Columbia machines

[SquireWill]

I have a Columbia machine, save for the "art" models the cases are pretty plain. I am thinking Columbias are hugely underrated. Which may work out for me, kinda hunting for a Viva Tonal.

[m0xiemama]

I definitely agree with you. I have the Grafonola Sheraton model it. Is quite a lovely machine. It sounds great. And I think some of the featues are very well thought out. I have my eye on a Viva Tonal now

[estott]

Columbia machines can be quite fine to listen to, but they often suffer from pot metal issues in the arms- a typical Grafonola will need work before the arm will swing freely. Other than that they have nice motors and often have nice internal horns. The Viva Tonal machines sound great when they're properly rebuilt (not quite as good as an Orthophonic but pretty close) but they need special rubber fittings which must be made as they can't be bought.

[SquireWill]

I definitely agree with you. I have the Grafonola Sheraton model it. Is quite a lovely machine. It sounds great. And I think some of the featues are very well thought out. I have my eye on a Viva Tonal now

I like your machine. The machine I have is called a K-2. Which is kinda plain looking, but under the lid is a 4 spring motor, which by the way flips up on a hinge which I think is just the cat's meow that way.

[SquireWill]

Columbia machines can be quite fine to listen to, but they often suffer from pot metal issues in the arms- a typical Grafonola will need work before the arm will swing freely. Other than that they have nice motors and often have nice internal horns. The Viva Tonal machines sound great when they're properly rebuilt (not quite as good as an Orthophonic but pretty close) but they need special rubber fittings which must be made as they can't be bought.

I had one, not quite in hand (Viva Tonal 710) for a good price. The money lined up nice, but missed it on account of the neighbor. I asked him about going to pick it up (his SUV) and he hem hawwed around. By the time I nailed him down , the machine was gone. ugh

[phonojim]

Columbia's biggest Vivatonal models were the 800 and 810. They are the closest in size to a Credenza/830 and were designed to compete with that model. I had an 800 for a while and it was a monster - slightly larger and definitely heavier than the Victor equivalent. The 800 and 810 are the same machine except that the 810 has a fancier case. Columbia designed their own reproducers and horns so the wouldn't have to pay Western Electric for the rights to their designs. As someone stated, there is a rubber isolator between the reproducer and the arm mount. The isolator is a very effective design, but if you need one they are not available. The horn in the 800/810 is an interesting piece of work. From the tonearm, the sound is directed downward through a tapered cast aluminum tube to a wooden section which feeds it into two separate horns, one of which is slightly larger than the other. It's an interesting design, and is quite effective - those things are really LOUD!
While the Vivatonals, especially the 800s are unusual, interesting machines that sound quite good, I personally prefer the Victor 8-30 which replaced it. If you can find a nice one in affordable condition, they are worth it. I would like to have another one someday just for curiosity's sake. BTW: no potmetal issues with the Vivatonals.

Jim

[m0xiemama]

I like your machine. The machine I have is called a K-2. Which is kinda plain looking, but under the lid is a 4 spring motor, which by the way flips up on a hinge which I think is just the cat's meow that way.

I grabbed this machine for $125 with all the albums full. All it needed was a good cleaning because it was almost black...When I picked it up the guy said "I got a lot of emails, it is yours either way but seriously, do you think I could have asked for more?" Ha
I do like the way the motor flips up. Much easier than having to pull the motor board out.

Columbia machines can be quite fine to listen to, but they often suffer from pot metal issues in the arms- a typical Grafonola will need work before the arm will swing freely.

Yes, they do. I posted on this because mine wasn't working but I used that PB Blaster stuff and it has been working like a champ since. I just want to freshen up the reproducer now and it will be aces.

[WDC]

I could not agree more, that Columbia machines are often unfairly underestimated. This counts also for cylinder machines. The exciting thing with them is, that they often were the first to introduce a radical new design or improvement that others would just inherit afterwards.

Nice Sheraton machine, I like the straight art nuveau style cabinet.

[epigramophone]

The situation in the UK is similar, with Columbia machines seriously undervalued by comparison with HMV.

Last week I visited a fellow CLPGS member whose collection includes a large British built 1929 Columbia fitted with the Plano-Reflex tonearm and horn. This sound system was Columbia's response to the HMV Re-entrant models.

The tonearm and soundbox are made of brass, and the horn is about nine feet long. The sound quality is excellent, with less needle hiss than an HMV, but without being able to carry out a side by side test against a Re-entrant of comparable size it is difficult to say which sounds the best.

What I can say is that these Columbias rarely sell for more than one third the price of an HMV Re-entrant. The HMV may be better, but is it three times better?

Somehow I doubt it.