Question about 78's?

The way around this is to record these albums using an editor such as Adobe Audition, or maybe Garage Band at 45 rpm then using the math, increase the speed by 1.73333, and you end up with what is essentially 78. You will then need to burn it to a CD as stereo 16but 44.1kHz to play in a CD player. It defeats the purpose of having a turntable to listen directly to the albums, but since finding a turntable with a 78rpm setting is getting harder and harder, what else is there to do.

Playing 78s can be fun, especially when

you get one with something really good on it.

I have hundreds (possibly over 1,000) 78s.

They are heavy, fragile, lo-fi, and often very noisy,

but all of that is part of the adventure.

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Get a 'table with 78 RPM.

Lots of them are available.

An idler-drive Dual (any model in the 1000 series

and some in the 1200 series) in good condition

would be a good choice.(I have several of them).

It's easy to determine: Look for "78" near the speed selector.

Old Collaro changers (found in many Magnavox models

and a few Curtis Mathes models) are good, if they work right.

V-M (Voice Of Music) changers are sometimes OK,

but many have developed mechanical problems

that can be corrected only at a high cost

in relation to the cost/value of the changer as a whole..

New?

An Audio-Technica 120 or 1240 would be the least expensive.

It is important to know that 78s have grooves

that are about 3 times as wide as the grooves on an LP,

which means that you will need a stylus (needle)

with a tip radius between 2.5 and 3.5 mils.

Note: A very, very small number of 'microgroove' 10" 78s

have been made. These must be played with an LP stylus.

One I know of (but don't own) is by Joe "King" Carrasco.

A very large number of 7" 78 RPM kiddie records

are also microgroove discs.

The Peter Pan label promoted theirs as having

the same playing time as a standard 10" (wide groove) 78.

(Of course, this can be true of only certain selections.)

While flip-over styli with both tip sizes are common

in the ceramic (crystal) cartridges used in most changers*,

there is a very limited selection of "78" tips available

for the magnetic carts used on better 'tables.

Stylus assemblies for playing 78s with magnetic carts

are always optional and must be sought out.

Sources of special styli include

Esoteric Sound and KAB Electro-Acoustics.

Magnetic carts require amplification and

equalization that ceramic carts don't.

Nevertheless, magnetic is always better,

for a large number of reasons.

The most conventional and convenient way to

deal with this when adding a turntable to something

that doesn't contain the necessary circuitry

is by using a separate phono preamp ($50 and up;

ART makes a very good one at an affordable price).

A couple of asides:

1.

Purists use special playback equalization (as opposed to

the standard RIAA curve used for most LPs) to achieve

the best possible sound character from each record.

2.

Many older records were not cut at 78.26 RPM.

Acoustic-cut Columbias, and all Edison Diamond Discs,

should be played at 80.00 RPM.

Early Victor discs were cut at all sorts of speeds

between about 72 and about 82 RPM.

[I have one that says "SPEED 82" on the label.]

These speed differences are very noticeable

when one has the means to experiment, as I do.

* Caution:

Many modern stylus replacements for ceramic carts

have two LP tips, usually one diamond (better)

and one sapphire (worse) instead of one LP and one 78.

Check carefully before buying one!

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One more thing:

If your stereo doesn't have a line-level input

(aux, CD, etc), you won't be able to

connect a separate turntable or changer to it.

I suggest that, before you do anything else,

get a local audiophile or a repair technician

to look at what you have and tell you

what is and what isn't possible to do with it.

"Do they sell something that I can add to it that will play 78's?"

No.

If the turntable only has two speeds, you can't add a third. Your only option is to buy another turntable, that can play 78's (but be aware - the sound quality of 78rpm records is generally appalling).

You can buy vintage turntables that play 78s on ebay. I have one, I think it's from the 1970s.

They used to but they're probably not making new ones.