Not sure if this should be in HiFi Corner or Lounge, but as this is HiFi (sort of) and I tend to frequent here more I’ve put it here. Richard feel free to move.
I’m busy clearing my late mother’s house (our family home). My father also passed away some 10 years ago and we never really cleared anything other than his clothes. My father was a pianist and organist and was interested in Hi Fi, I blame him for my obsession!
Anyway, I found this box, sadly empty. I do not remember this contraption at all, I don’t remember it being used on the Garrard sp25 that he had, and which became my first turntable aged 13. I do have some real to real tapes and we used to have a player, I haven’t come across this yet.
I have never even heard of these, let alone seen one. So thought you all may find it interesting as it certainly has intrigued me.
I look forward to hearing what people may know about this…
I have one, the playback quality isn’t bad, I didn’t try recording, it’s Stevenage’s contribution to Hi-Fi!
It was designed by Alec Tutchings who was a well known tape recorder reviewer in the 60s. His day job was with Sanders Microwave (which ultimately became part of Marconi Instruments) and somehow he persuaded them to build and sell it. Early units are badged ‘Stevenage Tools and Switchgear’ which was a subsidiary company. The amplifier is transistorised and literally built in a biscuit tin which is painted with gold Hammerite!
The Achilles heel is the lack of proper braking so the tape slops off of the spools all the time. Compared to this even the cheapest BSR TD2 based machine is a revelation. I suspect the purchasers of this device soon went out and bought a proper machine.
Other countries had their own similar devices - I’ve seen an East German one.
NAC72, thanks so much for your contribution, loved this bit
This was the true era of men in sheds ‘engineering’ stuff!
The contraption would have appealed to my dad on so many levels. loved music (I have him on a 10" record playing organ in a church in Liverpool as a well as several tapes labelled up with similar performances). He hated not getting the maximum out of a device (in this case the turntable) and he (and I) love making things.
Incidentally the ad on page 3 for Wyndsor is Mike Creek (of amplifier fame) father’s company!
There aren’t any Tutching’s reviews in this edition, but he didn’t mess around when assessing technical performance. It’s noticeable that few British machines were submitted for test as technical flaws would be ruthlessly exposed. Continental and Japanese machines generally fared better.
You’ll see mention of Reps tape recorders. Tom Reps did understand technical performance and later went on to build the Chilten recorder as owned by JV. I believe JV also designed a mixer for Chilten.
I’d like to see one of those. I’m sure if seen something mentioned (perhaps by @Richard.Dane ) of the Nytech CTA252 being fitted into cabinets along with the TT to make a music centre ?
