Grundig AC 50 (1961–1962)

The Grundig AC 50 is a compact, portable, battery-powered reel-to-reel tape recorder, introduced between 1961 and 1962. It was aimed at journalists, students, and hobbyists who needed to record lectures, interviews, or dictation away from a mains socket. The 6V battery supply and the shoulder strap made it mobile for its day, and a storable carrying handle was built in.

It is a single-speed machine at 1⅞ ips. It runs 3-inch spools in a 4-track mono format, for a maximum recording time of 2 × 30 minutes. Frequency response is modest, 100 Hz to 7 kHz, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 40 dB. That makes it a voice machine, not a music recorder. Sound comes out of a built-in permanent magnet loudspeaker (8 × 5 cm). A dynamic microphone is built in as well, and there is a 3.5 mm headphone/earphone jack for private listening.

At 3.9 kg (8 lb 12 oz) and 260 × 155 × 95 mm, it was light enough to sling over a shoulder and carry along. Power consumption was a frugal 2 W. The AC 50 sits in a more portable niche than most reel-to-reel machines - a field recorder from before the cassette format made that common.

Documentation on the AC 50 is thin. No original price has surfaced. A period review from the mid-1960s confirms Grundig supported their tape recorders with spare parts (Amateur Tape Recorder, March 1965, p.19). What record exists comes from equipment databases and collector listings rather than contemporary journalism. The sources agree on one thing: it was a small, battery-driven mono recorder built for mobility, not high fidelity.

Tape speed: 1⅞ ips (4.8 cm/s)
Reels: 3-inch spools
Track system: 4-track mono
Frequency response: 100 Hz – 7 kHz
Signal-to-noise: 40 dB
Power: 6V battery, 2 W consumption
Weight: 3.9 kg (8 lb 12 oz)
Dimensions: 260 × 155 × 95 mm
Max recording time: 2 × 30 min

If you have one of these and can add to the record - original price, user impressions, common faults - the Archive would welcome the correction.