The 1970s
The 1970s
The 1970s would bring a revolution to the tape-recorder industry for by the late 1960s, Philip's "Compact Cassette" had come of age and, with radical improvements in tape technology, the humble cassette was rapidly approaching acceptable standards of "domestic hi-fi". The development of greatly improved car cassette players transformed the versatile cassette into the medium of choice, ousting the reel to reel recorder from the domestic user market and the cheaper Collaro and BSR based decks, such as used by Elizabethan and Fidelity, disappeared. As manufacturers increasingly turned to branded, Japanese-made cassette decks, few of Britain's smaller tape-recorder manufacturers were able to survive although Britain's Thorn group produced a well received cassette deck. A few turned to the high-end domestic and semi-professional market but even that was fraught with problems following the introduction in 1966 of the revolutionary 10-1/2" Revox A77, which overnight set new standards in hi--fi performance, sounding the death knell for Ferrograph which failed to fully recover following the hasty introduction of their flawed Series 7, added to which, neither Ferrograph nor Truvox offered 10-1/2" models.
Brenell
was already at a crucial cross-roads. Robert Hahn and many of his
staff were approaching their retirement and their valved Mk.5 and
STB2 models were increasingly looking old fashioned and out of
place compared to the crisp, teak veneered Scandinavian style of
the modern push-button, transistorised 1970s home! A new design
impetus came to Brenell's rescue about 1968 through Frank Underhill
(formerly of TRD who later took over from Brenell's long serving
designer, J W Raine). The result was an updated Mk.5 Srs 3 deck
fitted with a brushed aluminium finish and new, rectangular black
plastic head covers and rhomboid control knobs with silver arrow
inserts. There was a new end of tape auto-stop pin and greatly
improved lockable pause control, which swung through an arc,
allowing instant starts.
ST200
The
new 8-1/4" domestic portable was launched as the ST200 1/2 track
stereo in 1969 heralding "The Sounds of the 70s", setting an
exciting new style in domestic tape-recorders, albeit with basic
2-head facilities, fitted into an attractive new charcoal
leathercloth and teak trimmed cabinet of much reduced size by
virtue of the new transistorised, under-deck amplifier pcb. It was
soon joined by a 1/4 track model, the ST400, but its promising
future was soon dashed as it proved to be an extremely awkward
machine to service as the entire electronics board had to be
removed for the simplest of repairs. It was even loathed by
Brenell's own service department and it is suspected that its
rarity now is mostly due to many being scrapped by distraught
owners! Never-the-less it was clearly appreciated as the author's
three examples were all owned by musicians - its miniature monitor
speakers reproduced quite well.
Mk.6
The
domestic ST200 was joined in 1970 by a transistorised,
8-1/4" mono
Mk.6 Mono selling alongside the Mk.5/STB range. The 3-head, full,
1/2 or 1/4 track Mk.6 was a semi-professional model using an
improved ST deck, designed for horizontal or upright operation - a
first for Brenell. The new transistorised pre-amplifier was now
mounted flush with the deck with the whole ensemble being raised on
a pair of pivot pins on the side of the new cabinet, giving
unequalled access. Unfortunately it was increasingly evident that
modern 'value engineering' had deprived the new model of the Mk.5's
rugged, over-engineered qualities: the plywood cabinet was much
flimsier and many trim parts were simply glued into place. Even the
pre-amplifier control buttons had spun aluminium caps on plastic
bodies.
The
encased pre-amp included full mixing facilities with cross-fade for
radio, microphone, and ceramic or moving coil gramophone inputs,
together with the usual frequency equalisation circuits, now
engaged by push buttons, and A:B off-tape monitoring. Its sound
reproduction from the internal ELAC speaker was superb - as
expected from a Brenell.
Within
a year, a Mk.6 Stereo had appeared featuring a new transistorised
stereo pre--amplifier for connecting to an external amplifier and
as such, lacked some of the features found on the Mk.6 mono: there
were no internal monitor speakers for example, however it retained
basic mixing and A:B monitoring. Unlike the encased Mk.6
pre-amplifier, the suspended Mk.6 stereo pcb was open to the
elements and prone to damage when raising or lowering the hinged
deck plate during service. The stereo pre-amplifier was also sold
separately as their new transistorised 'Tape Link' with the old
valve Tape Link remaining in production for a while
longer.
Although
sound quality from these new transistor models was stunning, the
domestic user reel-to-reel market was rapidly changing. Consumers
had become smitten with the ultra-modern and ultra-reliable
Japanese models, rejecting the rather agricultural British
dinosaurs from an earlier age. Furthermore intensive price cutting
in high street Hi-Fi chain stores meant Ferrographs, Brenells and
other specialist British decks received ever less coverage in the
consumer driven hi-fi press, resulting in fewer sales. Fortunately
for Brenell and Ferrograph, they had long secured a strong presence
in MoD, Government departments at home and abroad and the BBC, who
used many Mk.5s for programme editors and researchers to listen to
copies of master tapes, gradually replaced them with the Mk.6.
There was still a strong demand in research and industry for
process controls but with the decline in the lucrative domestic
market, which provided the crucial cash flow to secure the
development of their professional models, things looked
bleak.
IC-2000
Frank
Underhill had already developed a new professional/industrial and
studio deck, the Type 19 deck (see next chapter), but there
remained scope for a high quality model for the serious audiophile,
or studio monitor. Thus, in 1973 Brenell launched a new 10-1/2"
model, the superb IC-2000 which, despite sharing the Mk.610 stereo
deck had a new pressure pad free, parabolic tape path and was
identified further by new, rectangular aluminium control knobs.
Ironically, as the 10-1/2" reels clashed with the conventional
speed control knob, the ancient Mk.4's 'Viking hat' pause control
knob was re-adopted!
It
also had a new studio quality pre-amplifier (with some Toshiba
components) with phono stage and a powerful 15W output stage for
the internal, studio quality, FANE monitor speakers, boasting a
stunning performance and frequency response in excess of 22,000 Hz.
While there was no mixing facility, it retained bias adjustment and
A:B monitoring allowing it to function as a stereo mastering deck.
With good reason, Brenell marketed it as "The heart of a Hi-Fi
system" - which indeed it was - for it also incorporated for the
first time DIN sockets alongside standard 1/4" jacks mounted on a
somewhat inaccessible rear panel, all housed in a modern teak clad
case which still looks good today and remains the author's
favourite Brenell despite its faults!
'IC-2000'
suggested Integrated Circuits and 21st century technology - yet its
unique pre-amplifier's assembly suffered from radio frequency
interference (on a good day it has picked up short wave radio from
Tokyo and Denver): this was eventually solved. The case also used
folded steel panels with teak side panels for the speakers, which
made access to the deck mechanism and electronics for servicing,
frustratingly difficult.
Both
1/4 track and 4th head versions were available to order, but
it was a short lived model and both it and the ST200/400
became the first casualties following Robert Hahn's retirement in
1975.
SERIAL NUMBERS WANTED
Brenell - Thermionic Products -
Truvox
In the absence of surviving factory ledgers, I am collating
Brenell (also Thermionic Products and Truvox) serial numbers to try
and determine dates of specification changes and production
levels.
In common with most industries, serial numbers were often
designed to mislead competitors! Early Brenell models, the Sound
Master to early 'gold with ivory head cover' Mk.5, appear to have
used a paper label, as did later pre-amplifiers. Please also note
there are variants of the 'gold/ivory' Mk.5: 3 x BT-H 1103 motors;
2 x BT-H 1103 + BT-H 1303 capstan (alloy spider frame), 3 x AEI -
also some had a take-up spool back-tension arm. Papst motor models
had black head covers and from thereon have the serial number
stamped to the deck's underside, in one corner, later repeated with
pre-amp number on the manufacturer's label in the lid. The Types 19
and 600 were not apparently, numbered.
ST200
Top to bottom: Mk.6M mono
Mk.6S stereo/Tape Link
Mk.6M showing new cabinet
IC-2000