Playback and recording equipment

View over 400 images of more than 90 machines from the British Library Sound Archive's collection of playback and recording devices, charting the history of sound reproduction technology. More.

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• Studer Revox A-77 stereo tape recorder: controls

  Studer Revox A-77 stereo tape recorder: controls: The controls are clear and easy to operate. The silver panel marked ‘Revox’ swings down when a new tape is being laced up. As it can operate in the vertical position (as shown), it saves space in...

• Replica tinfoil phonograph

  Replica tinfoil phonograph: The original tinfoil phonograph was invented by Thomas Edison in 1877. Whilst working on developing automatic repeaters for telegraph messages in Morse code, he realised that as well as dots and dashes, the sound waves of...

• Aeolian Vocalion gramophone: overhead view

  Aeolian Vocalion gramophone: overhead view: The sound travels, as vibrations, from the stylus to the diaphragm in the soundbox, then via the tone arm to the horn underneath the turntable, so as to emerge from the horn aperture behind the grille. The...

• Headphones

  Headphones: When the British Broadcasting Company started in 1922, most listeners used headphones like this to tune into their programmes.

• Studer Revox A-77 stereo tape recorder

  Studer Revox A-77 stereo tape recorder: This stereo tape recorder came from the company founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 1984 by Willi Studer. The A-77 was launched in 1967 and has sold over 400,000 units - very strong sales for a piece of high-end...