[thirtiesradio]

Yes the things you mention are what I noticed in the AK sets. They did that little extra that seems to have paid off even after all this time. Many of the small parts looks more substantial and usually have some type of plating or protective finish.

With that said, I shouldn't really comment much on AK's overall quality though as the 2 sets I mentioned are higher end models from their later years. The 206 wasn't high end but it seems to be better built than comparable radios. I used to own an earlier model 84 which was a lower end table set. It too looked to be very well built which gave me the impression that all their sets were of high standards.

Arran is right about the speakers dating back to the 82 and 84 era. They look exactly the same. Very heavy and they even went to the trouble of putting a small brass button with the radio model # on it. The finish is a thick wrinkle type of paint that doesn't tarnish or fade like the Zeniths and Philcos.  And a good speaker is really important on how a set sounds.