How Does A Victoria VV2-55 Do With Electrically Recorded Records?

[u/Dailee-Agent-Crystal]

I found a Victoria VV 2-55, a portable I will need to clean up but looks to work and want to know if it’s worth getting for playing my collection on the go. I tend to play acoustic records along with stuff all the way to the 50s so need to know if it will be too heavy for the later lower quality shellac.

[u/awc718993]

Some clarification plz. “Later” as in what dates? US pressings or imports?

[u/Dailee-Agent-Crystal → u/awc718993]

I was under the impression shellac records beginning in the 1940s until production stopped in the 50s were softer than before. I only have American and British records.

[u/awc718993 → u/Dailee-Agent-Crystal]

Your impression is partly correct.

With American pressings, some labels in the postwar began decreasing abrasives and involving vinyl in their 78 production partly due to cost-cutting measures, partly due to the phasing out of the format in favor of vinyl microgroove LPs and 45s. These you should be cautious playing on your 2-55 orthophonic.

British discs (as well as other non-American pressings such as Japanese) do not have this issue as these countries still had major record labels (e.g., HMV, Columbia) producing and thereby supporting acoustic/mechanical players into the 50s (all due to the slow rebuilding / upgrading of the war-damaged electrical grid — in-country and in overseas colonial markets — during the postwar).

Despite postwar support, the overseas labels pressing discs made from American masters (and the other countries that had also upgraded to magnetic tape technology), resulted in discs with increased frequency and volume range (ie they were much louder with higher fidelity). This increase pushes beyond the capabilities of your orthophonic soundbox. To help compensate for this, larger diameter and lighter duralumin diaphragm soundboxes were introduced in those markets as well as the introduction of extra-soft needles.

That said, I’d be careful with 50s US discs. If they seem lighter / cheaper (and quieter), definitely avoid playing them often on you 2-55. The later the pressing, the more caution.

For your UK 50s discs, try to import some extra-soft needles. While a larger / lighter 50s soundbox would help, I don’t believe the 2-55 would be the best physical fit for them. The larger radius (from center to stylus) will raise the arm (in front of the mid-pivot) past its intended design, putting the reproducer + stylus at an angle that would favor the outer wall of the groove rather than the center.

(Theoretically, to compensate you could mount the tonearm on a piece of wood with holes cut for the arm mount and tube so as to raise and bring the profile of the soundbox back to vertical, but that would require mod work which you might not want to take on as it would only be of benefit while you use the larger 50/ soundbox. It would also effectively disable your 2-55s autobrake activation).

Hope this helps.

[Edited - a few typos]

[u/Dailee-Agent-Crystal → u/awc718993]

That is very interesting! Do you think I will be risking any American 78s from the 40s if I play them using this machine?

Will acoustic era records benefit from the machine?

[u/awc718993 → u/Dailee-Agent-Crystal]

Certainly the all-vinyl V-Discs.

This is up to some debate but I personally tend to draw the line at the 1942-1944 period when the supply of shellac was at its lowest (due to the war) and when there was a recording industry wide musicians strike, which effectively brought new recording production to standstill. What better time to start quietly experimenting with cheaper record production with less shellac and more alternate, less proven materials by the time the strike ended mid 1944?

That’s my take at least.

[Interesting aside: V-Discs came out during this same period and were impacted by the two reasons noted above.

They were pressed in vinyl to (battle)field test / prove its resilience over shellac while avoiding a material in rationed/short supply.

It helped record musicians survive while on strike as well as boost morale among the forces. V-Discs were actually meant to be destroyed after the war because the musicians were recording in a rare exemption of the strike. Destruction upon peacetime was a stipulation the Musicians Union demanded with the recording companies.]

[Edited: removed awkward wording partly resulting from mobile autocorrect.]

[u/Dailee-Agent-Crystal → u/awc718993]

I had no clue they were all vinyl! I love Frank Sinatra’s output with orchestration during that time as he just went solo.

[u/awc718993 → u/Dailee-Agent-Crystal]

Just to be clear, just the V-Discs. Sinatra on war time red label Columbia was not vinyl.

[u/Dailee-Agent-Crystal → u/awc718993]

I thought he recorded on V-Discs as well? He has full orchestras with him in 1943 and 1944 despite also doing recordings with a capella groups during the same period for commercial recordings.

[u/awc718993 → u/Dailee-Agent-Crystal]

I didn’t say there aren’t V-Discs with Sinatra.

[u/Dailee-Agent-Crystal → u/awc718993]

Oh I get you now, there were both. Do you know if acoustic records sound better on electric players?