Dynatron Specialist 1200 open reel tape machine

[Aled Hughes]

Just seen one of these at a local indoor market, and can’t seem to find a lot of info on the web. From the 60s from what I gather.

Does anyone have any experience of them, ond what today’s value is?

From a quick glance it seems to have an ‘echo’ function, which might be interesting.

There was also a ‘General Electric Co’ moving coil microphone from the 40s. Can’t find much about these either.

Aled

[Folderol]

Yes it was in the 60s - cost an arm, leg and firstborn, if I remember right.
I applied to join Dynatron but that got knocked on the head with a hostile buyout. Instead I worked for Hacker Radio a few years later. They had all the design crew from Dynatron It was a good company, but us trainees only got to handle the normal production stuff, not so much as a glimpse of the posh kit. I did a spell in assembly inspection (all hand soldered in those days), but most of the time on testing the Hacker Herald/Sovereign radios - had silicon transistors in the VHF module, also testing the GP42 record player (all valve)

[James Perrett]

Oddly enough it was discussed a few days ago at

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/sho ... p?t=186420

though not much info there apart from it being based on the Pamphonic Reflectograph. There's a brochure for this at

http://www.pamphonic.co.uk/Pamphonic_Re ... 62_web.pdf

and also a mention of the Dynatron unit at

http://www.ferrographworld.com/reflectograph3.html

It may be worth saying that once Revox and the Japanese manufacturers started selling hifi machines the interest in these old machines for serious recording seems to have waned. The Revox A77 would have been aimed at a similar market a few years later and just worked so much better than all the domestic British machines that I've encountered.

[ef37a]

Woah! Never knew Dynatron made that sort of gear! I remember their TVs and radiograms. Part of the Pye group who I think got absorbed into the Philips collective?

And Reflectograph, not heard of them for many a long year.

Hacker ? Top bllx kit that.

Dave.

[Arpangel]

Beautiful stuff, love the name too, a bit like "Ladytron"

[Tim Gillett]

...It may be worth saying that once Revox and the Japanese manufacturers started selling hifi machines the interest in these old machines for serious recording seems to have waned. The Revox A77 would have been aimed at a similar market a few years later and just worked so much better than all the domestic British machines that I've encountered.

I read the ferrographworld quote. It says some Dynatron models used the dreaded Bogen heads which were prone to failure through going open circuit. Besides, the echo/reverb tools available in plugins these days would probably do a far better job and be much more reliable. These machines are around 60 years old. I would "walk on by"....

[Hugh Robjohns]

I share Tim's view; I'd walk on by too.

Unless you are a skilled electronics technician with a passion for vintage tape recorders, there are better ways of wasting your money.

The market is still awash with Revoxes which are far superior and -- just as importantly -- easily serviced. Pretty much every part of a Revox A77 or B77 (and their direct relatives) is still available, and there is a lot of information on the web and skilled technicians to help keep them in tip-top running condition.

Something like the Dynatron had relatively poor sound quality when it was new, and would be a real challenge to bring back to spec today.... and that's assuming it is mechanically sound.

[Aled Hughes]

Thanks all,

Well, I wasn’t looking to build the studio around it or replace my plugins!

Just curious about it as I’m fascinated by these things. We have a few working tape machines here already (two MCI 24 tracks, Tascam and Sony 2 tracks as well as an old MCI 8 track that isn’t working) so we’re well covered if we ever need the “tape sound”. They need maintaining anyway (the Tascam is used regularly to transfer old master tapes).

If it was collectible or likely to increase in value I’d think about it, but there’s probably a better way of spending the £500 or so he was asking.

[James Perrett]

If it was collectible or likely to increase in value I’d think about it, but there’s probably a better way of spending the £500 or so he was asking.

They're certainly rare but there are probably very few people who would be interested and almost certainly none at that price unless it has been fully restored by someone with a recognised name for doing a proper job.