The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Saw this photo recently - was there ever a home with two horns ????

Saw this photo recently - was there ever a home with two horns ????

There were third party accessories available for the Home, allowing to mount two horns at once, the most well-known being the "Polyphone" attachment, which used two separate reproducers in a special carriage. They were difficult to adjust and, of course, caused the cylinders to wear out twice as fast.

Definitely an after-market modification.

Not exactly. According to Frow (p. 516), the Polyphone Co. was officially licensed by Edison to modify and sell brand-new Edison Phonographs fitted with the two-horn attachment.

Accursius wrote:Not exactly. According to Frow (p. 516), the Polyphone Co. was officially licensed by Edison to modify and sell brand-new Edison Phonographs fitted with the two-horn attachment.

Still technically aftermarket, as Edison didn't make them that way.

It's like a Shelby Mustang. A Polyphone Home is a high performance Home and super desirable and collectable.

But a word of caution... Polyphone carriages have been replicated and there is a recent device allowing two horns to be used with one reproducer.

Jerry B.

My home has about 100 horns...

My home has about 100 horns...

You're out of control! Jerry B.

Jerry B. wrote:

My home has about 100 horns...

You're out of control! Jerry B.

You got that right!

There was also the "Cloverleaf" attachment for three horns, as featured in a recent APS magazine...

The horns on this Home look much like the spun aluminum horns found on British and European machines; that, and the presence of what appears to be a European harmonium, makes me think this photo was taken in the UK or on the continent...

Bill