The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Here’s a comment to the previous comment and the guy’s response…

I’ll refrain on YouTube drama. Just showing an example of those “My Way Or The Highway” types

This was in the comment section of a video of a guy testing 4 different needle types.

Come on, Smithers, let's break something tasteful absolutely sent me.

But what I do think is that a wind-up machine is just fine for playing average to good quality 78s, as long as the reproducer is overhauled. I have seen some otherwise very nice collections (not saying whose, because I do at least have some value for my life) where it was clear the owners had spent thousands of dollars on their machines but not a bit on reproducer rebuilds. And some of the hick fix/hillbilly engineering that went into these during the 1950s-1970s is truly awful; there was an Edison Diamond Disc C-19 or C-250 I heard--one of those big ones--which had had its diaphragm replaced by an old newspaper printing plate.
It put me off wanting to buy a Diamond Disc phonograph until I finally did get one that still had a decent diaphragm. It's likely that I will upgrade that to a nice Figure 6 or something.


With lateral 78s it's important to have a phonograph in actually good condition or you're just asking for damage. I think most people on the board here are probably keeping their machines tuned up, but people who don't replace gaskets, isolators, etc., because "of originality" are missing out on the real original experience. Would like to know if that's what the "audiophiles" have been thinking we are doing.

Wow! those are some very good responses!

To begin with, I have only played my Berliner twice, and that’s it! Once on my Victrola, and once on my Audio-Technica turntable. To upload to my YouTube channel.

To me, and this is just my opinion! The best records to play on my Victrola are Victor Records from the Acoustic era. Most records, that I buy now, I will play on my Audio-Technica Turntable. Especially those that are in E- to M- records.

Also, some people just don’t know when to keep their opinions to themselves!


Paul

Andy, I just loved the response about why 78s sound all "hissy and scratched"... They sound hissy and scratched 1) because they contain abrasives that were- get this- put there to wear the needle rather than the record, and 2) because if you play them on a "modern" system with no mono switch feature, you're getting two channels of noise vs. a single channel of music. The fact the tracking force is almost nonexistent just makes it worse, and if you are using any less than a 3 mil stylus on a pre 1947 record you are tracking the groove bottom. In the case of lumpy Berliner pressings, the pressing itself is a noise factor, and then there are Paramounts, Q-R-S, and dime store pressings that have noise to signal ratios rather than the other way round.
I am also a firm believer in cleaning records after each use.

I mean, if you are really that worried about wear, just use fibre or cactus needles.

gramophone-georg wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2023 2:05 pm Andy, I just loved the response about why 78s sound all "hissy and scratched"... They sound hissy and scratched 1) because they contain abrasives that were- get this- put there to wear the needle rather than the record, and 2) because if you play them on a "modern" system with no mono switch feature, you're getting two channels of noise vs. a single channel of music. The fact the tracking force is almost nonexistent just makes it worse, and if you are using any less than a 3 mil stylus on a pre 1947 record you are tracking the groove bottom. In the case of lumpy Berliner pressings, the pressing itself is a noise factor, and then there are Paramounts, Q-R-S, and dime store pressings that have noise to signal ratios rather than the other way round.
I am also a firm believer in cleaning records after each use.

I mean, if you are really that worried about wear, just use fibre or cactus needles.

Funny thing is the gentleman that commented “Physics doesn’t care about your opinion” was in a comment section showing fibre and cactus needles play. But he had to go “I Didn’t Get a Harumph Outta That Guy!” In the comments.

AmberolaAndy wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2023 2:23 pm

gramophone-georg wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2023 2:05 pm Andy, I just loved the response about why 78s sound all "hissy and scratched"... They sound hissy and scratched 1) because they contain abrasives that were- get this- put there to wear the needle rather than the record, and 2) because if you play them on a "modern" system with no mono switch feature, you're getting two channels of noise vs. a single channel of music. The fact the tracking force is almost nonexistent just makes it worse, and if you are using any less than a 3 mil stylus on a pre 1947 record you are tracking the groove bottom. In the case of lumpy Berliner pressings, the pressing itself is a noise factor, and then there are Paramounts, Q-R-S, and dime store pressings that have noise to signal ratios rather than the other way round.
I am also a firm believer in cleaning records after each use.

I mean, if you are really that worried about wear, just use fibre or cactus needles.

Funny thing is the gentleman that commented “Physics doesn’t care about your opinion” was in a comment section showing fibre and cactus needles play. But he had to go “I Didn’t Get a Harumph Outta That Guy!” In the comments.

Ah, the old "We're not happy until you're not happy" schtik. I know that one well!

Try this response: "and actual results don't care about your opinion. So there!"

gramophone-georg wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2023 2:05 pm Andy, I just loved the response about why 78s sound all "hissy and scratched"... They sound hissy and scratched 1) because they contain abrasives that were- get this- put there to wear the needle rather than the record, and 2) because if you play them on a "modern" system with no mono switch feature, you're getting two channels of noise vs. a single channel of music. The fact the tracking force is almost nonexistent just makes it worse, and if you are using any less than a 3 mil stylus on a pre 1947 record you are tracking the groove bottom. In the case of lumpy Berliner pressings, the pressing itself is a noise factor, and then there are Paramounts, Q-R-S, and dime store pressings that have noise to signal ratios rather than the other way round.
I am also a firm believer in cleaning records after each use.

I mean, if you are really that worried about wear, just use fibre or cactus needles.

Here’s more screen shots of the same guy from last year, this guy spammed this stuff on many different videos…they’ve since been deleted. Granted the guy in the video was trying to play a Beatles record, but let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water.

Edisonfan wrote: Tue Apr 18, 2023 5:51 am “Playing it on an early machine once is equal to playing it 1000 times on modern light tone arm & stylus. So you decide if it's worth protecting it for future generations of collectors.” — received three days ago.


Paul

I actually feel bad about something I said to that individual, because days before me and him had a pleasant exchange of comments but I had forgotten his name, He said he owned a Berliner machine. Well, I was looking at a video by Bruce Victrolaman Young and saw a comment by a gentleman made months before that was quite harsh to Victrolaman. I thought the name seemed familiar but I wrote a couple snarky remarks, but I looked back at that comment Paul got and I realized it was the gentleman I exchanged comments with days before. I quickly deleted those comments and apologized. I still feel bad for doing that.

Anonymity on line is the cause of a lot of hard words on the internet. That goes for all of us; I like chewing people out too much.

AmberolaAndy wrote: Wed Apr 26, 2023 12:41 am

Edisonfan wrote: Tue Apr 18, 2023 5:51 am “Playing it on an early machine once is equal to playing it 1000 times on modern light tone arm & stylus. So you decide if it's worth protecting it for future generations of collectors.” — received three days ago.


Paul

I actually feel bad about something I said to that individual, because days before me and him had a pleasant exchange of comments but I had forgotten his name, He said he owned a Berliner machine. Well, I was looking at a video by Bruce Victrolaman Young and saw a comment by a gentleman made months before that was quite harsh to Victrolaman. I thought the name seemed familiar but I wrote a couple snarky remarks, but I looked back at that comment Paul got and I realized it was the gentleman I exchanged comments with days before. I quickly deleted those comments and apologized. I still feel bad for doing that.

I forgive you!