Orthoponic and orthophonic styles machines

Discussions on Talking Machines & Accessories
tuberecuds
Victor Jr
Posts: 40
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 7:18 pm

Re: Orthoponic and orthophonic styles machines

Post by tuberecuds »

A Pantheon dedicated to the phonographic hobby! Scratch hobby, Obsession! NICE! I suggest hanging platforms (macrame) for the table top models, so's you can access the uprights!
Last edited by tuberecuds on Tue Oct 27, 2015 5:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

bigshot
Victor II
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Location: Hollywood, U.S.A.

Re: Orthoponic and orthophonic styles machines

Post by bigshot »

How do you play them with phonographs stacked on top of phonographs? I play my Cortez at least twice a week. It would be a pain to move a tabletop model every time.

JerryVan
Victor Monarch Special
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Location: Southeast MI

Re: Orthoponic and orthophonic styles machines

Post by JerryVan »

I have a Credenza and a Cortez. Would love to have an 810 but just NO room for it. Anyway, a test of the three would be very interesting. I see 2 ways it could/should be done. First way, obviously, is to play the same record on each. Second way, should use a Victor scroll label on the Credenza, a Brunswick electric era record on the Cortez & a viva-tonal on the Columbia. I have really noticed that each company apparently "voiced" there recordings to match & accentuate the abilities of their respective machines. A scroll label sounds best on a Credenza and a Brunswick sounds best on a Cortez.

bigshot
Victor II
Posts: 287
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Location: Hollywood, U.S.A.

Re: Orthoponic and orthophonic styles machines

Post by bigshot »

On my Cortez, Columbia Viva Tonals sound the best to me.

JerryVan
Victor Monarch Special
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Location: Southeast MI

Re: Orthoponic and orthophonic styles machines

Post by JerryVan »

bigshot wrote:On my Cortez, Columbia Viva Tonals sound the best to me.
Well then, maybe a third test is in order. Rotate all 3 brands of records through all 3 machines.

James
Victor I
Posts: 126
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2011 11:41 am

Re: Orthoponic and orthophonic styles machines

Post by James »

JerryVan wrote:
bigshot wrote:On my Cortez, Columbia Viva Tonals sound the best to me.
Well then, maybe a third test is in order. Rotate all 3 brands of records through all 3 machines.

I am a Jazz and Blues guy. I play mostly the electronically recorded records all the time. I haven't played my Edison Opera and other outside horn machines for over a year now. I have other quest.... When I was young I used to play a Sonora Othophonic style phonograph, I was standing on a chair to crank it and to play records. The records that came with it were 1926-27-29, when my dad bought it in San Francisco, Calif. brand new. It must be the last model Sonora made. The most distinguishing feature is the big curve steel and cast iron horn, and it loops around and connected to the motor board. Tone arm is brass and was gold plated. The striking thing I wouldn't forget is the bezel of the reproducer (is brass and gold plated), that cover the metal diaphragm, is a face profile of a man. All the metal parts were all gold plated. When I left home to attain university at another states, I forgot all about it, when I went home for vacation, I was told my parents had junk it, I was so disappointed. Since then I was looking for it. That was 35 years ago and not a trace of the model.

Jim

larryh
Victor IV
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Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 7:44 pm

Re: Orthoponic and orthophonic styles machines

Post by larryh »

At one time I had the Credenza as well as the 810. Both were good but like many others here I thought it had a slight edge on the Credenza in sound quality.

Fast forward to today. I have been playing many records on the Edison William and Mary Console some of which I made videos of. I do have quite a nice collection of vertical records of Victor, Columbia, Brunswick ect. In order to hear them in my small home I have been playing three different types of portable machines. One a Orthohonic Victor, due to a lousy rebuild I converted it to a #2 reproducer. The second a Panatrope and the Third a Telefunken. I hadn't originally brought the Telefunken in to the mix because it has a touchy motor and won't always play though a record. (Although the Brunswick also has to be cranked to the max to make it though many selections). In playing a good trio record of Piano, Violin an Cello I noted quite quickly how much more tone was coming from the tiny Telefunken cabinet. The reproducer is large, similar to the #4 Victor in size. Everything else about it is minimal, weight is a fourth the others, the horn is comparably tiny and yet the sound is very satisfying. It way outplays the #2 reproducer I just had rebuilt and it avoids a slightly tinny effect the Panatrope reproducer has in some places. Its also the loudest machine of that type. I have to use a soft tone needle or it will drive you out of the room. Not sure how they create the fullness of tone but in some ways I think Mica is a more suitable diaphragm for vertical play records. The Brunswick is no slouch and I was actually surprised when I compared records between it and the Telefunken that the latter has this warm solid tone which gave it an edge overall.

The 810 is long gone as well as the Credenza.. I parted with the Credenza when I had both it and a S19 in the living room and realized that the Edison was much more lifelike than the Victor and decided to move it out. Surprisingly in many ways a decent portable can provide a larger sound in the room than a standard type victrola using a standard horn. I think its the way it has a rather unimpeded ability to project the sound in a wider pattern.

Larry

James
Victor I
Posts: 126
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2011 11:41 am

Re: Orthoponic and orthophonic styles machines

Post by James »

larryh wrote:At one time I had the Credenza as well as the 810. Both were good but like many others here I thought it had a slight edge on the Credenza in sound quality.

Fast forward to today. I have been playing many records on the Edison William and Mary Console some of which I made videos of. I do have quite a nice collection of vertical records of Victor, Columbia, Brunswick ect. In order to hear them in my small home I have been playing three different types of portable machines. One a Orthohonic Victor, due to a lousy rebuild I converted it to a #2 reproducer. The second a Panatrope and the Third a Telefunken. I hadn't originally brought the Telefunken in to the mix because it has a touchy motor and won't always play though a record. (Although the Brunswick also has to be cranked to the max to make it though many selections). In playing a good trio record of Piano, Violin an Cello I noted quite quickly how much more tone was coming from the tiny Telefunken cabinet. The reproducer is large, similar to the #4 Victor in size. Everything else about it is minimal, weight is a fourth the others, the horn is comparably tiny and yet the sound is very satisfying. It way outplays the #2 reproducer I just had rebuilt and it avoids a slightly tinny effect the Panatrope reproducer has in some places. Its also the loudest machine of that type. I have to use a soft tone needle or it will drive you out of the room. Not sure how they create the fullness of tone but in some ways I think Mica is a more suitable diaphragm for vertical play records. The Brunswick is no slouch and I was actually surprised when I compared records between it and the Telefunken that the latter has this warm solid tone which gave it an edge overall.

The 810 is long gone as well as the Credenza.. I parted with the Credenza when I had both it and a S19 in the living room and realized that the Edison was much more lifelike than the Victor and decided to move it out. Surprisingly in many ways a decent portable can provide a larger sound in the room than a standard type victrola using a standard horn. I think its the way it has a rather unimpeded ability to project the sound in a wider pattern.

Larry
I also play electrically recorded records on my Edison William and Mary highboy, using Brunswick Panatrope reproducer and, it sound tremendous due perhaps with the steel large 250 horn. You hear the amazing bass. Turning the reproducer to play European classical Pathé, you can hear some amazing sound never heard playing with the Pathé reproducer and, clearer sound.


Jim

phonojim
Victor IV
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Location: Mid - Michigan

Re: Orthoponic and orthophonic styles machines

Post by phonojim »

Nothing sits on top of my Credenza - EVER! As Victor used to say in their ads: "Waiting to play for you".

bigshot
Victor II
Posts: 287
Joined: Fri May 15, 2015 7:00 pm
Location: Hollywood, U.S.A.

Re: Orthoponic and orthophonic styles machines

Post by bigshot »

Are you talking about the orthophonic style Brunswick reproducer or the Ultona?

I've never heard the Columbia, but my Cortez definitely sounds better than any pre-orthophonic machine... It even sounds better than the Credenza. The Victor has a little more bass, but it sounds diffused and distant compared to the present forward sound of the Cortez.

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