The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

RARE VICTOR AUXETOPHONE PHONOGRAPH Louis XVI Cabinet Style 1906. From my personal collection comes one of the rarest and most sought after phonographs in existence. The elusive Victor Auxetophone. This is one of approximately 15 known to exist. This example has serial number 494. Fully restored and operational with rare original 36" auditorium brass bell horn. Original paint and decal on horn. Cabinet has been professionally refinished with new decal and is beautiful. The motor and pneumatic blower mechanism and compensation tank are high quality reproductions. The motor runs off of a 220v three phase motor controlled by an electronic converter hidden by a black baffle on the inside of the cabinet. The unit was built by an electromechanical engineer using specifications from Paul Baker's reproduction units. A step up/step down voltage converter is included in the sale so the machine will run off of standard 110v. The reproducer is in perfect condition and functions as it should.

You can watch a video of the Auxetophone playing here: https://youtu.be/5aVF2s9Cw6c

OMG, my eyes are watering. If there ever was a dream machine for me, this is it. Unfortunately though, I'll never be able to afford one, but anyone can dream. All the best for the sale, and congratulations to whoever the buyer may be.

Andreas

This will be a historic purchase! Good luck!

Given that the compressor requires an electricity supply, why did Victor use a spring motor to power the turntable?

I would assume that they wanted to utilize the existing Victor VI motors that were already in production. As far as I know, there were no other electric phonographs made by Victor at this point in time, and the spring motor was both dependable and most likely much more economical than to design an electric motor just for this model. Of course, all this is speculation on my part... an educated guess as it were.