About the Company
Alaron was a small U.S. brand based in Auburn Hills, Michigan that sold mainly low‑cost portable reel‑to‑reel tape recorders in the 1960s, with the machines themselves manufactured in Japan to Alaron’s specifications for the consumer market.
Company and product profile
Brand directories describe Alaron as a U.S. maker whose reel‑to‑reel products were consumer‑grade portables, typically 3‑inch and small 7‑inch home recorders rather than hi‑fi or studio decks.
Museum and catalog entries show Alaron‑branded portable 4‑transistor reel‑to‑reel recorders (for example model B‑421), reinforcing that Alaron focused on compact, battery‑capable units rather than component decks.
Manufacturing and OEM sourcing
A country‑by‑origin overview notes that “Alaron of Auburn Hills Michigan seems to have made primarily portable Reel to Reel machines that were made in Japan, likely to their specifications,” indicating an OEM production model rather than in‑house transport manufacture.
Contemporary restoration notes on specific models such as the TR563 describe them explicitly as Japanese‑built rim‑drive 3‑inch reel‑to‑reel recorders carrying the Alaron badge.
Known models and formats
Documented models include very small portables like the 3‑inch B‑421, HR‑407, HR‑408A, and B‑506 7‑inch home recorder, all characterized as simple consumer machines.
Collectors have also encountered Alaron‑branded blank tape (e.g., baby‑blue “Alaron Magnetic Recording Tape” reels), suggesting the company sold its own‑label media alongside the recorders.
Production era and market position
The dated museum artifact for the B‑421 places Alaron’s portable reel‑to‑reel activity around the mid‑1960s, aligning with the broader boom of inexpensive transistorized portables before cassette took over.
Brand summaries group Alaron with other minor U.S. names that briefly offered tape machines during this period, aimed squarely at the low‑end consumer and educational markets rather than professional use.
Decline and legacy
Alaron does not appear in late‑1970s tape‑deck buyer’s guides as a significant player, reflecting how such low‑cost portable reel‑to‑reel lines were rapidly displaced by compact cassette recorders.
Today Alaron’s legacy is mainly of interest to collectors and museums, where its tiny Japanese‑made portables illustrate the affordable end of the 1960s reel‑to‑reel spectrum rather than any major technical innovation.