That was lovely thanks. Given that the whole process had to be acoustic from beginning to end, the quality is really good. Certainly no question that the early disc records were not as good as the contemporary cylinders after listening to that.
Having been reminded with the feedback from my own uploads how untrue the uploaded result can be to what actually is happening in the room, does the second instrument sound better in reality? Listening to the uploads, and enjoying both of them, I felt I could hear a warmer, fuller, subtler and more sensitive rendition from the second video? Just interested that's all!
Nice tune too.
For me it's very difficult to say but I would tend to agree with you that the Amberola 1B sounds slightly better than the III on this recording, and generally for most recordings. Some details:
- I used the same reproducer for both videos to eliminate that variable. Original diaphragm but rebuilt with new gaskets and cleaned up.
- They are in different rooms though, the Amberola III in our bedroom, (for those romantic evenings) and the 1B in a downstairs office about 30% smaller than the upstairs bedroom
- Opera mechanism in both machines but the III has a metal horn and the 1B a fibre horn.
Really enjoyed these, thanks for posting! Military music is a funny area for me. I have no interest in it per se (except historically with the link to jazz) but I end up keeping a minority of records that come my way, if they're performed with gusto and verve and they really engage me - as this one does - beautifully performed. Fabulous machines too!