About the Company
Cossor — UK Reel‑to‑Reel Tape Deck Manufacturer
Brand: Cossor
Company: A.C. Cossor Ltd.
Country: United Kingdom
Reel‑to‑Reel Production: 1960 – late‑1960s
Market: Consumer‑oriented reel‑to‑reel audio recorders
Technology: Tube (early) → Solid‑state (later)
Cossor was a well‑known British electronics firm with a history stretching back to 1859, originally making glassware and later expanding into electrical valves, radios, televisions, and consumer audio equipment. In the 1960s Cossor added reel‑to‑reel tape recorders to its product range before the name faded from consumer electronics.
Company Background
Founded: 1859 in London by Alfred Charles Cossor as a scientific glassware maker, later turning to electronics and valve manufacture.
Pre‑war & Post‑war: Cossor became known for valves, radio sets, cathode‑ray tubes and later televisions.
1950s: Continued electronics manufacture; consumer products gradually diminished.
1961: Cossor was acquired by Raytheon after prior consumer divisions were sold to Philips.
Within this context Cossor introduced a line of consumer reel‑to‑reel tape recorders in the early‑to‑mid 1960s.
Reel‑to‑Reel Tape Deck Production
Cossor’s tape deck production ran mainly through the 1960s, with machines evolving from tube‑based to solid‑state designs.
Early Tube Models (c. 1960–1963)
Cossor CR‑1602
Electronics: Tube (valve) design
Tracks: Quarter‑track mono
Speed: 3¾ ips
Reel Size: Up to 7″
Output: RCA jacks, built‑in amplifier
Notes: This early 1960s recorder was in fact a rebadged Philips EL3541, manufactured in the Netherlands and sold under the Cossor name in the UK.
Tube models like the CR‑1602 were typical of early British consumer tape decks — basic but functional open‑reel recorders for home audio.
Transition to Solid‑State (c. 1963–1968)
As transistor technology became common, Cossor updated its tape recorders.
Cossor CR‑1605
Electronics: Solid‑state (all‑transistor)
Tracks: Quarter‑track mono
Speeds: 1 7/8, 3 3/4, 7 1/2, 15 ips
Reel Size: 3″ maximum
Heads: Permalloy
Notes: Introduced around 1963 with advances over earlier models, such as added speed range and lighter electronics.
Cossor CR‑1607
Electronics: Solid‑state
Tracks: Quarter‑track with half‑track playback
Speeds: 1 7/8, 3 3/4 ips
Reel Size: Up to 7″
Notes: A stereo‑capable recorder with two built‑in speakers and a lightweight cabinet. Manufactured around 1965–1968.
Cossor CR‑1621
Electronics: Solid‑state portable design
Tracks: Half‑track mono
Speeds: 1 ips (designed for low‑speed single‑track recording)
Reel Size: Around 4″
Notes: Based on or copied from the Philips EL3514 and offered as a battery‑portable recorder.
These later models show Cossor embracing transistor electronics and a range of applications from portable to domestic use, though their audio quality and reliability ratings are generally modest by collector standards.
Market Position
Consumer Focus: Cossor tape decks were marketed to the home user rather than professional studios, often offering multiple tape speeds, AC mains voltages compatible with UK electrical standards, and built‑in amplification.
UK Manufacture/Branding: Although some Cossor tape decks were rebadged designs from European OEMs (e.g., Philips), they were distributed and supported in the UK under the Cossor name.
Reputation: These machines were generally mid‑range consumer products with performance and reliability often rated around average compared to leading hi‑fi brands of the era.
End of Production
By the late 1960s, Cossor’s reel‑to‑reel tape deck production tapered off, coinciding with broader declines in British consumer electronics manufacturing and the rise of cheaper and more technically advanced Japanese tape decks. After the late 1960s, Cossor’s consumer electronics presence — including tape recorders — diminished under corporate ownership changes.