Technical Details
Brand: EMI
Model:L4 Portable
Category:Vintage
Application:Semi-Pro
Electronics:Solid State
Country of Manufacture:United Kingdom
Release dates:1965 - 1968
Tracks:1/2 Rec/PB
Speeds: 3 3/4, 7 1/2
Max Reel Size("): 7"
Number of heads: 2
Head Composition: Permalloy
Head Configuration: Mono - Full Track
Voltage(s): Multi
Frequency Response:( 2dB): 7½ ips: 50Hz to 12kHz
Wow and Flutter:less than 0.2% at 7½ ips, 0.3% at 3¾ ips
Signal-to-Noise Ratio:50dB unweighted
Sound quality rating:5 / 10
Long-term reliability rating: 5/ 10
Additional Details
Description
In 1953, the EMI L2 was
one of the few portable reel to reel tape recorders in the world. Mechanically,
the L2 and the L4 are loosely related. Valves were used in the L2 until
1960 when the solid-state L2/TA appeared, identical to the earlier L2’s
but transistorised. The next variant was the RE321, again mechanically
identical to the L2, and finally the L4 (pictured at left).
Although of similar dimensions to the RE321, the L4 embodied a substantial
face-lift and many extra features, as well as a significantly better performance
specification.
Previously unavailable facilities such as tape erasure, fast rewind and
mixing were now standard as was an additional tape speed of 3¾ ips
(although this would have really only been for emergency use as equalisation
was set to 7½ ips).
Additional Info
Speed stability: better than 0.5% / Audio output power: 200mW / Inputs: microphones 0.05mV at 30 & 50 ohms., line – 270mV at 20k / Outputs: line – 0dBm (0.775V) 50 ohm headphones / Speaker(s): 3″ internal speaker / half-track mono