About the Company
Brand Overview
Fibax was a Belgian brand of reel-to-el magnetic tape recorders. These machines appear to have been simple, tube-based consumer or portable models manufactured for the local or regional European market. Unlike major reel-to-reel brands (e.g., TEAC, Akai, Revox), Fibax remained small and specialized, so detailed corporate or production history is scarce.
Known Production History
Country and Period
Country of Manufacture: Belgium.
Era: Likely 1950s–1960s, the boom period for tube-based reel recorders in Europe before solid-state and cassette formats dominated. (Inferred from typical tube technology era and available example.)
Since Fibax doesn’t appear in major company records and there are no widely available histories of the firm itself, it’s presumed to have been a small manufacturer or brand label of Belgian tape decks, possibly selling under license or using components from other European electronics makers.
Known Models
The only specific model widely documented is:
Fibax Maestrofon T160
– A tube-based reel recorder with full-track mono operation and 7″ reel capacity, typical of basic consumer units of the era.
– Supported two speeds: 3¾ and 7½ ips.
– Operated on 220–240 V mains and used permalloy heads.
There are no detailed records of other Fibax models in major archives or enthusiast directories; it’s possible the brand released only a handful of variants or that additional models were very rare.
Market Position & Technology
Based on available information:
Target Market: Consumer or light-duty users — domestic recording, voice, basic music — not high-end audiophile or professional studio.
Technology: Tube electronics and simple transport mechanisms, typical of smaller manufacturers in the 1950s/early 1960s.
Distribution: Likely sold in Belgium and neighboring countries; not a globally marketed brand. (Inferred from limited presence in international catalogs.)
Decline & Legacy
Fibax does not appear to have lasted into the solid-state era of the late 1960s and 1970s when transistorized consumer tape recorders became widespread. The brand likely ceased production as the market consolidated around larger European and Japanese manufacturers and cassette formats gained popularity. (Inferred from the absence of later models in collector registries.)
Today Fibax machines are rare and mainly of interest to vintage audio collectors, especially those focusing on smaller or regional European brands whose histories weren’t widely documented.
Summary
Fibax reel-to-el tape decks represent a niche European brand from mid-20th-century Belgium:
Belgian brand of consumer reel-to-reel tape recorders.
Tube-based technology, likely active 1950s–1960s.
Known model: Maestrofon T160.
Market: Small, regional, entry-level.
Legacy: Rare collectible; limited documentation exists.