The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This is a poll to find out which record type is more popular.

I like oddball labels, so I'll take the last option.

What is a "Berlin disc record"?

Starkton wrote:What is a "Berlin disc record"?

Berliner I would think. We all make mistakes...most of us anyway

gramophoneshane wrote:

Starkton wrote:What is a "Berlin disc record"?

Berliner I would think. We all make mistakes...most of us anyway

To make that option watertight for collectors outside the U.S. and Canada I suggest "Berliner/Gramophone Co. disc record". I vote for it!

Yes. I meant to put "Berliner disc record", but I was concentrating on the other options at the time. Anyway, I can't change it now or else it'll delete all the votes.

I like Victor orthophonics mostly because that is the vast majority of records I find out there, they seem quite durable against needle wear and warping, and just plain sound good with good production. My second favorite acoustic records besides Victor are Harmony - probably the quietest acoustic records I've found so far. Not sure it's just that these are in great shape or what, but man, they are super-quiet with hardly any background hiss.

I picked Victor because they had the most varied and largest stable of top notch talent. I play Victors more than any other for that reason.

However for a type of record I could have also picked the Columbia Viva-Tonal records of the mid-late 20's, because they got the best sound, IMO, of the early electric era. I'll buy Viva-Tonals even if the music doesn't look all that interesting, and I generally don't do that with any other type/label, unless it's something rare, like a Black Swan or something.

I voted for Victor records. This is primarily because the shellac mix they used from the mid 1930's onwards was so silent they were unbelieavable. In comparison HMV disks from the UK sound like a hail storm with the music struggling to make itself heard. However for their time I don't think anything could beat a late electically recorded Edison DD. When these were produced nothing seems to have got near the richness of the sound recorded and also those nice silent surfaces weren't bad either.

S-B-H

Swing Band Heaven wrote:However for their time I don't think anything could beat a late electically recorded Edison DD. When these were produced nothing seems to have got near the richness of the sound recorded and also those nice silent surfaces weren't bad either.

S-B-H

It's funny you mention electric Edisons, I've recently come into quite a load of NOS electric DDs and I've been slowly beginning to transfer them (and I mean VERY slowly!). Some of them sound sublime, silent surfaces, nice even levels, perfect. Others though are "thumpy" due to divets in pressings and some were recorded with obvious distortion. There isn't any pattern either, some are great and others just aren't, but when you get a really nice one, you're right, electric Edison DDs sound really sweet!

Sean