phonographs

A phonograph is a device that records and reproduces sound by mechanically etching grooves onto a rotating medium and then tracing those grooves with a stylus to produce audible vibrations. It was invented by Thomas Edison in 1877 for cylindrical records, using wax cylinders and a horn-based acoustic amplifier. The term is often used to refer to early cylinder-based devices, though it is regularly applied to disc-based systems as well.

In the 1880s Emile Berliner developed the disc recording method, which used flat, circular discs and a narrow stylus tracking a spiral groove. Discs proved easier to mass-produce and distribute, and they eventually supplanted cylinders in most markets. Early playback was acoustic, with the stylus-driven groove causing vibrations that traveled through a horn.

Electric recording and amplification arrived in the 1920s, improving fidelity. Shellac discs at 78 rpm dominated until the 1950s, when vinyl records and new speeds—33 1/3 rpm for long-playing records and 45 rpm for singles—became standard. Stereo sound followed in the 1950s, and magnetic cartridges and electronic preamps allowed more compact turntables and higher fidelity.

Since the mid-20th century, phonographs have largely been displaced by magnetic tape, CDs, and digital formats, but record players and turntables remain popular among collectors and enthusiasts. The term phonograph survives as a generic name for historical devices and, sometimes, for modern record players, especially in discussions of the early era of sound recording.