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Lot 595W
MAGNETIC RECORDING: WESTERN ELECTRIC. Mirrophone, Magnetic Tape Recorder, c.1942, wood and metal case, 395 x 330 x 488 mm,
5 December 2018, 14:00 EST
New YorkUS$1,000 - US$2,000
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MAGNETIC RECORDING: WESTERN ELECTRIC.
Mirrophone, Magnetic Tape Recorder, c.1942, wood and metal case, 395 x 330 x 488 mm, front panel with speaker, cathode ray indicator, motorized time indicator, volume dial, selector switch, 1/4-inch microphone jack, side with external 1/4-inch external speaker jack and internal speaker switch, removable back panel with power cord.
Bell Labs had been researching magnetic recording for some time before the development of Mirrophone which used Vicalloy tape—essentially magnetized metal ribbon—to record a 1-minute loop. It was far superior to the wire recording that had been developed by Danish physicist Valdemar Poulsen in 1898. The Germans had also been developing magnetic recording in a slightly different direction at the time, but their work was mostly unknown to the Americans due to WWII.
Bell Labs had been researching magnetic recording for some time before the development of Mirrophone which used Vicalloy tape—essentially magnetized metal ribbon—to record a 1-minute loop. It was far superior to the wire recording that had been developed by Danish physicist Valdemar Poulsen in 1898. The Germans had also been developing magnetic recording in a slightly different direction at the time, but their work was mostly unknown to the Americans due to WWII.



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