Page 3 of 4

Re: 1915 SONORA SUPREME

Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 10:50 am
by audiophile102
Victor VII wrote:Of course, everyone is entitled to their own taste and their own opinion. No wrong or right here. I am fortunate enough to own a Sonora Invincible which is the model one step down from the Supreme as well as some higher end Victrola's (including Victor XVIII and a Circassian Victor 130). When viewed side by side, I find that the scale of these higher end Sonora's (including larger size, bombe contours, and bigger sized fittings) give it a presence that even the more fancy Victrola's can't equal. From the point of view of craftsmanship, also hard to match the complex curves and carvings on the Supreme and other bombe units. Love my Victor Victrola's, but having one of these bombe Sonora's really adds a lot to a collection.
The very first machine I purchased is here. http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =2&t=21672 It's in my living room and I play records on it every day. I would not sell it for anything less than the Supreme, but while I could afford it, I can't justify spending $15,000.

Re: 1915 SONORA SUPREME

Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 11:51 am
by Victor VII
Fabulous looking Invincible! Gotta love the name too--the Brits have named their warships along these lines for centuries (last 'HMS Invincible' was an aircraft carrier). And as often the case, the pictures of your Invincible probably don't do the piece full justice. Depth of pockets always being the main issue, what one is willing to pay for an acquisition is also a matter of personal preference. I don't believe that the recent purchaser of the rare and beautiful example of the Supreme on eBay overpaid, even in this economy.

Re: 1915 SONORA SUPREME

Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 1:23 pm
by Jerry B.
I don't disagree that your Invincible and all swelled sided Sonoras are wonderful machines. My comment on your previous thread indicates as such. With that said, there is an incredible drop off in value of any Sonora below the Supreme. Collectors determine value and it's not always logical. The comparison between the Edison Alva and Victrola electric machines is a good example. The Alva, which is essentially an electric Triumph, is worth many times the value of a spring driven Triumph. I'd estimate ten time as much. The VE Victrolas represent about 10% of sales of the best Victrolas but the collecting community assigns no greater value, and sometimes less, for the electric option. We are a fickle group.

Jerry Blais

Re: 1915 SONORA SUPREME

Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 8:47 pm
by tictalk
Very nice Invincible! The big Sonora machines weren't just a pretty face they have a huge gold plated motor ,a motor meter that indicated how many records you could play before rewinding. To your point on the presence of a big Sonora compared to a top of the line Victrola, I have attached this photo of an 18 being dwarfed by a Supreme.

Re: 1915 SONORA SUPREME

Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 9:00 pm
by TinfoilPhono
Just a small clarification for the record, but the proper term for this case style is "bombé," not "Bombay." Same pronunciation but very different meaning. Bombé is French for 'bulging' or 'rounded' and is descriptive. No connection to India. ;)

Re: 1915 SONORA SUPREME

Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 9:18 pm
by audiophile102
tictalk wrote:Very nice Invincible! The big Sonora machines weren't just a pretty face they have a huge gold plated motor ,a motor meter that indicated how many records you could play before rewinding. To your point on the presence of a big Sonora compared to a top of the line Victrola, I have attached this photo of an 18 being dwarfed by a Supreme.
The photo of the Supreme next to a circassian walnut VV-XVIII made my heart beat faster. My interest in phonographs is limited to upright models and those two are my Mount Everest and K2. There is a Archives/Featured Phonographs section of this forum and it would be great if you would add the Supreme and the VV-XVIII to the section with lots of detailed photos. Thanks for the, "Very nice Invincible."

Re: 1915 SONORA SUPREME

Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 7:49 am
by OrthoSean
I also spot off in the far left a custom painted Victrola L-door, I wouldn't mind seeing more of that one!

Sean

Re: 1915 SONORA SUPREME

Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 10:12 am
by JerryVan
OrthoSean wrote:I also spot off in the far left a custom painted Victrola L-door, I wouldn't mind seeing more of that one!

Sean
Custom painted, with a vernis martin, (gold leaf), finish no less.

Re: 1915 SONORA SUPREME

Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 10:14 am
by JerryVan
TinfoilPhono wrote:Just a small clarification for the record, but the proper term for this case style is "bombé," not "Bombay." Same pronunciation but very different meaning. Bombé is French for 'bulging' or 'rounded' and is descriptive. No connection to India. ;)

Here's a "Bombay" cabinet;

Re: 1915 SONORA SUPREME

Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 9:04 pm
by tictalk
Per your request here are a couple photos on my Vernis 16, I have also always favored cabinet model machines, I have 23 music machines only 6 have horns.