16 rpm?

Posted by: gone on 10 December 2009

I was looking at some really old record players the other day, and I was struck by the 16 rpm setting. I'm sure that when I was a child, my parents' Decca Dansette had such a speed, but I think I only ever used it to make Freddie and the Dreamers sound funny - simple pleasures eh?
Were records at that speed ever available in numbers? What was the purpose - to get the complete Ring cycle on one disc? Did it fall out of favour because it really sounded awful?
Does anyone have any discs of that format - maybe someone has the 'rare' 16rpm pulley adapter for their LP12?
(the phones are quiet today - how can you tell?)

Posted on: 10 December 2009 by BigH47

I seem to have a vague recollection of a small 6 or 7 inch aluminium disc that played at 16 rpm, it included a special wooden "needle".
It was a reocording made by my dad during the war, when he was in Italy and it had a Christmas message to my mum.

Posted on: 10 December 2009 by Jim Lawson

Search "Highway Hi-Fi."

Therein lies the answer to your question.

Posted on: 10 December 2009 by gone

That's amazing! thanks. And I used to think CD players would never be made to work in cars!

Posted on: 10 December 2009 by BigH47

Egg beater more like.

Posted on: 10 December 2009 by jayd

I always heard the 16 speed (actually 16 2/3 rpm, i.e., half of 33 1/3?) was primarily for archiving speeches, radio broadcasts, etc. - things of longer duration where sound quality wasn't the primary concern.