His Master’s Voice (HMV) is a brand whose image of a small dog listening in a pavilion marks the history of Hifi. For its hundredth anniversary, or almost, a Pro-Ject T1 Phono SB turntable was released in a limited edition, marketed by the HMV record store chain in the United Kingdom.
Many people recognize the image of the dog, but few know that his name is Nipper. This dog was painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, and Nipper belonged to the painter’s brother. The painting was sold by the Gramoohone Company, now EMI, which registered the rights to the image in 1910 as well as the name “His Master’s Voice”. In 1921, the brand opened a gramophone and record store at 363 Oxford Street. In 2016, with the vinyl boom, His Master’s Voice (HMV) teamed up with Henley Audio and Pro-Ject to create a turntable display in HMV record stores across the UK.
So, you say to me, “but what is the centenary of?” “. In fact, we are in 2022, and the first HMV store dates from 2021. In addition, at the base of the plate, we read “100th anniversary” and “19/20-21”. So let’s celebrate the 101 or 102 years of the first HMV store, or the 111 or 112 years of the start of the brand. The HMV brand or in French La Voix de Son Maître, has a complicated history. In audiophile circles, know We have the dog Nipper and his flag because it is in the logo of the American brand RCA Victor or RCA (Radio Corporation of America), which is on many vinyl record buttons.
As for France, the brand was in the 1950s associated with Pathé for the sale of records and gramophones. Internationally, HMV is a label of the EMI group, but also of the Sony Music Entertainment group, which features the little dog Nipper on many vinyls and CDs.
Closer to Pro-Ject and its surroundings, the HMV brand is a record store chain. In 2006, there were approximately 400 stores worldwide. In 2019, the company was taken over by Sunrise, resulting in the closure of 27 stores and redundancies, while the closures have taken place in Ireland since 2013. More than blowing out a hundred candles counted one by one, will start off on the right foot, and develop a hundred or more HMV record stores still active in the United Kingdom, that this anniversary audiophile turntable will come out?
An audiophile approach deck
Apart from the little dog in front of the gramophone bell printed on the turntable, which is very cute, there are many serious elements in the construction of the Pro-Ject T1 Phono SB. The base is CNC machined and guaranteed to be plastic-free, with no internal holes to prevent resonance. The turntable of the turntable is made of solid glass, and the whole is on anti-vibration feet.
The Pro-Ject T1 Phono SB anniversary edition turntable comes with an Ortofon OM 5E cartridge, a Connect it type phono cable, felt for the turntable, a dust cover, an adapter for 45 rpm records, a cable power supply , an Allen key and a diamond pressure gauge. With all these accessories, all you have to do is put your vinyl on the turntable.
It is possible to pre-order the Pro-Ject T1 Phono SB Anniversary Edition turntable, for delivery on August 27 only to a UK address. This edition is limited to three hundred copies, and is provided with a certificate of authenticity at the price of £400.
Source: hmv.com
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