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VV 7-30 / VE 7-30 X / VV 7-30 S

RARITY: ¤¤   VALUE:  ¤ 

The VV 7-30 was an early "home entertainment center", and was identical to the VV 7-3 model, excepting for a slightly different cabinet design. It paired a Victor Orthophonic (acoustic) phonograph with an RCA Radiola 20, which was an older design, and lacked the improvements of the latest radios. The phonograph featured a two-spring motor and a small "folded" (re-entrant) horn. As was the case with many radio sets of that timeframe, the radio was powered by a group of batteries that were mounted inside the cabinet. A large mechanical-valve "switch" would change the routing from the radio's electromagnetic driver or from the phonograph's tonearm directly to the horn's "neck".
The VV 7-30 was an interesting and rather puzzling product. It was essentially the continuation of the VV 7-3 which was discontinued from production at the end of the previous year. The 7-3 was rapidly becoming obsolete when it was introduced, so the 7-30 was certainly "behind the game" when it appeared the following year. Rapidly advancing technology quickly overtook this design. Since the newly-developed paper-cone speaker, which provided better sound (and eliminated the large mechanical switching valve) was beginning to become popular, the 7-30 was essentially obsolete when introduced. Perhaps Victor needed to use-up some empty cabinets which were still in stock, or simply decided to produce a less-ornate version of the 7-3 model. In either event, the 7-30 did not sell well.
This Victrola could be ordered with either a spring powered phonograph (VV 7-30) or with an electric motor option (VE 7-30).  To clarify this confusing terminology, the electric-motor designation refers to the phonograph motor only; in both models the radio was battery powered. VE versions eliminated the need to hand-wind the phonograph motor.
The 7-30 was introduced in January 1927, and production ran for about two months before it was quickly discontinued   It sold new for $375.00 (the same price as the near-identical 7-3) which equates to approximately $5,600.00 in today's money. The electric motor was a $35.00 option.
Approximately 4,000 VV 7-30 consoles were produced in early 1927, and less than 200 VE 7-30 machines were made.  Since radio and electronic technology was developing so rapidly in the mid-1920's, the 7-30 became outdated very quickly, and many were sold at discount through 1928.
On top of this, more than 12,000 copies of the VV 7-30 S model were produced as well, which consisted of the cabinet and phonograph with no radio installed. This allowed the buyer to install any radio they wish. Most likely, it was a quick way for Victor to use-up a large batch of unused cabinets, since the 7-30 series was certainly not selling as expected.
The high cost of restoration of these early electronic radio sets limits the interest of many collectors today.

The current survival database shows the earliest existent VV 7-30 to be s/n 525 and the latest to be s/n 2482

There are no VE 7-30 models yet logged into the database

The current survival database shows the earliest existent VV 7-30 S to be s/n 754 and the latest to be s/n 12459

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