About the Company
Fi-Cord was a British company (Fi-Cord Ltd., based in the UK) that marketed and distributed high-quality portable reel-to-reel tape recorders, primarily in the late 1950s through the 1960s. It acted as a branding/distributor entity rather than a full-scale manufacturer for many of its models. The actual production was often outsourced to Swiss firms, notably Stellavox (founded in 1955 by Georges Quellet in Mendrisio, Switzerland), which designed and built the hardware. Stellavox was renowned for compact, precision-engineered portable recorders (often as alternatives to Nagra in professional/location sound work).
Fi-Cord machines targeted semi-professional, reporter/journalist, and high-fidelity portable use rather than mass consumer or full studio markets. They were compact, battery/mains powered, and emphasized portability with good audio quality—some models competed directly with Uher or Nagra portables.
Production History
Fi-Cord-branded reel-to-reel tape recorders were produced/marketed from approximately 1958 to 1969 (core span cited across vintage sources and collector sites). This aligns with the portable tape recorder boom of the era, before the decline in favor of cassettes.
Key models and timeline:
1958: Early models like Fi-Cord A1 (or Fi-Cord 1A) — portable reel-to-reel, based on Stellavox designs (e.g., Stellavox Sm4 rebadged for the UK market). Miniature/portable focus.
1959: Fi-Cord 101 — Iconic miniature portable transistor dictaphone/recorder (pocket-sized, body-wearable, push-button operation, single-motor belt-driven). Designed by Georges Quellet at Stellavox, manufactured in Switzerland for Fi-Cord Ltd. Used widely for dictation, covert recording (e.g., by intelligence agencies), journalism, and field work. It used small 3-inch reels, ran at lower speeds (e.g., 1⅞ ips or similar), and weighed very little (~4.5 lbs in some variants). Often noted as one of the first all-transistor portable recorders of its type.
Early 1960s: Continuation of 101 and related mini portables; some used for BBC or broadcast testing.
1963: Fi-Cord 202 — Portable battery/mains high-fidelity field recorder (often gold-anodized aluminum case). Competed with Uher 4000 Report series; built in Switzerland (Stellavox influence), well-regarded for ruggedness but described as somewhat clunky mechanically. Used by reporters, sound recordists, and in location audio.
Mid-1960s (c. 1965): Fi-Cord 202A — Updated/improved version of the 202 (advertised in UK magazines like Tape Recording). Enhanced features for better fidelity and reliability.
Production effectively ended around 1969, as the company wound down amid shifting market trends (rise of cassette formats, competition from Japanese brands, etc.). Stellavox itself continued independently into later decades (e.g., developing DAT machines in the late 1980s and still existing today as a niche high-end audio firm).
Fi-Cord emphasized Swiss precision engineering under British branding/marketing, with a focus on portability and quality over high-volume production. Machines were not as ubiquitous as Ferrograph or Revox but are prized by collectors today for their rarity, build quality, and historical use in journalism/field recording (some examples preserved in museums or private collections, like Australian War Memorial items).