They had there problems and never sounded as good as the radios with the tube outputs , but to be fair they where a lot smaller as more dash space was being taken up with new accessories, an required less current to operate, less parts and cheaper to build. All this look good to the auto manufactors, But the old all tube radios like the old trucks had a charm about them, to the people that understood them. Once in a while when I did flea markets some know it all would come by and tell me these old radios where "BOAT ANCHORS"this stuff really rubs you the wong way! but I use to have a radio from the 30's playing ,offen someone would not believe how good it sounded.
What really drives the industry ,is how cheap can we make it! does anyone out there really care what modern cars or trucks look like ? Remember the BIG previews of the new models ,now many of you can work on your own car/truck [modern one] at home? How many iteams do you throw away a year ,because it's not worth repairing? and you cann't find anyone to repair it!
Well it's time for me to get off of my soap box
