Ampex A-122 (c. 1958–1961)

The Ampex A-122 is a magnetic tape recorder-reproducer. It appears to have been marketed as a stereo playback machine in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Most of what survives about the model comes from a pair of Audio reviews (March 1958, p.52; 1959, pp.89-92) and a single classified ad from 1961.

The A-122 was built on a cast aluminum chassis with the electronic sections mounted integrally - no separate outboard modules. Audio (1959, p.92) called the construction neat and simple. The transport had four mechanical controls: a PLAY OR RECORD knob (which started the tape at running speed), a PAST WINDING knob (for fast forward or rewind), a STOP button, and a LISTENING VOLUME control. At maximum volume the reviewer found hum barely audible. Audio also published the unit's schematic in its 1959 review. It noted that the power supply was conventional, providing DC for the heaters and plate supply for the bias-erase oscillator.

Beyond the reviews, the record is thin. A classified listing in Tape-Recording (April 1961, p.34) offered an A-122 with stereo playback for $225 used, claiming an original cost of $545. That gives a rough sense of its market position. No service literature, original manuals, or detailed sales brochures have surfaced in the Archive's research to date.

Type: Magnetic tape recorder-reproducer (stereo playback)
Chassis: Cast aluminum, integral electronics mounting
Transport controls: PLAY/RECORD, PAST WINDING (fast forward/rewind), STOP, LISTENING VOLUME
Original price (c. 1961): Approximately $545