Proton VT-210 (c. 1987–1989)
The Proton VT-210 is a 20-inch stereo monitor/receiver. It is a television with a built-in MTS/SAP decoder, not an audio amplifier, whatever the Proton name usually brings to mind. The surviving record is thin and comes down to two period sources: a High Fidelity test report and a 1989 buying-guide listing. The dates above are inferred from that coverage, not from factory documentation, which appears not to survive.
High Fidelity (July 1987, p.21) ran a full test of the VT-210 and clearly liked the tube. The reviewers found that difficult deep greens were noticeably less "limey" than on most other CRT sets of the day. Reds still leaned toward orange, but less than on many rivals. The color, tint, and black-level (brightness) controls had center detents. The detail control worked mainly in the 1.5-3 MHz region, which helps soften an overly harsh picture or reduce snow. Measurements included an audio output impedance of 820 ohms and a video frequency response down only about ½ dB at 500 kHz.
It was positioned as a component-TV, meant to sit in a rack beside Proton audio gear with A/V inputs to match.
Beyond those two items, almost nothing else is documented. No service-manual details, confirmed production years, or sales figures turned up in the available sources.
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