TILOPHAN

The history of the Tilophan company is closely linked to the personality of the entrepreneur Robert Pollak-Rudin. Born in Vienna in 1891, he studied at the Technical University and served in the First World War. After the war, he dedicated himself to acoustics, radio technology and sound recording. In 1920, he married and began research into disc recording.

In view of the record quality available at the time, Pollak-Rudin searched for an improved material and was granted a patent for a "sound recording medium" in 1930. He drove development forward with further patents, including one for a loudspeaker.

From 1931, Tilophan brought innovative records and accessories onto the market, advertised as leading recording discs in terms of sound quality and durability.

Pollak-Rudin opened a recording studio and produced Tilophan discs, also for the replacement of recording waxes. The company released its own shellac discs, including a series of chamber music study discs. By 1936, the recordings had reached matrix number 800 and the company expanded with a new studio.

With the annexation of Austria to the German Reich in 1938, the family's life situation changed fundamentally. After emigrating to the USA, Pollak-Rudin worked in New York and died in late 1956 or early 1957.

Source: grammophon-platten.de