Congratulations to Rolf Christian Holth Olsen who correctly identify this weeks mystery object – The Lioretograph Model 2 phonogragh – created by the Parisian watchmaker Henri Lioret in 1898. This particular model – The Lioretograph Model 2 – came in a fitted case dating from 1899/1900. Lioret used his watchmaker’s knowledge to create a machine with a curious mixture of high-class clock workContinue reading “Mystery Object of the week #10 Answer”
Category Archives: phonographs
Mystery Object # 3 Answer
Full points to Rob, Andy and Russell who deftly identified last weeks Mystery Object of the Week as an early Tin Foil Phonograph. Object: Modified Tin Foil Phonograph Maker Archibald H.Irvine, 1877 This is a rare hand-driven modified Edison tin foil phonograph on a heavy mahogany base with mahogany trunnions and speaker/reproducer mounts (one withContinue reading “Mystery Object # 3 Answer”
Joe Batten’s Book: The Story of Sound Recording
SOTH would like to thank our latest contributor Michael Lloyd-Davies for his insightful review on the memoirs of Joe Batten – pioneer recording manager. By Michael Lloyd-Davies In his foreward to Joe Batten’s memoirs, Joe is described by Sir Compton McKenzie as “that other great recorder” bracketed with Freddy Gaisberg. Joe Batten’s story isContinue reading “Joe Batten’s Book: The Story of Sound Recording”
The saviour of the 1890’s record business – and possibly where Jonathan Ives got his inspiration for the ipod white bud earphones?
We’ve posted this picture before but hadn’t realised its significance. Digging a bit further into the life of Fred Gaisberg (who was the Zelig of the early recording business), the relevance of the photo becomes clear. Thomas Edison invented the phonograph system of recording and playing back sound that preceded the gramophone and used cylindersContinue reading “The saviour of the 1890’s record business – and possibly where Jonathan Ives got his inspiration for the ipod white bud earphones?”
Our First Plug!
This is very exciting. We’ve been asked to spread the news about a new book. Our first plug! And we are very pleased to say that the book in question is rather lovely; it’s a lavishly-illustrated, information-packed hardback book printed on high quality silk paper with colour digital photographs, comprehensive descriptions, technical details, originalContinue reading “Our First Plug!”
If you are ever irritated by those teenagers sharing an ipod’s headphones and ignoring everything around them LOOK AWAY NOW!
They were far more “sharey” in the 90’s. That’s the 1890’s, of course. We stumbled across this photo the other day but we don’t know much about it. It’s apparently a group of listeners trying out the new fangled phonograph on headphones, treating it like a sort of communal ipod. We think this was probably a wayContinue reading “If you are ever irritated by those teenagers sharing an ipod’s headphones and ignoring everything around them LOOK AWAY NOW!”
Glamorous gramophones and other early playback devices #3
This little beauty from the EMI Archive Trust collection is an Oratiograph Phonograph which was made by John Schoenner in Germany in 1902 Its described by the Trust as: “…a is a fascinating small machine about which not much is known. They were made in Germany by the John Schoenner Factory in the early years of the 20th Century.Continue reading “Glamorous gramophones and other early playback devices #3”
Glamorous gramophones and other early playback devices #2
This is a seriously cute piece; it’s another Phonograph called ” Le Mervilleux” (Meaning = “Wonderful”) and was made by Henri Lioret around 1894. Our friends at EMI Archive Trust, who own it, describe it thus: “Henri Lioret was a respected clockmaker before turning his attention to phonographs. This unusual phonograph was made from around 1894,Continue reading “Glamorous gramophones and other early playback devices #2”
Glamorous gramophones and other early playback devices #1
This is the first of a series of early playback devices that are owned by the EMI Archive Trust. Its actually not a gramophone; its a phonograph. An Excelsior Pearl phonograph which was made in Cologne, Germany, in 1904 This is how the Trust describes the piece “Excelsior phonographs were produced by the Excelsiorwerk of CologneContinue reading “Glamorous gramophones and other early playback devices #1”
Sound Of The Hound 