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The Victor-Victrola Page
Auxetophone RARITY: YYYY VALUE YYYY
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The
Auxetophone was one of the most unique phonographs ever produced by Victor.
Introduced in 1906, it utilized a small air compressor to provide additional
amplification to the sound, making this large model an appropriate choice for
theatres, restaurants, etc. The compressed air was used to modulate vibrations
at the soundbox diaphragm, and through a very clever valve scheme, it could
produce remarkably loud and clear volume in virtually any situation. This
concept was originally invented in England, and licensed to Victor for the sum
of $10,000.00, a huge amount of money at that time.
The Auxetophone sold new for a whopping $500.00, limiting sales to hotels, large restaurants and other business establishments. It has been estimated that total production did not exceed 500 units. It was discontinued from the product line in 1918. Several design changes were implemented to improve reliability, and the cabinet also was updated around 1909.
Insufficient information exists to correlate production date to serial numbers.
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