SK 4
Phonosuper SK 4. Radiogram, Braun, 1956
A table radio-phonograph with an angled sheet-metal housing, elm side panels and a clear acrylic lid, nicknamed Snow White's Coffin.
A-07, isometric, same camera for both
- Drawing
- A-07
- Introduced
- 1956
- Produced
- 1956 to 1960 (SK 4 family)
- Made in
- Germany
- Designed by
- Hans Gugelot, Dieter Rams, Wilhelm Wagenfeld
- Launch price
- 295 DM (first-year price listed by Radiomuseum)
- Size
- 580 x 240 x 290 mm
- Weight
- 11 kg
Braun launched the SK 4 in autumn 1956. Hans Gugelot is credited with the angled sheet-metal construction and Dieter Rams with the basic concept and the layout of the controls and acrylic hood, while the turntable chassis PC 3 came from the Wagenfeld workshop. Revisions followed as the SK 4/1 and 4/1a in 1957 and the SK 4/2 in 1958, after the three-nub platter support warped records left in sunlight and the lid cutout cracked the plexiglass. Radiomuseum says the family went into the design department of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
In the collections of Philadelphia Museum of Art ('Phonosuper' SK4 Phonograph and Radio, designed 1956, made 1956 to 1960).
Specification
| Item | As published |
|---|---|
| Tubes | ECC85, 2 x EF89, EABC80, EL84 |
| Output | 3 W |
| Wave bands | FM 87 to 100 MHz; MW 510 to 1,640 kHz |
| Turntable | PC 3, three speeds (78, 45, 33 1/3 rpm), not a changer; Schumann SK 451 pickup |
| Loudspeaker | Elliptical permanent magnet, 170 x 250 mm (Isophon P 1725/19/80) |
| Controls | Push buttons and a simple tone control |
Out of production
Find an original
The Phonosuper SK 4 is out of production. Originals change hands on the marketplaces listed here; buy restored, or budget for recapping and new valves.
The house
- Founded
- 1921
- Founder
- Max Braun
- Origin
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Today
- Owned by Procter & Gamble, with De'Longhi using the Braun name on kitchen appliances under licence since 2012.
Further sheets
Sources
- https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/braun_phonosuper_sk4.html
- https://braunaudio.de/en/snowwhitecoffin-sk4-dieter-rams-hans-gugelot-design-moma
- https://philamuseum.org/collection/object/283549
- https://designmuseum.org/designers/dieter-rams
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braun_(company)
Notes for the record: Radiomuseum lists build years 1956 to 1957 and the 295 DM price; braunaudio.de gives 438 DM for the later SK 55. Credits vary: Radiomuseum credits Gugelot with the sheet-metal construction, Rams with the concept and upper control layout, and the Wagenfeld workshop with the PC 3 turntable chassis; Wikipedia's Braun article names Rams, Herbert Lindinger and Gugelot; the Design Museum names Rams working with Gugelot; braunaudio.de adds Wilhelm Wagenfeld. The Museum of Modern Art holding rests on Radiomuseum and braunaudio.de, which say MoMA holds the SK 4 or SK 4/1; moma.org returned 403 and was not opened. A search summary says MoMA's record is object 205.1958 for model SK 4/10 dated 1956. The Philadelphia Museum of Art page listed only title and dates when opened. Dimensions and weight are Radiomuseum's 580 x 240 x 290 mm and 11 kg.