The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

My living room is average small size, about 14 by 16 feet.My floor model Steger is so loud that I'm pretty sure I see the ears of my 2 dogs blow back when I play records. I am referring to volume, the motor is very quiet. I do play anything from the teens through the fifties on it, and on later electrics such as the Andrew Sisters I have came close to losing an eardrum. I have tried turning the machine or horn angle around, still really loud. i have considered putting a sock in the horn, but of course I don't want to muffle the sound. I can't easily put it in another room and listen from afar.
Any suggestions, other than just put a sock in it? Should i place a layer of sound deadening material on the back of the grill? Use earplugs? Appreciate any ideas for what may be a very newbie like question....

Soft tone needles, fiber needles, thorn needles come to mind. You rarely need even a medium tone needle in a small room if your reproducer and machine are restored properly.

Stuff a rag down the horn

Larry

I suggest not stuffing a rag in, but playing the machine with the lid closed and soft-tone needles only. A satisfactory needle can be made of bamboo skewers and sharpened with a nail clipper or a needle cutter if you can find one, but I like soft-tone steel as well. Thorns from a locust tree well dried make wonderful needles and are not too loud either.

The only machine I routinely stuff rags into is my 2-65 Victrola Portable, with orthophonic reproducer. This machine peels the wallpaper back and I literally have to stuff my pyjamas into the horn before it is at a civilized listening level.

Take the mica out of the reproducer...

I use extra soft tone needles on my machine. I have listed some extras in the Yankee Trader.

Talkophone wrote:Stuff a rag down the horn

Larry

Ever wondered where the expression "Put a sock in it" originated
I take a sock with me whenever I give a demonstration with an external horn machine. It always gets a laugh.

Cotton-ball in the goose - neck...

Is it loud as in ear-splitting shrill or loud as in full volume?

If it's shrill with ear-splitting high notes, it might indicate that the diaphragm is held too rigidly between the gaskets, and cannot flex or plunge properly. I don't know if you've overhauled the sound box, but if you haven't it's always a good idea. Softer gaskets will give you a more mellow, yet full tone. Record wear will also be reduced.

I'd also recommend soft tone needles, especially on later, electrically recorded records. As noted, fiber or thorn needles do very well.

OrthoFan

Part of the issue is that you are playing records not intended for the machine and overloading the reproducer. Thin soft tone needles will help that, and if your machine has a grille there should be a volume control device in the horn neck- usually a slide to pull or a knob to turn.