On Thursday 11 November 2004 11:35 pm, Timothy Payne wrote: >>> snip > I would think it would have to be at 78 rpm as who would write a program > to convert the data coming in. I have an old metal recording of a > relative long gone I'd like to record but I hate to think what it would > do to my needle on my turn table. Tim: I'd be more concerned about the record. The standard groove for 78 rpm records had a .003 inch radius at the point whereas 33 and 45 rpm records used a .001 inch tip radius, so using a more modern needle on a 78 rpm record causes the downward force of the needle to be borne on the bottom of the groove as opposed to its sides. And, the last that I heard (40+ years ago), the needles used at the slower speeds had diamond tips. Given that diamond is considerably harder than either metal or shellac (the material commonly used for commercial 78 recordings, my bet is that the record is at risk and not the needle. (There's some personal history involved here. I once trashed one of my father's prized 78 rpm records when I forgot to swap the cartridges. A heated discussion ensued.) -- cmg
