Early cylinder phonographs had a volume problem: recordings could only be heard through rubber tubes plugged into the listener's ears, meaning only one person at a time could listen. Multiple ear tubes were added, but the communal experience of listening to music was missing. Advances in cylinder composition removed the requirement for ear tubes, allowing the use of horns to project sound at a volume adequate for the home.

To achieve an even greater volume capable of filling a dance hall or even an auditorium, Columbia introduced the Graphophone Grand in 1898. Its cylinders had a diameter of 5 inches. The mandril of the player rotated at the same speed as standard phonographs so the duration was still 2 minutes, but the larger diameter meant the surface speed relative to the needle was greater, which resulted in higher volume. Loudness was used as a selling point in advertising: "Speak to it in undertones!! it repeats in THUNDERTONES!!!" announced an 1899 Columbia ad in McClure's Magazine (Boilesen 2024).

Edison followed quickly with his own five inch cylinder, the Edison Concert Record, as did other manufacturers like Pathé and Lambert. But the volume problem was soon solved by improved cylinder composition and 5-inch cylinders were taken off the market.