Sound Comparison: Modern Turntable Vs. a Victor 6, Playing a 1930s Jazz Record
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- Sorry for the long intro, though I put some effort into this. In my opinion both have their pros and cons, I like the Turntable because of the depth of the sound (lots of bass and very clear) and the machine for being sharp and having lots of top end. Plus other technicalities and personal preferences.
Also this record is a late 30s / early 40s reissue, the original is a scroll
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Slideshow transcript:
In this video I will be comparing an acoustic and a modern machine with a 1930s record
First is the modern turntable; it is a AT-120XUSB turntable fitted with a Rek-o-kut Pre-Amplifier, Arcam Amplifier, Rek-o-kut Re-Equalizer, and Kef Speakers.
Don’t worry it uses a 3.0 mil stylus
The second machine is a 1914 Victor-Victrola 6 tabletop phonograph fitted with a later Victor Orthophonic reproducer, an impossible combination if no modifications are made to the reproducer. Though the orthophonic sound box has been fitted to sit on a typical “fat” tone arm.
I used a random steel needle so I don’t know the tone of it
The record specifically is “Tiger Rag” played by Ray Noble and his Orchestra, recorded in 1933.
It was recorded in England so I assume this was originally issued on HMV, which would be HMV-B6425
I recently got this at an antiques store and it has quickly become one of my favorites, I hope this is entertaining and informative.
Neat comparison - while the Victrola 4 [or the more common HMV 4] doesn't have the flexibility of the Orthophonic, it was intended for non-exponential horn machines, and makes a difference with the VV-50 portable! The presence of an acoustic gramophone is unique either way.
You're right in that they both have different charms. It takes a bigger machine than a vic 6 to do this record justice in some ways, drums and bass especially. When listening electrically I tend to only listen with one speaker but I am fortunate in that I use studio moniters so can just turn one off. PS I think this was originally a Victor, Noble was an American and I think was recording in the states at that point but don't quote me on that.
I tell myself that I only need the Victor 6 (with the orthophonic soundbox) and shouldn’t get any more machines…though a credenza would provide actual bass and so much more treble wise too (I think exponentially better in every way). Speaking of drum(s) and bass (clever right) that was a surprising break to me that he did in the middle, like damn! I shouldn’t need to use one speaker because both speakers are playing in mono, right? On the label it says recorded in Europe so I’m quite sure of that, though I thought Ray Noble was British? But I’m not quoting you on that.
czcams.com/video/XQup9s58AS8/video.htmlsi=a2W39vMoOHMVxg8c, seems to be quite British.
Turntable 1:12
Victor 6 4:33
hi! i know this seems silly since, what will really change, but i came expecting to see a video of the record being played but instead it's just a slideshow. i watch some other channels sometimes that have videos of this kind of thing, but this is a slideshow on youtube so i kinda feel like either the title should mark it as such, or hey just get a little stand thingy for your phone or something and record it and put up a video if you have the ability to do that.
anyway. thanks for the efforts, neat song!
The reason there is no video for the machines is because I originally recorded both audio files for myself on voice memos (It’s more convenient than a video when recording or in storage, and it probably takes half as much storage as a video), and a bit later I then thought why not make a video. I made a slideshow because it’s much more concise and will take less time than me talking, plus it was also just to try it out for the first time. I’ll edit the title so it says “sound comparison” or something like that, thanks for the comment.
You are not reproducing the sound of the record on a modern turntable, but that of muddy-sounding speakers in a reverberant room that seems quite unsuitable for listening because the sound is all diffuse (I guess you are playing this mono record through more than one speaker, a very fundamental mistake guaranteed to ruin the sound unless you apply some elaborate processing). In other words, not a fair comparison! In a proper digitization chain there are NO speakers and NO microphone involved. You take the signal directly (with a piece of cable) from the phono pre-amp output to the digital recorder's input. This is how it ought to sound like: czcams.com/video/lHJ16fkOnU4/video.html
I intentionally didn’t make a transfer because I wanted to compare the sound of both systems live, in the room. You’re quite right that this is a small room that is not preferable, though little can be done in my situation unless it’s modifying the room’s acoustics. Luckily I have tackled the issue of stereo as both channels are blended so that both speakers are playing the same audio (i.e. mono). CZcams also has the issue of lowering the quality of recordings so there is less bass and substance than on the original recording I took. In person at less than half volume (no sane person would play above half or 60) it is very loud and creates a great sound (in my opinion). I hope this answers your comment.