Heathkit Eico

Almost nothing is documented about a Heathkit model called "Eico." The record points to an identity mix-up. Eico was its own manufacturer (Electronic Instrument Company, known for kits and test equipment), not a product line made by Heathkit. No period source connects the two, so there is no confirmation that Heathkit ever produced a model by this name.

Both companies did sell into the same stereo preamplifier market at the same time. A February 1959 HiFI-Stereo (p.41) preamplifier checklist compared the Eico HF-851 (priced at $64.95) with the Heathkit SP-23 ($56.95) and models from Lafayette, Pilot, Marantz, and Knight. The same issue carried a separate Eico feature (p.42), but the OCR text is too fragmentary to pull specifics from it. The two brands were contemporaries selling competing kits. Nothing in the available record shows a Heathkit-built "Eico" model.

A piece of gear labeled "Heathkit Eico" may be a mislabeled unit, a rebadge, or a collaborative product that left no paper trail. If you have documentation, photos, or a manual, the Archive would welcome the correction.