Music: Philco's Sapphire Needle

To its passionate partisans, the phonograph needle is as bellicausal a topic as that needle of the medieval theologians on which angels might or might not throng to dance. Every variety of phonograph needle —vegetable (fibre, thorn), metal (steel, brass, chromium, etc.), mineral (sapphire) —has had its champions. Meantime, most people keep on buying steel needles. Last year 750,384,450 needles were sold in the U. S. Last week Philco Radio & Television Corp. needled the phonograph industry with its first basic change since electrical reproduction (1925). Philco put on sale a machine ($129.95 to $395) with a built-in needle intended to...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!