Considering to purchase an HMV 163

[CarlosV]

I will probably swap the reproducer, though, while it sounded allright to me, the rubber flange was rock solid.

Good that you found a satisfactory machine and could inspect it before buying, I rarely am able to do so, and have coped with some disappointment over the years. As to the reproducer, most have petrified rubber backs that need to be replaced, so I recommend utmost care in doing so, as the back plate is pot metal, and it is common to find them cracked at the rubber ring, most likely from attempts to release the rubber flange. Both 5a and 5b are relatively easy to find, but I don't know which is the most common, if chromium or nickel. Problem is that I think you need to see them in front of you to be able to distinguish one plating from the other, at least I cannot distinguish them in photos. In any case, if your main interest is the sound, the most important is to replace the rubber flange. The 5a and 5b are indistinguishable sound-wise.

[bart1927]

Sounds like a good move! The current reproducer will be CHROMIUM plated whereas the machine predates the use of chrome and should therefore have entirely nickel plated fitments. When you finally do hunt down a 5A (which is the only correct sound-box for a post-1927 re-entrant machine) make sure it is nickel plated. Most Ebay sellers can't tell the difference and they will usually say "the chrome looks good" etc, even if it is actually nickel.

I already have a 5A, but I think it's also chromium plated, because it has the exact same color as my 2 5B reproducers. Also it has those half moon shaped holes below the screws on the front plate, that apparently the nickel plated 5A hasn't got. See also this very informative site: http://www.graham-ophones.co.uk/hmv-page-2/4580358062

[bart1927]

I decided to buy the 163 in the pictures I posted previously, despite my earlier reservations. Today it was delivered to my home (I didn't even have to pay extra for it), and I've been playing records on it all day. It is a great machine, and it sounds really good.

Compared to my 130 it sounds louder (obviously), but also with more bass and the treble is a lot smoother. The 130 could sound a little sharp sometimes.

To be honest, I'm still not sure whether this machine has been refinished or not. It looks a lot darker than in the photos, but not as dark as my 130. (To be honest I don't know if my 130 is also oak, or perhaps mahogany. Did HMV just have one oak colour, or did they have light and dark oak?) At the moment I'm inclined to say that only the top of the lid has been refinished. It looks a little lighter than the rest of the machine, and the back side of the top has a few small pieces of veneer missing, so you can see the layer underneath it, and even those exposed pieces seem to be varnished or waxed.

I tried to make a few photos and a short video clip, but it was too dark in the house, so I will try again in a few days time.