About the Company
Wyndsor was a British reel‑to‑reel tape recorder brand produced by the Wyndsor Recording Company (sometimes shown as Magnetic Recording Co. or Wyndsor Recording Co.) in London, United Kingdom, during the mid‑1950s through the late 1960s. The company focused on consumer and enthusiast‑oriented open‑reel machines, offering both tube‑based and later solid‑state designs.
Wyndsor’s earliest known tape recorder was the Wyndsor Regent, introduced approximately 1956–1959. This was a tube‑electronics deck built around an existing three‑motor transport mechanism (Lane Mk VII) and was aimed at the home and hobbyist market, offering two tape speeds (3 3/4 and 7 1/2 inches per second) and a 7‑inch reel capacity. The Regent included a built‑in amplifier and speaker and could mix microphone and radio inputs, making it a fully self‑contained recorder typical of late‑1950s British consumer gear.
Around the same period, Wyndsor produced other tube‑based decks such as the Wyndsor Viscount and Wyndsor Dauphin (circa 1958–1961). The Viscount was a half‑track mono machine with three tape speeds (including 15 inches per second) and used a Collaro Mk IV transport, while the Dauphin featured a three‑head arrangement, independent record and playback amplifiers, tone controls and multiple built‑in speakers in a bass‑reflex cabinet. These models reflect how Wyndsor positioned its products as feature‑rich home recorders with better audio performance than basic mono decks of the era.
In the early 1960s, Wyndsor continued developing its lineup with models such as the Wyndsor International (circa 1961–1964). The International was a four‑track, two‑speed (3 3/4 and 7 1/2 ips) mono recorder with independent bass and treble controls, multiple inputs with mixing capability, and a rear‑facing built‑in speaker. It was designed with practical use in mind, for example, lecture playback where sound projection toward an audience was desired, showing how Wyndsor adapted features to specific use cases.
As transistorized electronics became more widespread in consumer audio gear, Wyndsor introduced solid‑state decks in the mid‑1960s. Notable examples include the Wyndsor Sabre II (around 1964–1967), a half‑track mono solid‑state recorder at 3 3/4 ips with a smaller reel format aimed at the family market, and the Wyndsor Vanguard (1966–1969), a three‑head, three‑speed machine with separate record and playback amplifiers, tone controls, illuminated VU meters, and accessories such as ribbon microphone support. These later models were significantly more versatile, offering features like sound‑on‑sound recording and multi‑speed operation that appealed to enthusiastic recordists and hobbyists.
Wyndsor recorders were built around transports sourced from established mechanism makers such as Collaro and Magnavox, with the company adding its own electronics, cabinetry, controls and integrated amplifiers to create complete tape decks. The brand was often showcased at British audio trade events where it was described as one of the early domestic tape recorder manufacturers in the UK, producing “quality performance recorders in the medium price bracket” and attracting international interest.
By the late 1960s, the market shift toward compact cassette formats and greater competition from larger Japanese and European manufacturers reduced demand for domestic open‑reel machines like those made by Wyndsor. Production under the Wyndsor name faded by the end of the decade, leaving a modest catalog of vintage British reel‑to‑reel decks that are now of interest mainly to collectors and enthusiasts of mid‑20th‑century audio equipment.
In summary, Wyndsor was a British reel‑to‑reel tape recorder brand active roughly from the mid‑1950s into the late 1960s, producing a variety of tube and solid‑state consumer decks such as the Regent, Viscount, Dauphin, International, Sabre II and Vanguard. Its products reflect the evolution of British consumer tape recorder design in that era from basic portable recorders toward more versatile, feature‑rich machines for home and enthusiast use.