Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

New Phonograph and Record Unique Record and Record Player Introduced by RCA Victor Pro- vide Finest Quality of Reproduction at Low Cost — 7-Inch Discs Operate at 45 Revolutions a Minute. AN entirely new system for the £\_ reproduction of recorded music in the home, resulting in a new type of phonog-raph and record which deliver the finest quality rec- ord reproduction at low cost in the history of the phonograph record industrj', was announced by the RCA Victor Division of Radio Cor- poration of America, on January 10. The new phonograph and record operate at 45 revolutions per minute and provide completely distortion- free music of unprecedented bril- liance and clarity of tone. The .^mall-size record, just under seven inches in diameter, is capable of handling, in a single disc size, all musical classifications from popular to classical. In his formal announcement of RCA Victor's development of the new system for the reproduction of recorded music, J. G. Wilson, Execu- tive Vice President in charge of the RCA Victor Division, declared: "This is the best phonograph rec- ord ever made. It was developed jointly with its own unique record player. The combination of these two makes available to the Amer- ican home recorded music of a qual- ity and fidelity never before possible at low cost." The new record player, Mr. Wil- son stated, contains the fastest record-changing mechanism ever devised and its radically advanced design eliminates 75 percent of the problems encountered in conven- tional changers. Another important aspect of the new system, he added, lies in the fact that the distortion-free, noise- free performance made possible by the new 45-rpm record player and records opens the way for the de- velopment of home instruments of wider frequency range and truer fidelity. RCA Victor, he disclosed, is planning along these lines. The new record and record player climax more than 10 years of re- search and refinement in this field by RCA. In addition to the record, three new instruments incorporating the new system have been announced. These instruments are an auto- matic record-playing attachment and a complete automatic phono- graph, both remarkable for their small size, simplicity and ability to provide high quality performance; and a combination console instru- ment incorporating a radio, a con- ventional 78-rpm record player, and the new 45-rpm player in a cabinet smaller than conventional models. The record developed for this new system is a light-weight, wafer-thin, non-breakable vinyl plastic disc un- usual also for its IV2 inch center spindle hole. Because of the operating speed of record and player, the short playtime requirements of popular selections as well as the lengthier playtime of symphonies and other classical selections, can be handled. The record delivers up to five minutes and 15 seconds of playing time per side, and, with the rapid action of the new changer, up to 42 minutes of undistorted music. The heart of the new instrument is a revolutionary automatic record changer mechanism, the outstanding characteristic of which is the large. lV2-inch red plastic-capped center spindle which houses the trigger- fast drop mechanism. It holds up to eight records. The action of the mechanism is entirely noiseless and even the drop of the record is scarcely audible. Operation Virtually Noise-Free Each of the new instruments has a small tone arm, exerting a pres- sure of only 5 grams on the record, and equipped with a Silent Sapphire permanent-point pickup, contribut- ing to virtually noise-free reproduc- tion. Emphasizing that for the first time the industry now has recoi'd playing equipment and records for EIGHT OF THE NEW SEVEN INCH REC- ORDS, WHEN PLACED ON THE SPINDLE OF THE COMPACT AUTOMATIC RECORD PLAYER, PROVIDE 42 MINUTES OF UN- DISTORTED REPRODUCTION. the home that are made for each Other, Mr. Wilson declared: "The new instruments and records repre- sent a logical, significant advance in the evolution of recorded music. "Recognizing this as an evolution- ary advance," he continued, "we firmly believe that the market for conventional 78-rpm records will not be seriously affected immediately, but will continue strong for many years to come. "In homes throughout America," he said, "there are Ui million record players designed for use with the 78-rpm records which have been standard for 50 years. This market must, and will, be serviced. Mindful of this, RCA Victor will continue a heavy production schedule on rec- ords of this type. The company will also continue to support dealers with the full weight of its advertising, promotion, and merchandising pro- grams on Victor's 78-rpm records. "All of our planning is based on our belief that the new 45-rpm re- producing system and record are of an evolutionary, rather than a revo- lutionary nature." Pointing out that the introduction of this new system has been long [RADIO AGE 9]