The only thing you may want to really look at is the reproducer. If it is very swollen and cracked or has missing pieces, you probably won't be able to get it rebuilt. Then you'll have to either find a good on or a repro on ebay or buy an orthophonic portable and use that reproducer.
Ron L -----Original Message----- From: phono-l-boun...@oldcrank.org [mailto:phono-l-boun...@oldcrank.org] On Behalf Of Peter Fraser Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2014 9:17 PM To: Antique Phonograph List Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Victrola 8-4 (VV 8-4) $200 is great unless it has horrible cosmetics and busted springs. Depends upon whether you want form, function, or both. You'll want a Peter Wall rebuild of the reproducer to realize the full acoustic potential, although some ortho reproducers are passable as-found. Bass on a credenza is better because the horn is larger, of course. Not louder or cleaner, just a little deeper. I had both for a while, side by side, and there's not all that much difference. You'll love the 8-4 after only having listened to pre-orthos. Go check it out and let us know what you find. Sent from my iPhone -- Peter pjfra...@mac.com > On Mar 15, 2014, at 5:32 PM, richard_rubin <richard_ru...@hotmail.com> wrote: > > Thanks. Why do you suppose the bass response is better on the Credenza -- is the horn that much louder? Is it that noticeable? And what do you think the right price range would be? The guy seems to want $200; I doubt he'd go below $150. And I'm not sure what kind of work it might need... > > > > > Sent from Samsung tablet > > -------- Original message -------- > From: Peter Fraser <pjfra...@mac.com> > Date:03/15/2014 7:50 PM (GMT-05:00) > To: Antique Phonograph List <phono-l@oldcrank.org> > Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Victrola 8-4 (VV 8-4) > > I had an 8-4; they sound great. They don't have the bass response that the credenza has, but they will certainly knock your socks off if you've never had an orthophonic before. > > Don't sweat the pot metal thing, if the price is right you should buy the machine and deal with the tonearm mount if you need to later. > > I tend to listen to period-appropriate records on each machine, and an orthophonic will certainly play up the deficiencies of acoustic recordings. But you can't go wrong with a big orthophonic like an 8-4! > > Sent from my iPhone > > -- Peter > pjfra...@mac.com > >> On Mar 15, 2014, at 4:02 PM, Richard <richard_ru...@hotmail.com> wrote: >> >> I've been offered a Victrola 8-4 (VV 8-4), and I'm wondering what to do. I haven't seen it in person yet, so I don't know if it has any pot metal issues; does this particular model tend to develop those? And if so, where? Just the tone arm mount, or the tone arm itself? How about the reproducer? And just as important, how do these machines sound? I've never owned an orthophonic before (see other post) -- just earlier acoustic machines, and electric machines from the late 1920's on. Do acoustic records sound best on acoustic machines? And do later records (say, 1926 and later) sound better on orthophonic machines, or electric? I know this is a matter of personal preference, but I'd be very interested to hear your opinion. And does anyone out there own an actual VV 8-4? If so, how does it sound compared to, say, a Credenza, or a high-end Columbia Viva-Tonal? (I've seen the videos on YouTube, but it's hard to get a sense of how they actually sound that way.) If I want to add a > n >> orthophonic to my collection at some point, would I be much better off with a Credenza or some comparable machine? And what would be a fair price for an 8-4 in decent condition, assuming it doesn't need any work? >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Phono-L mailing list >> http://phono-l.org > _______________________________________________ > Phono-L mailing list > http://phono-l.org > _______________________________________________ > Phono-L mailing list > http://phono-l.org _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.org _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.org