Nice New Vista square set in Dallas
 

no affil

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/atq/2502545820.html

http://images.craigslist.org/3ka3m13...0e82d41ef5.jpg

I had to look that one up. It is a later production CTC-38. I don't recall seeing that control panel before.

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Style preferences do vary. I would not mind having a set like this (and I think my roundie combo is comparable in fact), but there are other sets I would not go near.

With those knobs and that cabinet, my immediate thought is CTC-40! Seems odd if they put the expensive cabinet with the cheap chassis...

Charles

Back in the 89's when I worked for the old RCA Smirnoff Labs, my lead engineer mentioned that his cousin had bought a new RCA TV set. It was selected, not because of the then new comb filter for better chroma luma separation, but because the TV's legs had curly features, probably like the above set. :) TV set cabinets probably drove many customer choices more than the technology in the chassis... Today it's all BPC flatscreens with no furnature style.

Very true, regarding the cabinet choices over the techn. People wanted these things to fit into their living room decor,same goes for early hi-fi speakers and componentry....It's almost comical how the faux-wood (plastic and particleboard) cabinets continued this trend even into the late 80s.

I tend to stay away from SS set's, just cause I like tubes, but is the CTC-40 a good 1st effort SS? as far as reliablity and performance?

My only vintage SS sets are a mid 70's sylvania (the one with the big oil filed cap in the power supply and 3 large PCB's) which is a nice delta gun set and my early 80's Mitsubishi (my 1st brand new large color set I ever bought). I did not know much about TV's back then as I was not really into it, but it cost a bundle (1k back in 80's dollars). Still works fine and has a very nice picture.

You helped RCA develop vodka? Cool! :D

LOL! I like Skyy and Ketel One personally

Uhh, yeah, it "Don't Favor Much" as we say down here in the holler...(grin)

The CTC-40 has its quarks but it is a very good performing set. Doesn't matter now, but they have unusually good tuners. If you have a choice today between a 38 & 40? Tough call, but I think I would give the nod to the 40.

With some of the sets RCA produced, I'd say they were experimenting with something... Vodka. It explains so much...

Back to the set: My mom would have bought that set in a heartbeat. It would have matched everything in the living room at the time.

But, we had an RCA in 1968 that almost set the house on fire before daddy insisted that the dealer take it back. We had it for less than 2 months before the problems started. Our family kinda lost interest in RCA around this time. I can still smell the smoke in my memory.

sad about the unusually strong tuners going to waste now.

from what i've read, the 38 was the one that was best avoided, whereas the ctc40 is a tad better. then again, i'm certainly not all that knowledgeable on this era of RCA.

I'd say the only thing the 38 has going for it is that it is a tube chassis. Other than that, go for the 40.

I've read about those RCA fires-when Consumer Reports tested color consoles in '68 +/-) their test unit caught fire, as I recall.

What was the issue with the 38's that caused the fires? flyback problems?

We had a CTC-40 when i was growing up, good set used well into the 90's until the 25AXP22 was just too weak to make a good picture any more, the only issue with ours was it had the flip up/down power switch that kept getting stuck in the on position and eventually was not available any more. That set went through a lot including a fish tank leaking into it, and it just kept working.

Matt

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