[Ron Ramirez]

1932 was the worst year of the Great Depression, and Philco struggled to sell radios that year, operating at a loss for 1932. The elimination of speaker plugs and jacks was most assuredly a cost-cutting move, although it did make their radios harder to service as a result. The early production of Model 15 consoles also did not have speaker plugs/jacks, but were also hard-wired. This made no sense for a console, and a special five-pin plug and jack was soon added to Model 15 and 91 consoles.

The lower-priced Philcos continued to have hard-wired speakers in the following years, while many of the more expensive consoles received plugs and jacks for their speakers. The 16B did not get a speaker plug/jack until the four-band version went into production in late 1934 (1935 selling season).