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Post by larryh on Mar 21, 2008 12:25:20 GMT -5
Granted all I have done for what is seeming like forever now is to listen critically to edison recordings.. But last night I decided to play some things on the Credenza. I know it usually sounds very good, and no doubt better than the Edison it would at least seem. So when I put on several popular recordings, I was somewhat puzzled by the rather hollow sound that it had. I know that didn't used to be my opinion at all. But I missed the overall "up front" presence that the edison had and fullness of tone. Is it possible that even the acoustic edison can hold a candle to the supposed king of sound the Credenza? Its probably just the several records I played, but I missed the Edison.
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Schmaltz
New Member
"Shut your eyes and see" (James Joyce)
Posts: 14
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Post by Schmaltz on Mar 21, 2008 13:55:34 GMT -5
I've only ever heard one Orthophonic machine in the flesh, and that was just recently - turns out a guy who lives about 20 miles south of me has a couple of the "classroom" ones with the built-in large wheels on the backside (model 8-7 I think). Glorious sound, but comparing it to a well-tuned Edison is like an apples-and-oranges decision. The records were recorded differently, and the horn science on the playback side is in another league altogether.
That said, there may be some hidden problem with the Credenza that is only obvious to you now after you've done all this work on the Edison. I take it you're looking the Credenza over for air leaks, and maybe checked out the reproducer for problems, ruling out the obvious. People who have spent a lot more time than I have in front of Credenzas can have more to say on the subject.
I know you'll probably not rest until you've found out whether any improvement can be made in the Credenza's sound and start working on it. Definitely keep us posted.
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Post by neophone on Mar 22, 2008 7:40:39 GMT -5
Folks, As good as the Edison is it can't compare to the Orthophonic. You can compare it to pre-Ortho talking machines and it does quite well, my opinion it's equal but different (of course the Supreme Court tried something similar years ago and it didn't work for them, so I don't know why I assume it will work for me! ) Mind you I can not pass judgment on a New Edison ( Beethoven, Schubert ) with an Edisonic playing an electric DD never having heard one in person. My Granada has a full-bodied tone, a richness that reminds me of a finely crafted musical instrument. I think it has something to do with the wood aside from the folded horn design. I think the wood horn itself adds something lacking in the Edison. Another thing and this is a very personal observation, I find the surface noise of the DD more grating than that of the shellac lateral which I can automatically "tune-out". I have to work at "tuning out" the particular Edison hiss. That's one reason I so like Larry's diaphragm, it's cuts down that annoying hiss. Regards, J.
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Post by larryh on Mar 22, 2008 7:46:15 GMT -5
Yes I agree that the surface of edisons is less than desirable on many recordings.. Once in a while you get one that surprises with its nearly silent surface. I played a few more test on the orthophonic last night and yes its certainly a wider range of sound. But some early electric records seemed shallow or hollow sounding compared to the solid instrument sound of the good edison recordings. No doubt that the orthophonic was an improvement overall, but some things seem to hold there own on the edison.
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Post by neophone on Mar 22, 2008 12:06:42 GMT -5
Larry,
As far a s early electrics go-you have to cut the engineers some slack. They were learning as they went-a whole new profession almost. To my mind it's similar to the early talking pictures, most of them are godawful. It took them a while to get their bearings. Also, I'm of the opinion that the earliest electric records were intentionally kept down to a level lower than they could have been simply to accommodate all the older phonographs still in homes. Don't forget VTMCo. was actually "secretly" issuing electrically recorded discs before the introduction of the Orthophonic Victrola, IIRC. There were definitely some mis-steps along the way especially regarding microphone placement, singer placement and style-so much, I'm sure, had to be re-invented.
Regards, J.
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