The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Tinkerbell wrote:

emgcr wrote:The single Brunswick Ultona reproducer casing should be fine as, in relation to your proposed use, it is really only a mechanical contrivance to enable connection to the tonearm, as you suggest. The quality of what you introduce into the casing does, of course, matter very much indeed. A very interesting experiment---let us know how you get on ! Brunswick generally manufactured good quality and well designed products and the Ultona reproducer/tonearm in particular is excellent.

Thank you for your response and for the information. I'm excited to try it out and see how it works! I have a few speakers lying around that I can play around with to see what might work best.

Okay, admittedly it has a bit of a Frankenstein's monster meets Kindergarten clay ashtray project look about it... but it actually sounds pretty decent. Here's my contrivance...

Sorta related: For many years, I've used a massive UNIVERSITY radio speaker unit as one of the speakers in my "Hi-Fi" setup; first attached to a heavy, cast-metal radio haorn, later and currently attached to an Edison Cygnet horn. The sound is awesomely clear and LOUD, making sure that the neighbors hear some decent music, now and then. hehe.

Also have 15" speakers installed in the ceiling of the living room, using the entire attic as their "enclosure". Those, the multi-speaker cabinet my grandfather built in the 1950s, and the Cygnet make for some exciting symphonic sessions. Theater organ records threaten to bring the roof down, if turned up high enough.

Okay, admittedly it has a bit of a Frankenstein's monster meets Kindergarten clay ashtray project look about it... but it actually sounds pretty decent. Here's my contrivance...

Looks great---what did you use and may we hear the sound please ?

emgcr wrote:

Okay, admittedly it has a bit of a Frankenstein's monster meets Kindergarten clay ashtray project look about it... but it actually sounds pretty decent. Here's my contrivance...

Looks great---what did you use and may we hear the sound please ?

Thank you!

The Boring Details:

I separated and used the Edison side of a trashed Ultona reproducer, of which I cut off the defunct needle at the retaining ring point.

To cover up the openings in the backside of the Edison head (where it was separated from the lateral/vertical head), I used an electrical snap-in knock out seal with the tabs cut off and a generous amount of Waterweld to hold them together. (Hence part of the Kindergarten ash tray look... )

On the diaphragm side I used yet another knock out seal, which I cut the center out of but left enough surface to Waterweld a cut down section of funnel onto.

Lastly, I inserted and attached into the funnel opening a X-Mini II capsule speaker with yet another bead of Waterweld, let it set up and dry, taped it off and painted (minus the speaker).

I will dig out my camera, charge up the battery, and video it in action sometime this week.

Well done. These are not the boring details but what it is all about ! Greatly look forward to hearing the result of your excellent enterprise.