White vs. Red Hearing Tubing

[Phonofreak]

I noticed that hearing tubing is made out of both red and white rubber. Were these made the same time when originally manufactured? Did red go with Edison machines and white go with Columbia machines, or visa-verse? Or was red tubing used in the earliest machines and the white tubing used later?
Harvey Kravitz

[Curt A]

According to Charley Hummel, red rubber was the earliest tubing used. Maybe because of the rubber formula back then, it was changed, since old rubber gets hard and cracks over time.

[MicaMonster]

I tend to agree with Charley. Early ribbed white tubes in the 1890's were actually slightly harder than the more rubbery natural rubber or siicone tubes used today. I stumbled upon an article written by Russel Hunting (I'm nearly certain) that discussed the sound transmission qualities of the slightly harder rubber versus the very soft natural rubber. And its true....harder rubber transmits more treble and volume, and sounds less "echo-ey", but I have yet to find appropriate white rubber tubing that fits the application. I am about "this far" from contracting to have some made, ribbed, identical to the old stuff.

-W

[phonogfp]

For what it's worth, the pieces of rock-hard original ear tubing that came with one of my Echophones is the white, ribbed variety. This machine dates from 1896, so the red rubber version (which I've never encountered in original ear tubes) presumably predates this. A September 1895 advertisement for the Type N Graphophone also shows white rubber ear tubes in a half-tone photo.

George P.

[TinfoilPhono]

Here's an intact pair of original listening tubes from my U.S. Talking Machine. White ribbed rubber. Hard as a rock now but fully intact.

I had another original listening tube which also had white ribbed rubber, but it was crumbling and I had to replace it. I've never seen any evidence of red rubber on any original machines in my experience, but I can't rule it out. I can however show that white was very definitely used.

[Phonofreak]

Thanks everyone for the informative answers. I have always been curious of that.
Harvey Kravitz