I also have a A-1, and I play it often, (first rococo grill) but I never could figure out why they put the extra shut off lever on the front left of the bedplate. The lever to lower the reproducer turns the machine on and when you lift it the machine shuts off, so why the extra shut off? kind of redundant, and I never have used it. Also If you are going to play wax amberols I think the model L tracks them better than the M. Al. ----- Original Message ----- From: "George Glastris" <glast...@comcast.net> To: "Antique Phonograph List" <phono-l at oldcrank.org> Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 4:52 PM Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Research: Amberolas 1A and 1B (Greg Bogantz)
> Greg is correct on his points about the IA. I've had mine for almost 20 > years and it has followed me around England, then to Boston with a couple > moves in town, then to Chicago with a couple of moves. Of the 50 or so > machines I own or have owned,(not to mention the 1,000s I've handled > professionally) it is by far my favourite. If I could only keep one it > would be the one. Yes, wax Amberols may sound better on a III and Blue > Amberols better on an Opera, but only the IA plays all three as well as > non-Edison celluloids. And you get storage for your 100 fave cylinders. > > And given a choice, the Lyre grille is the best. > > Long live the Amberola IA!!! > > Best to all, > George > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Greg Bogantz" <gbogantz1 at charter.net> > To: "Antique Phonograph List" <phono-l at oldcrank.org> > Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 5:48 PM > Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Research: Amberolas 1A and 1B (Greg Bogantz) > > >> Bruce, the only reason that I discount the 1A from being the best >> cylinder player is because of its inferior motor. The straight-cut spur >> gears of the 1A are decidedly noisier than the Opera motor of the 1B and >> the >> III. When I first got my 1A, it sounded like and electric drill whenever >> I >> ran it. The noise comes mostly from the high speed governor gears, and >> the >> only fix for it is to replace these gears with nearly perfect new ones. >> Try >> to find those anywhere! I got lucky and swapped a fellow collector some >> items for a set of nearly new gears which quieted my 1A down to the point >> where it is enjoyable, but still not as quiet as my 1B. The other big >> problem with the 1A is that it doesn't have the mechanical flutter filter >> and flywheel that Edison added to some of his later motors such as the >> Opera, Amberola V, and all the late amberolas. The lack of a sufficient >> flywheel coupled with the belt drive of the 1A virtually ensures that >> you'll >> get flutter and wow that is just an essential aspect of this design. >> Acoustically, the 1A is the same as the 1B, but the motor spoils the >> total >> experience a little. >> >> However, since the 1A motor is no worse than any found on any other 2 >> minute cylinder machine, the superior horn of the 1A makes it the best >> overall 2 minute machine in my estimation. AND it has the added benefit >> that you can play 2 minute celluloid records with the Diamond A >> reproducer >> which is truly the best 2 minute experience that you can get in a >> commercially made machine. I like my 1A just fine, but I prefer to hear >> 4 >> minute celluloids on my 1B or my III. >> >> I don't include the Opera among the very best sounding machines >> because >> I haven't heard ANY commercially made outside horns on cylinder machines >> that are the sonic equal to the horns in the Amberola 1s and III. I >> mentioned on the OTV board that I have a mechanical engineer friend who >> decided to make his own large genuine cygnet shaped exponential outside >> horn. He has fitted it to an Amberola 50 motor which he has put into a >> custom tabletop cabinet. The horn is suspended over the carriage by a >> clever, original design double crane pantographic system that works much >> better than any original design. He calls his machine the "Ediphonic" >> and >> has even put an Edison-style logo on it with that name. The reproducer >> is >> a >> modified Diamond B which has a custom diaphragm in it similar to the ones >> that I make. The entire project is very well-done, tidy, and authentic >> looking. I can tell you with "first-ear" assurance that this is the BEST >> sounding acoustic 4 minute cylinder player I have EVER heard. The >> exponential horn works wonderfully well with the Diamond B, and the >> results >> from playing the early directly recorded BA records (not the dubs) is >> some >> of the best sounding acoustic reproduction you will ever hear. >> >> Greg Bogantz >> >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: <valecnik57-purc at yahoo.com> >> To: <phono-l at oldcrank.org> >> Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 5:46 PM >> Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Research: Amberolas 1A and 1B (Greg Bogantz) >> >> >>> Greg, >>> >>> I'd be interested to know more about why an Amberola 1A would not sound >>> equally as good as the 1B for 4 min wax or blue amberols assuming the >>> correct reproducer is used, (the M for 4 min wax and the diamond A for >>> blue amberols)? >>> >>> Thanks, >>> Bruce >>> >>> Bruce Johnson >>> Pod Valem II, 870 >>> 252 43 Pruhonice >>> Czech Republic >>> >>> >>> Tel: (CZ) + 420 602 362 473 >>> Tel: (US) + 1 612 605 5242 >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> ________________________________ >>> From: "phono-l-request at oldcrank.org" <phono-l-request at oldcrank.org> >>> To: phono-l at oldcrank.org >>> Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 8:00:05 PM >>> Subject: Phono-L Digest, Vol 5, Issue 288 >>> >>> Send Phono-L mailing list submissions to >>> phono-l at oldcrank.org >>> >>> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit >>> http://oldcrank.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/phono-l >>> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to >>> phono-l-request at oldcrank.org >>> >>> You can reach the person managing the list at >>> phono-l-owner at oldcrank.org >>> >>> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific >>> than "Re: Contents of Phono-L digest..." >>> If you reply, please change your subject line and don't include this >>> entire digest in your message.Today's Topics: >>> >>> 1. Re: Loss To Phono Collector Community (Zonophone2006 at aol.com) >>> 2. Re: Research: Amberolas 1A and 1B (Michael F. Khanchalian) >>> 3. Re: Research: Amberolas 1A and 1B (Steven Medved) >>> 4. Re: Research: Amberolas 1A and 1B (Greg Bogantz) >>> 5. Re: Research: Amberolas 1A and 1B (Rich) >>> 6. Re: Phono-L Digest, Vol 5, Issue 287 (RROCRREC at aol.com) >>> 7. Dave Boruff (Mark Dawson) >>> 8. Re: Research: Amberolas 1A and 1B (Steven Medved) >>> 9. Re: Research: Amberolas 1A and 1B (Greg Bogantz) >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Phono-L mailing list >>> http://phono-l.oldcrank.org >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Phono-L mailing list >>> http://phono-l.oldcrank.org >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Phono-L mailing list >> http://phono-l.oldcrank.org >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Phono-L mailing list > http://phono-l.oldcrank.org > > > -- > Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.11.19/955 - Release Date: 8/15/2007 > 4:55 PM >
