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Post by walrus on Jan 31, 2009 12:09:40 GMT -5
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Post by walrus on Nov 3, 2008 0:39:36 GMT -5
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Post by walrus on Sept 8, 2008 0:37:18 GMT -5
What is the difference between the Diamond C and the Diamond D reproducers?
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Post by walrus on Sept 7, 2008 22:11:43 GMT -5
Do you need a two minute or a four minute cylinder?
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Post by walrus on Sept 3, 2008 7:22:59 GMT -5
My favorite BA is No. 1730, William Tell Overture by Charles Daab. I'm crazy about bell solos, and this is just about the best out there.
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Post by walrus on Aug 17, 2008 18:48:32 GMT -5
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Post by walrus on Aug 7, 2008 20:48:10 GMT -5
I recently purchased an HMV 109 on something of a whim, as I'm really much more familiar with Edison machines. As such, I'm having a bit of a hard time getting used to the disposable needles. Too my great surprise, four tins of NOS needles fell out of the horn when I got the machine home, so I have so far been spared the need to purchase any. However, I don't know what to make of the results the different needles are giving me. Two of the tins are Mis Master's Voice "soft tone" needles, one is Columbia "soft tone", and the final is Zon-O-Phone. The HMV needles are much thinner than the Columbias, even though both are soft. The Zon-O-Phone tin is still sealed and I have yet to open it. What confuses me is that the HMV needles don't merely sound soft, they sound bad--lousy sound quality and lots of needle scratch. The Columbias give much better results, and have a lot less scratch as well. Is this normal? Both are name-brand, vintage needles. Is it possible that I'm using the needles incorrectly somehow?
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Post by walrus on May 7, 2008 18:33:45 GMT -5
Where do you think the muddiness comes from? Is it surface noise from the DDs, or is it just something that happened in the transfer process?
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Post by walrus on May 6, 2008 20:36:38 GMT -5
Perhaps I'm just imagining it, but from listening to my collection of BAs I get the impression that the cylinders made in 1912-4 generally have quieter surfaces than those issued during the First World War. I know that part of the difference is also due to the dubbing process, but the early dubbed BAs and those made in the 1920s also seem to sound better generally than those made in 1918. Am I just imagining all of this? The BAs from around then just sound fuzzy to me. I know that materials supply problems resulted in abysmal surface quality on DDs during WWI; could this also have affected the materials used in the BA celluloid, particularly the acetone dye used to harden the celluloid?
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Post by walrus on Apr 12, 2008 12:34:05 GMT -5
Here's a question: how hard would it be to manufacture a run of replacement elbows out of better materials?
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Post by walrus on Feb 26, 2008 22:18:02 GMT -5
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Post by walrus on Feb 24, 2008 21:46:17 GMT -5
Never having encountered a working Pathe disc machine, I was wondering what kind of sound quality they put out. How does it compare to contemporary Edison and Victor records? Why would your average American phonograph purchaser eighty years ago have opted for Pathe over more established domestic formats?
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Post by walrus on Feb 10, 2008 15:08:20 GMT -5
I'm primarily interested in acoustic-era stuff- particularly Edison. I was just interested in what the general take on common lateral-cut machines is, and why there seems to be so little interest in Columbia's output. I'm just surprised that there doesn't seem to be a small rabid Columbia fan base out there, somewhere.
Even if Viva-Tonals aren't necessarily a good investment, are they a good value? It sounds like they have some advantages over the Orthophonic (like a much easier to rebuild reproducer), so can they be a good buy even if they aren't great collector's items?
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Post by walrus on Feb 10, 2008 0:43:09 GMT -5
Well, it sounds like the Grafonola isn't the wisest investment. But I've heard good things about the Viva-Tonals. Do the smaller Viva-Tonal models hold their own against comparable Victor Orthophonics?
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Post by walrus on Feb 6, 2008 12:22:37 GMT -5
So if I'm in the market for one of these disc machines I should get a Victor VV-VI? I see. I'm kind of preoccupied with my Amberola right now, so it'll be awhile.
Speaking of Grafanolas, have any of you ever seen a Grafonola Elite?
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