The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I put together a video of how I get the Most out of my Columbia Q Graphophone!

I hope you like it,

Bob S.


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaNX16IdW3s[/youtube]

Hi Bob,
Great video, I really enjoyed seeing and hearing your Columbia Q. I am lusting after that huge brass horn and it is in such fine shape!!
Pete

Great video, and very nice machine. With the huge horn, This is the mouse that roared!
Harvey Kravitz

That was fun - thanks for posting it. I did something similar many years ago with an Eagle and a 54 inch brass horn. I tried the usual Eagle reproducer, but had much better results with a slightly later D type floating reproducer. The larger diaphragm sounded pretty good through the large horn!

George P.

That was entertaining. I must try the same when I have completed restoration of my newer QQ. I have a 54" copper horn, which came with my BC. Great to hear. Regards

that's fun and a great improvement to the sound!

That was indeed a lot of fun. I have always been amazed at how nice those machines sound when you listen to them with ear tubes. Why is it that they sound so much better that way?
Dave D

imagine this Q with a bettini atached with a tube to a re-entrant horn!

Acoustic phonos sound MUCH better when auditioning them thru listening tubes and earphones because there is no reproducing horn to add its massive sonic coloration to the sound of the recording. Horns produce ridiculous amounts of frequency response aberrations to the sound running thru them, and the smaller the horn and the less ideal its shape (i.e. straight versus exponential) the more that coloration is. All you have to do to appreciate how much crappiness a horn adds to the sound is to listen to a record thru listening tubes and compare it to how it sound thru a playback horn. Horns have the same effect when used for recording as they do for playback. Which has a lot to do with why acoustic recordings sound so honky, peaky and midrangey when played back electrically. Which also explains why I don't like the sound of any hifi speaker system with horns. Same problems. Horns are efficient, which is why they are used. But the price you pay for their efficiency is their sound coloration.

And this whole nonsense of needing to listen to acoustic records with horns because the playback horn somehow "complements" the recording horn is just that - nonsense. The recording horn produces honky response. The playback horn produces honky response. Using the two together produces DOUBLE the honky response. Nothing complementary about it.

Hi Bob,

I just bought a model Q and was combing through the forums looking for anything that pertains to Q's and I came across your video. I enjoyed the clip and liked your idea of "tweaking" your little Q!

The one I bought was in pretty rough shape, and I've probably spent too much on it, but I just had to get my hands on a Graphophone and see one work. I've just finished cleaning and oiling it, and now it operates pretty well. I see what you mean about the motor noise and the cheapness! Still, a pretty neat little machine.

I will still need to buy a reproducer, key, governor springs, speed adjustment screw/spring and belt to complete, I think I'll be ordering them from Wyatt's soon.

I was contemplating the use of my Edison Home's Morning Glory Horn, now I shall definitely give it a try just for fun!

Fran