Teac 3300

The Teac 3300 was the company's early-1970s entry into the semi-professional open-reel market. It put studio-style transport and 10½-inch reels in the home at a price well below full pro gear. High Fidelity (August 1971, p.66) introduced it as a "semi-pro tape deck" with three-motor drive, three hyperbolic heads, and source/tape monitoring, in a chassis listed at $499.50.

The record shows a family of decks, not a single model. The 3300‑10, the most common variant, was a quarter-track stereo deck running at 7½ and 3¾ ips. The 3300‑12 used half-track heads at the same speeds. The 3300‑11 switched to 15 and 7½ ips, also with half-track heads. All three shared the same 15¾ × 15⅜ × 9¼-inch cabinet and could handle reels up to 10½ inches. That gave up to sixteen hours of music at the slowest speed, as Audio (November 1972, p.33) noted in an ad for the "strong, silent type."

Very little official documentation has survived for the 3300 as a standalone model name beyond those period reviews.

Known Specifications (from period sources)

Type: Quarter-track or half-track stereo tape deck (record/playback preamps, no power amp or speakers)
Speeds: 7½ & 3¾ ips (3300‑10, ‑12); 15 & 7½ ips (3300‑11)
Drive: Three-motor transport
Heads: Three hyperbolic record/playback heads
Monitoring: Source/tape switching
Reel capacity: 10½ inches
Dimensions: 15¾ × 15⅜ × 9¼ inches
Original price: $499.50