The Edison Diamond Disc phonograph plays conventional looking records, except they are about a 1/4 inch thick. However, they are far from conventional. Like the wax cylinders, they have hill and dale grooves, instead of side to side. You can't play normal records on these, nor these records on ordinary players.

As with the cylinder machines, the reproducer, arm, and complete horn is screw driven across the record. As a result, there is far less weight on the record than conventionally, so wear is very much reduced. Nor is it necessary to change the needle after every play, as the stylus is made of diamond.