Wow ! I just finished these 25 pages of fun and informative reading. Scoring nice condition and good sounding 78s is not an easy task, especially in this new millenium. Simply consider all the previous searching, which was already done decades ago by the then up and coming bands...
If you are lucky enough to have a 78 disc and 45 single of the same musician's title, there is no doubt the mixes will differ. They will probably sound very different. Chances are the "takes" or mix will be very different. You might even prefer the 78 !
When discussing how discs "sound," proper phono EQ benefits immensely. Judging from these first 25 pages, while some of us transcribe to tape or digital, many of us simply like to spin and play records. With well recorded 78s, there is a surprising sense of "aliveness" unlike any other record speed. Frequency response bandwidth may not be as extended as with later, slower speed singles, EPs and Lps, but the sense of depth, height and width is definitely alive and well with mono (or dual mono using our stereo) systems.
When playing and then recording, or transferring to digital for future playback, there can be a "trade-off" or compromise concerning factors like lower noise, musical instrument character and dynamic range. If we pass the signal from our phono pickup cartridges to our preamps, or the digital conversion process preamps, then through noise reduction devices or more processors, the resulting sound might sound better or simply cleaner, but definitely different. Then, we must also consider our preferences. Saving precious 78s from further wear and de-noising seem like good ideas. But, simply spinning these discs is a real thrill for many of us. Fortunately, we have a multitude of choices. Any serious collector of all speed discs acquires an arsenal of playback equipment.
For those acoustically recorded discs, usually pre-1925, some of us have very old, heavyweight machines with acoustical horns and very heavy tracking forces. While stunning and period correct, consider the recording process. The musicians gather around a horn mouth and play, while the horn throat uses a transducer to cut grooves onto a wax disc. Everyone knows the megaphone type, blasting midrange sound when speaking or shouting from the throat through the horn. However, shouting through a horn mouth and listening at the throat will present a sound which is anything but loud. "Thin" and "tinny" would be apt terms. Of course, playing 1925 or earlier discs, via acoustical horn equipped Victrolas, Orthophonics, Berliners, Edisons et al is a thrill all by itself. The horn acts like an equalizer...
There are many transcription engineers and recordists very aware of how to electronically "equalize" the acoustical sound for the better. However, that requires more signal processing, more gain stages and results in inevitable changes in musical instrument characteristics, sometimes for the better. Yet, if you simply wish to spin and play those antique discs electrically, using a much lighter tracking tonearm, there can be simpler methods. Perhaps, the most important ingredient is having variable phono EQ playback curves available at the preamp stage. With acoustically recorded discs, as well as many electronically recorded 78s, I have found the phono playback EQ curve known as "800" to be most useful. Here is a graph, derived from an advertising brochure of a Fisher 50-PR Variable Phono EQ preamplifier, circa 1952-1953, which includes the "800" EQ Turnover to illustrate how much more midrange is amplified during playback...
The "800" EQ often becomes my "go-to" curve when dull or thin sounding sounding 78s are encountered. Having this curve able to be quickly switched-in is truly ear-opening...In fact, once you have switchable, precision EQ networks available for playback, within your phono preamp stage, besides being able to quickly discern "proper" equalization, your playback enjoyment factor might quickly increase.....
