Sony’s iconic line of Super Sensitive radios were very popular models produced from the late 1950’s through at least the mid 70’s. I own a few of these and they are all nice radios but the interesting thing is that the Super Sensitive label was not necessarily bestowed on Sony’s very top models. While all were very good radios by any objective measure, some weren’t as good as others and again, some of Sony very best models did not carry the Super Sensitive name. Radios like the legendary ICF-2010, ICF-6800 and CRF-320/330 made Sony a respected leader of their day yet none of these are called Super Sensitive. And Sony’s Super Sensitive radios certainly could not compete (on AM) with Panasonic’s RF-2200, the GE Superadio/Superadio II or the Zenith Royal 755 series of the same era. Those radios all featured tuned or untuned RF stages, 3 gang air variable tuning condensers and more complex IF stages, yet Sony’s models still performed amazingly well even with simplified designs and were certainly desirable in many ways. One of them (the TFM-7250W) was a radio I wanted for a long time until I finally sprang for one in the summer of 1973 and I still have one to this day. Before I get to the TFM-7300 I have compiled a short list of most of the Super Sensitive models with approximate production dates…there are probably more so if you know of any please let me know and I will update this list. Models I have reviewed include links to those articles:

                                               Sony Super Sensitive Radios – A Partial List

TR-84  1959

TR-815-Y  1960

TR-840D 1964

TFM-7300  1965

6R-11  1967

TR-6400  1968

TFM-1000WA/WB  1968

6R-33   1969 

TFM-1600 1971

CRF-5090  1972

TFM-7250W   1973 

CRF-5100  1975   

TFM-8000  1975    

ICF-7270W  1979

Description: The TFM-7300 is a lunchbox size AM/FM radio introduced in 1965. Typical of portables of its era It is a much better performer on AM than FM which, although fairly sensitive, is just not selective enough for today’s crowded FM band so I consider that this is a radio primarily for AM lovers although it does have very nice sound on both bands. Its design is more typical than “all out” in that it has a ceramic-vari-cap tuner and a fairly simple IF design with no tuned RF amplifier at its input. Yet the Sony AM manages to perform surprisingly well due to its decent-sized ferrite rod and well-designed circuits.

Above: As Received – Pretty Nasty

Above: Good Access For Service & Cleaning

As I often try to do I found a cosmetically challenged (read: inexpensive) unit on eBay. Luckily it arrived with no operational defects but the dial pointer had somehow broken (perhaps in shipping…I’ll give the seller the benefit of the doubt), and although tedious I managed to get it glued back together. The AM/FM band switch was very erratic but a few shots of De-Ox-It restored normal operation there. The biggest challenge was cleaning its filthy exterior along with lots of crumbling foam inside and although it is still not pristine it looks good enough that I can enjoy handling and using it and it displays nicely. Cleaning a dirty old radio can be very rewarding.

Above: A Simple Cleaning Makes A World Of Difference

The only complaint I have at all I that I was not able to get the dial calibration to be as good as I would like on either AM or FM. To be clear, I could get it to be exact on AM but not with maximum sensitivity. I tried several different approaches to alignment* but every time I achieved maximum sensitivity it was at the expense of dial calibration so I left it that way. This would undoubtedly vary from sample to sample.

*Anyone who has aligned many analog radios knows that it is generally best to simply follow the process as outlined in the Service Manual but sometimes you can fudge some of the settings to achieve better results. The key is to make sure that you are not compromising any aspect of performance while trying to improve one specific area and sometimes you have to give something up in order to gain something else. I really dislike inaccurate analog tuning dials but will not sacrifice overall performance to achieve it.

When all was said and done I put the TFM-7300 up against the later TFM-7250W which has always been one of my favorites and found their performance very similar on AM and FM which places the TFM-7300 squarely in the *** 1/2 category on AM and *** on the FM Mega Shootout lists. Please note that *** ½ is very good on AM and it is worth noting that it is good enough that in today’s typical homes with medium levels of RF interference the radio will not be a major limiting factor in your reception. You really have to get outdoors into lower noise fields to discern the differences between *** 1/2 and **** or ***** star performance.

Even better is that the TFM-7300 has wonderfully satisfying sound quality…it definitely sounds nicer than the TFM-7250W, and its variable tone control is helpful. There is also a pushbutton-operated dial light which is great for use in low light conditions and overall I consider the radio to be very nice looking and pleasant to operate.

Many portables of the day had built-in AC power supplies and the TFM-7300 follows that tradition. I would only use it for continuous all day use on FM as it may add noise to your AM reception, and with typical intermittent use the 4 D cells should provide hundreds of hours of operation.

Conclusion: The Sony TFM-7300 is an attractive radio from the all-analog era, featuring natural, easy tuning, very good AM reception and nice sound quality, along with long battery life. Many of these were made so you have a good chance of finding one at a reasonable price and if you do I think you will like it as much as I do.

Recommended

Jay Allen