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My collection

Components of my collection, named "History (evolution) of cassette-recorder":
I will exemplify with Philips items for the following reasons:

• (I) this company was the inventor and/or promoter of many audio & video domestic products: cassette-recorder, video-cassette-recorder, video-laserdisc, compact disc player, achieving nearly all technical variants of them, mainly with its own conception;
• (II) some of its inventions served as models for other companies' products;e.g. Sony, Sanyo, Hitachi, General Electric, Telefunken and others;
• (III) For about 17 years after the launching of the first cassette-recorder (1963), Philips was the world leader of this item.

a) It contains nearly all constructive variants of the cassette-recorder and its combinations (with radio, pick-up, etc), highlighting the technical progress of this item:

Development of electronic part:

• - portable (powered by batteries + small dimensions) - Philips EL 3300
  First cassette recorder, or non-portable powered by mains 110/220 V) - Philips AH 871
  Radio casetofon stereo stationar
  Philips 1976;
• - simple – Philips EL 3300
  First cassette recorder or in combination with other item as radio, pick-up, TV, CD, tuner, equalizer: Philips ART 20
  Combina portabila radio+casetofon+TV
  Philips 1980, Philips FCD 585
  Combina stereo stationara
  Philips 1986, Philips AZ 1000
  Combina portabila stereo cu casetofon, radio si CD
  Philips 1996;
• - mono – EL 3300
  First cassette recorder or stereo – EL 3312
  Primul casetofon stereo din lume, cu caseta compacta
  Philips 1967, RR 800
  Primul casetofon stereo portabil din lume
  Philips 1972;
• - with internal power system ( N2204
  Casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1970 ) or external power adaptor ( EL 3300
  First cassette recorder);
• - with internal own amplifier ( EL 3300
  First cassette recorder ) or deck ( N 2500
  Primul casetofon stereo deck
  Philips 1969);
• - with analog electronics (transistors, electro-mechanical commands) - EL 3300
  First cassette recorder or digital (integrated circuits, full electonics commands) – DCC 300
  Casetofon deck integral digital
  Philips 1993;
• - with own built-in amplifier ( EL 3300
  First cassette recorder ) or deck ( N 2500
  Primul casetofon stereo deck
  Philips 1969);
• - with noise limiter (DNL or Dolby) - N 2510
  Primul casetofon de inalta fidelitate din lume
  Philips 1973;
• - with european/asian/american conectors: EL 3300
  First cassette recorder AH 973
  Combina de inalta fidelitate cu radio, casetofon si pick-up
  Philips 1979, RR 425
  Radio casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1976, D 8210
  Radio casetofon portabil stereo
  Philips 1980;
• - with remote control - FCD 585
  Combina stereo stationara
  Philips 1986, DCC 951
  Casetofon deck digital
  Philips 1994 ;
• - as player only – N 2000
  Casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1971;
• - autoreverse (= automatically playing of the second part of the cassette) – N 2401 S
  Casetofon stereo cu autoreverse
  Philips 1969, FC 260
  Dublu-casetofon deck de inalta fidelitate
  Philips 1990;
• - simple - EL 3300
  First cassette recorder, or double cassette-recorder – D 8078
  Dublu casetofon cu radio, stereo portabil
  Philips 1987;
• - recording: manual – EL 3300
  First cassette recorder, automatic – N 2203
  Casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1973 or both – AR 664
  Radio casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1978;
• - hifi according DIN 45500 standards: N 2510
  Primul casetofon de inalta fidelitate din lume
  Philips 1973, AH 973
  Combina de inalta fidelitate cu radio, casetofon si pick-up
  Philips 1979;
• - with built-in microphone: RR 523
  Radio casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1975;
• - for recording studio (variable speed, more inputs, mixing, karaoke, amplifier for musical instruments, high characteristics): D 6550
  Casetofon stereo de studio (neprofesional)
  Philips 1984, Tascam Porta Two
  Casetofon deck stereo de studio
  Teac 1987;
• - with cueing (listening during forwarding/rewinding): AR 664
  Radio casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1978;
• - with tape selector: manual-RR774, or automatic – FC 260
  Dublu-casetofon deck de inalta fidelitate
  Philips 1990;
• - type “walkman” (for pocket) with/without radio: AQ 6441
  Casetofon de buzunar
  Philips 1992, Sony TPS-L2
  Primul walkman din lume
  Sony 1979;
• - with R.I.F. comutation: RR 522
  Radio-casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1973;
• - with monitor (listening during recording): AR 774
  Radio-casetofon portabil stereo
  Philips 1977;
• - with continuous play: FC 260
  Dublu-casetofon deck de inalta fidelitate
  Philips 1990;
• - with post-fading (gradual diminishing of recording level): AR 374
  Radio-casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1978;
• - two-speaker system (for high & medium freqencies): AR 664
  Radio casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1978;
• - sound-machine/boombox (over-sized speakers system): D 8444
  Casetofon de buzunar
  Philips 1984;
• - with 3 heads (erasing, recording, playing): Nakamichi 700 Tri Tracer
  Unul din primele casetofoane cu trei capete.
  Casetofon deck de inalta fidelitate
  Nakamichi 1980?;
• - full digital: Sony DTC 690
  Casetofon digital DAT
  Philips 1991;
• - with electronic valves: RCA 1YC 11
  Primul casetofon stereo din lume
  RCA 1959, or transistorized: EL 3300
  First cassette recorder;
• - with semi-professional mechanics and electronics: Revox D 88
  Casetofon deck specializat
  Studer-Revox 1981;
• - combined with other items (ex: pocket calculator): Toshiba KT 1350
  Reportofon cu calculator aritmetic
  Toshiba 1983?;
• - professional (very high performances): Tascam DA-60 MK II
  Casetofon digital profesional
  Teac 1993?;
• - digital micro voice-recorder- Sony NT-1
  Primul reportofon digital cu microcaseta
  Sony 1992;

Mechanical part development:

• - metal chasis - EL 3300
  First cassette recorder, or plastic-RR774 or both - N 2207
  Casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1976;
• - with keyboards: Grundig C 100 L
  Casetofon portabil mono
  Grundig 1965;
• - with "pause" command: N 2510
  Primul casetofon de inalta fidelitate din lume
  Philips 1973;
• - autoreverse: mechanic- N 2401 S
  Casetofon stereo cu autoreverse
  Philips 1969 or electro-mechanic with rotative head: FC 260
  Dublu-casetofon deck de inalta fidelitate
  Philips 1990;
• - with automatic stop - RR 523
  Radio casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1975 and/or decuplarea of the heads- AR 070
  Radio-casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1977;
• - with various (13) types of cassettes: Saba, Fidelipac, 4-track, compact-cassette, DC-international, 8-tracks, mini-cassette, micro-cassette, elcaset, pico-cassette, DAT, DCC,microDAT, Sony DARS professional;
• - with long-life heads- AR 060
  Radio-casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1977, 070
  Radio-casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1977;
• - with counter – AR 070
  Radio-casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1977;
• - portable costruction type “suit case” - Sanyo G 2615 N2
  Combina stereo portabila:radio,casetofon,pick-up
  Sanyo 1972, Aciko ACRT 820S
  Combina portabila:radio, casetofon, pick-up
  Aciko 1975?;
• - with more motors: RR 425
  Radio casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1976, D 8634
  Radio-casetofon portabil stereo
  Philips 1984;
• - with 3 heads: Nakamichi 700 Tri Tracer
  Unul din primele casetofoane cu trei capete.
  Casetofon deck de inalta fidelitate
  Nakamichi 1980?;
• - with fixed or rotation playing head: EL 3300
  First cassette recorder, Sony DTC 690
  Casetofon digital DAT
  Philips 1991;
• - with direct front loading: N 2521
  Casetofon deck de inalta fidelitate
  Philips 1977, or indirect loading, with drawer: Philips DCC 300
  Casetofon deck integral digital
  Philips 1993;
• - “pocket” construction, with built-in amplifier and speaker: Panasonic RQ 212
  Casetofon de buzunar (reportofon)
  Panasonic 1976;
• - type “walkman” (with headphones): Sony TPS-L2
  Primul walkman din lume
  Sony 1979;
• - cu deschidere lenta a capacului casetei (soft eject) si/sau “stop” pe acelasi buton cu “eject” - D 8210
  Radio casetofon portabil stereo
  Philips 1980, AR 580
  Radio casetofon portabil stereo
  Philips 1980;
• - with soft eject (slow opening of the cassette’s cover) and /or “stop” on the same button with “eject”: D 8210
  Radio casetofon portabil stereo
  Philips 1980, AR 580
  Radio casetofon portabil stereo
  Philips 1980;
• - with command “one touch recording” - AZ 8040
  Combina portabila stereo:casetofon, radio, CD
  Philips 1995
• - with cassettes changer: Sony MTL 10
  Casetofon deck
  Sony 1984;
• - with “direct drive” transmission: D 8634
  Radio-casetofon portabil stereo
  Philips 1984;
• - with box in european/asian colours (black/brown and turquoise/yellow/red/green) and/or amusant/stylish design: RR 522
  Radio-casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1973, D 7162
  Radio-casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1983, D 8082
  Radio-casetofon portabil stereo
  Philips 1986 -Le cube, D 6608
  Casetofon de buzunar
  Philips 1983 - triangle walkman, WD 800
  Radio-casetofon stereo portabil
  Philips 1986 -The roller, My First Sony-CFM 2500, Bang & Olufsen Bang & Olufsen Beocord 4500
  Casetofon deck de inalta fidelitate
  Bang & Olufsen 1988;

b) contains samples from the first cassette-recorders in different constructive variants, and their next models:

• a) first portable radio-cassette recorder in the world, also adapted for car: Sabamobil, 1958;
• b) first cassette-recorder in the world: Philips EL 3300
  Primul casetofon din lume, 1963;
• c) first german cassette-recorder (with keyboard): Grundig C 100 L
  Casetofon portabil mono
  Grundig 1965, 1965;
• d) first transistorized stereo cassette-recorder: Philips EL 3312
  Primul casetofon stereo din lume, cu caseta compacta
  Philips 1969, 1966;
• e) first pocket voice-recorder in the world - Dictaphone Dictet
  Primul reportofon comercial cu banda magnetica
  Dictaphone 1957, ca. 1957;
• f) first deck stereo cassette-player: Philips N 2500
  Primul casetofon stereo deck
  Philips 1969, 1969;
• g) first cassette-player adapted for car: Philips EL 3300
  First cassette recorder +chasis EL 3301+ sasiu N 6705
  Casetofon mono adaptat pentru auto
  Philips 1969;
• h) first autoreverse cassette-recorder: Philips N 2401 S
  Casetofon stereo cu autoreverse
  Philips 1969, 1969;
• i) first deck stereo cassette-recorder: Philips N 2503
  Casetofon deck
  Philips 1970, 1969;
• j) first portable stereo radio/cassette-recorder: Philips RR 800
  Primul casetofon stereo portabil din lume
  Philips 1972, 1972;
• k) first pocket voice-recorder with mini-cassette in the world - Philips LFH 085
  Primul reportofon cu minicaseta
  Philips 1973, 1973
• l) first hifi cassette-recorder: Philips N 2510
  Primul casetofon de inalta fidelitate din lume
  Philips 1973, 1973;
• m) first? 3-heads cassette-recorder: Nakamichi 700 Tri Tracer
  Unul din primele casetofoane cu trei capete.
  Casetofon deck de inalta fidelitate
  Nakamichi 1980?, around 1980;
• n) first item named “walkman”: Sony TPS-L2
  Primul walkman din lume
  Sony 1979 , 1979 (!! the “pocket” item was launched sooner by National-Panasonic, but the name “walkman” was registered by Sony, followed by “watchman” (for miniature TV) and “discman” (for pocket cd-players);
• o) first digital micro-recorder: Sony NT-1
  Primul reportofon digital cu microcaseta
  Sony 1992, 1992;
• p) first Philips pocket cassette-recorder: N 2002
  Reportofon cu caseta compacta
  Philips 1977 - 1977;
• q) first Philips digital cassette-recorder: DCC 300
  Casetofon deck integral digital
  Philips 1993, 1992 ?
• r) second cassette-recorder in the world - Grundig C 100 L
  Casetofon portabil mono
  Grundig 1965;
• s) second cassette-recorder with keyboard-Philips EL 3310
  Casetofon stationar mono
  Philips 1966, 1966;
• t) second Philips portable stereo radio-recorder - AR 774
  Radio-casetofon portabil stereo
  Philips 1977, 1978;
• u) second cassette player in the world: Philips N 2000
  Casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1971, 1971;
• v) second multi-track cassette-recorder: Tascam Porta Two
  Casetofon deck stereo de studio
  Teac 1987;
• w) second pocket voice-recorder in the world: Grundig EN3
  Reportofon
  Grundig 1966 – 1966;
• z) third car cassette-player: Philips N 2605
  Casetofon auto
  Philips 1970;

c) contains most of portable models (most sold items) made by their inventor (Philips) in the first 11 years from the lauching of the first cassette-recorder: from EL 3300
First cassette recorder to RR 722
Radio casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1974;

d) contains items which were first of series and/or high-end series: Philips: EL 3300
First cassette recorder , N 2000
Casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1971, N 2400
Casetofon stereo stationar
Philips 1969, AR 060
Radio-casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1977, AR 774
Radio-casetofon portabil stereo
Philips 1977, CD 100
Primul compact-disc din lume
Philips 1982, RR 800
Primul casetofon stereo portabil din lume
Philips 1972, NN 5846
Casetofon deck de inalta fidelitate
Philips 1981, DCC 300
Casetofon deck integral digital
Philips 1993, DCC 951
Casetofon deck digital
Philips 1994, AZ 1000
Combina portabila stereo cu casetofon, radio si CD
Philips 1996, Sony: TPS-L2
Primul walkman din lume
Sony 1979; NT-1
Primul reportofon digital cu microcaseta
Sony 1992; Grundig C 100 L
Casetofon portabil mono
Grundig 1965;

e) contents samples of previous cassette-recorders (radio, reel-to-reel tape recorder, pick-up) and successors (video-recorder, laser video-disc, cd player): Philips 930 A
Radio cu tuburi electronice
Philips 1931 = tube radio from 1931, Philips 204 U
Radio cu tuburi electronice
Philips 1946 = smaller tubes radio from 1946, EL 3555
Magnetofon stereo
Philips 1966 = tubes and transistors reel-to-reel tape recorder from 1966, Philips EL RK 5 L
Magnetofon portabil
Philips 1966 = portable reel-to-reel from 1966, AG 4000F
Pick-up portabil
Philips 1966 = portable pick-up from 1966, Philips VLP 700
Video disc cu laser
Philips 1980 - video disc from 1980; first CD player in the world - Philips CD 100 - 1982);

f) contains Philips samples from 38 consecutive various type groups, such as: EL, N, RR, AR, D, F, C, and in some of them there are consecutive items , such as: N 2000
Casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1971 > N 2211, AR 060
Radio-casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1977 > 090
Radio-casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1980, or samples from each subgroup, such as: RR 313
Radio casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1973, 425
Radio casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1976, 522
Radio-casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1973, 622
Radio casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1974, 722
Radio casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1974, RR 800
Primul casetofon stereo portabil din lume
Philips 1972; AR 090
Radio-casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1980, 108
Radio casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1981, 248, 374
Radio-casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1978, 499
Radio casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1979, AR 580
Radio casetofon portabil stereo
Philips 1980, AR 664
Radio casetofon portabil mono
Philips 1978, AR 774
Radio-casetofon portabil stereo
Philips 1977 .

g) contents items with unique/artistic design: Bang & Olufsen Beocord 4500 and Beosystem 10;

h) contains rare items, others than above mentioned:

• first portable radio cass-recorder in the world:
• Saba TKR-15
  Primul radio-casetofon portabil din lume
  Saba 1957, 1958;
• first portable Japanese cass-rec: Sony TC 12
  Casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1967, ca. 1967;
• smallest cass-rec. in the world: analogic = Dictaphone Exec 4230
  Reportofon cu picocaseta
  Dictaphone 1990?; digital = Sony NT-1
  Primul reportofon digital cu microcaseta
  Sony 1992, 1992;
• one of first US cass-rec with compact-cassette - General Electric M 8430
  Primul? casetofon american portabil cu caseta compact
  General Electric 1969? (inspired by Philips EL 3300
  First cassette recorder );
• second russian cass-rec: Sputnik 402
  Casetofon portabil mono
  Radiotehnika 1974 (inspired by Philips EL 3300
  First cassette recorder );
• first romanian cass-rec (Electronica- Star MC 12
  Primul casetofon românesc STAR MC 12
  Electronica 1975 ) and successive models - first portable radiorecorder, first cass-rec. for car;
• cass-rec with own electric power generator (“dynamo”) - R 1018
  Casetofon cu dinam incorporat
  The Sound 1976 “The sound”;
• the 2nd and 3rd portable radio-recorder in the world (with compact-cassette): Philips RL 673
  Radio-casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1967 and RL 361
  Radio-casetofon portabil mono
  Philips 1967;
• 3 in 1 (radio+cass+pickup) item styled as “diplomat case” : Aciko ACRT 820S
  Combina portabila:radio, casetofon, pick-up
  Aciko 1975?; Sanyo G 2615 N2
  Combina stereo portabila:radio,casetofon,pick-up
  Sanyo 1972;
• second laser-disc in the world: Philips VLP 700
  Video disc cu laser
  Philips 1980 - ca 1980;
• complex items as 3 in 1 items (tv + radio + cass-rec): Philips ART 20
  Combina portabila radio+casetofon+TV
  Philips 1980; Sound;
• 19 types of audio-cassette: Tefi (1951), Dictet cassette (ca. 1957), Saba cassette (1958), 4 track cartridge-RCA (1958), Fidelipac (1959), Minifon Attache (1959?), compact-cassette (1963-Philips), 8-track cartridge-RCA (1964), DC International (Grundig 1965), Grundig EN-3 (1966), Minicassette (Philips 1967), microcasette (Olympus 1969), Steno-cassette (1973), Elcaset (Sony 1976), DAT (Sony-1987?), Picocasette (1987, JVC), DCC (Philips 1991 ?), Sony DARS professional, and also the players/recorders for them;

All the information above is based on the reading of technical guides/catalogues of main companies during 1958 - 2007, internet documentaries, electronics book and personal repairing experience of the author.