From what I remember in my readings on cylinder phonographs, the  
hearing tubes were aluminum and similar in design and function to a  
stethoscope.  I think this was the original method for listening to  
playback, later replaced with a large metal horn so the sound could  
be played out into the room.  In short: headphones vs. speakers.

I've been meaning to reread Dracula for a while now (my last time was  
in 2004) now that I know more about cylinder recordings (which I  
learned about and did a project on in 2005), particularly the length  
of them.  Cylinders were very short in duration, first only two  
minutes in length and then later improved with smaller grooves and  
beefed up to four minutes.  I know that there is at least one point  
in the narrative when Dr. Seward mentions that one of the cylinders  
is about to run out while he's recording, but it also seems like most  
of his entries would have been longer than a single cylinder could  
have recorded, yet they read like continuous monologues with no  
breaks.  This may have just been sloppy writing on Stoker's part, or  
he may not have known of the limitations of the format.  Or maybe I'm  
remembering incorrectly and the entries were short enough; that's why  
I'd like to go back and read the book (or at least those passages)  
again.


----------------
Trey Bunn
Audiovisual Conservator
Emory University Libraries
Preservation Office
404-727-4894