[Ron Ramirez]

I think it would take a side by side "shootout" to really narrow it down.

I agree. But since I do not own a Philco 118 or 650 console anymore, I had to rely on memory.

I was just revisiting the 9-S-262 schematic, and I think a better "apples to apples" comparison would be to compare the 9-S-262 to a Philco 144 or 630. Looking at the 9-S-262 schematic, it has separate mixer and oscillator tubes and separate 2nd detector and 1st audio amp tubes. It uses a tuning eye where Philco used shadowmeters. When you take out the eye tube, combine 6L7 and 6J5 functions into a 6A7, and combine 6H6 and 6F5 into a 6Q7 (75), your 9 tube radio becomes a 6 tube radio.

The 630X sounds good (as with the others I mentioned, I no longer own a 630X), but I would have to say the 9-S-262 sounds better.

I thought the Zenith speaker looked like a Magnavox, but I could be wrong. I think Magnavox became one of Philco's suppliers after 1938 when Philco stopped making their own speakers and began buying them from outside sources.