Opinions on the Victor/HMV No.4 soundbox

[OrthoSean]

I'll echo Steve's sentiments here re gaskets for the #4. I did my HMV #4 with regular white gasket material and it sounds fantastic.

Bruce,

A #4 really does nicely on any outside horn Victor, I use it on my Vic V and Schoolhouse almost exclusively, so much so, that the Exhibitions these machines came with or more or less just on the machines "for looks" when I'm not playing them!

Some time back, there was an ebay seller (Randall Anderson?) who was selling a nifty little adapter so you can fit an Exhibition, #2, or #4 to any ortho machine and vice versa. Unfortunately, I never bought the one for the ortho soundboxes, but the one to fit these on an ortho machine is a lot of fun. I use it for playing acoustics on the Credenza et al using the #4 reproducer and they really come to life this way as well. I even take it one step further (call me OCD) and use my Hughes stylus and this way can play Pathés on any orthophonic machine!

Anyway, #4s are very nice reproducers indeed!

Sean

[AZ*]

I must agree with Steve and Sean regarding using the soft white Exhibition-style gasket tubing in lieu of the standard one piece #4 red gasket. It does make a big difference. Steve offered this advice on a previous phono board, and I tried it with good success.

Another point: If you play an unrebuilt #4 with hard gaskets, you will not be impressed with the sound. But with new gaskets and with pivots adjusted with the right amount of play, they sound very good indeed.

The sound produced by my HMV saxophone horn machines, though not up to the standards of a big Orthophonic or HMV re-entrant, is very fine even on electrically recorded records. These machines absolutely blow the doors off a conventional (pre 1925) Victrola. Note that the model 32 gramophone pictured on my avatar also came equipped with a #4 soundbox. I mainly play acoustic records on that machine.

As for the rubber isolator at the back of the soundbox, the replacements used on the #2 fit fine. Although on the HMV, you'll need to buy a set screw to replace the screw in bayonet pin which is separate from the isolator on those soundboxes.

Some #4 reproducers are all brass. Some have brass fronts and potmetal backs. Some are all potmetal. These differences affect the price. Try to find an all brass one if you can.

[gramophoneshane]

I've never seen an all pot metal HMV no.4, but the nickel plated ones are all brass, and the chrome plated ones have a brass bezel & pot metal back apparently.