Very Early Victrola IX

[MikeB]

I just picked up this Victrola IX, which I think was produced during the first year. I've only seen later models, so I thought the differences very interesting and I figured I'd share. Here is SN# 4146, dated June 27, 1911 on the label.

It has the bullet brake, no real horn, piano-type door hinges, a simple speed control, I drop-in tonearm support, no feet and gold knobs. I am not sure if those gold knobs are correct. Does anyone know if the first Victrola IX machines had gold knobs originally?

Thanks,
Mike

[Jerry B.]

Congratulations on the very early VV-IX. In many years of collecting and seeing countless Victrola IXs I have seen only one other with the bullet brake. Good find!

Jerry B.

[oliver]

That's quite a nice find and it looks like you won't need to put much work into it as the cabinet is remarkably well preserved. Differences between early Victrolas and more modern ones are vey interesting. Your machine reminds me of my 1910 VV-X which also has a bullet brake. Congratulations and enjoy!

[Jerry B.]

I find the open horn Victrolas very interesting. Imagine the battle within the Victor Company. Any Victrola with its limited sized horn is a compromise in sound quality. But Victrola sales and increased demand for new models must have been extraordinary. Remember, the VTLA started at the top of the lineup and was much more expensive than the Victor VI. The VV-XII was the first table model. The motor in the XII was unique to that model and was compact vertically plus the closed horn was very limited as seen by the small doors. The XII was a compromise and sacrificed performance for appearance. The motor in the Victor III was a proven and reliable motor. With minor modifications it could be used in some of the lower priced Victrolas. But it took up a fair amount of space vertically. Someone, probably from the Aesthetics Department , came up with the idea to have an open horn. That made it possible to build a very attractive cabinet with what appeared to be a much larger horn. Of course the motor occupied space within the horn! I have to believe someone from the Performance Quality Department must have put up quite an argument against the idea explaining that the sounds of an operating motor would come out the horn along with the recorded material. I imagine quite a debate. But in the end, appearance won over performance. The era of open horn Victrolas was limited to entry level models and did not last very long. But the argument can be made that quality performance of any Victrola did not supersede the sound from a Victor V until the Orthophonic models were introduced nearly twenty years later!

Jerry B.

[MikeB]

The machine turned out really nicely, and I decided that it's a keeper. The worst of it was that a Swiss reproducer was glued/soldered to the the tonearm. I ended up switching the tonearm u-tube with another one that I had rather than trying to get it off, and I added a rebuilt Exhibition reproducer.

The lack of a real horn makes a big difference in volume and depth. I found that this machine needs to be played with a loud needle, but with the loud needle and the doors open, it really puts out and sounds great. (It was so loud that I was waiting for the neighbors to call the police).

Here is a short video I made of the machine playing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOrOtrMPpWA

Mike

[Henry]

That sounds just great! I bet you could do with a medium- or even a soft-tone needle and it would still sound fine.

I noticed a slight pitch sag toward the end of the excerpt. What's with that, I wonder?

Love that kitty!

[MikeB]

I think that the slowdown at the end is because I didn't wind it enough. The springs also clunk once in a while, as I haven't cleaned and re-greased them.

The cat, coincidentally, is named Nipper.