Interesting. The serial number on mine is 1797, and as I have already said, it has the magnetic speaker. I've seen a picture of a later Hyperion with the 104 speaker. It has a great big cast iron field pot on its back, and a 6 inch cone. On the picture I saw, there was a sturdily braced shelf to mount the speaker (It weighs like the blazes). The earlier sets with the nagnetic speaker can easily be spotted by the horseshoe magnet on the speaker Indeed, a dynamic speaker was far superior to a magnetic. It has deep bass response, and far more treble too. Magnetic speakers sound squawky.
I have a theory about the change in speakers. When the Orthophonic recordings came out, the Credenza bowled over the listeners. That sold a lot of Victors. Concurrently, RCA was selling a Loudspeaker 104 in a cabinet with amplifier to be used to power and amplify battery sets, especially RCA's Radiola 28. You could have superb sound from this ensemble. In fact, that sound would be better yet than a Credenza! It was RCA who supplied Victor's and Brunswick's electronics from 1926 through the merger in 1929. I believe that if the early sets with direct radiator speakers, like the Hyperion and the Electrola Cromwell were equipped with dynamic speakers so soon, they would out-perform the Credanzas and the Borgia Victors. On Victor day (11-2-25), Victor COULD HAVE HAD dynamic speakers. After the original introduction, and credenzas were selling like hotcakes, then Victor could afford to put the dynamics in the cone speaker phonographs. I have two examples of the RCA powered Electrolas: The Victor 12-15 Electrola and the Brunswick P-11. They must have knocked a new listener onto the floor. So, circuit-wise, conversion of the Hyperion to a 104 speaker was easy. The fil;ter choke in the amplifier was replaced by the 1000 Ohm field in the speaker, and the output transformer changed to match the voice coil in the speaker. I have all of the stuff here to do that, but I wouldn't care to change the set, better as it would sound. As far as building up the foots goes, the screw would tend to help hold the built-up plastic wood to the flat wood. It's like building a mound of plaster on a broken object. You put the screw in the flat piece part way, then pile on the plastic wood in a few layers so as to over-build it. Let it harden (the screw is now buried in the PW. After it's hard, file and sand it to match the contours of the foot. After you finish it off with toned lacquer, nobody'd ever know that it's a repair job. The set is supposed to have a big loop antenna inside the right hand side of the cabinet. thete is a thumb wheel in the top of that panel to rotate the antenna for maximum reception. There isn't an external antenna coil on the set. I already told about putting a coil of wier to the back panel of the set for an external antenna. If you're in a big metropolitan area, the set's already pretty hot, and you'll get a lot of stations, but an external antenna does make a difference. I suppose that they expected yopu to tack the antenna pick-up coil to the bcak panel Maybe tape, but never tacks! One other caution. The volume control on the Radiola panel and the filament control regulate the voltage to the filaments of the X99 tubes. Be very cautious about turning up either control, as you can possibly put too much juice on those tubes, and burn one out. You'll find that X99s are not easy to find! Now, regarding the external speaker jack on the set. I can't safely move my set away from the wall without help, but seem to recall that ther speaker jack is on the lower part of the cabinet. It will be a rouind bakelite faced jack, for a standard phone plug. It cuts out the internal speaker and connects your other speaker that you've plugged in. That jack may not be on the dynamic speaker models. The dynamic speaker isn't documented for the Hyperion in Victor's service bulletins. If you have a speaker jack on your set, you'd probably never use it, anyway. On Victor's Electrolas (the Cromwell, Tuscany, 12-15 and 12-25), there was an input jack to plug in your battery set to use the amplifier in the Electrola. That stuff was cutting-edge technology. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Rubin" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 2:02 PM Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Victrola VE 15-1: Electrola Hyperion > 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/ > > > _______________________________________________ > Phono-L mailing list > [email protected] > > Phono-L Archive > http://www.oldcrank.org/pipermail/phono-l/ >
