Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
It's the world's most beautiful miniature. Honest. I can prove it!
The world's most beautiful miniature. Miniature what? Where's the noun, clown? In looking at Arvin radios in a recent video, we saw Arvin do the same thing--refer to their Arvin 61R13 as a "miniature." Well, this Panasonic T-601 from the early 1960s is referred to in Panasonic's brochure as "the world's most beautiful miniature." Miniature what? Oh, don't start that again. I'll read what they have to say about the radio while you look at it, alright? Here we go. "Magnificent styling delights your eye. Power of performance delights your ear. Precision vernier tuning control system. 2-step tone control. Jack for earphone or external speaker. Non-breakable polymer case." End quote. Well, I have no argument with any of that. And I am KNOWN to argue with advertising. It goes on to say that it weighs 6.8 ounces and costs $19.95. Now, 6.8 ounces might not sound like much, but for a pocket radio, I can tell you that this thing is heavy.
Engineering types who like to use phrases like "build quality" would most certainly trot out that expression when looking over this radio, as in "look at that build quality." Others of us might just make reference to brick outhouses. But, any way you look at it, this radio is exceedingly well put-together and feels indestructible... I don't think I've seen another radio with a back like this. The Sony TR-620 from 1960 had a sort of similar aluminum battery door on its back, but not with an easel stand on top of it. There's very little else to compare between the Sony and this Panasonic. The Sony is cute and lighter in weight. But if you were to run over the two of them with a car, the tire would flatten the Sony... where the Panasonic would probably flatten the tire.
Panasonic was still using this logo when this radio was made. But...it wasn't a logo they were happy with and so it doesn't appear anywhere on the radio. The Matsushita star does, and the Panasonic NAME appears, but not the Panasonic logo. It would be 4 years or so before the introduction of THIS Panasonic logo, which I was surprised to learn didn't appear until 1966.
And now for something completely... the same. Another, different, radio looking exactly the same as the one we've been looking at. This is an R-607, not the T-601. The difference? The T-601 is a six-transistor and the R-607 is a seven. Externally, they look identical to me in every way. Inside, well you can see the circuit board is a little different, naturally.
The Panasonic T-601 six-transistor radio. My eye is delighted. My ear is delighted. I'm... just delighted.
#vintage,#transistor,#antiques,#collectibles,#transistoradio,#collectornet
It's the world's most beautiful miniature. Honest. I can prove it!
The world's most beautiful miniature. Miniature what? Where's the noun, clown? In looking at Arvin radios in a recent video, we saw Arvin do the same thing--refer to their Arvin 61R13 as a "miniature." Well, this Panasonic T-601 from the early 1960s is referred to in Panasonic's brochure as "the world's most beautiful miniature." Miniature what? Oh, don't start that again. I'll read what they have to say about the radio while you look at it, alright? Here we go. "Magnificent styling delights your eye. Power of performance delights your ear. Precision vernier tuning control system. 2-step tone control. Jack for earphone or external speaker. Non-breakable polymer case." End quote. Well, I have no argument with any of that. And I am KNOWN to argue with advertising. It goes on to say that it weighs 6.8 ounces and costs $19.95. Now, 6.8 ounces might not sound like much, but for a pocket radio, I can tell you that this thing is heavy.
Engineering types who like to use phrases like "build quality" would most certainly trot out that expression when looking over this radio, as in "look at that build quality." Others of us might just make reference to brick outhouses. But, any way you look at it, this radio is exceedingly well put-together and feels indestructible... I don't think I've seen another radio with a back like this. The Sony TR-620 from 1960 had a sort of similar aluminum battery door on its back, but not with an easel stand on top of it. There's very little else to compare between the Sony and this Panasonic. The Sony is cute and lighter in weight. But if you were to run over the two of them with a car, the tire would flatten the Sony... where the Panasonic would probably flatten the tire.
Panasonic was still using this logo when this radio was made. But...it wasn't a logo they were happy with and so it doesn't appear anywhere on the radio. The Matsushita star does, and the Panasonic NAME appears, but not the Panasonic logo. It would be 4 years or so before the introduction of THIS Panasonic logo, which I was surprised to learn didn't appear until 1966.
And now for something completely... the same. Another, different, radio looking exactly the same as the one we've been looking at. This is an R-607, not the T-601. The difference? The T-601 is a six-transistor and the R-607 is a seven. Externally, they look identical to me in every way. Inside, well you can see the circuit board is a little different, naturally.
The Panasonic T-601 six-transistor radio. My eye is delighted. My ear is delighted. I'm... just delighted.
#vintage,#transistor,#antiques,#collectibles,#transistoradio,#collectornet
