GPO Winchester AM/FM Radio Review

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The GPO Winchester is an AM/FM radio with a retro 1950’s-style design based on old-fashioned transistor radios. It looks like the real deal, but do its sound and performance match its authentic design? Let’s find out…

Features

MW/FM radio
Frequency range: FM 88-108 MHz; MW 530 – 1600 KHz
Display with backlight
Tuning and volume dials
Veneer wooden cabinet
Four feet for added stability
Wire aerial (not a telescopic aerial)
9W speaker

Dimensions: 29.8 wide x 19 cm high 14 cm x deep
Weight: 2.6 kg (boxed)

Performance and use

The GPO Winchester is very easy to use. It doesn’t have a complicated menu to navigate or lots of buttons, just a couple of dials for volume and tuning and buttons to choose FM or MW. Depending on what you’re looking for you will either be glad that the radio is so straightforward or feel it’s missing some extra features.

The radio sounds rich and warm, just like an old valve radio. It’s clear that the manufacturers weren’t solely concerned with how the radio looked—the speaker sounds authentic too.

Pros

Good sound quality—sounds like a genuine 1950’s radio with a clear and warm sound
Feels sturdy and well made. Real wooden casing, not plastic.
Uncomplicated and easy to use

Cons

Mains powered only
No extra features like an alarm clock

Verdict

The GPO Winchester has an authentic vintage design and a rich, warm and clear sound to match. It sounds like an old 1950’s valve radio, which is great if you want to relive the experience of radio before things went digital. This isn’t just a cheap radio that looks retro; it’s a quality radio that sounds and feels retro.

This radio is a good buy if you’re looking for something that is as close to an old-fashioned radio as possible while still being new. If you want lots of features such as an alarm clock or a sleep timer, it’s not the radio for you—it doesn’t really do anything besides AM/FM radio.

Similar radios

Lots of manufacturers produce 1950’s and 1960’s-style retro radios, including many radios that offer modern features like DAB radio and Bluetooth. One radio with an eye-catching 1950’s design and is the Roberts Revival RD60, which offers digital radio in addition to FM. To read about some of the leading retro radios, check out this article.