P.A.R. tape recorders

[Cathovisor]

Whilst dumping stuff in a store this afternoon I came across the sorry wreckage of a tape recorder I've never heard of - I just got it for the Collaro "Studio" deck. Of note were the large circular-bodied tape heads with a sticker warning the user that they will not be accepted for repair if the connecting leads are less than 9" long, so plenty of opportunity for hum pick-up!

The machine - or what's left of it - is a "p.a.r. allegro". Has anyone heard of this company or was it another company that appeared in the tape recorder boom, built a few machines only to never to be heard of again?

Pic attached.

[Ted Kendall]

Originally Posted by Cathovisor

Has anyone heard of this company or was it another company that appeared in the tape recorder boom, built a few machines only to never to be heard of again?

That's about the size of it - I think it appears in the 1961 Hi Fi Yearbook, along with the rest of the "me too cheap commercial deck" gang, which fairly quickly resolved into Sound for the budget market and Windsor, Reps and one or two others higher up.

[ben]

Is that a crude attempt to make a scale for a magic eye VU meter, or is is a coil type?

[Cathovisor]

Originally Posted by ben

Is that a crude attempt to make a scale for a magic eye VU meter, or is is a coil type?

The former.

[Cathovisor]

Originally Posted by Ted Kendall

That's about the size of it - I think it appears in the 1961 Hi Fi Yearbook, along with the rest of the "me too cheap commercial deck" gang, which fairly quickly resolved into Sound for the budget market and Windsor, Reps and one or two others higher up.

It'd be interesting if you had any more info, Ted. When all's said and done, a 3-speed, 3-motor deck isn't to be sniffed at.

The heads caught my eye - quite large cylindrical bodies with that dire warning on the top. Ring any bells as regards the maker? I suspect the amplifier is probably straight out of the Mullard handbook.

[Paul_RK]

It does seem to have been a short-lived operation. I've turned up, thanks to World Radio History, a news item from The Tape Recorder for November 1960:

'P.a.R. Electronics will be known as "Allegro" Sound Equipment from 1st. October 1960. They will continue to produce the "Allegro" tape recorder, and will introduce a twin channel integrated Stereo Amplifier. This will have 6 watts per channel, and be known as the "Allegro 66" Stereo. Mr. P.A.Rispoli, the founder of P.a.R. Electronics will be Managing Director of this new venture, and will continue to operate from 7 Avery Row, Mayfair, London, W.1.'

There's also a brief item in Wireless World for March '61, which adds nothing except a phone number.

I can't figure out how to link to it from here, but a Google search for '"Allegro 66" amplifier' brings up a PDF page of ads from May '61 including one for Allegro Sound Equipment Ltd. and Film Industries Ltd., both now at 90 Belsize Lane, London NW3, with an illustration of the Allegro 66 amplifier (28 guineas), mention of the Contessa tape recorder kit (£33), and an illustration of Film Industries' M8 ribbon microphone (£8. 15. 0).

Paul

[Ted Kendall]

Originally Posted by Cathovisor

It'd be interesting if you had any more info, Ted. When all's said and done, a 3-speed, 3-motor deck isn't to be sniffed at.

The heads caught my eye - quite large cylindrical bodies with that dire warning on the top. Ring any bells as regards the maker? I suspect the amplifier is probably straight out of the Mullard handbook.

I think the heads are Collaro's own - I think I've seen the dire warning in regard of Transcriptor heads. Truth to tell, the Studio deck isn't too bad, although it was made down to a price. It was a much simpler design than the Transcriptor and none the worse for that - there was more money in the budget for precision in the bits that needed it. But some of the electronics aimed at the popular market was pretty poor. Reps fettled their Studio decks and, with decent electronics and Bogen heads, got very good results out of them.

[Cathovisor]

Now, whilst I know my Collaro record decks backwards to well before the War, I'm not so good with the tape decks. Was the "Transcriptor" the cream deck that was bi-directional and could run at 15ips?

[Ted Kendall]

Yes, it was - two motors, lots of rods, levers and complexity...

[Nickthedentist]

Pietro (Peter) Andrew Rispoli, 1932-1982, according to the FreeBMD website.

[Cathovisor]

21/8/82, according to the Gazette.

[llama]

Regarding the heads, I've had two Transcriptor decks in my time, both Mk4, They had/have the cylindrical heads with the warning sticker on top. I've never seen the cylindrical heads in a Studio deck so that's interesting. Most Studios I've seen have sugar-cube, probably Marriot, heads. Maybe that means your deck is a very early Studio. It doesn't seem to have the record interlock slide lever.
Graham

[Cathovisor]

I'll try and photograph it in better detail, this is becoming quite interesting.

Allegro Sound Equipment was being wound up at the end of 1975, according to the Gazette.

[Nickthedentist]

Poor chap, business failed then dead at 50.

[Cathovisor]

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

Poor chap, business failed then dead at 50.

It seems it was a voluntary liquidation, the business by then included the sale of gramaphone [sic] records.

But yes, a tragically early death.

[DMcMahon]

I have a Cream Collaro Transcriptor tape deck, Mk. 4 I believe.

It was sold as unused, it is extremely good condition but had a stub of a mains cable connected, so someone at least had powered it up at some time.

Unfortunately it was one of many pieces of equipment that got a good dowsing of water from my bathroom water leak but I think it should be OK after drying out.

Yet to try it out, was going to fit it into my Baird TR1, which has the Mk. 3 Collaro, the Mk. 3 is completely stripped down because it had various seized parts, all these parts particularly the 3 motors got seriously soaked from the water leak event.

David

[jamesperrett]

Originally Posted by Cathovisor

My father bought a couple of records on the Allegro label in the late 60s. I wonder if it was the same company? They seemed to be going for the Hallmark end of the market.

[Ted Kendall]

Originally Posted by jamesperrett

My father bought a couple of records on the Allegro label in the late 60s. I wonder if it was the same company? They seemed to be going for the Hallmark end of the market.

I think Allegro was an imprint of the notorious Barrington-Coupe.

[Nickthedentist]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Barrington-Coupe

[Nickthedentist]

Advert for their "Contessa" tape recorder on page 44 of this PDF: https://worldradiohistory.com/Archiv...nd-1961-05.pdf
Bradmatic heads, it's claimed.