Esoteric Sound
A mail-order business that has existed for over 35 years. Esoteric Sound has a wide variety of equipment of interest to the 78 enthusiast.
Equipment for Playing
78 rpm Records
To get the best sound out of 78s you should consider investing in the following:
—a receiver or amp with mono capability and a jack for plugging in a turntable, two functions sadly lacking on most modern digital equipment.
—analog equipment is preferable to digital, and vintage receivers and amps from the 1970s (the “Golden Age” of analog receivers) can be found for reasonable prices.
—a turntable capable of playing at 78 rpm. Here, a modern piece of equipment is probably a better investment. However, not all modern turntables have a 78 speed function, even those that are top of the line. Ideally, the turntable would have a function to slightly slow or increase the speed. Early recording engineers were not always diligent about recording exactly at 78 rpm, and for proper sound the speed of a 78 may need to be modified.
—a tonearm cartridge that uses different stylii sizes. The grooves of a 78 are wider than those for an LP. Consequently, you will get a better sound playing 78s by using a stylus made especially for 78s. And because 78 groove sizes and groove conditions can vary, it is advisable to have three or more 78 stylii of different shapes and sizes.
—a re-equalizer. A re-equalizer is not an equalizer. Prior to World War II the recording companies used varying equalization rates for their 78s. Equalization rates were standardized in the 1940s for both records and playback equipment. When playing a pre-World War II 78 with modern equipment a re-equalizer will allow the record to play back with its original sound.
—a set of good speakers.
Nauck’s Vintage Records
In addition to running 78 auctions, Kurt Nauck has a resource catalog. On his website he has 78s-related supplies such as quality sleeves (including the Disc-O-File record sleeves in 11 different sizes), books, CD-roms, etc. On the equipment side, he carries turntables, styli, re-equalizers, transcription tonearms, and more. He even has a machine for playing cylinders.
Audio Sensibility
Investing in quality cables and interconnects really does make a difference in audio sound when playing 78 records. Audio Sensibility is a Canadian firm providing a good product at a reasonable price, plus good service. Its wiring comes in both silver and copper. For an audio system devoted to playing 78 records, you might want to stick with copper, given its warmer sound.
Hagerman Audio Labs
The economical Archiver – JFET Variable Equalization Phonostage is a very flexible phonostage designed to replicate any known equalization curve (36 in total), from 78rpm shellacs up to the modern era. Check out Michael Fremer’s review in Tracking Angle.
Sweet Vinyl
The company produces a number of units to eliminate clicks and pops from records. Although initially designed for vinyl LPs, they work equally well on old shellac 78s. If music is worn out of the grooves, a Sweet Vinyl unit cannot replace it, but it can noticeably minimize disc surface noise caused by cracks, abrasions, and other defects. The SC-1 MINI is an economical unit that works well with 78s.
Miyajima Laboratory
The Miyajima “Spirit” Mono cartridge is specially designed for playing 78 rpm records. It’s not cheap, but it does provide exceptional sound and is worth the cost. The Japanese company does not sell its products outside of Japan, but there are Miyajima retail dealers in the United States. It should be noted that the markup by American dealers is high, so if you know someone in Japan who can make the purchase for you, that will be a considerable cost savings.
