Lafayette RK-960 (ca. 1968–1969)
The Lafayette RK-960 is a solid-state, automatic-reversing stereo tape recorder. Lafayette advertised it as a "Deluxe" model in the late 1960s. It appeared in a 1969 HiFI-Stereo directory next to the related RK-923. The two shared the same tape transport and preamp circuitry, but the RK-923 left out the built-in stereo amplifier (HiFI-Stereo, 1969, p.75). That made the RK-960 a complete, self-contained recorder. The RK-923 was a deck/preamplifier meant to run into a separate power amp (HiFI-Stereo, 1969, p.75).
- Type: Solid-state stereo tape recorder with automatic reversing
- Tape speed: 7½ ips
- Transport: 3-motor, solenoid-operated controls, belt-driven capstan; high-speed rewind and fast-forward
- Heads: 3 (erase, record, playback)
- Monitoring: Full source-tape
- Metering: Single VU meter (reads louder of two channels)
- Dimensions: 8¼" d
- Price (1969): $299.95
- Related model: RK-923 — same transport and preamp, no stereo amplifier, $199.95
Past these magazine listings, little else is documented about the RK-960. No service manual, schematic, or user reviews have surfaced in the usual archives. The surviving record suggests it was a mid-to-upper-tier offering in Lafayette's late-1960s tape lineup, aimed at the enthusiast who wanted automatic reverse in a single-unit package.
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