NUNTIO VOBIS GAUDIUM MAGNUM: La Voix De Son Maître HMV 163!

[nostalgia]

Congratulations on finishing up your HMV 163, Marco. Also nice to see photos of the very recognizable HMV 32 motor, that I also serviced, along with overhauling the cabinet, for my HMV 145 a couple of weeks back.
A great trolly too, very handy indeed !
But Marco...using bare hands when reinstalling the two main springs.

[Inigo]

I usually do the same. I've found that gloves tend to be squeezed between the coils due to the high pressure, dificultan my work. I've found that these huge springs are easier to work with bare greased hands... Smaller springs are more difficult for me, as they need greater pressure to fit into the smaller barrels. These wide huge springs of motors 32/34 I always do with nude hands...

[Marco Gilardetti]

Thanks both for your nice messages! I'm indeed enjoying this gramophone a lot, and mainly because of the trolley I have to say that I'm using it much more often than I first figured when I purchased it. The trolley took time but it was a very good idea. The machine itself is outstanding and is giving me a lot of entertainment and satisfaction.

Inigo, thanks again for your tips about soundboxes, I appreciate them. The soundbox with which I am listening right now was borrowed from an HMV 102, and as I recalibrated it not too long ago it sounds remarkably well, at least to my ears. The machine itself actually came with a 5B that has problems, but I have yet to carefully inspect it and/or disassemble it. However, as replacement aluminium diaphragms are not readily available (at least as far as I know), I think I will do the minimum required, possibly without even going as far as to disassmble the body, and then let the HMV163 and HMV102 decide which of the two will get which soundbox. Sorry. I am also still looking for a brass Orthophonic, which has been suggested to me at least threefolds, but all I've seen so far are horrendously cracked pot metal units to be avoided at all costs.

Congratulations on finishing up your HMV 163, Marco.

Well, there's actually still much to do to it, aesthetically! The problem is that I'm enjoying this machine too much, and the idea of taking it apart in order to repaint the horn, refinish the cabinet and so on really puts me down... We'll see, perhaps this winter...

[Orchorsol]

Great to see your beautiful 163 improving still further Marco; your overhaul of the No. 32 motor looks impeccable! I don't think I've ever seen one so clean - you could eat your dinner off it, as we say. Wonderful to see that video with it running up to speed so quickly and smoothly. Congratulations!

[Marco Gilardetti]

Hello Andy, thanks for the compliments! Indeed we were also surprised by how clean the motor came out with... well... just a tank of petrol! Anyway, really, it looked as if it just came out of the factory! They really used excellent materials for this unit, it has nearly 100 years, it's impressive.

[HMVDevotee]

Marco!

Delighted to see your progress with your HMV 163 and gratified to see your video of the speed indicator swinging into position at 78rpm. Every time I listen to my HMV I reflect on the engineering incorporated in all of these gramophones and the ingenuity required to accomplish purely mechanical sound reproduction. When guests who are unfamiliar with "mechanical sound" hear my 193 play orchestrated music from an E to NM record, played with one of Andy's thorn needles, they simply can't believe their ears! (credit due to Wyatt's rebuilt brass Orthophonic as well.) The metal exponential folded horn as refined and executed by HMV is a real marvel of acoustical engineering.

And, be advised; you have just begun! Now the quest for a 193/4 and 202/203 begins and there is no turning back!

Best,

Robert

[Marco Gilardetti]

Dearest Robert, if that indicator swings into position - actually if there's any indicator at all - it's all thanks to you!

Indeed the friend who helped me was completely overwhelmed by the sound quality of this gramophone. He couldn't believe the efficiency of this purely mechano-acoustic machine, and he even felt sorry that at a point in time the research on this field halted all of a sudden in favour of electronic amplification.