Nice '74 Zenith combo in OR

[Carmine]

Originally Posted by drh4683

I agree Chris. Zenith seemed to have dropped the ball when it came to offering a top notch set in different cabinet styles. You could get a danish modern console from Zenith but like you said, it would still be a step down from the italian provincial styled emperor. This is where RCA really had them beat as they had high end sets of the same quality in all cabinet styles. I think most of us can agree too that RCA generally had better looking cabinets for the most part, especially in the danish modern department. Zenith seemed to have compromised on the cabinets by deciding that the electronics and build quality came first for the TV/stereo component while the cabinet design/quality was the second most important. I can't argue with that though. Few companies were engineering oriented and thats what I like best. I think of Chrysler in the 1960's as an engineering oriented company when it comes to cars for example.

As far as this cabinet on this set, it was first offered in 1970 with the 12A12C52 and again was the only "high end" set you could get from then up till 1975. It was more or less the "emperor" of the early to mid 70's...

All those thoughts have rolled through my head as well Doug, including the styling/engineering auto/electronics comparisons. RCA did some very nice danish modern designs, but then you get up close and the wood is very thin... Tops are usually warped from something being set on top. I can sit on top of many of my Zenith sets and they don't budge.

It reminds me of 1960s GM building 4-5 different auto transmissions that would just barely serve the power/weight needs of the car, and Chrysler doing just two versions for the same spread of power/weight ratios.

When either GM or RCA decided to put the bucks into it, the engineering departments could really make the "impossible" a reality. Yet smaller Chrysler or Zenith could start industry trends too, whether it was alternators or space-commands!