{"id":18029,"date":"2016-04-03T06:00:45","date_gmt":"2016-04-03T10:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=18029"},"modified":"2016-04-01T06:55:35","modified_gmt":"2016-04-01T10:55:35","slug":"the-crosley-radio-corporations-1936-wlw-model-super-power-radio-receiver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/the-crosley-radio-corporations-1936-wlw-model-super-power-radio-receiver\/","title":{"rendered":"The Crosley Radio Corporation\u2019s 1936 \u201cWLW Model Super-Power Radio Receiver\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Crosley\"<\/a>

(Image: AntiqueRadios.com)<\/p><\/div>\n

(Source: Nuts and Volts<\/a>)<\/p>\n

In 1935, the Zenith Radio Corporation produced a stunning radio receiver called the Stratosphere model 1000Z. The set used 25 tubes and three loudspeakers \u2014 more than any other radio to date. An amazing (for the time) 50 watts drove its three speakers \u2014 one 6 inch dynamic high-frequency and two 12 inch dynamic low-frequency speakers.<\/em><\/p>\n

Standing 50-1\/2 inches tall, the Stratosphere sold for $750.00 \u2014 more than many automobiles; in comparison, a new Ford cost $652.00. At that price, it\u2019s no wonder that only about 350 sets were produced during the four years that the Stratosphere was offered.<\/em><\/p>\n

This achievement impressed Powel Crosley, Jr. \u2014 the President of the Crosley Radio Corporation \u2014 who praised it as a fine example of quality in radio construction, but it used \u201conly\u201d 25 tubes and three speakers! Crosley \u2014 who also owned the 500,000 watt powerhouse radio station, WLW \u2014 was inspired to surpass Zenith by bringing the world the largest and most powerful radio receiver yet known.<\/em><\/p>\n

[…]Out of the numerous [engineering conferences were held throughout the winter months] and Crosley\u2019s imagination came the basic specifications: the radio would be a superheterodyne receiver with no fewer than 30 tubes, six loudspeakers, four chassis; a suitably impressive cabinet would house it. More intricate than any set ever built, it would naturally have the highest possible quality and richness of tone.<\/em><\/p>\n

[…]In its completed form, the WLW Model Super-Power Radio Receiver indeed surpassed the Zenith Stratosphere model. It had 37 tubes, six speakers, and 75 watts of power. The cabinet stood 58 inches tall, 42 inches wide, and 22 inches deep. Everything inside the cabinet that could be was chromium-plated. The transformer coils, tubes, and speaker frames were finished in black and each chassis had its own serial number plate.<\/em><\/p>\n

Continue reading the full article at Nuts and Volts…<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Regular SWLing Post<\/em> readers know that I’m a bit of a vintage radio nut, so I thought I’d do a little digging to see if any\u00a0WLW Model Super-Power Radio Receivers had been sold or auctioned recently. \u00a0I was curious what sort of price they’d fetch.<\/p>\n

Let’s just say, some owners demand a high price…\"Crosley-WLW-Receiver-eBay\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This unit was put up for sale on\u00a0eBay for $160,000 US last year!<\/a>\u00a0While I know the Crosley WLW receiver is rare,\u00a0that price was obviously over the top as is wasn’t sold. Still, the seller included some great photos of this near-mint model:<\/p>\n

\"Crosley-WLW-RX\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"WLW<\/a> \"WLW<\/a> \"WLW<\/a> \"WLW<\/a><\/p>\n

Around the time of the Zenith\u00a0Stratosphere and the Crosley WLW–the mid to late 30s–radio manufacturers must have either believed there was a market for these high-end, high-fidelity receivers, or they simply enjoyed designing and manufacturing them as a company benchmark\u00a0or showpiece.<\/p>\n

While not\u00a0as feature-packed as the Crosley WLW receiver, at the National Capital Radio and Television museum last year<\/a>, I was completely enamored with\u00a0this gorgeous powerhouse console: the E.H. Scott All-Wave 23 console.<\/p>\n

\"Scott-ConsoleRadio\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The docent told me that the\u00a0E.H. Scott All-Wave 23 console could easily fill a banquet\u00a0hall with hi-fi audio. It sported 23 tubes and a very large speaker. If memory serves, it originally sold for $750–easily three or four times the price of most console radios.\"Scott-Console-Radio-Dial\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Post<\/em> readers: Do you know of any other benchmark console radios? \u00a0Do you own one of these amazing receivers? \u00a0Please comment!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Source: Nuts and Volts) In 1935, the Zenith Radio Corporation produced a stunning radio receiver called the Stratosphere model 1000Z. The set used 25 tubes and three loudspeakers \u2014 more than any other radio to date. An amazing (for the time) 50 watts drove its three speakers \u2014 one 6 inch dynamic high-frequency and two […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6,3,305,288,26,4796],"tags":[464,3659,4915,3663,4914],"class_list":["post-18029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-manufacturers","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","category-radios","category-vintage-radio","tag-antique-radio","tag-console-radios","tag-crosley-wlw-model-super-power-radio-receiver","tag-e-h-scott-all-wave-23","tag-zenith-stratosphere-model-1000z"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-4GN","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":18111,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/video-1936-crosley-wlw-model-super-power-radio-receiver\/","url_meta":{"origin":18029,"position":0},"title":"Video: 1936 Crosley WLW Model Super-Power Radio Receiver","author":"Thomas","date":"April 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In response to our recent thread of posts about the Crosley WLW Model Super-Power Radio Receiver, I'd like to thank both Jonathan Marks and Mike Barraclough for sharing the following video by TNT Amusements on YouTube: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3DueG7yzfn4&feature=youtu.be Click here to view on YouTube.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"WLW Model Super-Power Radio Receiver-2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/WLW-Model-Super-Power-Radio-Receiver-2-1024x403.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/WLW-Model-Super-Power-Radio-Receiver-2-1024x403.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/WLW-Model-Super-Power-Radio-Receiver-2-1024x403.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18106,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/a-p-richards-1939-thesis-on-the-crosley-wlw-model-super-power-radio-receiver\/","url_meta":{"origin":18029,"position":1},"title":"A.P. Richards’ 1939 thesis on the Crosley WLW Model Super-Power Radio Receiver","author":"Thomas","date":"April 6, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In response to our recent post about the Crosley WLW Super-Power receiver, SWLing Post contributor, Larry\u00a0Hagood, writes: I am an EE student at Oklahoma State (Formerly Oklahoma A&M)--the school where the designer of the WLW [Super Power receiver], Amyle Richards, got his BSEE in 1927. [Richards]\u00a0wrote and submitted a masters\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Crosley","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Crosley.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Crosley.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Crosley.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12438,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/03\/a-photo-tour-of-the-national-capital-radio-and-television-museum\/","url_meta":{"origin":18029,"position":2},"title":"A Photo Tour of the National Capital Radio and Television Museum","author":"Thomas","date":"March 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"On Tuesday afternoon, I made a pilgrimage the to the National Capital Radio and Television Museum in Bowie, Maryland, USA. \u00a0The museum is located in a modest and beautiful historic house on the corner of Mt. Oak and Mitchellville Roads in Bowie. Museum\u00a0Curator and volunteer,\u00a0Brian Belanger, kindly gave me a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RadioMeseumExterior","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/RadioMeseumExterior-1024x678.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/RadioMeseumExterior-1024x678.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/RadioMeseumExterior-1024x678.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51222,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/12\/marwan-admires-his-cousins-crosley-receiver-phonograph-console\/","url_meta":{"origin":18029,"position":3},"title":"Marwan admires his cousin’s Crosley receiver\/phonograph console","author":"Thomas","date":"December 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marwan, who writes: Happy Holidays Thomas And To All Subscribers To SWLing Post Website! Last October I visited a relative in California. My cousin Imad is into collecting various antiques items. One of the items that welcomed us at front door and that caught\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Crosley-Console-Record-Player5.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Crosley-Console-Record-Player5.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Crosley-Console-Record-Player5.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Crosley-Console-Record-Player5.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20915,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/arvin-model-68r05-johns-1967-transistor-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":18029,"position":4},"title":"Arvin Model 68R05: John’s 1967 transistor radio","author":"Thomas","date":"August 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to John Harper (AE5X) who shares the following in reply to our post about transistor radios: Attached is a pic of a like-new transistor radio from 1967 [see above]. Remember the days when they bragged about how many transistors a gadget contained?! Sort of like bragging about RAM\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"arvin_68R05","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/arvin_68R05.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/arvin_68R05.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/arvin_68R05.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/arvin_68R05.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18091,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/kens-e-h-scott-philharmonic-beam-of-light-console-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":18029,"position":5},"title":"Ken’s E. H. Scott Philharmonic Beam of Light console radio","author":"Thomas","date":"April 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In response to an inquiry in our post about the Crosley\u00a0WLW Model Super-Power Radio Receiver, SWLing Post contributor, Ken Carr, writes: I'm not sure if my radio is a 'benchmark' but it sure is close to it. It is the E. H. Scott Philharmonic Beam of Light console radio. Mine\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"E. H. Scott Philharmonic Beam of Light Open 2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/E.-H.-Scott-Philharmonic-Beam-of-Light-Open-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/E.-H.-Scott-Philharmonic-Beam-of-Light-Open-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/E.-H.-Scott-Philharmonic-Beam-of-Light-Open-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/E.-H.-Scott-Philharmonic-Beam-of-Light-Open-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18029\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}