Philco Model 112X Floor Standing Tube Radio Console (1932)

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Philco Model 112X Console Radio (Jan 1932)

The Philco model 112X was introduced in January
of 1932, billed as the first radio scientifically
designed as a musical instrument. It used an
updated version of Philco's 11-tube superhetero-
dyne plus chassis and was the company's first
model to use the inclined sounding board, a new
invention that was their latest salvo in the ongoing
battle for superior tone. It looked radically different
to any Philco that had preceded it and this prompt-
ed the use of another catchy marketing phrase: It
Looks Different. It Sounds Different. It IS Differ-
ent! The importance of this innovation was such
that, starting with the 112X, models using it would
have an X appended to the model number.

The 112X's cabinet was styled by Edward L. Combs
(p a tent), who was also responsible for the design
of the cabinets for the very successful models 70
and 90, introduced the previous June.

The "inclined sounding board" was designed to
provide clearer high frequency reproduction by dir-
ecting high notes up towards the listener and away
from the floor - keep the music off the floor they
proclaimed. Furthermore, according to ads for the
112X, high frequencies emitted from the cabinet's
rear were not only attenuated by Philco's new echo
absorbing screen, mounted behind the speaker
chamber, but were moreover directed down to the
floor instead of being reflected back to the listener
off of walls behind the radio. The innovation was
used on various Philco models for a number of
years and was obviously very successful, since ev-
en though the 112X's rather unusual styling was
short-lived, some later models achieved a more
conventional appearance by inclining the speaker
baffle internally behind a vertical front panel, while
others lessened the angle of its incline, rendering it
largely inconspicuous. The 16 L is an example of a
set that Philco referred to as having a concealed
inclined sounding board, while the 116X is a set
featuring an unconcealed board with reduced ang-
le of inclination. In any event, much was made of
the feature by Philco in the design and marketing
of their sets throughout the 1930s. Of the 112X, in
a 1932 advertisement Philco commented Words
cannot express the supreme quality of this mar-
velous instrument. Here is a fidelity of tone bey-
ond anything you ever thought possible. Turn
your back or close your eyes, you will believe
that you are in the actual presence of the art-
ists themselves.

The original purchase price of the 112X was $150,
complete with Philco tubes (East, $155 out West).

The 112X uses the highly sensitive 11-tube bal-
anced superheterodyne plus chassis with push-
pull type 47 pentode output stage, tuned RF amp,
2 IF stages, AVC, Philco's much-touted 4-point
tone control and illuminated station-recording dial.
Selectivity is great thanks to a 4-gang tuning cond-
ensor, with dual antenna tuning in the front end,
and two IF stages. The complete tube line-up is 24
(RF), 27 (oscillator), 24 (mixer), 24 (1st IF), 24
(2nd IF), 27 (2nd detector), 27 (detector amp)*, 27
(1st AF amp), 47 * 2 (push-pull output) and 80
(rectifier). It covers standard broadcast from 550
to 1500kcs. Probably one of the best sounding
models of the season for its price. The schematic
may be found at NostalgiaAir.

During 1931 model 112 had been available in a
very different cabinet, sans the inclined sounding
board, designed by Norman Bel Geddes. Initially,
for serial numbers below 174001, that model
employed push-pull 245 triodes in its output stage
rather than type 47 pentodes. Philco changed over
mid-production to use the more modern, higher-
output 47 types but according to some commentat-
ors this resulted in degraded sound quality. The
pentodes were known to produce higher levels of
distortion than the sweet-sounding 45s, which to
this day have remained a staunch favorite of audio-
philes. Never before so much distortion from a
bottle was one remark made about the type 47
pentode shortly after its introduction.

This radio had been sitting in an antiques store for
a while before I finally made up my mind to buy it. It
had been fully restored and plays beautifully.

* For a description of the Philco "multiplex detector" see the foot of
my Philco 111 page.

It Looks Different... It Sounds Different.. It IS Different!

...a musical instrument of quality.

...with the new Philco inclined sounding board.