Grommerz-Phillips

[William]

Anyone every heard of this company? Maybe a high end Phillips? A quick Google search did not turn up much.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/164898694988?h ... Swr8dguoeY

Bill

[walyfd]

Looks interesting and HUGE!!! Wonder if that's like a custom Barzilay cabinet.

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

They have mis-spelled the manufacturer.

It says Grommes-Phillips.

This is interesting as there was a high-quality Grommes Precision
Electronics that is still in business.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/m/grommes_usa_en_1.html

https://grommesprecision.com/index.html

I wonder if Phillips did some special contracts w/Grommes ?
The Garrard changer is a Type A, I believe.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/garrard_type_a.html

[William]

Interesting! Thanks Mr. Mogul.

Bill

[danrclem]

I bet it sounds good but that price seems way too high. To me anyway.

[Firedome]

Been out of the loop several days:
That's correct... in fact I can tell you a lot about this, as I wrote an entire article on Grommes (pronounced Gromm-ez, it's German, last letter pronounced) for VTV magazine in 2008 just as it (VTV) went dead with the death of it's publisher. I researched, wrote, and sent it off (4 or 5 magazine pages) and was paid for it, but it was never published. A couple years later in a fit of despair just threw it all away, my writing, notes and records, unfortunately, including another completed article on Stromberg-Carlson, and much research on McIntosh (for which I got permission from Denon in Japan and McIntosh's President here in Binghamton, Charlie Randall), after giving up all hope of VTV ever being resurrected after several false starts by the Tech Ed John Attwood and Eric Barbour. With the internet specialty magazine publishing was and is doomed, but now realize I should have just put it all on the 'net myself. I'm more of a historian of the legacy audio companies than tech person, as you can probably tell by many of my questions... anyhow...

I spoke to the grandson of William Grommes and also Grommes Chief Engineer, Alan Kimmel,who had also previously written an article for VTV on a custom sweep-tube amp design of his, issue # 10 I think? Long story short: WG started it after the war as a public address amp maker (still around as Grommes Precision, as mentioned) and they made some very nice mono tube amps like 216-BA (pic), 215-BA, 260-A and 205-PA preamp for hi-end home audio and smaller tube 100-BA, 55-PG and 50-PG, in that era. Then a line of integrated amps and tuners (101-GT and 24-PG (pic) as shown in the console, a matching 6BQ5 unit), both are as seen installed in this console unit, probably a joint collaboration with Phillips, very nice tube units sold by Grommes as components. They made it to the SS era but eventually stuck to PA, where they are today. I believe it's the ONLY US legacy audio company still completely owned and produced in this country, McIntosh being owned by the Japanese and Harman International US owned but stuff made overseas I believe? Grommes was planning to introduce a new tube hi-end 260 audio amp (pic 2) loosely based on the original 260A and a smaller unit, I have pics of them but doesn't seem to have ever made it to production, and I think Kimmel left the company. No news from Grommes since.

[electra225]

VERY interesting, Roger. Thank you for sharing that.

[Firedome]

Thanks, very welcome!

[William]

Wow, they made stuff that looks a lot like McIntosh. From what I'm reading here, the quality may have been right up there too. Thanks, Roger!

Bill

[Firedome]

Yes Grommes mono tube amps seem to be quite respected, and scarce! I wish the proposed new 260 version had come to fruition!! The integrated amps were rather unusual in look with a supposedly Euro-styled curved front panel that was done at WGs insistence in his desire to appeal to sophisticated customers.

Incidentally Hugh Hefner had met him as WG advertised in Playboy quite a bit, and as a quite young man still, HH looked up to him as a mentor, and even adopted his pipe smoking in an attempt to look more mature (HH was still in his 20s I think!) , a small drawing of WG was often shown in Grommes ads (pic) as a symbol of sophistication meant to appeal to an upscale class of customers. Grommes ads in Playboy were also quite sexy, as seem here, along with one of the consoles, perhaps the one in collaboration Phillips, as Bill posted about originally:

[William]

Thanks, Roger!

Bill

[hermitcrab]

So what year is the console on the ad?... the Garrard looks early 60's

[walyfd]

The Garrard in the b&w ad is a Type A that came out for 1962. The eBay console has a Type A II that came out for '64 or '65.