Viking RP-120 (mid-1960s)
Little is documented about the Viking RP-120 on its own, because it wasn't really a standalone product. It was the record/playback preamp Viking built to go with the 230 RMQ tape transport. High Fidelity (January 1967, p.67), in its lab test of the 230 RMQ, identified the mating preamp as the model RP 120-H2. It came in the same widths as the transport: 16 inches wide for table use, or 19 inches for standard rack mounting, standing 5¼ inches high.
The complete 230 RMQ with the RP-120 is the system Audio (December 1965, p.58) listed at $500 with walnut base. It's a three-motor, quarter-track stereo recorder running 3¾ and 7½ ips, with dual preamps and headphone outputs, and it weighs 22 lbs. In Audio's own bench work the previous month (November 1965, p.55), flutter measured 0.08% at 7½ ips and 0.2% at 3¾ ips. Both figures came in better than the manufacturer's specifications.
Beyond those period reports, the record on the RP-120 is thin. No standalone price, production years, or circuit details have surfaced.
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