[morzh]

I don't really qualify to vote: my exposure to both radios and the culture are limited compared to even people my age who grew up in US/Canada.
From those I dealt with, 38-690 Philco (I count both 37 and 38 690 models here ) is the best.
However from price/perfirmance standpoint I would say 37-116, as it has all the features of the older bros, same speaker and the midrange amp, and before the counterphasing booboo in 38-690 was figured, the teeeters didn't do much, and even then 1uF crossover cap made them so anemic they could barely be heard. So the sound wasn't drastically better in 690s.
But the bandspread, AFC and magnetic tuning, the "teledial", all was there.