e
The Victor-Victrola Page
Technical Performance Data
This section covers
technical performance information on Victor Phonographs, using modern instrumentation to make
acoustic performance measurements on a variety of machines. The intent is
to provide some quantitative insight on the technical improvements made during
the early years of the phonograph. A great deal of misinformation has been disseminated in hobbyist publications and books regarding the operation and performance of antique phonographs.
References to acoustic horns as "amplifiers" (this term was even misused by Victor in some of its advertising) and the seemingly endless squiggly line drawings showing sound waves "bouncing" up the inside of the tone arm like a rubber ball only serve to propagate misunderstandings.
There are also a host of questions that come up on occasion. What are the real acoustic
differences in performance between an "Exhibition" and a "No.2" Soundbox? How much
louder is a "loud tone" needle? Several new topics are being compiled for upcoming
articles, and will be added in the future.
There are two introductory sections provided to assist those without benefit of a technical background who are interested in this subject. The "Introduction to Vibro-Acoustics" article is recommended for those who have not been exposed to this field, and a comprehensive "Glossary" is provided to attempt to decode some of the jargon, and hopefully convert it into understandable English. It is strongly recommended that the reader review the "Basics of Acoustic Phonographs" page before delving into this more complex material. A link is provided below.
Basics of Acoustic Phonographs