The Polyphone attachment was one of the more unusual inventions in the early history of the phonograph. Patented in 1898 by Leon Douglass (who would later become president of Victor Talking Machine Co.), the Polyphone was marketed by the Talking Machine Company of Chicago, in conjunction with famous phonograph pioneer H.E Babson. Polyphone attachments were made to fit the Edison Gem, Standard, Home, Concert, Spring Motor and Class M, as well as the Columbia Type A and Columbia Type B 'Eagle.' The principle of the Polyphone was simple: two separate reproducers with two separate horns track the same groove of the cylinder, only a fraction of a second apart. The company's advertising claimed it had "the sweetness of many echoes instantly combined," further stating that it was "more than twice as loud and many times more musical that any other Talking Machine." The reality is that the very slight delay of the second reproducer gives an artificial reverb. However, the effect is absolutely amazing! The sound quality is truly remarkable, far superior to a normal phonograph. (Standing directly in front of the horns even gives an illusion of stereo.) It was one of the few phonograph inventions that almost lived up to its original hype, but it was never a big success and was rendered obsolete by the louder molded cylinders released in 1902. Very few survive, perhaps because it is not easy to adjust the stylii to track perfectly -- and an out-of-adjustment Polyphone definitely does NOT sound very musical!

This was an audiophile's dream in 1899, an Edison Concert Phonograph playing 5" cylinders combined with the double-reproducer Polyphone attachment and two large 24" brass horns. When you combine the volume and clarity of a Concert cylinder with the amazing sound quality of the dual-reproducer Polyphone the result is not to be believed! It certainly is loud, which was a major goal of every phonograph manufacturer at the time. This was an extravagantly expensive machine in its day -- $130 -- and records cost an incredible $4 EACH. When you consider that the average worker earned only $40-$50 a month, this was out of reach of all but the most wealthy. Sadly for them, it was completely obsolete by 1902.