Yesterday I was scouring a few local yard sales and ran across a couple old desktop tube radios. Lady wanted $10 for both. Unfortunatly, I didn't have the cash on me, and they were gone by the time I got back.

I was going to grab them just because. I don't have anything currently that uses tubes and figured I could gut them and/or learn a bit with them.

Aside from the tubes and components inside them, are these really worth anything? (Both in actual cash value and in terms of audio nostalgia?)

I can't recall the models, 1 was a beat-up wood case, the other a dented and kinda rusted metal case. Both were maybe 12" wide, 8" tall, (give or take) with a 3-4" speaker on inside. Nothing fancy, but would have been kinda neat.


Anyway, would something like these be useful for learning a bit and possibly making a low power DIY amp?

There are a few worth some money. Some are a bit scary in the way they are wired and most used odd tubes that probably wouldn't have a whole lot of value. things like 25L6 and 50L6 power tubes were pretty common.

You would be better off to find an old console. I have a few old table top radios and they do sound nice but if you want to learn about amps old magnavoxs are the way to go and they are not that hard to find. I once found a console that had a sweet Pilot reciever in it. There out there just keep looking. Good luck in you search.

I agree, old console amps are very roomy and easy to work on. Table top radios are more like 10 pounds of "stuff" in a 5 pound can.

I went around to some yard sales and antique stores yesterday. Most of what I saw were cheap tabletop radios. If you see something with bunch of random filament voltage tubes, it's likely a budget model with series-string filaments and usually a pita to work with and nothing much even to listen to (not to mention not that safe). But, if you see something with a dedicated power transformer and common filament-voltage tubes, it was probably a higher-end model, and it'll be easier to work on a safer too. I'm still waiting to find my diamond in the rough...:D

Many of older tube radios found at garage sales need some work to bring them up to speed. Can be dangerous to open them up if you do not know what you are doing.

I would only look for one that is in very good physical shape and if you know someone that can service it, then it makes sense to buy one as a cool radio and not to mod into some kind of DIY project. Talk radio on AM in particular sounds great with a tube radio - voices are very warm.

Also, I would not pay more than $15 for most of these table top radios of the 50's.

Here is a Zenith I recently picked up at a thrift, and a friend (with experience with tubes) checked it out for me.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=154359

Cheers, Snade

Thanks for the insight.

I'd personally love to go for a nice big 'ol console, but being in a 3rd floor apartment, I don't really have the room, nor do I really want to lug it up 3 flights of stairs. :)

Just pinch the amplifier and leave the rest of the console behind.