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Topic: Varying Playback Speeds on Shellac Records (78 rpm, 80 rpm, 81 rpm, etc.)

4th May 2021, 9:22 AM
	xiphophilos Member since Dec 2013 3351 Points Moderator	Some more relevant comments by Tim Brooks: "The first Climax and Columbia discs seem to hover in the 74-76 rpm range, and later releases about 76-78 rpm, although there are exceptions." "During the 1910s Victor advertised its records as playing “correctly” at 78 rpm, and Columbia maintained that its records should be reproduced at 80 rpm, although both speeds are manifestly too fast. Only Edison (at 160 rpm for cylinders, 80 rpm for discs) played as advertised. The reason Victor and Columbia gave their customers patently wrong advice about proper playing speeds is unclear. One researcher has suggested that perhaps the heavy tone arms of the day produced so much drag that the turntable had to be set a couple of revolutions too fast in order for the record to play properly when the tone arm was lowered on to the disc’s surface. Another theory is that the records sounded “brighter” when played a little fast. There were complaints about this state of affairs even at the time. A letter to the Talking Machine World in 1908 asked why speeds could not be indicated on the label. Some European Odeons, the writer observed, were marked with the notation “74R,” meaning play at 74 rpm. But Columbia and Victor weren't listening, and not until the advent of electrical recording in 1925 did speeds settle down (more or less) to 78 rpm, as advertised." https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/resources/detail/129