Ekco Continued, The AW108  

Pictured below is the Ekco AW108.  Manufactured in 1937 it was top of the table range for that year.  It was extremely expensive, costing £17.6.6. The sensitivity and selectivity of this receiver is exceptional.  It is housed in a large cabinet veneered in Walnut, but that’s not a single section of veneer covering the top and front of the cabinet, it is four mirrored pieces lined up together to add extra interest.  The Art Deco “wings” to each side of the cabinet are of no value acoustically at all, they are added on to the basic cabinet and exemplify the “Art Deco” stepped design motif so popular in the 1930’s.  This has the effect of making the sides some two inches thick. They are again veneered in the highest quality mirrored walnut, and the effect is stunning.  The receiver has a large multi-colour tuning scale, and as the wavechange knob at the side of the set is operated an internal lever changes an illuminated colour panel which indicates the waveband selected. This panel can be seen to the right of the large tuning knob.  To the left of the tuning knob is a TV4 “mystic eye” to enable the operator to ensure the station is correctly tuned. The receiver is physically impressive being some two foot and three inches wide.

This is one of my favourite radios in my collection, and is the radio I generally have on in the background whilst preparing pages for this website.  As MW in the U.K. now has a preponderance of “talk” stations these days it can be hard to find something relaxing, unobtrusive and entertaining  to listen too.  It is the Ekco AW108’s exceptional performance that solves this problem, as I use it to listen to a German “Middle Of The Road” station that plays English classic Pop records from the last few decades.  The reception on the AW108 is so free of interference it is often playing for hours on end, but even though broadcast from Germany the station does not drift or need re-tuning.  Not impressed?  Well try tuning a modern digital stereo to about 400m and see if you can pick the station up, consider what the drift is like, and how it sounds.  I bet the AW108 is better.  Like most of my collection the receiver has not had a general capacitor renewal, only those components that have failed in its lifetime have been replaced.  When I obtained the receiver (more than 20 years ago) the original smoothing electrolytics had all been changed, and about a year ago I again changed the failing replacements with another set, (though my replacement set were still 1960’s components, rather than modern RS components I generally use).  I’ve only changed one other Hunt’s capacitor during the time I’ve owned the set, and it works perfectly. 

Valve line-up is TH4, VP4B, TDD4, IW4/350, TV4, PEN428.  The last valve of the list is the output valve, though you may not be too familiar with the PEN428.    Made by Mullard, it boasts an enormous output of 8W.  The much lauded PX4 manages only 3.5W, so you can see how powerful the PEN428 is by comparison.  (The PEN428 has an Anode Ia of 75mA, as against 50mA for the PX4). The AW108 rarely turns up these days, but if you do see one you won’t regret buying it.  It sounds fantastic and as mentioned, my receiver provides hours of entertainment without complaint even though it has not been electrically overhauled – not bad after 65 years!

Continue to next page for a closer look at the Ekco AW108 cabinet 

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