Brionvega TS522 AM/FM Radio, oodles of lovely Retro goodness.

A few years ago, the idea of buying a AM/FM radio seemed ridiculous, with talk of a 2012 turn off of all AM and FM signals, and Digital radio being championed as the future, many people were throwing out their old FM sets, and buying Digital radios, in a rush to stay ahead of the curve.

Then, people started to realise that the digital revolution was all pretty much crap with regards to Digital Radio, yes they worked, but only where reception was, and unlike radio waves which travel for miles and miles, unnafected by all but the most extreme weather conditions, Digital signals become patchy on cloudy days, not to mention the fact that te technology that existed to collect the signals was substandard at best.  The result has been that the previous switch off date of 2012 has been pushed back to a 'possible' 2020, but more likely in reality pretty much indefinitely.  This has meant a rekindling of love for relaible old FM Radio sets, that in most cases outperform Digital.

And so we come to the Brionvega TS522, created from a collaboration between Richard Sapper and Marco Zanussi in 1964, this enduring piece of retro/futuristic gorgeousness has stood the test of time, to become an object of lust that one might just leave on the table for people to gaze at in wonder of its beauty, then, you can really shock them by turning it one and showing them its actually able to pick up FM and AM signals in crystal clarity, from its High Definition Mono speaker, and when they are suitably impressed, make their jaw drop a little more by folding it up, and carrying it away by it integrated carrying handle.

Priced at £195 from various online and design retailers.