Edison Needle Cut record supplement - August 1929

[beaumonde]

You are right of course, Sean, thanks for the correction. Yes, for a DD it sounded quite nice, without swishes or thumps, but all of them seem to have some inherent hiss with modern reproduction.

[Victrolacollector]

Edison needle cut records aren't really anything special sonically. They cost a lot of money now because they are rare, but they didn't bring much of anything to the party technically back in 1929. My biggest complaint is that they are noisy. I've got two 10 inch that are mint - I don't think they were ever played before I got them. And I've played them only with modern equipment, so they've probably never seen a steel needle. But they are just as noisy as the obviously played ones that I have and that I've heard. Edison didn't take much effort in developing the compound that these are pressed from. The lead ins, lead outs, either side, and even the land is noisy. From my experience with compound development at RCA Records, this is a classic case of crappy compound. So owning an Edison needle cut is kinda nice to have to show off, but they aren't that pleasing to listen to. You'll get much better audio from a clean Victor scroll of the same vintage.

I agree, it seems Victor Scrolls sound better than Edison Needle Cuts. I just stick with my Victor Scrolls, put on my Victor Orthophonic table J-80 (Japanese Model), then I drink a cup of Joe and enjoy the music.