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Audio1950 · 25th Nov 2012, 9:01 pm

The "Exhibition" and the No.2 had a much smaller, thicker diaphram, and a somewhat cruder stylus bar suspension. When electrical recording became the norm, a new soundbox had to be made to cope with the more heavily modulated grooves, hence the No.4. The No.4 is by far the better sounding of all three, but, as said before, the Exhibition will play anything, but if we're getting really technical, it will probably be at the expense of your more modern records, due to it's limited range of movement. How much of an effect this would have in practise, I can't tell you. I don't monitor my 78s that closely, I'm afraid. To sum up, the final choice is down to you, whether you want historical accuracy, or worry-free music!

I've just measured the O/D of the HMV arm that my Exhibition is fitted to, and it's slightly smaller than 3/4", it's 11/16".

Barry

25th Nov 2012, 9:01 pm	#4
Audio1950 Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Whittlesey, near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK. Posts: 3,761	Re: HMV and Columbia soundbox identification The "Exhibition" and the No.2 had a much smaller, thicker diaphram, and a somewhat cruder stylus bar suspension. When electrical recording became the norm, a new soundbox had to be made to cope with the more heavily modulated grooves, hence the No.4. The No.4 is by far the better sounding of all three, but, as said before, the Exhibition will play anything, but if we're getting really technical, it will probably be at the expense of your more modern records, due to it's limited range of movement. How much of an effect this would have in practise, I can't tell you. I don't monitor my 78s that closely, I'm afraid. To sum up, the final choice is down to you, whether you want historical accuracy, or worry-free music! I've just measured the O/D of the HMV arm that my Exhibition is fitted to, and it's slightly smaller than 3/4", it's 11/16". Barry