[Doug Houston]

There are dinky home sets, and there are dinky auto sets. Neither of them sound very good. You'll find some exceptional home radios, like the Philco and RCA big tombstones of the mid to late thirties. Examples are the Philco 16, and its descendants. Philco's 38-2670 is a champion for audio.....well, everything. Then, RCA came along with their 9 and 10 tube table sets for the same years. Of course, we're talking table radios, but for main line brands, Philco and RCA could really put some sensational stuff in the stores, and they surely did!

Some of the monumental auto sets (in my opinion) are the Chrysler Philco 8 tube from 1942 thru 1948, then on thru the few years that followed. I like the Ford-Mercury 1949-53 8 tube sets, made by Bendix, Zenith, and probably Sylvania. Thet had superb audio. Going back further, the RCA sets that Buick had from 1936 thru 1942. RCA made a 5 band set for both Buick and Chevrolet in 1941 and 1942. Nine tube set; it had killer audio. I have one in my '41 Chevy convertible.

The top line set for Chevrolet in 1939 had a dash unit, with half the radio, and the IF, audio and power supply in a firewall enclosure. The dash unit had a capacitively coupled tweeter on the output. It was a Delco set. Pontiac's 1939 top line set had two parts also, but with a separate speaker, with special holes in the firewall for a bass reflector in the engine compartment; also Delco.

There are others I might cite, but I think you get the idea. There was good stuff to be had in both places.