Gramophone vs. Phonograph — What's the Difference?

An early form of a record player for disc-shaped records.

An early device invented by Edison to record and reproduce sound on a cylinder.

An instrument of audio history, symbolizing the evolution of music playback.

A machine that captures sound waves on tin foil wrapped around a cylinder.

A mechanical device for playing music recorded on discs.

A cylindrical record player.

A sound-reproducing machine using discs.

A precursor to modern audio devices, using mechanical reproduction.

A device for playing records through a stylus following grooves on a disc.

Thomas Edison’s invention for sound recording and playback.

A record player; a phonograph.

A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, is a device for the mechanical recording and reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physical deviations of a spiral groove engraved, etched, incised, or impressed into the surface of a rotating cylinder or disc, called a "record".

A record player.

A machine that reproduces sound by means of a stylus in contact with a grooved rotating disk.

An instrument for recording, preserving, and reproducing sounds, the record being a tracing of a phonautograph etched in some solid material. Reproduction is accomplished by means of a system attached to an elastic diaphragm. This older term is almost completely replaced for modern devices by the word phonograph (or hi-fi), and technological changes have made the term sound antiquated, and it is usually used to refer to older non-electronic versions of the phonograph.

A device that captures sound waves onto an engraved archive; a lathe.

An antique record player; the sound of the vibrating needle is amplified acoustically

A device that records or plays sound from cylinder records.

A record player.

(dated) A character or symbol used to represent a sound, especially one used in phonography.

To record for playback by phonograph.

To transcribe into phonographic symbols.

A character or symbol used to represent a sound, esp. one used in phonography.

An instrument for the mechanical registration and reproduction of audible sounds, as articulate speech, etc. It consists of a rotating cylinder or disk covered with some material easily indented, as tinfoil, wax, paraffin, etc., above which is a thin plate carrying a stylus. As the plate vibrates under the influence of a sound, the stylus makes minute indentations or undulations in the soft material, and these, when the cylinder or disk is again turned, set the plate in vibration, and reproduce the sound.

An instrument for reproducing sounds, especially music, previously recorded on a plastic cylinder or disk as a pattern of bumps or wiggles in a groove. A needle (stylus) held in the groove is made to vibrate by motion (rotation) of the recording, and the vibrations caused by the bumps and wiggles are transmitted directly to a membrane, or first to an electronic amplifier circuit, thereby reproducing with greater or less fidelity the original sounds. A phonograph which is equipped with electronics enabling the playback of sound with high fidelity to the original is often called a hi-fi.

Machine in which rotating records cause a stylus to vibrate and the vibrations are amplified acoustically or electronically

No, phonograph cylinders cannot be played on a gramophone due to different media formats.

Emile Berliner invented the gramophone in the late 1880s.

While not commonly used, gramophones are cherished as collectibles and sometimes used by enthusiasts for their unique sound quality.

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877.

Modern music can be pressed onto disc records compatible with gramophones, though this is rare.

The phonograph revolutionized entertainment, education, and communication by making recorded sound accessible to the masses.

The main difference lies in their media format; gramophones use disc-shaped records, whereas phonographs use cylindrical records.

No, Edison invented the phonograph; Emile Berliner invented the gramophone.

The disc format was easier to produce, store, and offered better sound quality, making it more popular.

Gramophones played a key role in the development of the music industry by facilitating mass production and distribution of recorded music.

Yes, the gramophone generally offered better sound quality due to advancements in technology and design.

Yes, the phonograph is considered the first device capable of recording and playing back sound.

They are preserved through careful maintenance, often in climate-controlled environments, and are valued as historical artifacts.

Yes, many phonographs are preserved in working condition, often featured in museums or private collections.

Originally, phonographs played a variety of music, speeches, and other audio performances recorded on cylinders.