What do you listen on?

[Widebrim]

I just got this!!!!

It's a Victor Edison Talking Machine.

With lots of records, including **** Sanders Nighthawks and many other wonderful bands!

Need to buy needles. Need to research and see if it used to have a horn (it looks like it did).

It seems to have a small issue inside, there are three weights on metals strips, and one of the strips has broken and the weight fell off (but was still inside). Looks like a very easy fix. But in the condition it's in, it runs really fast.

Many happy listening hours ahead of me!

!Que' maquina! Congratulations!

 

[Flivver]

I just got this!!!!

It's a Victor Edison Talking Machine.

With lots of records, including **** Sanders Nighthawks and many other wonderful bands!

Need to buy needles. Need to research and see if it used to have a horn (it looks like it did).

It seems to have a small issue inside, there are three weights on metals strips, and one of the strips has broken and the weight fell off (but was still inside). Looks like a very easy fix. But in the condition it's in, it runs really fast.

Many happy listening hours ahead of me!

WOW, Miss 1929...that's a beautiful talking machine and base cabinet!

What you have there appears to be a very desirable Victor III, made from around 1906-1920. It did, indeed, have an outside horn, attached to the machine with a nickel plated elbow. You can learn more about this wonderful machine here:

http://www.victor-victrola.com/Victor III.htm

Your machine would have used either a bkack and brass conical horn or a black flower-type horn trimmed in gold.

The Victor III was the middle-model in a range that spanned from Victor 0 to Victor VI.

The broken parts you found at the bottom of your machine are governor weights and springs. They are reproduced and sell for just a few dollars each. The horn and elbow are also reproduced but are much more expensive. The elbow, alone, is around $90. I'd look around for an original...they do turn up.

This is quite a valueable machine...worth in excess of $1,000 in working order with horn and base cabinet and with original finish intact. Refinishing the machine or base cabinet will considerably reduce its value.

Browse around the website above. It contains a wealth of authoritative information on Victor Talking Machines.

Let me know if you need any more information.

 

[vitanola]

I just got this!!!!

It's a Victor Edison Talking Machine.

With lots of records, including **** Sanders Nighthawks and many other wonderful bands!

Need to buy needles. Need to research and see if it used to have a horn (it looks like it did).

It seems to have a small issue inside, there are three weights on metals strips, and one of the strips has broken and the weight fell off (but was still inside). Looks like a very easy fix. But in the condition it's in, it runs really fast.

Many happy listening hours ahead of me!

It appears that you have purchased a nice example of a late Victor III. The III originally sold for $40.00 with the standard metal horn and $55.00 with the optional spear-tip wood horn. The record cabinet that came with this machine is an unusual design, and is a very useful addition to the outfit. Your machine appears to be complete, save for the horn and horn elbow.

These late machines were fitted with 19" black petal horns at the factory, although any number of accessory horns were available form a number of sources. A fine reproduction of the petal horn is available from Wyatt's Musical Americana for a couple hundred dollars. Wyatt's horn elbows, however, are not very good, being made of heavy cast aluminum, rather than of thin nickled brass. Ron Sitko handles excellent reproductions of original style horn elbows. Wyatt also handles a good grade of needle. Please note that the common soft steel needles are designed to wear themselves rather than the record. Needles should be changed after each play, lest you destroy your discs.

The governor trouble that you have is common to this motor, but is easily remedied. Nearly a century on, your motor should be carefully dismantled and cleaned, with the springs removed from their barrels and re-packed with fresh grease. The reproducer should also be rebuilt, as the rubber gaskets have doubtless deteriorated beyond use. A rebuilt reproducer will sound much better, and will also wear your records much less.


Your machine, which dates form between 1909 and 1917 is a bit early to play the electric records of post-1925 era perfectly, but with the addition of an accessory reproducer (one with an aluminum diaphragm) it can do a reasonably good job, though not quite up to Orthophonic standards.

 

[vitanola]

WOW, Miss 1929...that's a beautiful talking machine and base cabinet!

What you have there appears to be a very desirable Victor III, made from around 1906-1920. It did, indeed, have an outside horn, attached to the machine with a nickel plated elbow. You can learn more about this wonderful machine here:

http://www.victor-victrola.com/Victor III.htm

Your machine would have used either a bkack and brass conical horn or a black flower-type horn trimmed in gold.

The Victor III was the middle-model in a range that spanned from Victor 0 to Victor VI.

The broken parts you found at the bottom of your machine are governor weights and springs. They are reproduced and sell for just a few dollars each. The horn and elbow are also reproduced but are much more expensive. The elbow, alone, is around $90. I'd look around for an original...they do turn up.

This is quite a valueable machine...worth in excess of $1,000 in working order with horn and base cabinet and with original finish intact. Refinishing the machine or base cabinet will considerably reduce its value.

Browse around the website above. It contains a wealth of authoritative information on Victor Talking Machines.

Let me know if you need any more information.

Miss 1929 has a late machine, which would probably have been fitted with tha black petal horn. The petal horn generally sounds better than the black and brass, and better fits in most living rooms. A wood horn was also an option, but these horns today exceed the cost of a machine. The last original Victor III/V horn elbow that I sold on the 'bay fetched $465.00. The reproductions from Sitko are excellent, and serve their purpose well.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

I just got this!!!!

It's a Victor Edison Talking Machine.

With lots of records, including **** Sanders Nighthawks and many other wonderful bands!

Need to buy needles. Need to research and see if it used to have a horn (it looks like it did).

It seems to have a small issue inside, there are three weights on metals strips, and one of the strips has broken and the weight fell off (but was still inside). Looks like a very easy fix. But in the condition it's in, it runs really fast.

Many happy listening hours ahead of me!

"Goodness, surely that is almost a museum piece?, will be rather exciting for you to play and discover the "records" hope there may be a few "Golden era" phone recordings of "Persons of interest" that will permanently solve any money issues you may have now, or in the future!"

 

[anon`]

True to non-clothing and -firearm form, I have nothing of period interest to listen to music on. (Well, that's not entirely true--we do have an old Victrola or similar machine, but it's not in a particularly usable location, and a currently non-functional 6V kit cathedral radio from around 1950.)

Rather, I have my entire collection (of almost entirely non-period, as well!) music digitized to level 8 FLAC, which is managed through SlimServer (which those idiots at Logitech have since renamed... "SqueezeCenter"?) and piped through a fully modified Red Wine Audio Squeezebox 3, which feeds a Headamp GS-1 or, in some cases, a Mapletree Audio Ear+ Purist HD150 and out through a pair of Grado HF-2 headphones.

It's a beautiful thing.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

Boring 'ole iPod. It's mobile, small, holds every song I own, and can be played privately through headphones (at work) or through any stereo I choose (usually the car stereo drinving to work.)

 

[grundie]

A Roberts R600 dating from 1969, so just about vintage. It's now become a family heirloom and has already been passed own two generations.

I feed it with a homebrew FM transmitter that is plugged in to a Mac. If I want something louder for parties etc, I use a fairly ordinary separates system with Tannoy speakers.

I also have a very modern Roberts DAB 23 digital radio that I used for recording shows directly on to an SD card.

One day I'll get a real old vintage radio!

 

[Wally_Hood]

A teentsie little Samsung mp3 thing that works swell. All other Hoods use the ipod gizmo.

 

[Chas]

My car cd player, a sony 5 disc carousel through a 1970's procom amp, a Dual 1219 turntable for my 33's and for 78s an audio-technica AT-PL120 turntable with a high tech stylus to preserve my babies.

 

[iancandler]

Nothing vintage at present.
Everything goes through my little nad DAB micro receiver and a pair of art deco-ish Q acoustics 1050i floor standers.

Sadly over here we are being advised to switch to DAB as they intended to withdraw other services, but I may get an old set to convert at a later date.

 

[Preacher]

my music

In Radio Mode, (and in the winter when I can get a swing station out of Toronto) one of the following:
1929 Stromberg-Carlsen Parlor AM
1930 Philco Parlor AM
1936 Philco Parlor Am (the best player of the pack, but looks like it spent most of its life under water)
1939 Philco wood case tabletop
1940 Crosley wood case tabletop
1947 Philco "leather case" (actually, grained marlite) with white grill and knobs
1966? Channel Master 8 Transistor, (which is the size of a carton of Lucky's)
1969 Channel Master micro 8 transistor (it is 2" x 2" x 1" )

On the oldies, I use a Terk Antenna, or, a length of copper wire about 200 feet long.

In Computer Mode, my Asus EEePC hooked to a set of Boston Acoustic 3 parts with a subwoofer

In pickup Mode, Ford 6 disc CD changer

In Car Mode, Alpine something-or-other that was in the CrossFire when I bought it

In Garage Mode, a Sony car player with cassette hooked to a power supply, playing through a set of Fischer house speakers like the Optimus. It is nice to be able to put in a cassette of Frank or Tony, and rattle the garage doors.

and finally, in Home mode:
Onkyo receiver with 2 Optimus 7 Speakers with 12 inch woofers, 7 inch mid, and 4 inch tweets, plus the two "I have no idea what they are as they were in the ceiling when we bought the house" thinking they are Bose, as the ones on the deck are.

I have some more tabletops, a 1928 Scott-Atwater lowboy, and a 1930 Magnavox highboy parlor, but they need repair, and it ain't cheap.

 

[Chainsaw]

Hey Iancnadler, it is possible to purchase Tube Amplifiers to play your music with. You can use them in conjuction with Cd or such, (records of course are preferable.

My friend had the ultimate system, Tube Amplifier in place of reciever, sometype of special cd player that properly interperts the cd, and a set of speakers to die for. They were the best created in the world. Hand made speaker boxes of oak (made by Menonites) Speakers were designed by a crazy Irish man, and produced in Hong Kong, using real silk! And internally they used Nasa sound baffles!

 

[John in Covina]

For the big stereo and Home Entertainment system I have an Oppo 983 DVD player that is also a superb CD player capable of most of the formats in audio and video except Blu-ray.

THis goes thru my Yamaha RVX663 which is a pretty nice Home Theater that is capable of converting the various 5.1 surround encoding into 7.2 surround. I have a set of Yamaha 555's as my main stereo speakers and some olde Yamaha's in the back witha rear rear set of older tiny A/V speakers that have decent sound for such small cabinettes. Anyway, listening to stereo thru this and the 555's is pretty good and using SACD's or DVD audio discs makes for some very open and etheral presentations in 7.1.

I also have a pair of Grado SR125 headphones which are pretty delightful for quiet listening, they are precise and really give an excellent account of a recording's soundstage.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

I purchased this recently for use in my Bedroom