About the Company
Lloyd’s Electronics International was a U.S. audio brand based in Chicago, Illinois. It was active from at least the mid‑1960s through the 1970s, operating primarily as a retailer/brand label that sold inexpensive consumer audio equipment — often imported from Japan (and later Korea/Taiwan) and rebranded for department stores, drugstores, and mail‑order catalogs.
This business model was common at the time: companies like Lafayette, Symphonic, and Julliette also sold audio gear under store or private labels, rather than being original manufacturers.
Reel‑to‑Reel Tape Recorders Under the Lloyds Brand
Era of Production
Lloyds reel‑to‑reel tape recorders seem to have appeared mainly in the mid‑ to late‑1960s, at the height of the consumer open‑reel era, before compact cassette machines largely replaced them.
Units have been documented or found from ~1965 onward, often marked with Lloyd’s on the case or face.
Typical Models & Characteristics
Lloyds NK‑505 – A portable reel‑to‑reel recorder/deck reportedly made in Japan — typical of many badge‑engineered units of the period.
Japan RT‑0246 / other portable reel recorders – Examples seen in collector posts show small battery‑powered units branded “Lloyd’s,” cleaned up and still operable decades later.
TP566W – A small transistor recorder listed in Radiomuseum.org indicating Lloyd’s marketed tape recorders with minimal electronics and simple speaker/headphone output.
Typically, these recorders were lightweight portable machines with modest fidelity, mono or simple stereo recording/playback, and designs that emphasized low cost — perfect for voice, radio capture, or basic replay rather than high‑fidelity music reproduction.
Manufacturing & Sourcing
Lloyds did not operate its own tape recorder production factories; instead, it contracted or sourced units from Asian OEM factories (mainly Japan).
In collector circles it’s understood that many Lloyds branded units — including reel and cassette recorders — were simply rebranded imports of generic designs made to the retailer’s specification.
As with many similar brands of the era, the recorded units were consumer‑grade, often outclassed by contemporary Japanese hi‑fi brands but inexpensive and widely distributed in mainstream retail outlets.
Market Position & Reception
Lloyds reel‑to‑reel recorders were budget products, similar to cassette decks and boomboxes the brand also sold later. Many vintage audio enthusiasts today regard them as low‑performance compared with dedicated tape deck brands — often useful for novelty or nostalgic purposes but not high fidelity.
They were less documented historically than name brands like Akai, Sony, or Teac, primarily because they existed as a retail label rather than an innovating manufacturer.
Collector interest today exists mainly among vintage electronics hobbyists and retro enthusiasts — often encountering these machines at thrift stores, estate sales, or in online auctions.