Introduction
It is with great disappointment to the vintage hi-fi enthusiast that the Blaupunkt brand was reported as going into liquidation in 2016. This prestigious audio firm didn't quite make it to its centenary celebration. The Blaupunkt brand literally translates to blue point that refers to the quality control dots used back in the day. The brand in essence means quality.
Blaupunkt Arizona Description
There are many great vintage hifi examples we could point to, however, we have chosen to feature the more obscure Blaupunkt Arizona stereo receiver console. With its beautiful straight lines and classic furniture dimensions, this vintage hifi console will look perfect in any mid-century house. The units were manufactured in West Germany.
Furniture cabinet dimensions quoted as: 152.5cm x 66cm x 47cm
Unusually, this stereo receiver is more furniture than stereo equipment. The Blaupunkt Arizona is a beautiful centrepiece of a retro furniture room. The powder coated steel stand is part of the furniture ensemble. This piece is rather wide and gives a balanced sleek look. With all of the covers locked, the system likes like a discreet sideboard.
The length of the Blaupunkt Arizona cabinet holds four distinct zones in two cabinets. The outer left and right edges hold the loudspeaker compartments. These can be seen with the wood slats. Looking at the front of the Blaupunkt Arizona on the inner left is a roll forward storage drawer. This drawer is relatively shallow and suitable for holding manuals, record cleaning brushes and the like. The inner right side holds the turntable, radio and amplifier. The receiver has a wonderful vertical face arrangement with five preset stations.
The drawer section is particularly unusual. The drawer gives the Blaupunkt Arizona an air of designer refinement. With some respectful modification, a Universal Media Player (UMB) or a digital media player could make this furniture a modern-retro addition.
Blaupunkt Arizona technical details
The Blaupunkt Arizona record player is a PE 2010 automatic turntable. It plays 16, 33, 45 and 78 rpm speeds. Behind the turntable is the Blaupunkt Arizona radio panel. Power is rated at 2x 8 Watt RMS power. Radio features include 4 reception ranges, station presets and FM tuning, as well as its matrix stereo decoder for trouble-free stereo reception.
There isn't a lot of information on the internal components of the Blaupunkt Arizona. We are not sure if the amplifier is based on valve or solid-state components. It has been reported that the built-in loudspeaker units have four drivers or woofers each channel, that is 8 drivers in total. As thee loudspeakers are built into the cabinets and the covers are not removable, we are not able to determine the configuration or layout.
DIN 45500 High Fidelity Audio Equipment and Systems
The Blaupunkt Arizona was advertised as being compliant to DIN 45500. The West German institute for Standardization DIN 45500 is a former attempt to define the minimum standards for High Fidelity Audio Equipment and Systems. Think of it as the 1970s attempt at describing a THX Ultra2 type system.
Blaupunkt Arizona colors and finishes
The Blaupunkt catalog of the era did not give any indication of the range of colors or finishes that were available. Respectable photos show the unit finished in Canadian Walnut veneer. We have seen an eBay auction (wayback) where the cabinet was finished in white painted wood. The legs were available in black and in white.
