About the Company
Harting in the context of tape decks refers to reel‑to‑reel audio recorders sold under the Harting name, not the same Harting Technology Group known today for industrial connectors. The latter company did indeed make tape recorders in its early product portfolio — along with jukeboxes and record players — but later shifted focus to connectors and other equipment by the mid‑1960s.
Production Timeline
Late 1950s – Early Tape Decks (1958–1961)
1958: The Harting brand began producing or exporting reel‑to‑reel tape recorders targeted at the consumer/home audio market. These machines were manufactured in Japan with tube electronics, a common practice of the era for brands that did not build their own transport mechanisms.
Production under this name appears to have been concentrated roughly between 1958 and 1961.
Classic Models
Although documentation is sparse and model lists are short, enthusiasts and collector databases note the following:
Harting HM 5 – One of the main documented reel‑to‑reel models from the brand. This was a tube‑based half‑track mono recorder with standard consumer features.
Electronics: Vacuum tube circuits
Speeds: 3¾ and 7½ ips
Tracks: Half‑track mono (2‑track)
Max Reel: 7″
Head Type: Permalloy
Voltage: 220–240 V mains
Sound quality and reliability were rated modestly, typical of lower‑end consumer decks of the era.Harting HM8 S Stereo (circa 1959) — Recorded by collectors as a stereo reel recorder with tube and early transistor elements, built in Germany. This model shows that Harting also offered stereo recorders alongside the HM 5.
Brand Scope & Duration
Harting’s reel‑to‑reel recorders were simple consumer machines rather than professional or high‑fidelity studio decks. They were marketed primarily in Europe (especially the UK/Germany) and reflect a period when smaller brands licensed or imported tape mechanisms from Japan but applied their own branding and circuits.
Production seems to have ceased by the early 1960s as the home tape recorder market consolidated around larger specialist brands and as Harting shifted its core business focus.
Broader Company Context
The Harting name in electronics traces back to Wilhelm Harting Mechanische Werkstätten (founded 1945 in Minden, Germany), which produced a range of electronic products in the 1950s — including jukeboxes, record players, and some tape recorders — before ultimately specializing in industrial connectors (“Han” series) and related technologies.
According to company histories, Harting’s post‑war product line included tape recorders in the 1950s, but by the early 1960s the focus shifted away from consumer audio gear toward more industrial/connector business — a strategic move that shaped Harting’s later identity.
Summary — Harting Reel‑to‑Reel History
Brand: Harting (consumer reel‑to‑reel tape recorders)
Era: Approximately 1958–1961
Manufacturing: Machines built in Japan for the Harting name, using tube electronics
Key Models:
HM 5 — Mono half‑track recorder with 3¾ & 7½ ips speeds
HM8 S (stereo example) — Typical late‑50s tube recorder
Market Position: Consumer/home audio; modest performance and features
End of Tape Deck Production: Early 1960s as market shifted and company refocused
Legacy
Harting reel‑to‑reel machines are rare today and principally of interest to vintage audio collectors or enthusiasts of mid‑century consumer tape recorders. They illustrate a time when many small brands entered the home tape market by sourcing mechanisms from Japanese OEMs and applying local branding — before the rise of transistorized designs and major global players in the 1960s.