Sliding down the 78 rpm slippery slope....help


I was in a local antique shop and they had an Amphion New Phonola Model X 78 rpm player for sale. It had been restored and was in a gorgeous cabinet. The front opened up to reveal the speaker cloth. There was a big crank on the right hand side...it came with a bag of "needles" that looked like sharp pieces of metal. Unfortunately the antique guy only had what looked like a trashed country 78rpm recording to demonstrate the unit. It worked fine and actually was pretty loud. So....the guy wanted 500 bucks for it...anyone know anything about these? He claimed it was from the l920s....if I had some rare jazz 78s would I play them on this contraption or would it trash them?....I live an a 100 year old house...it would look pretty cool in the den....anyhow I need some guidance....I am a vinyl guy deciding whether I need to become a shellac guy....
ntscdan

Showing 1 response by rel

Had Audiogon been around, say, twenty years after the introduction of the 78, you can be sure there would have been an outspoken faction decrying the inferiority and soullessness of the new shellac-based technology. So rather than risk wasting time and money on some temporary and ultimately unsatisfactory compromise, why not keep a-slidin' down that slippery slope till you land in a big heap at the true source of audio nirvana: the wax cylinder! I've got a cryo'ed, triple-goldplated cylinder of Edison singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb"--play that baby through a hand-rubbed, oxygen-free, solid brass trumpet and I guarantee it'll make you weep!
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