Post photos of your systems/rooms here! Part 3

Those 2270's are awesome! I always wanted one...

 

My kid bro's 2226 was awesome...wish he hadn't sold it (wish I had the money to buy it from him...unfortunantly for me, I didn't).

 

got a pretty clean 2220...

if you want it, just pm me!

 

No electricity at all. You can't see it in the pics, but there's a crank over on the right.

Long story short -- up until 1925, recording and playback was all done acoustically. In 1925, the Western Electric recording system was introduced, meaning microphones were used for recording. This rendered all phonographs up to that point obsolete -- the mica daiphragms on the transducers couldn't reproduce the bass that was coming from the new recording method. So the manufacturers developed new transducers with aluminum diaphragms and new horn configurations in the cabinets to get more fidelity from the new records. Victor's flagship model was the Orthophonic Credenza (a.k.a. the VV-8-30). This Viva-Tonal 810 (which didn't sell anywhere near as many as the Credenza) was Columbia's competitive model.

If you're looking for something to play 78s back on, I'd recommend a Victor with an Orthophonic transducer. These can accurately play 78s pressed up until the mid-late 40s. Just be aware that many of the transducers have started to crumble over the years (pot metal casings) and need to be rebuilt or cobbled together with parts. It's a whole 'nuther thing to learn about, but fascinating, and a lot of fun. The thrill you get from getting good sound out of an 80-year-old device (especially if you took it from a non-functional state to a working one) is something to experience. It's as if you're ressurrecting the actual sound of the past, as if it had been bottled and then released.

 

I might as well show my regular setup (if you could call it that). Understand that I do most of my listening at my desk (I work from home) so it's pretty much a nearfield thing. This is in the basement workroom (love the cinderblock walls -- at least they don't reflect
much).

I know I'm breaking every rule in the book in terms of setup. But that's the space I have.

Lots of speakers (and they're all hooked up!). Note the Advent 300 receiver and an ancient Sony CDP-302 under the table.

The large brown thing just on the left edge of the picture is my beer fridge.

 

The main part of the rig (the back of the same room). The Rek-O-Kut on the right was my dad's from the 50s that had been sitting in an unheated garage for decades until this summer. The integrateds are a Sansui AU-999 on the left and a Yamaha CA-2010 in the middle.

 

And last but not least, the back corner. Someday I'll do something about all that wire hanging around.

My total outlay for all this stuff was about $2K, and easily half of that was the two Thorens and assorted carts and styli.

 

This is my kitchen system

 

Word.

 

Mine, considerably smaller...

It'll "rock" enough to annoy the wife.

 

How hot do those Prima Lunas get?

I have a Prologue2 and worry that mine should really be on the top shelf.

 

It would sound better with the speakers on some stands.

 

Cool system. Is it TIVOLI Audio?

 

Tim,

With the cages off, there seems to be enough air circulating to keep things moderate. I can hold my hand up to the underside of the shelf above after having the system on for a couple hours and not burn myself. Don't notice much heat at all from the preamp.

How do you like your Prologue 2?

Eric

 

Hi my name is Panneauman i would like to know if there is such a thing as a Members System section where members can describe there system with photos or just one photo i will give you an example and if it does not belong here please remove it thank you

Bow Technologies Wazoo XL Integrated Amplifier
Conrad Johnson DV-2B Tube Cd Player
Magnepan 1.6QR Speakers
Audioquest Python Interconnects
Audioquest Bedrock Speaker Cables

 

Nice system. Coffee table books are for weenies...real men have coffee table swords and daggers!

 

Incredible setup you've got there, Panneauman. The swords are indeed the icing on the cake.

 

This is what I get for not opening all the pretty pictures for a few days: I missed your Viva Tonal when it appeared. That is a *lovely* machine! Have you tried comparing it directly to an Orthophonic? A couple of years back, I got an Edisonic Schubert, one of the two last-gasp machines Edison fielded in a belated effort to compete with the Orthophics and Viva Tonals. A little nagging desire in the back of my head is to latch onto a Credenza for direct comparison, although where I'd put it the Gentleman Upstairs only knows. For what it's worth, the Edison pulls a fast one visually: it has a big grille, just like the competing machines, but unlike the grilles in other Edison disc players I've seen or owned, it's held in with a bunch of screws. The reason becomes clear when you loosen them and remove it: the horn inside is not much larger than the standard type 250 horn of the earlier top-line machines, the main difference being a longer neck. The bell takes up MAYBE the bottom third of that grille opening! I've posted a photo (with grille on) below.

As to what to buy for playing 78s, the old machines are great, but I'd recommend getting a good 78-capable turntable, cartridge, and stylus for your modern setup if you're really serious about listening to the records. The old-timers use steel needles,track at 70 grams or more, and are not exactly what you'd call high-compliance reproducers, so they can be quite brutal to records. I'm sure I'm not alone in keeping a stock of what a friend calls "steel needle records" at hand to play on mine--common 78s in so-so condition, no great loss to Western civilization if worn down further. If you do want to venture into acoustic machines, an Orthophonic/Viva Tonal type is the best choice for records cut electrically but not for acoustic issues; those are better played on earlier machines. A common Victrola XI would be a fine starter, but, of course, eventually you might want to move up to one of the open horn models, which offered the best sound before the advent of the microphone. Note: do NOT try to play the thick Edison diamond discs or Pathe sapphire discs on a steel needle machine!

Edit: oops! Forgot to add the photo. It'll be in the next post.

 

Here's the Edisonic Schubert:

 

My bedroom system:
AR4x - just restored
Musical Fidelity Integrated Amp
Nakamichi CD Player 4
Ipod
Granite slab

- Sushimaster

 

You are using stereo subwoofers?

 

That's for the people that don't like my system funny but they all seem to like it wonder why

 

And here I thought it was just because you liked to have cutting edge gear...

 

Real men have Columbia Viva-Tonal phonographs. Victor Orthophonics are strictly for the chicks.