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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.

Brionvega RR126 radiofonografo, isometric drawing
Brionvega RR126 radiofonografo, photographed

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).

See it in listening room no. 03, at the Villa Savoye

Front elevation of the Brionvega RR126 radiofonografo, 620 mm wide and 920 mm high
Front elevation, dimensions in millimetres. Drawn from published dimensions and descriptions; detail is simplified.

Specification

ItemAs published
Transistors27 listed (Radiomuseum entry; its list shows 20 entries)
Output10 W
Wave bandsBroadcast (BC) and FM/UHF
Record playerGarrard turntable (V&A example); Dual 1010 four-speed changer (Radiomuseum entry)
LoudspeakersTwo, hook onto the sides, sit on top or stand separately on a cable
PowerAC 125, 160 or 220 V

Reissued

Brionvega radiofonografo rr226 fo-st

Brionvega builds the RR126 radiofonografo again. Pricing is through dealers.

See it at brionvega.com

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

  1. https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1325746/brionvega-rr126-radiofonografo-radiogram-castiglioni-achille/
  2. https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/brionvega_rr126rr_12.html
  3. https://www.brionvega.com/gb/radiofonografo/
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brionvega
  5. 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.