The Grundig Majestic 1099 US was sold in the United States between 1955 and 1957. Models like this have become increasingly sought-after, which is why Grundig in the USA introduced a modern version of the similar Model 960 in the late 1990s.

I bought this radio at a garage sale in the summer of 1997, and it was part of a package deal: this unit plus a Grundig 2065 for one astonishingly low price. The '2065 was in pretty sad shape, but the '1099 was actually not too bad.

The radio covers the frequencies of 510-1600 kHz (MW), 6-16 MHz (SW), and 88-108 MHz (FM). It's an outstanding performer on its internal FM and AM antennas, and when connected to external antennas, its sensitivity and selectivity rival (and surpasses) most of the modern receivers I've heard!   It's currently connected to a 40-ft wire antenna running from my house to garage, and reception is fantastic.  The unit also has a single input for a mono phono pickup, and an output for a 5 ohm external speaker.

To enhance the classic Grundig sound, the unit has three tone-control buttons on the top right, marked "Voice," "Orchestra," and "Jazz." The "Voice" button gives very flat audio, "Jazz" is a little fuller, and "Orchestra" gives the fullest sound. These buttons work in tandem with the thumbwheel "Treble" and "Bass" controls on either side of the main keyboard. Like most Grundigs of the era, its room-filling sound simply doesn't distort, even with the volume at almost full-throttle.

The set uses the following tubes: EM84, ECC85, ECH87, EF89, EABC80, and EL84.

When I bought it, the radio was in fairly good shape, but the dial cord was broken and some of the electronics needed to be refurbished. The folks who rebuilt it (S&S Electronics, Morton Grove, Illinois) brought it back within its factory-delivered performance specifications.

This is certainly one of my favorites in the collection and currently holds a spot in my living room, where it's often playing!

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