Doing the comparison the other way around is easier, an orhtophonic record on an Edison DD with a good lateral adaptor and Orthophonic reproducer.
Ron L -----Original Message----- From: phono-l-boun...@oldcrank.org [mailto:phono-l-boun...@oldcrank.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Baron Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2014 5:37 PM To: Antique Phonograph List Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Orthophonic vs. Electric? When comparing the Edison DD to a Victor Orthophonic, it's best to think of them in terms of their complete systems rather than the horn of one vs. the horn of the other. Wouldn't it be an interesting experiment to connect the output of an Edison DD reproducer on an Edison DD phonograph playing one of the better DD records, to the input of a Victor Credenza horn? It wouldn't necessarily be a marriage made in heaven (I assume it would be quite a mismatch of impedances, or the acoustic analog thereof), but it would be interesting to observe. The systems that each company independently employed (Edison DD; Victor Orthophonic) obviously have no physical resemblance whatsoever, neither horn nor reproducer nor tone arm, and yet sonically the Edison was way ahead of the pack until the Orthophonic machines came out. There's just no comparison when comparing an especially good Edison DD record (with quiet surface) played on an upscale Edison DD machine, with ANY of the contemporary competitors for sheer naturalness of tone and overtones that the DD system was capable of. The DD machines had superior sound in 1913, by far, than anything else until a dozen years later when the Orthophonic came out. And even then, the right record on a good DD machine will give an Orthophonic Credenza a run for its money, even records made acoustically in the early 'teens compared to electric recordings in the mid '20s. Though the right record on a Credenza will often edge out the Edison, it's can be a close race in some cases, and a little like the Volvo Amazon outrunning the Ferrari in the celebrated YouTube video. Edison had a truly souped-up acoustic system developed by the end of 1912, that in real life would be unfair to compare to the electric system of 1925, and yet, the Edison system can hold its own in this chronologically and technologically skewed contest. Andrew Baron Santa Fe _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.org _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.org
