The Victor-Victrola Page
CD-20-X
RARITY: ¤¤¤¤ VALUE: ¤¤¤
The
CD-20-X was sold to Victor dealers for the purpose of allowing customers to
audition records before making a purchase. This machine would have been placed
on the dealer's countertop, and the customer could listen to records of
their choice with a single-ear headphone "stalk" before buying. This allowed for
private listening, so as not to disturb others. The CD-20
provided electrical playback of recordings, and two headphones were supplied
with the unit. There was no amplification needed; the voltage output of the
electrical pickup was sufficient to provide enough signal to drive two high-impedance headphones with surprisingly
strong volume. The cabinet was made of
mahogany, and air ventilation ports were used all around to cool the motor. The
CD-20 was introduced in the summer of 1927 and it was produced into the early
1930's, after RCA had purchased Victor. Approximately 500 examples of this model
were produced, making it a scarce find today.
The original 1927 selling price (dealers only) was
$60.00, which equates to almost $900.00 in today's money. In the early
1930's, "update kits" were offered to enhance the performance of these sets,
which included improved tonearms and headphones.
No detailed correlation of serial numbers to date of
manufacture has yet been determined.
The current survival database shows the earliest existent CD-20 to be s/n 505 and the latest to be s/n 951
Do you own a Victor CD-20? 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.
