Philips

About the Company

Philips N.V., founded in 1891 in Eindhoven, Netherlands, became a global leader in consumer and professional electronics, including reel‑to‑reel tape recorders. Philips is notable for helping standardize the compact cassette format, but it also had a long history producing open‑reel tape recorders.

• Country: Netherlands

• Founded: 1891

• Reel-to-reel activity: 1950s–1980s (consumer & professional)

• Market focus: Home audio, education, professional studios, and broadcasting

• Branding: Often under Philips internationally; some early decks also appeared as Norelco in the U.S.

Production History Timeline

1950s — Early Experiments and First Machines

• Philips was among the first European companies to adopt magnetic tape technology post‑WWII.

• Early reel‑to‑reel machines were tube-based, designed for home recording, dictation, and educational purposes.

• These included compact, portable consumer-grade tape recorders for 3¾ and 7½ ips speeds.

1960s — Hi-Fi Boom

• Philips expanded into high-fidelity consumer reel‑to‑reel decks, competing with AKAI, Grundig, Telefunken, and Revox.

• Notable series: EL 3300, EL 3400, and EL 3500, solid-state hi-fi decks.

• Features included:
  Stereo recording/playback
  Multiple tape speeds (1⅞, 3¾, 7½ ips)
  Solid-state electronics replacing tubes
  Compact desktop and portable designs

1970s — Professional & Consumer Expansion

• Philips produced semi-professional and consumer hi-fi decks, sometimes rebranded for other markets (e.g., Norelco in the U.S.).

• Key models:
  N4520 / N4525 / N4526: High-quality consumer decks
  EL 3555 / EL 3560: Robust stereo playback and recording

• Innovations:
  Auto-stop mechanisms
  Tape counters
  Three-head systems for separate recording/playback/erase

1980s — Decline of Consumer Reel-to-Reel

• With the rise of cassette decks and later digital recording, Philips gradually phased out consumer reel-to-reel production.

• Professional decks remained available but were largely superseded by digital formats by the mid-1980s.

Representative Philips Reel-to-Reel Models

EL 3300 / 3400   1960s   Solid-state stereo, consumer hi-fi, multiple tape speeds

N4520 / N4525   1970sConsumer hi-fi, three-head design, auto-stop, stereo playback/record

EL 3555 / 3560   1970s–80sHi-fi consumer decks, robust transport, three heads

Norelco 700       1960s–70sUS-market branding for Philips decks, similar specs to European models

Typical specs for consumer decks:

• Tape speeds: 1⅞, 3¾, 7½ ips

• Stereo or mono, two- or three-head systems

• 5–7" reels for consumer models, 10½" for high-end semi-pro

• Solid-state electronics from mid‑1960s onwards

Market Position & Legacy

• Philips was pioneering in making tape recording accessible to home consumers.

• Consumer hi-fi decks were widespread in Europe, North America (as Norelco), and other regions.

• Professional decks, like the Philips EL 3500, were used in studios and broadcasting.

• Philips is historically critical in tape standardization, introducing and promoting compact cassette technology in 1963, which eventually eclipsed reel-to-reel consumer decks.