I got to Pathé discs reading about the #Zonophone, a much less interesting, yet much better covered, machine, that isn't really a format of its own.

no but now i wanna know what they are.

@cordova5029 They're like...flat discs like on a gramophone, but instead of played from the outside, they're played from the inside. And instead of using a disposable needle, they use a shiny steel ball that bounces along the grooves and makes the sound that way. So no needle to replace. And the grooves are cut up and down, rather than side to side. Also, the ball places less wear on the record than a needle would. Unfortunately it didn't catch on outside of Europe. While it was a better system, before electronic amplification, the ball meant it was quieter than systems with a steel needle. So it just lost out because all anyone cared about was volume.