Philco Model 95 Highboy Radio (1929)
The Philco model 95 was a product of Philco's strategy of manufacturing radio sets that were truly beautiful "articles of
furniture". In this I believe they were highly successful, for the 95 Highboy is as remarkable in it's appearance as it was in 1929
as an electrical receiving apparatus. Below, I have reproduced two articles, found in 1929 newspapers, that describe the
features of the model 95's Highboy cabinet as well as the Philco philosophy of producing cabinets that were quality furniture
pieces.
The model 95 "screen-grid-plus" 9-tube radio was released in the fall of 1929 in three cabinet styles, the lowboy, highboy and
highboy deluxe. The model photographed here is the 95 Highboy, which had an initial sales price of $169.50 including tubes.
Each of the three cabinet styles could also be purchased with either Philco's 6 or 7-tube screen-grid chassis, for some savings
in price.
With what had become typical Philco flare, the 95's introduction was accompanied with an advertising blitz and much media
fanfare. To top it all, a jumbo version of the 95 Highboy was produced as a sales tool. It was 16 feet high, 8 feet wide and 5
feet deep. This giant radio was hauled around the country between Philco dealers, who displayed it prominently in public
places for several days at a time. Inside was a production model 95, connected through booster amplifiers to a large speaker
placed behind the jumbo's speaker panel. Radio programs and phonograph records were played through the giant set, with
almost a continuous program issued forth to entertain those who gathered to listen. What a spectacle it must have been! The
campaign was successful, since almost 100,000 of the Highboy radio models using this cabinet were eventually sold.
On the technical side, the model 95 was a remarkable radio. It incorporated Philco's screen-grid plus chassis which embodied
all of their latest radio advances, including (with words from their original advertisements shown in italics):- "automatic volume
control" (to combat fading of weak stations and blasting by strong ones), "new super-sharp selectivity" (helped by the use of
double tuned circuits in the front end), "almost auditorium volume" (using two of the new type 245 tubes in push-pull along with
an electrodynamic speaker), an "entirely new circuit to automatically reduce background noise and static", all this combined
with "enormous power, making it easy to get distant stations".
The screen-grid plus chassis has the following tube line-up:- 224 * 3 (three stages of RF amplification), 227 (2nd detector/AVC
diode), 227 (detector amp)*, 227 (1st AF), 245 * 2 (push-pull AF output) and 280 (rectifier). The 224s used as RF amplifiers
are the screen grid tubes of the chassis' namesake. These tubes had the benefit of not needing to be neutralized, unlike the
earlier type 26 triodes used by Philco's older neutrodyne-plus chassis (see my 511 page). One point of additional note is that
the model 95 was the first radio to combine the function of the 2nd detector and automatic-volume-control, using a clever
circuit developed at the Hazelitine Corporation. The schematic can be found here, courtesy of NostalgiaAir.
I found this wonderful old radio at a flea market in 2005 and one day soon I hope to hear it playing again. Definitely one of my
favorite consoles.
* - see the foot of my Philco 111 page for an explanation of the Philco "detector amp".
furniture". In this I believe they were highly successful, for the 95 Highboy is as remarkable in it's appearance as it was in 1929
as an electrical receiving apparatus. Below, I have reproduced two articles, found in 1929 newspapers, that describe the
features of the model 95's Highboy cabinet as well as the Philco philosophy of producing cabinets that were quality furniture
pieces.
The model 95 "screen-grid-plus" 9-tube radio was released in the fall of 1929 in three cabinet styles, the lowboy, highboy and
highboy deluxe. The model photographed here is the 95 Highboy, which had an initial sales price of $169.50 including tubes.
Each of the three cabinet styles could also be purchased with either Philco's 6 or 7-tube screen-grid chassis, for some savings
in price.
With what had become typical Philco flare, the 95's introduction was accompanied with an advertising blitz and much media
fanfare. To top it all, a jumbo version of the 95 Highboy was produced as a sales tool. It was 16 feet high, 8 feet wide and 5
feet deep. This giant radio was hauled around the country between Philco dealers, who displayed it prominently in public
places for several days at a time. Inside was a production model 95, connected through booster amplifiers to a large speaker
placed behind the jumbo's speaker panel. Radio programs and phonograph records were played through the giant set, with
almost a continuous program issued forth to entertain those who gathered to listen. What a spectacle it must have been! The
campaign was successful, since almost 100,000 of the Highboy radio models using this cabinet were eventually sold.
On the technical side, the model 95 was a remarkable radio. It incorporated Philco's screen-grid plus chassis which embodied
all of their latest radio advances, including (with words from their original advertisements shown in italics):- "automatic volume
control" (to combat fading of weak stations and blasting by strong ones), "new super-sharp selectivity" (helped by the use of
double tuned circuits in the front end), "almost auditorium volume" (using two of the new type 245 tubes in push-pull along with
an electrodynamic speaker), an "entirely new circuit to automatically reduce background noise and static", all this combined
with "enormous power, making it easy to get distant stations".
The screen-grid plus chassis has the following tube line-up:- 224 * 3 (three stages of RF amplification), 227 (2nd detector/AVC
diode), 227 (detector amp)*, 227 (1st AF), 245 * 2 (push-pull AF output) and 280 (rectifier). The 224s used as RF amplifiers
are the screen grid tubes of the chassis' namesake. These tubes had the benefit of not needing to be neutralized, unlike the
earlier type 26 triodes used by Philco's older neutrodyne-plus chassis (see my 511 page). One point of additional note is that
the model 95 was the first radio to combine the function of the 2nd detector and automatic-volume-control, using a clever
circuit developed at the Hazelitine Corporation. The schematic can be found here, courtesy of NostalgiaAir.
I found this wonderful old radio at a flea market in 2005 and one day soon I hope to hear it playing again. Definitely one of my
favorite consoles.
* - see the foot of my Philco 111 page for an explanation of the Philco "detector amp".
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...genuine tapestry .."autumn tints" made exclusively for this Philco
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Philco 95 screen-grid plus - HOLD and ENJOY programs from other cities!
BALANCED Unit Radio... UNBALANCED Radio Means Distorted Tone
BALANCED PHILCO Means True Clear Tone
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