good thing its not a ebay auction
glad two good guys could do a deal
-Original Message-
From: Jim Nichol jnic...@fuse.net
To: Antique Phonograph List phono-l@oldcrank.org
Sent: Wed, Mar 12, 2014 4:35 pm
Subject: Re: [Phono-L] NEW ITEMS FOR SALE
Shawn, the reason you and Ken D.
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
I've never owned an orthophonic machine, but have recently been offered the
chance to buy one (see other post), and I'm wondering if I should. My main
concern has been one of sound quality; I've always suspected that acoustic
records sound better on older, acoustic machines, and
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
Well, I for one am a HUGE fan of the 8-9. The sound is excellent, the
machine has a great look to it (and beautifully blends in with my Arts
Crafts furniture), and it's not so big as to take over the room. They don't
have that 1920s walnut dining room look to them which looks out of place
All of my acoustic records sound dandy on my Orthophonics - the whiny,
nasal blast of early Victor band records is smoothed-out, and the latent
bass notes on Columbias is brought-out. Just don't pay too much, and you
can't go wrong.
- Original Message -
From: Richard
Hi Men: I don't post a lot but DO enjoy the dialogue. Regarding this post, many
acoustic phonographs tonal output can be custom tailored with different styli.
A lot can be accomplished by experimenting with soft, medium, tungs tone or
fiber/bamboo designs. Charlie.
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...
Ah, the big question: What would be too much? Cabinet seems o.k., machine is
complete (except for the albums, which are missing), condition of the
motor/springs unknown.
Sent from Samsung tablet
Original message
From: DanKj ediso...@verizon.net
Date:03/15/2014 8:22 PM
$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
Here's the short history of the fidelity of recorded sound: The
earliest acoustic recording technology was VERY midrangey with no bass and
no treble being recorded into the grooves. Likewise, the earliest acoustic
players were also VERY midrangey and incapable of reproducing bass or
For years I poo-pooed listening to electric records on an Orthophonic
machine, always playing them instead on a modern turntable with a collector
noise reduction unit. But I discovered that I had never heard a properly
restored Orthophonic machine playing a Victor Orthophonic record. By
properly
Bass response increases as the size of the Orthophonic horn increases. $150
to $200 is an excellent price range. It allows you to replace the back
bracket if needs be and to rebuild the reproducer without feeling that the
machine has become a money pit. I love the sound of Orthophonic records
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
Thanks Greg for this wonderfully concise and broadly comprehensive treatise.
Andrew Baron
Santa Fe
On Mar 15, 2014, at 6:27 PM, Greg Bogantz wrote:
Here's the short history of the fidelity of recorded sound: The earliest
acoustic recording technology was VERY midrangey with no bass and no
The other thing to look at is the date of the machine and the angle of the tone
arm albow. Early Orthophonic machines had a tendency to wear records faster
because the lateral thrust was incorrect. Victor fixed the problem in 1928 by
offering a different elbow with a slightly wider arc as a
For me, my lateral acoustic discs actually sound best on my Edison C-200 Adam
with a Union lateral adapter. (For verticals below 14 diameter, I use a Jewel
adapter, which tracks impeccably and has considerable range.) The advantage of
the best acoustic soundboxes - and especially in the UK
so true bill
-Original Message-
From: William Zucca rochr...@gmail.com
To: Antique Phonograph List phono-l@oldcrank.org
Sent: Sat, Mar 15, 2014 10:18 pm
Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Orthophonic vs. Electric?
For years I poo-pooed listening to electric records on an Orthophonic
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