Hi Ron,
I have a Vitaphone model 60 which is the consolette version of this
machine. Yes, I'd say it is "anemic" compared with most other machines of
this vintage. The reason is pretty obvious - the design of the acoustic
system is pretty silly. What appears to be the "tonearm" is more easily
understood as being actually a HUGE stylus bar. The long wooden piece has
the needle attached at the front end and it is expected to transmit the
needle vibrations along the length of this wooden bar to a string at the
back end which is coupled under tension to the center of the reproducer
diaphragm which is located at the back of the tonearm. The actual tonearm
is a metal structure positioned under the wooden bar that has a vertical and
lateral pivot near the front that supports the wooden needle bar and allows
both vertical and lateral wiggling of the wooden bar. As you can suspect,
the compliance of this arrangement is ridiculously poor with a HUGE amount
of mass (the whole wooden bar) having to be moved by the needle. The string
that couples the back of the wooden bar to the diaphragm can be strung over
a metal hook at the back of the lateral tonearm pivot stanchion which causes
the tension in the string to be directed kinda sorta laterally to the
diaphragm. This is the way the system is supposed to be set to play lateral
records. The more direct linkage of the string drawing down vertically from
the diaphragm (not threaded over the metal hook) is the setup for playing
vertical records. As you might expect, the vertical setup is more efficient
and sensitive than the lateral setup. Consequently, I most often use my
Vitaphone to play Pathe Sapphire discs with a sapphire ball stylus in the
needle chuck. It sounds better playing Pathes than any lateral records.
Theoretically, you could play Edison DDs by mounting an Edison diamond point
in the needle chuck. But the tonearm friction is high enough that I haven't
wanted to try playing DDs on the machine. In any case, the sound
transmission thru the bizarre needle bar system is pretty inefficient and
lossy which makes the Vitaphone have little volume compared with more
conventional players, either Edisons, Pathes, or Victors. And the high
moving mass of the wooden bar causes considerable loss of treble response,
so the sound is pretty mellow compared with other machines. It's actually
fairly pleasant and less honky than other acoustic players.
The other weirdness of the model 60 is the complicated plumbing that
connects the diaphragm output to the horn which is inside the LID of the
player! So there are swivel joints that allow the horn to be tilted upward
with the lid as it is raised, while still enabling the acoustic plumbing to
remain intact and functional. So it will play through the horn with the lid
either open or closed. Definitely different. Still, it's a neat looking
piece that is seldom seen and it does work after a fashion. I have pictures
of my model 60 if you would like to see them.
Greg Bogantz
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron L'Herault" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>; "'Antique Phonograph List'"
<[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, September 13, 2013 1:44 PM
Subject: [Phono-L] Vitaphone acoustic machine
A few MOCAPS members have been discussing the lateral/vertical Vitaphone
phono from the teens, early 20s. Only one member heard one 20 or more
years ago and that one may have been unrestored. He found it "anemic"
sounding. Soooo, I was wondering if any listmate(s) have a restored
Vitaphone (it has a wooden tone arm and connects to the diaphragm via a
string AFAIK). How does it sound compared to the Name brand machines of
the same era?
Thanks,
Ron L
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