About the Company
Reflectograph was a UK brand of reel‑to‑reel tape recorders made in the 1950s and early 1960s, primarily for the consumer and semi‑professional hi‑fi market. Its machines were tube‑based designs produced in the era when magnetic tape recording was spreading from professional studios into home audio systems.
Brand/Manufacturer: Reflectograph (initially under Rudman Darlington Electronics Ltd, later through Multimusic Ltd)
Country: United Kingdom
Reel‑to‑Reel Production Period: circa 1952–1964
Market: Consumer and hi‑fi enthusiast segments, some industrial/broadcast crossover
Technology: Vacuum‑tube (valve) electronics — typical for the era’s tape decks.
Company Background & Origins
The origins of Reflectograph trace back to Rudman Darlington Electronics Ltd., a small British engineering firm founded in the early post‑World War II years. Originally engaged in general electronics manufacture, by 1952 the company had produced its first Reflectograph tape recorder model, marking its expansion into the nascent magnetic tape market.
In the mid‑ to late 1950s, management and production responsibilities for Reflectograph recorders passed to Multimusic Ltd (a subsidiary of Multicore Solders Ltd), which continued development of the brand’s tape recorders and accessories.
Notable Reflectograph Tape Recorder Models
Reflectograph produced several reel‑to‑reel models over its active years, ranging from consumer hi‑fi decks to more ambitious hi‑fi designs:
Reflectograph 500 / 570 Series (c. 1958–1961)
Technology: Tube‑based electronics, separate record and playback amplifiers for better performance.
Tracks: Half‑track mono (model 500) and stereo (model 570).
Tape Speeds: 3¾ and 7½ ips — standard consumer and semi‑hi‑fi speeds of the period.
Reel Size: Up to 7″.
Heads: 3 heads (erase, record, playback) for improved recording flexibility.
Features: Variable speed control with stroboscope, peak level record meter, matched internal speakers (on some units).
The 500 and 570 models were among the earlier commercial Reflectograph decks and demonstrate the brand’s focus on hi‑fi consumer recording rather than strictly industrial machines.
Reflectograph 248 Model A & B (c. 1960–1963)
Model 248A: Half‑track configuration for mono/stereo playback with good frequency response (~50 Hz to 10 kHz at 7½ ips).
Model 248B: Quarter‑track version, enabling more recording per reel (essentially 4 tracks, useful for stereo and extended recording).
Reel Size: Up to 10½″, allowing longer playing times.
Technology: Tube electronics with multi‑motor transports and built‑in monitoring.
The 248 series was positioned toward higher‑end consumer or semi‑pro users, offering more advanced multi‑track capability and larger reels than earlier Reflectograph decks.
Technology & Design
Tube Electronics
Reflectograph decks used vacuum tubes, with multi‑stage amplification circuits typical of mid‑20th‑century British tape recorders. These provided rich analog sound but were larger and more power‑hungry than later transistor designs.
Head and Transport Configuration
Early models (e.g., 500/570) featured three‑head designs, allowing separate erase, record, and playback functions — a significant feature for monitoring and quality control at the time. Later 248 models continued this trend with improved transport mechanisms suited to larger reels.
Tape Speeds & Tracks
Most Reflectograph models operated at 3¾ and 7½ ips, standard for consumer and semi‑hi‑fi decks. Quarter‑track variants allowed four tracks per tape (two in each direction), increasing recording versatility.
Market Role & Legacy
British Hi‑Fi Tradition: Reflectograph was part of a cluster of UK tape recorder makers in the 1950s–1960s, contemporaneous with brands like Pye and Ferrograph, contributing to early British hi‑fi and domestic recording culture.
Consumer and Semi‑Pro Focus: Although not as globally famous as later Japanese brands, its decks were noteworthy in the UK for combining hi‑fi tape performance with practical home use.
Transitional Technology: The use of tube electronics, multi‑head designs, and variable speeds places Reflectograph machines squarely in the classic analog era just before solid‑state transistorization and cassette formats took over.
Collectibility: Today, Reflectograph reel‑to‑reel decks are rare vintage pieces, appreciated by collectors of British audio equipment and examples of mid‑century tape recorder engineering.