TURQUOISE Atomic Retro Vintage 1956 RCA Victor 6-C-5 Tube AM Clock Radio WORKS!
DIMENSIONS: Approximately 12" x 6" x 6" (l x w x h)
COLOR: Turquoise.
DESCRIPTION: Tabletop Tube AM clock alarm radio manufactured by RCA Victor in 1956 excellent+ working condition. Picks up AM stations clearly and loudly up and down the dial without need of external antenna attachment. Cabinet is in excellent condition with no cracks, splits, or seams, abrasions, major scratches or missing pieces. There a few scratches on the top about 1" long. The clock works smoothly and cleanly with no pervasive hum or buzzing. The on/of/alarm switch is not functioning so you need to unplug to turn off radio. Also, the alarm mode cannot be set. If the on/off/alarm switch is repaired, the alarm feature is working. Alarm timer set knob in back is working. The front bezel is clear plastic. Turquoise color a soft blue-ish turquoise as opposed to a greener turquoise as best as I can describe. This radio is over 50 years old! No dial light not designed with one (but should have). All the dial numbers are crisp and clear. Look how nice the clock face looks! There are no through cracks on the top which is amazing on a lot of these old plastic clock radios. No missing ink, smudges, or rub-off on dial lettering. All the little clock knobs are still there. The original wing on/off knob is still present. Original knobs are turquoise. The little turquoise on/off/alarm knob is extremely rare and still present, which is uncommon. The tuning dial colored darker green is original as far as I can tell and works fine and smooth no slipping. The power cable is in good condition and securely attached. All paper and wax capacitors have been replaced with modern equivalents so this radio has another 50+ years or more of playing time! The tubes are working fine. All out-of-spec resistors have been replaced with modern correct value and voltage equivalents. There is no loud or pervasive hum. There is no loud or pervasive static between stations unless you operate near modern megahertz devices. The set has been aligned according to factory specifications. The power cord and plug are good original working condition with no cracks, or splits. No exposed wiring. The radio has been thoroughly cleaned and inspected. All wiring has been thoroughly checked for possible bridging and weak solder connection. Comes from non-smoking, mature, clean professional environment no pets. When this radio was new, tailfins were all the rage! This thing belongs in a museum!
OPERATION: These old tube radios are better sounding than solid state audio devices, in my opinion. Nothing beats high voltages and heat in generating a warm organic sound that seems to fill the room. By comparison, solid state or digital seems to just approximate this effect. It's for this reason that the highest quality audio equipment and amplifiers used by musicians today are still based heavily on vacuum tubes. Not surprisingly, rewards come with risks. Old vacuum tube technology until the sixties operate at high voltage and high heat compared to solid state electronics prevalent from sixties onward. Furthermore, these old designs are 'hot-grounded' to the AC line as opposed to the third prong "cold" ground. Vacuum tubes are an obsolete technology and very few manufacturers are still making them today. However, old stock vacuum tubes are still readily available for not much money approximately $5-$20 per tube. Contrary to widespread belief, they are not prone to failure. Very rarely will you ever need to change a tube because it has blown out or because it has shaken too hard. Most of these old radios still have the original tubes that came with the radio when it left the factory and they still work fine. Most of the radios made in the forties were wired point-to-point which meant inconsistencies during manufacture. Never put your hands inside one of these old radios when it's turned on or plugged in. Never leave these radios turned on for an extended period of time unattended. Do not operate these devices on a metal table. Do not operate these radios on a wet surface. If the surface underneath one of these radios gets wet, pull out the plug before turning it off and dry everything off before attempting to turn it back on. For best performance, do not operate this radio near a modern electronic device; computer, microwave, home security, fluorescent light, etc. You will hear a constant humming or whining. All vacuum tubes take some time to warm up, no more than 30 sec to a minute at the most. The radio listed in this auction is restored only, not refurbished. With the right care and proper use, it should provide a (another!) lifetime of use. Great for décor, a conversation piece, etc. They getting more collectible and increasing in value too. Besides, everyone already has an fancy stereo, iPod or MP3 player!
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