Thanks for all the information, Doug. My 15-1 is one of the later ones -- the serial number is 1908, which means it was about two-thirds of the way through the run, and was shipped in the second quarter of 1926 -- but the ID plate reads "Hyperion." I'm pretty sure I have the 104 speaker, as it's not a ten-inch speaker. Do you have any idea why Victor switched speakers in the middle of a run? Was the 104 considered to be an improvement over the 100, or the opposite?
I'm not sure exactly how to go about rebuilding the feet as you described; it sounds like a pretty complicated process, something that Martha Stewart (or Eric Reiss!) would describe in simple terms but might vex the average joe (i.e. me). Can you (or anyone else out there) possibly elaborate a little more on exactly how to go about this? What role do the wood screws play in this? Regarding the albums, as soon as I fired off the first email I looked again at the big Baumbach book (the Data book, that is) and there they were, on page 58. These were, as you wrote, Orthophonic albums, produced between 1925 and 1928. Mine have letters on the side, and I'm missing the "D" (10-inch) and "I" (12-inch) albums. I don't know what the prospects are for ever replacing these -- I don't think I've ever seen these particular albums on Ebay; for some reason, only the earlier red albums seem to pop up there. I'm a bit confused: Does your set have the internal antenna? I'm also not sure where I would connect an extrenal one. The Baumbach books also say that this model had a jack for an external speaker, but I can't seem to find it. Where is it? Finally, if you (or anyone else out there) have pictures of what these plugs are supposed to look like, I'd love to see them. Thanks again for all your help, Doug. I appreciate it! >From: "Doug" <[email protected]> >Reply-To: Antique Phonograph List <[email protected]> >To: "Antique Phonograph List" <[email protected]> >Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Victrola VE 15-1: Electrola Hyperion >Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2006 23:29:45 -0500 > >I've had one of these sets for quite a few years, and I know a bit about >it. > >Questions: > >(1) I've altready said that i have one. It's a fairly uncommon set, many >having been gutted, or if not, having the legs cut off. Mine is one of the >early ones with the magnetic speaker; the RCA Loudspeaker 100. Later >versions of the Hyperion had the RCA dynamic speaker, as the Loudspeaker >104. I imagine that later models carried the 15-1 on the name plate. > >(2) The line cord had been supplied with the set, and since it was so >easily >removed, it was removed by some creature in the past. If you really have to >have the cloth covered original line cord stuff, it can be gotten, but I >can't put my finger on just where just now. As far as the terminations, >there are bakelite female plugs to be found that do the job, and a bakelite >line plug that will look original. I'm one of the few people who know what >the Victor sets used, but if you were going for a $10,000 prize in a >judging >contest, I'd never rat on you. The set will never know or care how the AC >gets into it, anyway. By the way, I'd recommend getting a fused plug >(Horrors!, it wouldn't be original!) for the line plug. It's good insurance >for the old Victor and Brunswick phono combinations. If anything shorts >past >the plug, the fuse goes. Those plugs are sold in farm supply stores as >fence >controller plugs. I never had the original cord for mine either, and I've >never been castigated for using an extension cord. > >(3) Those little pieces have a nasty habit of disappearing. I'd recommend >gluing back those you have, and putting a short wood screw in the flats of >the other feet, and building them up with plastic wood, and sanding/filing >them to shape and finishing with toned lacquer. > >(4) Sounds like you have the albums that are a glossy brown with the HMV >logo pressed in them. Those are the regular Orthophonic style that Victor >used with sets like yours. I never had the ones from mine. They do pop up >occasionally in flea markets and, of course, good ole eBay. > >Are you certain thet the 10 tube is bad? If you have no luck finding one >easily, the military type VT-25 is a later version of the 10. It may also >be >called a 10Y. There is a ceramic based 10, known as a 210T. If you don't >have to absolutely have the original daylight bright balloon bulb 10, you >can substitute a 10Y, and it'll work perfectly. I have one in my Brunswick >P-11, which has a similar amplifier. By the way, RCA called the black >amplifiers as you have in the Hyperion: "Tomcat". Don't ask me why; I don't >know. It's in their service data. > >The Hyperion has no provisions for external antenna, and doesn't do too bad >on local and distant stations, but somewhere, Victor recommended a 6 inch >diameter coil of wire, hanging from the rear of the cabinet behind the >antenna side, probably about 20 turns, with one end to an antenna and the >other to a ground (water pipe, etc.). It'll pick up like a screamin' demon. > >Doug. Houston Ortonville, Michigan > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Richard Rubin" <[email protected]> >To: <[email protected]> >Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 8:47 PM >Subject: [Phono-L] Victrola VE 15-1: Electrola Hyperion > > > > Hi, everybody. Yesterday I picked up (literally, though I needed some > > help, > > since it weighs about 300 lbs.) a very unusual machine: A Victrola (or > > Electrola) model VE 15-1, also known as the "Hyperion." (The latter is, > > in > > fact, what appears on the ID tag.) It's in really nice shape except for > > two > > of the six feet, which have lost some (or in one case, all) of the >wooden > > pieces that make them round instead of square. Fortunately, they're in > > the > > back. The piece itself is a Victor electric phonograph coupled with an > > RCA > > radio (a Radiola 28, their top-of-the-line in 1926) and an RCA electric > > speaker, built-in antenna, gold-plated hardware, Victor electric pickup, > > etc. The cabinet itself is almost five feet tall and just about four >feet > > wide, walnut veneer with maple inlay, decent shape. Everything is there > > (including 8 of the 10 record albums) except for the needle cup and the > > line > > cord, which plugs in to a regular two-pronged AC plug in the botton of >the > > cabinet. It seems to work, too, though one of the tubes -- a UX-210 -- > > needs to be replaced, I believe. > > > > Questions: > > > > 1. Does anyone know anything about this unit other than what's in the > > Baumbach books? Anyone out there actually have one? Anywhere I might > > find > > more information? I'd never even heard of the Hyperion until I found >this > > one. > > > > 2. Does anyone know where I can get a nice repro cloth-covered line >cord > > with a female two-prong adapter at one end (presumably bakelite) and a > > male > > plug at the other? Does Antique Electronic Supply sell these? If not, > > does > > anyone else? Did it even come with a line cord, or did folks just use > > extension cords (as did the people from whom I bought it)? > > > > 3. Can anyone recommend a good carpenter who could recreate the wood > > pieces > > that could round out the feet? I have a couple to work from. > > > > 4. The Victor albums that came with this piece are of a kind I've never > > seen before -- they are made of a a brown leatherette-type material, and > > letters. Can anyone tell me anything about these? Do they have a name >or > > type number? Do they ever come up on Ebay? > > > > As I said, I know very little about this machine other than what I've >read > > in the Baumbach books, so I would appreciate any information anyone can > > share, no matter how small or seemingly irrelevant. > > > > Thanks! > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Phono-L mailing list > > [email protected] > > > > Phono-L Archive > > http://www.oldcrank.org/pipermail/phono-l/ > > > >_______________________________________________ >Phono-L mailing list >[email protected] > >Phono-L Archive >http://www.oldcrank.org/pipermail/phono-l/
