The first of at least three versions, this is one of those radios I love for its being so glaringly "primitive": the speaker grill holes don't line up, the "ECHO" logo is hilariously uneven, the tuning dial cuts into the cabinet body... and it's an absolutely gorgeous radio! And so "geometric" -- circle, trapazoid, rectangle... The radio's mfr: Kokyo Electron Ind. Co. Ltd.

Another version of the Echo (courtesy Made in Japan, page 3, © 1993 by Roger Handy, Maureen Erb, Henry Blackham, and Aileen Antonier): The cabinet styling of this set shows a much-needed refinement over the (classic) sloppy goofiness of the Echo 225 pictured above -- but O, the irony! This sleek-looking job is a "Boy's Radio." It has a 2-transistor chassis. In terms of performance, it's a piece of junk. Today's lesson: you can't judge a transistor radio by its cover.

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© 2007 by Robert Davidson, transistors@abetterpage.com