Orthophonic reproducer compatibilty

[Edisonh19]

Interesting stuff. I had no idea that the longer horn of the orthophonics made such a difference. I do enjoy my Orthophoinc portable, as I noted, but always thought that the sound would have to be better out of a larger cabinet since the horn is so short in a portable. I've never gotten really satisfactory sound out of a Victor scroll record with an Exhibition or #2 (before or after rebuild), so I thought that maybe this would have been a good way to get improved depth.

That aside, I have to admit that the sound that comes out of that little portable Orthophonic is astounding. Hence my curiosity with putting the soundbox on a larger machine. I minimally rebuilt the reproducer on the portable (new bearings, re-secured the spider on the diaphragm, and adjusted the stylus bar). What a difference!

I recently had the opportunity to buy a Granada with brass soundbox for $60. Guess I should have bought it! I'm running out of floor space, and the cabinet was a little clunky for my tastes.

[Lucius1958]

If it had a brass soundbox, that would have been worth far more than the price of the whole Granada!

Bill

[Edisonh19]

Now I realize that. It was at a local antique store. A young phonograph enthusiast purchased it. Hope he knows what he has! They also have an vv-vi with a brass Orthophonic soundbox on it... but the machine is $275. Seems a bit rich. It needs a total rebuild as the the spider is torn off the diaphragm in at least 2 spots. I wonder how that soundbox was made to fit the tonearm? I'll have to look at it next time I stop in. I doubt that the rear flange was changed.

[Oceangoer1]

Now I realize that. It was at a local antique store. A young phonograph enthusiast purchased it. Hope he knows what he has! They also have an vv-vi with a brass Orthophonic soundbox on it... but the machine is $275. Seems a bit rich. It needs a total rebuild as the the spider is torn off the diaphragm in at least 2 spots. I wonder how that soundbox was made to fit the tonearm? I'll have to look at it next time I stop in. I doubt that the rear flange was changed.

Still worth every penny! The VV-VI's alone can cost around $150-$200 in good condition. A brass Orthophonic can be easily $500 and the diaphragms can be replaced. So considering both could cost upwards of $700, I would have snapped that up instantly.

[Edisonh19]

I'll give it another look when I stop in. I already have a VV-VI, so it was even less attractive to me. In this part of the country, that's steep for a VV_VI. They are very plentiful. Of course, given the value of the reproducer, I'll give it another look.

[De Soto Frank]

The Orthophonic portables are arguably the best-built and best sounding portable phonographs.

What became the Orthophonic system was developed by engineers at the Western Electric division of Bell Telephone, and was based on principles of mathematical proportion relevant to ideal reproduction of sound waves - a true scientific approach to the acoustic design for a phonograph. This was to maximize reproduction of the new electronic recording technology, and its increased frequency capabilities ( capturing more of the full range of sounds ).

A key component to the system is the "exponential horn", whose length and configurations are ideally tailored for sound reproduction.

When Western Electric first shopped their system to Victor, Victor passed on it. English Columbia was more perceptive, and immediately signed an agreement to license the technology. When news of this reach Camden, Victor realized they had made a mistake, and also signed with Western Electric to use the technology.

The result was the Orthophonic series of machines.

In the Victor line, the "ideal" horn size was contained in the "Credenza" and 8-30 models, which had the best low-frequency response (bass).

The smaller Orthos tended to compromise the bass response, but they were still great improvements over the previous Victor machines.

If you can grab that VV-VI with the brass ortho, it's worth the investment. That diaphragm can be replaced.

Remember, brass= 7 tear-drop openings in the cover, and the needle thumb-screw projects at a right-angle to the plane of the diaphragm ( like an Exhibition or a #2 Victor ). Pot-metal Orthos have the thumb screw at a 45* angle, towards the rear of the machine.

Good luck !

[bigshot]

I have a VV-X and a VV 2-65 with an Ortho sound box. I bought a recently made adapter to connect the Ortho to the VV-X and it definitely improved its sound with electrical recordings, but it really didn't sound all that much better than just using it on the 2-65. Interesting experiment though.

[Victrolacollector]

Is there any isolator that fits into a Orthophonic and that can step it down to a standard size like Exhibition to use on the Kent Adapters for the Edison. I would like to hear a Orthophonic through the Edison Diamond Disc machine.