PHONOGRAPH VERSUS RADIO.

Shannon News, 19 April 1927, Page 3

PHONOGRAPH VERSUS RADIO.

The following interesting discussion of the respective merits of the phonograph and the wireless set was recently issued from 3LO, the leading Melbourne wireless broadcasting station. The writer, "Kay Dio," takes- a very broadminded view of the matter: — A very great advance has recently been made in the design of phonographs and in phonograph records. Due tothe intensive research into the physics of sound and the reproduction of sound wave forms in broadcasting, particularlv in relation to the' loud speakers, great deal has been learned, and this knowledge has been utilised not only in perfecting Tadio receivers, but also in improving phonographs. The improvement in the phonographs such as the superphonic, used recently in the 3LO studio so successfully, will "make the broadcasting industry look to its laurels. The reproduction of music specially recorded by methods learnt or borrowed from the radio field has already resulted in the improvement of the quality of the music. And it is the tonal of music that requires most improvement in broadcasting. \ GOOD QUALITY IN RADIO NEEDED. ■ The tests by which the success of broadcasting as a musical entertain- j ment can by gauged are mainly:—The volume ,that can be picked up, its free- j I dom from distorting or interfering nois- ! es, the ability to pick up various staI tious readily to the exclusion of the unwanted stations and the tonal quality •of music. , The volume and the selectivity problems have ben solved, or are nearing solution in the refinements of the sound collecting equipment, the transmitting apparatus, and of the receivers. The majority of listeners can now get sufficient volume, and operate their sets with reasonable selectivity, if they are prepared to obtain average good receivers; and the activity of the trade shows that people are abandoning the obsolete type 3 and purchasing or assembling one or other of the several reliable sets that are now available. Presumably there will be a large /percentage of listeners ror some time to come who will be content .to rely on their old sets; and the desire to obtain more satisfaction from the service will not make itself felt. It will be as in the motor car or the phonograph industry; financial or other demands will comptl people to stick to what they have got and postpone indefinitely the purchase of the better car or gramophone. But there are many discriminating listeners to whom the novelty of broadcasting does not appeal; they want their money's wort-h in faithful reproduction ofmu&ic. The volume will not interest them as as the quality of the sounds of music emitted by the loud speaker. The selectivity problems are more or less settled: there are many types of sets available with sufficient selectivity for the most fastidious, so long as due attention is paid''to "the aerial-earth system. But'thoughtful listeners will not be content with a set that cuts out all the stations except the one -desired; that station's transmission, or rather, the receiver's versioli of it must be pleasing. Now this desirable tonal quality is not yet available to the average lis-, tener. even if he uses the average good receiver. There is nearly always evident some defect, ' some distortion of music, particularly band or orchestra music. This distortion is due almost entirely to the receivers, although some of'it is caused by transmitter variations. The loud speakers, with the exception of the better models of cone sneakers,-are fruitful causes of unpleasant reproduction, no matter how excellent may be the transmission or the receiver tuner. The type of valve used ■in the audio stages and the method of audio amplification also bring in distortion or exaggeration. If phonographs are improved, as they are being improved in tonal quality, people will go back to their phonoI graphs for.music. It Avas expected that radio would displace the phonograph but a recent investigation in Americit ! showed that 80 per cent. of the listeneiv had phonographs, and used them. If, then, the phonograph gives first-class music, faithful and undistorted, while the radio is a true reproducer only on occasions, it is not difficult to see a reaction against broadcasting. The radio would then be used only for speeches or special announcements and spoits descriptions. SPEECH QUALITY BETTER ON, . RADIO. The reproduction of speech in' broadeasting, even with inefficient jeceivers. is satisfactory; the technical problems involved in speech transmission and ! eception are not so serious as with music. Not that :nany of the receiversat present in use do not need improve ment; they need scrapping, in fact. But if broadcasting is to remain primarily an entertainment service, and it looks as if it will, then the quality or mune produced by many types of receivers and loud speakers will have to be improved very considerably. The novelty of broadcasting—the psychological factor —may hold .listeners for a time, but not very long, if better music can be obtained from a phonograph.