About the Company
Asterion — Netherlands Reel-to-Reel Tape Deck Manufacturer
Brand: Asterion
Country: Netherlands
Era: 1950s–1960s (approx.)
Product Type: Portable reel-to-reel tape recorders (consumer grade)
Electronics: Tube (valve) circuits
Market: Home/consumer tape recording and playback
Documentation: Limited — known chiefly from vintage collector directories and surviving units.
Asterion is listed in classic reel-to-reel brand indexes as one of the many smaller European manufacturers that produced tube-based tape recorders primarily for the consumer/home market rather than professional studios.
Production History & Context
Brand Background
Unlike major Dutch audio brands such as Philips/Aristona, Asterion was a minor, niche label whose products were manufactured in the Netherlands for home use. Its machines are rare today and don’t show up in historical advertising or mainstream audio press of the era, but they are cataloged in enthusiast registries.
Technology & Design
Asterion decks used tube (valve) electronics, a common design approach for consumer tape machines in the pre-transistor era (before solid-state became standard).
They were usually full-track mono or simple two-track designs, with basic feature sets aimed at everyday recording and playback rather than high-fidelity music reproduction.
Because the Dutch consumer electronics market was smaller than those of Germany, Japan, or the U.S., many European brands like Asterion produced compact, modestly featured machines — often locally branded and assembled — that are less documented than larger brands.
Known Models
Asterion A 400
Category: Portable reel-to-reel tape recorder
Manufacture: Netherlands
Electronics: Tube (valve)
Format: Full-track mono, ½ track record/playback
Tape Speed: 3 3/4 ips
Reel Size: Up to 7″
Head Material: Permalloy
Motor: Single-motor transport
Voltage: 220-240 V (European standard)
Quality: Rated around 5 out of 10 in enthusiast listings for sound and long-term reliability — typical of simple consumer decks of its era.
The A 400 appears to be the primary (and possibly the only widely documented) machine produced under the Asterion brand. It reflects the portable, basic recorder style common in post-war European home audio before solid-state designs became widespread.
Market Role and Legacy
Timing: Asterion likely operated in the late 1950s to early 1960s, when reel-to-reel tape decks were expanding into consumer audio but before cassette decks overtook the segment.
Competition: Asterion competed in a crowded European field that included larger brands (e.g., Philips, Grundig, Uher) and many smaller domestic makers. Its modest technical profile kept it at the lower end of the market.
Documentation: Very little survives in corporate histories; references mainly appear in collector directories where Asterion is just one of many small brands with limited production runs.
Today, Asterion tape decks are rare and mainly of interest to vintage audio collectors who specialize in European consumer recorders. They serve as examples of how reel-to-reel technology spread beyond major manufacturers into smaller national markets.