Archive / Classics, 1946 to 1969
RR126 radiofonografo
Radiogram, Brionvega, 1966
A transistor radiogram designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1965 whose controls form a face and whose two speakers can be detached.
A-23, isometric, same camera for both
- Drawing
- A-23
- Introduced
- 1966
- Produced
- Not published
- Made in
- Italy
- Designed by
- Achille Castiglioni, Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
- Launch price
- Not confirmed
- Size
- 620 x 920 x 350 mm
- Weight
- 32 kg
The Castiglioni brothers designed the radiofonografo in 1965, and Brionvega put it into production in 1966. The V&A calls it a musical pet, with speakers as ears, the AM and FM dials as eyes and a row of push buttons as teeth. The two speakers hook onto the sides, sit on top or stand apart, and a record player sits under a clear polycarbonate cover at the left of the top. Brionvega still sells a re-edition, the rr226 fo-st.
In the collections of Victoria and Albert Museum (Brionvega RR126 radiofonografo, 1966, accession W.1-2016).
Specification
| Item | As published |
|---|---|
| Transistors | 27 listed (Radiomuseum entry; its list shows 20 entries) |
| Output | 10 W |
| Wave bands | Broadcast (BC) and FM/UHF |
| Record player | Garrard turntable (V&A example); Dual 1010 four-speed changer (Radiomuseum entry) |
| Loudspeakers | Two, hook onto the sides, sit on top or stand separately on a cable |
| Power | AC 125, 160 or 220 V |
Reissued
Brionvega radiofonografo rr226 fo-st
Brionvega builds the RR126 radiofonografo again. Pricing is through dealers.
The house
- Founded
- 1945
- Founder
- Giuseppe Brion, Onorina Tomasin-Brion and Leone Pajetta
- Origin
- Milan, Italy
- Today
- The brand has changed hands since Sèleco bought it in 1992, with Wikipedia naming SIM 2 Multimedia, Super//Fluo and BV 2 srl, and it still markets re-editions such as the radio.cubo.
Further sheets
Sources
- https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1325746/brionvega-rr126-radiofonografo-radiogram-castiglioni-achille/
- https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/brionvega_rr126rr_12.html
- https://www.brionvega.com/gb/radiofonografo/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brionvega
- https://www.brionvega.com/en/record-figure-for-david-bowies-radiofonografo-2/
Notes for the record: The V&A dates the object 1966 with the design from 1965. Radiomuseum lists 1967 with a question mark; a Karl Lagerfeld sale page on Brionvega's site says 1965. Dimensions are the V&A's measurements with the speakers on top (92 cm high, 62 cm wide, 35 cm deep); with the speakers attached to the sides the V&A gives a width of 121 cm. Radiomuseum lists 750 x 1210 x 365 mm and 32 kg, and the weight is its figure. Brionvega's page says a David Bowie unit sold at Sotheby's on 11 November 2016 for GBP 257,000; that is a celebrity-provenance result with no stated buyer's premium treatment, so collector_market is null.