About the Company
Fostex (officially The Fostex Company, a division/brand of Foster Electric Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese manufacturer founded in 1973 in Tokyo, Japan, building on Foster Electric's roots dating back to 1949 (originally focused on speakers and transducers as an OEM supplier). Fostex specialized in affordable professional and semi-professional audio gear, gaining fame in the 1980s for pioneering cost-effective multitrack recording solutions that democratized home and freelance studios—often alongside TASCAM as key players in the "project studio" revolution.
Fostex entered the reel-to-reel market much later as a relative latecomer to analog multitrack tape recording. Their machines targeted semi-pro, home recording, and small studios rather than broadcast/professional high-end (like Studer) or vintage consumer/domestic use. They emphasized compact designs, narrow-tape multitrack innovation (e.g., 8 tracks on ¼" tape), and features like Dolby noise reduction.
Production History for Reel-to-Reel Tape Recorders/Decks
Fostex produced reel-to-reel tape machines from 1981 (entry into recording market) through the early 1990s (with some models into the mid-1990s before digital/ADAT formats largely replaced analog multitrack open-reel). This was during the peak of affordable analog multitrack boom, before cassettes, DAT, and hard-disk recording took over.
Key timeline and series:
1981: Debut with the A-series — revolutionary affordable multitrack recorders using ¼" tape on 7" reels (compact and portable compared to wider-tape machines).A-2: 2-track, 3-head, 7½ & 15 ips.
A-4: 4-track, 3-head, 7½ & 15 ips.
A-8: First 8-track on ¼" tape (game-changer for home studios), 2-head (no off-tape monitoring), 15 ips only (later rare A-8L variant at 7½ ips).
Mid-1980s: Expansion to wider formats.B-16 (1983/1985): First 16-track on ½" tape, Dolby C NR, compact design, ~$4,000 original price.
Follow-ups like E-16 (1986).
Late 1980s–early 1990s: Refined ¼" 8-track and higher models.Model 80 / A-80 / M8 / E8 series variants (evolved from A-8).
R8 (introduced ~1989): Popular 8-track on ¼" tape, 7" reels, 15 ips, 3 motors, pitch control, removable remote, MIDI timecode sync (MTC) integration (big selling point for DAW syncing like Cubase/Atari/Mac), ~$2,800 original price.
1990s: Higher-end lines.G-16S (1990): 16-track on ½" tape, 7.5 & 15 ips, first with Dolby S NR.
G-24S (1991): 24-track on 1" tape.
Production of new analog reel-to-reel models effectively ended in the mid-1990s as digital formats (ADAT, DA-88, hard-disk workstations) dominated. Fostex shifted to digital recorders, mixers, monitors, and other pro audio (still active today in headphones, speakers, field recorders, etc.).
Fostex reel-to-reels were innovative for their era—offering multitrack capability at lower cost/space than competitors (e.g., TASCAM 38/48, Otari)—and remain sought-after by vintage analog enthusiasts for restoration, especially the A-8/R8 for their portability and "classic 80s home studio" sound. They often fetch good prices on the used market due to durability and cult following.