I have a RCA Victor New Orthophonic High Fidelity, on the inside of the front left cabinet door is the plate that has the RCA Victor label and says Reg. No. D 17538, I believe it is from the 50's. Phonograph with am/fm radio above the pull out turntable, on the front, the top does not open. I recently found out what one of the settings 16rpms was for, so I am looking for 16rpms, mystery albums, etc. But most importanly this unit works, radio fine, but I was going to play some 33's and found I had a problem with the turntable, it is slow, so I need to find someone who can repair it, any help would be appraciated.

Any info on the year, locating any 16rpms and A REPAIRMAN PLEASE !! Thanks.

:I have a RCA Victor New Orthophonic High Fidelity, on the inside of the front left cabinet door is the plate that has the RCA Victor label and says Reg. No. D 17538, I believe it is from the 50's. Phonograph with am/fm radio above the pull out turntable, on the front, the top does not open. I recently found out what one of the settings 16rpms was for, so I am looking for 16rpms, mystery albums, etc. But most importanly this unit works, radio fine, but I was going to play some 33's and found I had a problem with the turntable, it is slow, so I need to find someone who can repair it, any help would be appraciated.
:
:Any info on the year, locating any 16rpms and A REPAIRMAN PLEASE !! Thanks.

::I have a RCA Victor New Orthophonic High Fidelity, on the inside of the front left cabinet door is the plate that has the RCA Victor label and says Reg. No. D 17538, I believe it is from the 50's. Phonograph with am/fm radio above the pull out turntable, on the front, the top does not open. I recently found out what one of the settings 16rpms was for, so I am looking for 16rpms, mystery albums, etc. But most importanly this unit works, radio fine, but I was going to play some 33's and found I had a problem with the turntable, it is slow, so I need to find someone who can repair it, any help would be appraciated.
::
::Any info on the year, locating any 16rpms and A REPAIRMAN PLEASE !! Thanks.

"Ooh Donna":
Also from the '50 's.
The thing I remember the 16's for the best was the
Talking Books for the blind. But I would suppose all
to have been purged with the advance of cassettes.
You didn't mention your geographics. That didn't sound like a valid model nr ...more like a serial.
If you were to get access to your tubes and find one/some of its original RCA tube(s) , I believe you would find the year (eg 54) and the week of the year (e.g.16) on it and the model is usually a year later.
I think it might be ~ 54-57 as about the later it was
neeewww STEREOPHONIC.
73's de Edd
eddw35@attbi.com (Interstellar~~~~Warp~~~~Speed)
FMW4409@DCCCD.EDU (Firewalled-Spam*Cookies*Crumbs)

Donna, I can't help you with a repairman, but I can tell you that 16 rpm records were used during the 1960s for a commercial background music system made by Seeburg jukebox company.Those records contain instrumental elevator music, and won't be easy to find.

This phono-radio combo was made during the 50's during which time RCA kept that same name up until l959 when stereo emerged. The term Orthophonic comes from Ortho which means EQUAL and Phonic which means sound:: hence it produced all sounds equally. As an RCA dealer during that time I sold many of these units. Your turntable is in need of a new rubber idler and a skilled cleaning and lubrication. Do not get near it with WD-40 or a can of machine oil!!!! I suspect the cartridge is also weak along with a worn or chipped stylus. By the way, RCA did not manufacture those changers, they were under a sub contract. Good Luck. :I have a RCA Victor New Orthophonic High Fidelity, on the inside of the front left cabinet door is the plate that has the RCA Victor label and says Reg. No. D 17538, I believe it is from the 50's. Phonograph with am/fm radio above the pull out turntable, on the front, the top does not open. I recently found out what one of the settings 16rpms was for, so I am looking for 16rpms, mystery albums, etc. But most importanly this unit works, radio fine, but I was going to play some 33's and found I had a problem with the turntable, it is slow, so I need to find someone who can repair it, any help would be appraciated.
:
:Any info on the year, locating any 16rpms and A REPAIRMAN PLEASE !! Thanks.

:I have a RCA Victor New Orthophonic High Fidelity, on the inside of the front left cabinet door is the plate that has the RCA Victor label and says Reg. No. D 17538, I believe it is from the 50's. Phonograph with am/fm radio above the pull out turntable, on the front, the top does not open. I recently found out what one of the settings 16rpms was for, so I am looking for 16rpms, mystery albums, etc. But most importanly this unit works, radio fine, but I was going to play some 33's and found I had a problem with the turntable, it is slow, so I need to find someone who can repair it, any help would be appraciated.
:
:Any info on the year, locating any 16rpms and A REPAIRMAN PLEASE !! Thanks.
We Repair all makes and Models or RCA Victrolas.
90 Day Warranty
Rochester NY Location

:I have a RCA Victor New Orthophonic High Fidelity, on the inside of the front left cabinet door is the plate that has the RCA Victor label and says Reg. No. D 17538, I believe it is from the 50's.

In 1953, RCA introduced the term "New Orthophonic" for its phonographs and records. As another person in the thread indicated, it meant 'equal sound' -- i. e., high fidelity with wide bandwidth. The New Orthophonic recording/playback curve was quite similar to the later RIAA curve. RCA classical records issued in 1953, using the New Orthophonic curve, included things like a new processing of Toscanini's famous 1950 performance of La Mer (with improved sound) and many new records by the Boston Symphony: they DID sound better, with extended bass and highs. The New Orthophonic phonos were certainly not what we consider "high fidelity" today, and were not much better than the commercial products of their competitors. Still, one is a bit nostalgic for old-timey RCA Victor and its concept of producing good, solid products across a wide spectrum, from mikes and radio transmitters, to 45 rpm records and cheap players.

:I recently found out what one of the settings 16rpms was for, so I am looking for 16rpms, mystery albums, etc.

You may be disappointed. At one point, in the eighties, I had amassed a collection of over 13,000 LPs but never even SAW a single 16-2/3 rpm record in my entire life! (I started collecting in 1949.) I do remember, however, that the Vox company issued some classical repressings of their older material, perhaps in 1959-60, which played for about 45 minutes per side. At the low modulation levels, and considering the typical standards of Vox's noisy vinyl, these must have been pretty awful. I don't remember many pops albums but seem to remember that 16-2/3 rpm was also used (briefly) for a car record player unit (!) designed by Peter Goldmark, and sold in the late fifties in Chrysler Corporation autos. Never heard one; can only *imagine* how wretched this must have been!

:But most importanly this unit works, radio fine, but I was going to play some 33's and found I had a problem with the turntable, it is slow, so I need to find someone who can repair it, any help would be appraciated.

Well, this thing will probably TEAR UP your records. A possibly better solution will be to fix up an audio input and play oldies from CDs. I do that with my Magnavox console radio (c.1947) which has a fine working changer -- and no needle!

Yours,
Steve Waldee
retired broadcast chief engineer, SF bay area

:Any info on the year, locating any 16rpms and A REPAIRMAN PLEASE !! Thanks.

::I have a RCA Victor New Orthophonic High Fidelity, on the inside of the front left cabinet door is the plate that has the RCA Victor label and says Reg. No. D 17538, I believe it is from the 50's.
:
:In 1953, RCA introduced the term "New Orthophonic" for its phonographs and records

:I forgot to add that "Orthophonic" was a Victor trademark introduced around 1926 or so, to describe their excellent acoustical phonograph using an exponential horn. It had very decent audio performance, to judge from the model owned by John Mullins that I had the privilege of hearing in the 1960's. New Orthophonic was RCA Victor's way of nostalgically commemorating that watershed, I suppose.
SRW

I recently came across aRCA new orthophonic high fidelity record player from the estate of an old man. It looks pretty old and dusty, but I plugged it in and it works, it even has two old 33's in it that are old as well. I think it needs a new needle because it sounded like it was trying to play, but not very well. Do you have any idea where to buy a new needle for it? My E-mail address is buckeye@tampabay.rr.com::I have a RCA Victor New Orthophonic High Fidelity, on the inside of the front left cabinet door is the plate that has the RCA Victor label and says Reg. No. D 17538, I believe it is from the 50's.
:
:In 1953, RCA introduced the term "New Orthophonic" for its phonographs and records. As another person in the thread indicated, it meant 'equal sound' -- i. e., high fidelity with wide bandwidth. The New Orthophonic recording/playback curve was quite similar to the later RIAA curve. RCA classical records issued in 1953, using the New Orthophonic curve, included things like a new processing of Toscanini's famous 1950 performance of La Mer (with improved sound) and many new records by the Boston Symphony: they DID sound better, with extended bass and highs. The New Orthophonic phonos were certainly not what we consider "high fidelity" today, and were not much better than the commercial products of their competitors. Still, one is a bit nostalgic for old-timey RCA Victor and its concept of producing good, solid products across a wide spectrum, from mikes and radio transmitters, to 45 rpm records and cheap players.
:
::I recently found out what one of the settings 16rpms was for, so I am looking for 16rpms, mystery albums, etc.
:
:You may be disappointed. At one point, in the eighties, I had amassed a collection of over 13,000 LPs but never even SAW a single 16-2/3 rpm record in my entire life! (I started collecting in 1949.) I do remember, however, that the Vox company issued some classical repressings of their older material, perhaps in 1959-60, which played for about 45 minutes per side. At the low modulation levels, and considering the typical standards of Vox's noisy vinyl, these must have been pretty awful. I don't remember many pops albums but seem to remember that 16-2/3 rpm was also used (briefly) for a car record player unit (!) designed by Peter Goldmark, and sold in the late fifties in Chrysler Corporation autos. Never heard one; can only *imagine* how wretched this must have been!
:
::But most importanly this unit works, radio fine, but I was going to play some 33's and found I had a problem with the turntable, it is slow, so I need to find someone who can repair it, any help would be appraciated.
:
:Well, this thing will probably TEAR UP your records. A possibly better solution will be to fix up an audio input and play oldies from CDs. I do that with my Magnavox console radio (c.1947) which has a fine working changer -- and no needle!
:
:Yours,
:Steve Waldee
:retired broadcast chief engineer, SF bay area
:
:
::Any info on the year, locating any 16rpms and A REPAIRMAN PLEASE !! Thanks.

I too have a RCA Victor New Orthophonic High Fidelity,
which belonged to my great aunt... on the inside of the front left cabinet door is the plate that has the RCA Victor label and says Reg. No. D 14395.

any info on this unit would be great.. it just makes a humming sound when plugged in.. I remember that it used to sound pretty nice.... I think maybe a tube is not working...
thanks
azjammin@msn.com

Hi Eric,
The humming sound you mention is very likely the electrolytic filter capacitors, which tend to degrade with age. It is best not to operate your RCA until these are replaced. For more specific information, a model or chassis number will be required. Look for additional information on paper labels inside the cabinet. There should be a tube layout diagram, which probably contains a model number. If that cannot be found, look for any numbers which are ink-stamped on the chassis.
Poston

:I too have a RCA Victor New Orthophonic High Fidelity,
:which belonged to my great aunt... on the inside of the front left cabinet door is the plate that has the RCA Victor label and says Reg. No. D 14395.
:
:any info on this unit would be great.. it just makes a humming sound when plugged in.. I remember that it used to sound pretty nice.... I think maybe a tube is not working...
:thanks
:azjammin@msn.com
:

16rpm RECORDS, I STILL HAVE SEVERAL 16RPM ALBUMS, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED E-MAIL ME AND I'LL GET THEM OUT TO SEE WHAT I HAVE LEFT. THE TURNTABLE MAY BE SPEEDED UP WITH A REMOVAL OF THE OLD GREASE AND REPLACEMENT WITH WHITE LUB. IF THE RUBBER ON THE DRIVE WHEELS HAS GOTEN OLD AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, A MAN IN ARKANSAS DOES THAT, I WILL TRY TO GET HIS ADDRESS IF YOU NEED HIM.
Haskell
:I have a RCA Victor New Orthophonic High Fidelity, on the inside of the front left cabinet door is the plate that has the RCA Victor label and says Reg. No. D 17538, I believe it is from the 50's. Phonograph with am/fm radio above the pull out turntable, on the front, the top does not open. I recently found out what one of the settings 16rpms was for, so I am looking for 16rpms, mystery albums, etc. But most importanly this unit works, radio fine, but I was going to play some 33's and found I had a problem with the turntable, it is slow, so I need to find someone who can repair it, any help would be appraciated.
:
:Any info on the year, locating any 16rpms and A REPAIRMAN PLEASE !! Thanks.