About the Company
Arel — Belgian Reel-to-Reel Tape Deck Manufacturer
Brand: A.R.E.L. (often styled Radio Arel or simply Arel)
Country: Belgium
Years Active: Approximately 1945 – 1964
Product Type: Consumer audio electronics, including reel-to-reel tape recorders
Headquarters: Originally Antwerp, later Schoten, Belgium
Founder: Michel Albert Huygen
Employees at Peak: ~1 800 workers at the Schoten factory
Market: Home and consumer audio gear
Reel-to-Reel Production: 1950s – early 1960s in limited volumes and models
Arel was a Belgian maker of consumer audio products — radios, tape recorders, and other sound gear — active in the mid-20th century. While many collectors know Arel for its broadcast receivers and hi-fi equipment, it also produced reel-to-reel tape recorders during the early era of magnetic sound recording.
History & Corporate Background
Founded shortly after WWII (≈1945): Arel was established by Michel Albert Huygen in Antwerp, Belgium. The company’s early products were radio receivers and audio gear, gaining local popularity in the post-war electronics boom.
Factory Growth & Relocation: As demand grew, Arel expanded its operations and moved to a larger facility in Schoten, near Antwerp. At its peak, the factory employed about 1 800 people.
Exit from Tape Business: Arel was sold around 1960, and production of consumer tape recorders ended shortly thereafter as new ownership shifted focus and the Belgian tape-recorder market contracted.
Reel-to-Reel Tape Deck Production
Arel is listed in vintage tape recorder directories as a brand that produced reel-to-reel tape recorders in the late 1950s, although the number of models was small and documentation sparse.
Known Tape Recorder Models
These models survive in museum and collector records:
Arel 433 — A tube-based mono reel-to-reel deck, likely produced in the early 1960s (or potentially late 1950s). This table-top recorder used vacuum tubes and was typical of European consumer tape decks of the era.
Arel 362.02 — A stereo reel-to-reel tape recorder from 1968, featuring solid-state electronics, three speeds, and detachable speakers. It was sold with microphones and accessories, suggesting Arel’s attempt at a more complete home audio package.
Note: Arel’s historically documented years in business for tape recorders are approximately 1951 onwards, with specific models clustered in the late 1950s and 1960s. Precise model lists are limited and much of what survives is from collector contributions rather than official corporate catalogs.
Technical Characteristics & Market Position
Electronics Type: Early models like the Arel 433 were tube (valve) machines, common before transistors dominated consumer audio. Later units like the 362.02 incorporated solid-state electronics.
Tape Format: Arel’s tape recorders were generally desktop/console units intended for home use — mono in earlier models, stereo in later ones — not professional or studio machines.
Features: Typical features included multiple tape speeds, detachable speakers (in some models), and bundled microphones, aiming at amateur recording and family entertainment rather than audiophile precision.
Competition: Arel’s reel deck offerings were modest compared to larger global brands (e.g., Akai, TEAC, Philips), reflecting its focus on local Belgian and nearby European markets.
End of Production & Legacy
By the early 1960s, and especially after Arel was sold around 1960, tape recorder production wound down and eventually ceased as consumer interest shifted towards compact cassette formats and competition from foreign electronics intensified.
Today, Arel reel-to-reel units are rare collector items, mostly appreciated by vintage audio enthusiasts interested in Belgian and European tape recorder history. Surviving examples like the 362.02 testify to Arel’s participation in the reel-to-reel era, even if its footprint was limited compared to major international manufacturers.
Arel was a Belgian audio electronics maker best known for radios and home sound products, but it also produced reel-to-reel tape recorders in the late 1950s and 1960s, with models ranging from tube-based mono decks to more advanced stereo units. Its production run was limited and is mostly documented through collector records and surviving machines today.