General Information

Serial #

C 10456

Part Number

1

Total Parts

8

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Dark wood cabinet with metal knobs; metal turntable with a yellow felt pad, metal arm and metal needles; metal hardware; synthetic plug with metal prongs.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

85.5 cm

Width

53.0 cm

Height

87.3 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Communications

Category

Sound

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

VICTOR

Country

Canada

State/Province

Quebec

City

Montreal

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

1925-1928

Canada

When Victor introduced the Orthophonic Victrola line in late 1925, the Granada was second in price only to the deluxe Credenza model. At this time phonograph sales were in decline due in part to growing competition from radio. Along with Victor's new electrically recorded disks, the Orthophonics briefly revived the fortunes of the company and its Canadian subsidiary. This particular example of the Granada was originally owned by Mania Finkelstein, who used it to play popular music and a large collection of Jewish (Hebrew, Yiddish and other language) recordings. After her death in 1975, the phonograph was inherited by her stepson, Mr. Moe Segal. A prominent member of the Ottawa Jewish community, Mr. Segal occasionally played records on the machine over the next ten years. He subsequently donated most of the cantorial music in Ms. Finkelstein's collection to his synagogue.

Function

To reproduce sound recorded on grooved disks.

Technical

Victor introduced the "Orthophonic Victrola" line in late 1925. These machines were designed to optimize the sound reproduction of the new, electrically recorded records entering the market at this time. Although the recordings were made using microphones and electronic amplification, the Orthophonic Victrola was a refinement of the conventional acoustical-mechanical system of sound reproduction. The reproducer featured a pleated aluminum diaphragm and a stylus assembly set in ball bearings to improve needle response. A folded, exponential horn maximized the efficiency with which the energy of the diaphragm's vibrations was coupled to the air, converting the high pressure, low displacement movements of the diaphragm to the low pressure, high displacement fluctuations of sound waves in the room. Though technically this was not amplification, the system produced a loud output with relatively little distortion. It was the high point in acoustical-mechanical phonograph design, but within five years it was rendered obsolete by improved electrical pickups and electronic amplifiers. Motive power for the turntable was provided either by the standard Victrola spring motor or, in the case of this particular Granada, an optional electric motor.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Mfr's decal [lid of cabinet]:"John Raper Piano Co./Ottawa/Orthophonic/Victrola/ TRADE MARKS REG'D/Victor Talking Machine of Company of Canada, Limited/[logo of the company] HIS MASTER'S VOICE/FROM JOHN RAPER PIANO CO. LIMITED, OTTAWA". Mfr's plate [inside of cabinet]:"Theather of the home"/VICTOR/TRADE MARK"S REG'D/VICTOR TALKING MACHINE CO./OF CANADA, LIMITED. MONTREAL/"The gift that keeps on giving"/GRANADA C10456/PATENTED 1925.1926". Mfr's [arm]:"VICTOR TALKING MACHINE CO./CAMDEN, N.J./U.S.A./VICTOR ORTHOPHONIC/REG. U.S. PATENT/[unable to decipher small print on inner arm of the orthophonic victrola]

Missing

Nothing missing.

Finish

Dark wood cabinet with metal knobs; metal turntable with a yellow felt pad, metal arm and metal needles; metal hardware; synthetic plug with metal prongs.

Decoration

Decorative legs, a decorative circle on the front of the cabinet, decorative circles on the back of the cabinet for air flow; a decorative decal scroll work surround a dog speaking into a megaphone.