About the Company
Audiotrine — British Reel-to-Reel Tape Recorder Brand
Brand: Audiotrine
Country: United Kingdom
Era: 1950s–1960s (briefly active)
Market: Consumer / home reel-to-reel recorders
Technology: Tube-based electronics
Production Style: Often offered as kits or assembly-friendly tape recorder packages
Audiotrine appears in vintage audio brand indexes as one of the small British names in the early consumer magnetic tape era, not a large manufacturer like Akai, TEAC, or Philips. Its machines were tube-based consumer tape decks aimed at hobbyists and budget-oriented buyers in the UK.
Production History & Context Background
Audiotrine existed in the period when open-reel magnetic tape recording was gaining popularity among hobbyists and home users — roughly the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Its products were designed to be accessible both in price and assembly, with at least one known model marketed as an easy-to-assemble package using Collaro transport mechanisms (a common tape transport of the era, produced by Collaro Ltd in the UK).
Business Model
The Audiotrine brand didn’t build complex professional machines, but rather offered consumer-grade tape recorders — including assembly kits — using established transport technology.
The kits could purportedly be put together in about one hour and came with a carrying case, making them straightforward for hobbyists. The suggested kit price (~£40) was positioned in line with other mid-century consumer tape products (~£60-£80) at the time.
Production Era
Audiotrine units were produced around the mid-20th century, during the transition from vacuum tubes to solid-state electronics in consumer audio, but the known Audiotrine tooled machines retained tube circuitry, which was common in tape decks of that period.
Known Tape Recorder Model
• Audiotrine “Mod. Unknown”
Brand: Audiotrine
Country: United Kingdom
Electronics: Tube (valve)
Speeds: 1 7/8, 3 3/4, and 7 1/2 ips (typical for consumer decks)
Reel Size: Up to 7″
Heads: 2 heads
Head Material: Permalloy
Configuration: Stereo
Sound Quality: Rated modestly (~5/10) — common for budget consumer decks of the era
Description: A vintage stereo reel-to-reel consumer recorder with a carrying cabinet and classic mid-century styling
There’s no widely recorded model number for this unit in major vintage databases beyond “Mod. Unknown,” reflecting how little Audiotrine documentation survives.
Design & Technical Notes
Tube Electronics: Audiotrine tape decks relied on vacuum tube circuits, like many consumer machines in the late 1950s and early 1960s before transistorized designs became standard.
Collaro Transport: Using Collaro mechanical transport parts (commonly used by UK brands) made these machines easier to maintain and assemble, which suited the kit/DIY positioning.
Assembly Kits: The ease of assembly and home-friendly building approach set Audiotrine apart from more feature-rich factory-assembled decks.
Market Role & Legacy
Consumer Focus: Audiotrine catered to budget-oriented home users and hobbyists, not to studios or high-end audiophiles.
Obscure Brand: Compared with mainstream names, Audiotrine didn’t offer extensive product lines, widespread distribution, or long-term dealer support — a likely reason its history and product details are sparse today.
Collector Interest: Today, Audiotrine machines are rare curiosities for vintage audio collectors who document lesser-known reel-to-reel brands.
In Short
Audiotrine was a small British reel-to-reel tape deck brand that produced tube-based consumer tape recorders — including easy-to-assemble kits using Collaro transports — in the mid-20th century. It never grew into a major international manufacturer and remains obscure and sparsely documented, known mainly through vintage reel-to-reel collector records.