Philco radio U525

[kevin.Hoyland]

                Hello.
I have this Philco U-525 Radio but can not find any information on it or the year it was made. the Valve line up is 25Z6G
25A6EG
6Q7G
6K7EG
6K8EG
It was made by Philco in England i hope someone can help.
Regards Kev

[tiv48]

all icould find is this http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=180864 about 1947 i would say
rob t

[Yorkie]

Not on the UK CD-ROM - the nearest number being U-527, which seems like an altogether different set. ('U' or 'AD' invariably stands for universal as I'm sure you know Kevin, and 'A' for AC only). You mention in your ARF Forum posting that the cabinet is of 'solid teak' and it certainly does look like solid timber rather than ply, but from its wavy grain pattern, the front panel looks very much like oak-faced ply, but that's just my impression from the pics. I'm not sure that in the era it was made, that radio makers would have used a tropical hardwood. English oak was used extensively in the production of carcasses for 'utility' furniture in the 1940s, clad with oak-faced ply, and jolly good it was too.

None of which is of the slightest help Kevin, so sorry about that - I hope someone comes up with the goods!

[Paula A]

I tend to agree.. It looks like it would either be very immediate pre war, say late 1938 early 39, or immediately post war. Valve lineup screams "military surplus stock" to me.
Styling is rather 30's but I'm going to plump for the "just post war" camp as well. Certain things suggest this such as the IF can screening which looks like rather shoddy tinplate rather than the quality stuff they would have used in the 30's.

I had a wartime build Vortexion amp which had an amazing assortment of "whatever they could get their hands on" valves inside. Only time I have ever seen an EF6, ECC32 and an L63 in the same cabinet, with 2xFW4-500's , a 6Q7G and a pair of 807's - interstage transformer driven.. no phase splitter, grid bias provided by small mains tx windings using a pair of EA50's!!! Why not cathode self bias or use a power double rectifier??.. I will never know (march '44).. Untouched underneath so I can only assume they built it like that.. All very strange, but it was LOUD, Knocked spots off my Sound City Bass 60!!!