A gramophone is a device for the reproduction of recorded sound. It was designed based on the phonograph, which was invented by Thomas Edison. The phonograph was far from perfect, as its reproduction of sounds was distorted. Emile Berliner decided to improve the design. In 1887, he was granted a patent for what he called the gramophone. He managed to fix the disadvantages of the phonograph. The gramophone produced a louder sound of higher quality with less distortion.

The gramophone displayed at the Lipetsk Regional Museum of Local Lore includes a light brown wooden box with a hinged lid, a spring-driven mechanism that rotates a metal turntable with an ebony record, and a diaphragm with a metal stylus. As the spring-driven mechanism rotates, the stylus traces the spiral groove on the ebonite record, making the diaphragm vibrate, with the vibrations amplified in the large flaring horn. The golden horn is both a decorative feature and the largest component of the record-playing device. On the sides of the wooden case, there are nine oval-shaped holes with colorful miniature paintings.

The early gramophones were also not perfect. The volume could not be adjusted, and in order to play music, the user had to continuously rotate the handle at a specified speed of 70 revolutions per minute. Slowing down or rotating the handle unevenly would pause the record playback. The introduction of spring-driven mechanisms made listening to music more enjoyable. To play the record, the user needed to wind the spring. A fully wound spring could power the turntable for two continuous minutes. Emile Berliner improved not only the gramophone itself but also the records. Initially, ebonite was used as the material for pressing gramophone records, but soon it was replaced by shellac. The production began to increase when a stamping process was developed.

The gramophone is often referred to as the “mirror of time”, as this old device preserves and conveys the intonations of the past. Not only culture is engraved in the groove on the record surface but also life itself. The sound produced by the gramophone is unique. One can hear the sounds of the past, captured in the rustling of the mica diaphragm.