Featured Phonograph No. 88

[Victrolacollector]

Maker: Edison
Model: B-19 (Chalet)
Years: 1919 (very few were made and sold until about 1923)
Original Cost: $95.00 UK price (according to Frow's book)
Case/Cabinet size: 20.5" h x 19 ¼" d x 21.5"
Turntable/Mandrel Size: 12"
Reproducer/Soundbox: Diamond Disc
Motor: Single Spring as in the A250
Horn Dimensions: No. 100
Repro Parts: Stylus, Reproducer Gaskets, Wool blend turntable felt)
Current Value Mint: Don’t know
Interesting Facts: See Below
Favorite Characteristics: See Below

This is the B-19 (Chalet), a table top machine. Mine is in natural finish with original decal. The nice part about this model is that it is a direct drive vs. the belt driven earlier B-80 etc. Edison sold these at or close to a loss in order to sell more records to those that could not afford a more expensive floor model. The machine cabinet is red gumwood, stained rouge or natural. The machine will play about 2 sides on a winding.

[alang]

Thanks for sharing. I like these smaller DD machines, they show how difficult it was for Edison to create tabletop DD machines without infringing on Victor and Columbia patents.

BTW: This should actually be Featured Phonograph No 88. The recently updated No 5 was originally posted in 2009. Would you mind renaming this topic? Otherwise it gets really hard to find Featured Phonographs if numbers are being re-used.

Thanks
Andreas

[Tinkerbell]

Thanks for sharing. I like these smaller DD machines, they show how difficult it was for Edison to create tabletop DD machines without infringing on Victor and Columbia patents.

BTW: This should actually be Featured Phonograph No 88. The recently updated No 5 was originally posted in 2009. Would you mind renaming this topic? Otherwise it gets really hard to find Featured Phonographs if numbers are being re-used.

Thanks
Andreas

This brings up a question of mine... Does the acoustical quality degrade simply because a model is a tabletop versus being an upright (provided all other factors are equal)?

[Victrolacollector]

As far as sound quality, it probably does not compete well with a Laboratory model or other machine using a larger horn. I think the Chalet provides more than ample volume for an apartment or home setting. The quality is good as any other machine using a standard Edison reproducer.

Although I like the larger machines with the double spring motors as I have been told they provide more plays per winding. All I can say is that I love the Chalet for its portability, I would have preferred to had the rouge color model, but you take what you can get.

[Lucius1958]

All I can say is that I love the Chalet for its portability.

Well, 'portability' is a relative term. Compared to a floor model, maybe…

Bill

[Valecnik]

As far as sound quality, it probably does not compete well with a Laboratory model or other machine using a larger horn. I think the Chalet provides more than ample volume for an apartment or home setting. The quality is good as any other machine using a standard Edison reproducer.

Although I like the larger machines with the double spring motors as I have been told they provide more plays per winding. All I can say is that I love the Chalet for its portability, I would have preferred to had the rouge color model, but you take what you can get.

I would agree with you that in most settings, it would be hard to distinguish between the sound quality of the Chalet and a large upright Lab model. Certainly in a medium to smaller living room setting the Chalet will sound just fine and the single spring motor more than adequate. If you feel you need that extra cranking power, a second spring could be added but's really not necessary.

Válečník