The Victor-Victrola Page
Alhambra
II
RARITY: ¤¤¤¤ VALUE: ¤¤
The
Alhambra II was the deluxe version of Victor's very first
radio/phonograph combination set. Like it's lower-priced "cousin" the
Alhambra I, it featured Orthophonic reproduction
for records (with a small re-entrant horn),
but featured a vastly superior battery-operated RCA Radiola Model 25 Superheterodyne Radio.
The Radiola 25 offered improved tuning and stability as compared to basic
regenerative radios such as the Radiola 20 (which was included on the Alhambra
I). Victor contracted with RCA to provide the radios for these consoles,
but RCA also had agreements with other phonograph companies (such as Brunswick),
so the combination radio/phono idea was not unique to Victor. However, this was
Victor's very first attempt at marketing a home entertainment center. A
mechanical valve switch would change the routing of the horn input from the
radio to the phonograph.
The Alhambra II used a two-spring turntable motor and
a blended mahogany cabinet. It sold for $425.00 new, which equates to approximately $6,300.00 in today's money.
The Alhambra II was also identified in some of Victor catalogs as the VV
7-2, but this model designation has not been found on any surviving
machines to date. Approximately 280 Alhambra II consoles were produced, making
it one of the lowest-production models that Victor ever offered. However, since
it has an identical cabinet and phonograph as the more common Alhambra I,
current valuation is modest. In addition, the high cost of restoration of these
early electronic sets limits the interest of many collectors today. All examples were produced during the first half of
1926, when it was quietly discontinued. Since radio and electronic technology
was developing so rapidly in the mid-1920's, the Alhambra II became obsolete
within a year, and it is likely that many were sold at discount in 1926.
To date, only 2 Alhambra II machines have been logged in the survival database.
Do you own a Victor Alhambra II? Please take a moment and enter some basic information about your machine into the collector's database by clicking here. No personal information is required.
