Viking 811W (c. 1967–1968)
Almost nothing is documented about the Viking 811W except its own advertising. In late 1967 and early 1968, Viking ran a campaign built on a money-back guarantee. Buy the 811W, and if you didn't agree it was the best-sounding 8-track player around, you got your money back. Ads in Audio (January 1968, p.51) and High Fidelity (December 1967, p.87) describe the 811W as a table-top unit in a walnut cabinet with a built-in playback preamplifier, meant to work with an existing home stereo system. The body copy calls it simply the Model 811. It was one of three new solid-state stereo tape cartridge players Viking introduced at the time, and the price was under $100.
These were advertisements, not independent reviews, so no measured performance data, test report, or confirmed production years are in the record. Viking's claim to be the world's first and largest tape-cartridge equipment maker is period marketing, not an established fact. What survives of the 811W is essentially this campaign: a confident promise, a table-top walnut box, and a built-in preamp meant to let it feed an existing component system.
eBay Listings
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.