For comparison, here are screen-shots of each generation of Zenith
Pix 1) 4 tube Hybrid - 1972 (I think)
Pix 2) Chromacolor 2 - 1975
Pix 3) System 3 - 1981
Pix 4) Advanced System 3 - 1985
Which is your favorite, as in, which has the best picture quality in your opinion?

For comparison, here are screen-shots of each generation of Zenith
Pix 1) 4 tube Hybrid - 1972 (I think)
Pix 2) Chromacolor 2 - 1975
Pix 3) System 3 - 1981
Pix 4) Advanced System 3 - 1985
Which is your favorite, as in, which has the best picture quality in your opinion?

Pix 0) - missing photos. :yes:

Sorry Fidm-Keepm, they should be on there now.
Obviously the sets have a better picture than my camera captures.
CC2 and Adv S3 are high hour sets, the 4-tube and space-phone have minimal use.

I like the 4 tube best, but you need to turn off the flash (it washes out most of your sets at least to some extent) making comparison harder...Try killing room light and flash, and changing how much of the frame is filled with the screen and things should improve. You could also feed all sets from a paused DVD so that the same exact image signal is conveyed in your screen shots for more objective comparison.

I'd watch any of 'em, but I have a soft spot for Duramodule sets, so I'll go with door number two, Monty.

The hang tag is nice bling - don't see that everyday outside of Doug's Chicagoland Zenith, Mopar and Mower Emporium. :thmbsp:

Nice sets, wish I had room for the whole shebang. Add a roundie and an all-tube rectangular, and you've got all the pre-LG color sets. Great start, though, and all working! :banana:

I had a Zenith roundie which I should have kept. Haven't run into an all tube chassis in years, but will keep my eye open for one.

I bought both the S-3 & Advanced S-3 same models on the
personal use deal. I lean tward the S-3, I think the
colors wear a little better. Both had comb filters so details
& cleanliness of pix both very good. As good as any &
better than most at the time.
The 23" isnt fair. You need another 19". May I suggest either
an E4025W or the more modern looking E4030X ? Both
are the same feature level. There were also some 19" woodies
in the E-line & consolettes.
Also you need a first generation System 3. K1960W & SK1961W
These had a power transformer & normal hoz circuit. Probably
THE most reliable Zenith ever built. Also had the BEST green
of any set I have ever seen. Dont know if its the CRT or
the 9-152 was changed for L-line.

73 Zeno:smoke:

Zeno... I will look into those models. I had a first generation S3. Ultrasonic and remote with Zoom. Kinda wish I hadn't sold it.
I'm posting chassis shots of the Advanced S3 in my other post. (snagged a Zenith)

That was a great set. There was a K1960W at the
local fleas for years. Always walked by it & wondered if
it just had the usual cold joint on the H drive xfrmer.
I decided to "save" it but the next year the dealer & TV
were gone:tears:

Another step was the first EFL sets in H-line. You probably
sold them. One was kinda oval shaped the other a more
normal cabinet. First ones had real crappy red, almost
brown. After a few months they looked real nice...

Thanks for all the memories of the good times:D

73 Zeno:smoke:

I have half a mind to post screen shots of my 29JC20 (Zenith's first consumer market color set), one of their tube rectangulars, and mt 12B13C52 hybrid (half tube half SS with duramodule IF+chroma decoder) to cover most of their significant generations.

Electronic M,
Please post those pictures!! I'm sure most, if not all of us would love to see those sets.

picture 1. The 4 tube hybrid. My step sister had a set just like yours. The picture was sharp and clear. The system 3 was a good set too. Liked the look of the cabinet.

Out of the 4 Zenith sets I have now, the 4-tube hybrid does indeed blow every other set out of the water. S3 is a close second.
Electronic M, I used to have a 29JC20, but that set had about a zillion hours and a horrid channel master rebuild in it, so pix wasn't that good on mine. Channel Masters were kind of hit or miss. Our family TV way back in the day was a Zenith first rectangular screen set. That one was a trade in and I had a new fly put in along with a Chromacolor rebuild tube in it. That set lasted for years with an amazing picture. The yoke went out, after I had moved from home, and the parents got another set.

OMG Pix 1, the '72 hybrid. My family's first-ever color TV.
Gorgeous when it worked, it lasted about 7 months until something went up in smoke and killed the picture. The dealer refused to honor the warranty so we stopped payments. The finance company understood and gladly took it off our hands.

This is the easiest decision I'll make all year: the 4 tube hybrid.

I updated the screen shots of all (dark room, no flash) I wasn't able to do a still, which would be an ideal comparison. In my opinion the 72 is the winner, with perhaps the CC2 and 80 System 3 in a close tie. The Advanced S3 would be the loser. Perhaps in unfair as that one has a TON of hours and a tired tube, but it kinda shows Zenith had higher quality 13 years earlier than the 1985 set

Years ago, I knew the guy who owned "Ken's TV" in Lombard, IL. He was a Zenith service dealer since the 60's and I remember him telling me how great the 4 tubers were and that they sold like hot cakes back in the day because the picture on those blew everything else away. Everyone who had one loved them he said. That was about 13 years ago, and he said "they are still my favorite TV's to this day" and that's coming from an old TV tech, most of whom were not very sentimental about the past.

4-tuber, no contest. It has the most detailed picture and the truest colors.

Doug's 25V mongrel is the coolest 4-tuber in my opinion.

I Agree on the Zenith 4 tube hybrids, great picture !

.

we sold tons of those 19 inch hybrids back in the shop.billy would put them beside the latest solid state sets for comparison.the zenith would blow every set away.seldom did one of those sit more than a day in the display area.some customers would come in and demand a solid state set."i dont want anything with tubes in it",they would proclaim.they all left with a zenith tuber.the picture quality plus the sheer weight made them the finest sets built.i had several but never kept one.kicking myself