On Tuesday, 24 April 2018 19:32:13 UTC+1, wrote:

To which I add the differences between the average tube-based Euro radio made between say.... 1950 and 1980, and the average American tube radio of the same era.

Euro radio:

a) Never use one part when four-or-more would do.
b) Let's make the controls very, very fussy, with lots of moving parts.
c) Let's make the chassis an integral part of the cabinet (case) including wires, springs, tuning mechanisms and speakers.
d) Let's make services as simple as changing a dial lamp the work of several hours.
e) And after all that, let's make just about every radio look the same, but make very sure that there are no interchangeable parts but-for the tubes - and not all of those.

American Radio:
a) Five (5) tubes, exceptionally, sometimes six (6).
b) If we can make one part do five things, go for it!
c) Who needs a power-transformer?
d) Let's let the industrial designers go nuts. Colors? Sure. Shapes? Whatever can be molded.
e) Let's all make all our radios from a palette of perhaps two dozen interchangeable parts in all, including tubes.

your lists don't represent the euro valve radios I've worked on by any means



The middle one is, at 8 years, the most feature-laden, a Panasonic countertop model that knows the difference between one and three Idaho potatoes when asked to bake them, and between 'regular', 'diet' and 'jumbo' popcorn packages, without being told. At 1,200 watts, it will cook. The point is not that it has these features, but that having the features is a way of accident avoidance. Sure, I know how many minutes each type of popcorn should take, but by hitting a single button, the chances of mis-entry are reduced. And so forth.

A poor workman blames his tools, but a good one picks the right tool for the job and relies upon it.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

and doesn't buy the tool with a great big pile of gimmick features


NT