View Full Version : ohhhh, those zeniths


sampson159
01-13-2009, 12:15 AM
saw a craigslist ad for antique tvs.went to the home and owner has a 1951 admiral 16" complete but mighty rough.in the other side of unit (double) sat a zenith chromacolor II from 1973.i think doug sold the same set for cheap last year.the one in the youtube video.it has the sliding control for adjustments.been sitting many.many years in this unheated dwelling.asked to plug it in and..........................................it came right on with a razor sharp picture! tuner is dirty and a slight vertical issue,but,as usual,the zenith performance.these sets are bulletproof!not worth much,but gold to me.i kept 3 of these when we cleared out the shop.going to get both of these soon i hope.i own dlp,lcd,and plasma sets in my home,yet i watch my vintage tvs.they still look great for everyday use.after all these years,i am still amazed at the quality and resolution of those zenith sets.unbelievable!!!

zenithfan1
01-13-2009, 11:24 AM
Gotta love a Zenith! The '73s have a beautiful picture. Can you post a pic??

Jeffhs
01-13-2009, 01:23 PM
Gotta love a Zenith! The '73s have a beautiful picture.

I agree 100 percent; not only the '73 Zeniths (I had relatives who owned Zenith TVs of that vintage) but darn near all of them had excellent pictures :yes: :thmbsp: until the GS (Gold Star) era began. :no: :thumbsdn: I had a Zenith K2739, 23" b&w console back in the late '60s (a curbside find in 1969). No tubes when found, but I retubed the set and it worked--very well--for the next three years. I had several other Zeniths after that, all with that great picture Zenith TVs were famous for. My latest Zenith was a Sentry 2 19" table model color set I got for my birthday in 1995. That set still works and makes a great picture, though I don't use it much these days since I have a 19" RCA XL-100 (CTC185A7) in my living room; the Zenith is used mainly to cross-check on those rare occasions when my cable goes out. However, the Zenith is next in line to replace the RCA if and when the latter goes belly up, but as well as the RCA works I don't expect it to go bad any time soon. Still makes an excellent picture on cable, even after nine years. I'd put it and my Sentry 2 up against a Chromacolor II any day, as I've heard the RCAs have picture quality every bit as good as any late-model CCII. I believe it.