Nidec Sankyo ORPHEUS 72-Note Music Box Movement — Pachelbel's Canon

🔊 Hear it first: press play below and turn the sound on — the 72-note ORPHEUS is best judged by ear.

The flagship cylinder movement from Japan's last great music-box maker — supplied bare, for builders and collectors.

Nidec Sankyo's ORPHEUS 72-note is a hand-tuned cylinder movement with a 4.5–5 octave range. The cylinder shifts sideways between rotations so one song plays out over roughly 130 seconds — three full passes — rather than the 20-second loop of an ordinary music box. This is the mechanism you see in $2,000+ presentation boxes, sold here as the movement alone so you can fit it to your own case, restoration, or display stand.

Specifications

• Movement: Nidec Sankyo ORPHEUS 72n-K01, 72 notes, single cylinder, sliding-cylinder design
• Tune: Pachelbel's Canon (J. Pachelbel)
• Play time: approx. 130 seconds (3 rotations)
• Range: approx. 4.5–5 octaves
• Size: 190 × 75 × 46 mm (7.5 × 3.0 × 1.8 in)
• Made in Japan

In the box

• 72-note movement ×1
• Mainspring winding key ×1
• Mounting screws ×3

How 18, 30, 50 and 72 notes compare

Please read before ordering

• This is a movement only. A bare movement has very little volume — it needs a wooden case or soundboard to resonate. If you want a finished instrument, see our ORPHEUS 50-note and 72-note boxes.
• Japanese domestic product. Sold and supported by us; the manufacturer's Japanese warranty does not transfer to the US. We inspect and test every movement in New Jersey before it ships to you.
• Ships from New Jersey. Price includes all import duties — nothing further to pay on delivery.
• Other tunes available on request (Chopin, Ave Maria, La Campanella, Phantom of the Opera and more). Contact us for the current list and lead time.