RE: What IS build quality? posted by pictureguy on November 28, 2014 at 19:40:23
I will contrast (mostly) my US-built tube electronics.
My 1961 Hammond A100. Everything overbuilt as only Hammond could. I guess it helps that the owner was an engineer. Very heavy and well-built as a result. Extra kudos to Hammond to doing away with the idiotic paper labels for tube placement by stamping the tube number into the chassis besides the tube.
My Marantz 10b. The complexity of the point-to-point wiring is astounding. The parts and connections are layered. I replaced the opto-electronic switches when I first bought it, it took 8 hours. The tuning capacitor is a work of art, easily the best I've ever seen. The story is that it was built by the same company that built tuning caps for military electronics. In 1964, the production of the 10/10b bankrupted Marantz, leading to it's sale to Superscope, IE, the Tushinsky brothers. The 10b was the last great product of Marantz, the gradual downfall of this once-great company was the result. BTW, the first solid state product of Marantz, the model 18, was built to the same standards as it's tube cousins. My Marantz 2270 was not built to the same standards.
My (former) old "room heater" a Tektronix 535 scope. Amoung the best workmanship and parts selection I've ever seen. Yes, it is point to point, with white ceramic posts. Just a beautifully built piece of art.
My Quad II's. Amazing parts placement and lead dressing, rivaling in many ways the Tektronix.
Also-ran.
My various MC MacIntosh's. Tag strips are functional, but not very confidence-inspiring.
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Follow Ups:
So are you saying that the best built electronics should be made so good that they bankrupt the company that makes them? ;-)
Original Marantz: Gone
Original Tektronix: Gone
Collins Radio: Gone
Hallicrafters: Gone
Now, here's what I call "good build quality" That's a Collins R390A receiver. Puts just about any audio gear to shame. The result of US mil spec and a huge budget. Considered by many as the best communications receiver ever made.
What about the LAST Swan Radio? The R8? I wanted one of those. bad.
Or some of the $$$ from Japan Radio or The 80s and 90s Lowe? And than the UBER expensive ICOM series. I think the CIA use them?
I can't remember which of 'em is designed to be easily field repairable with modular replaceable boards and sort of easy access.
Kenwood even made a pair of communications receivers, The R5000 being the best / last.
My SONY, is fun, and worth as much now as when I bought it nearly 20 years ago, but not on the level of the best from above. The ICF2010 is a classic in its own right.
Your Collins looks like a WATCH made large. I can't imagine the man-hours needed to construct or REPAIR.
come to think of it, I had a HUGE military communications receiver for about 2 months, back in about '71 or '72. You could PRE TUNE the frequency and the station would be THERE when you turned it on and it warmed.
Too much is never enough
I think you're talking about the Drake R8. I had the Swan 500cx transceiver and although it's 'build quality' appeared to be good, it was easily outperformed by most Drake, Collins, and later by Kenwood, Yaesu, Icom. Those three Japanese companies pretty much wiped out all the American brands at least in the HAM Radio market.
My friend had the Kenwood TS-520 which pretty much single handedly lead the charge toward the extinction of most American HAM Radio products. Yaesu had the FT-101 series about that time. I think Tempo was a rebranded even cheaper Yaesu made radio.
Competition is now coming from S.Korea and China but I believe the Japanes Kenwood, Yaesu, and Icom are still the most popular. Ten-Tec is still around with some good equipment.
Seas, I did think of ham equipment, but I didn't add any because I don't own any. (My closest item is a Halicrafters S-40.)
Many years ago, I was given a Heathkit tube transciever, I don't recall the model. Build quality was good. I didn't keep it, I am not interested in becoming a ham.
Your Collins R390A receiver looks amazing, wish I could examine it close-up.
BTW, the REL Precedent is another amazing piece of equipment, built by a company that normally built communications gear, and uses tuned slugs for tuning. (I remember the old car radios using the same.)
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