This iconic cassette recorder manufactured in Austria by Philips in the early seventies represented state of the art at the time. Boasting ‘automatic’ in its model name, the N2225 had several innovative features. Automatic detection of the tape end switched off the mechanism to prevent wear. A built-in electret microphone popped out at the touch of the button with a coiled wire for close voice recording – avoiding the need to carry a separate mic or lean over for a clear recording.

Designed as an all-in-one desk-top device, the N225 had a concealed handle to allow easy portable recording. Weighing 2.5 kg, plus the 6 C cell batteries, it was lighter than a reel to reel tape recorder and less expensive. The meter shows battery power while on standby and playback or recording level as a percentage rather than the usual logarithmic dB scale.

It was in the early seventies that cassettes recorders became popular with teenagers as a way to record music from radio. I remember saving up and buying the smaller N2204 from Landau Radio in Sutton and listening to David Bowie’s Starman on holiday, must have been around 1972. Pre-recorded cassette tapes offered better quality but at a price, so home made recordings were popular. Similar to what happened with mp3 and Napster but that’s another story.

Philips cassette recorders were generally well built with service sheets and parts still available. The most common fault with this model as with many cassette players is the neoprene belt failure. It’s fairly easy to replace the belt in the N2225 — see below.

Danger: Remove mains lead and don’t operate cassette with mains power connected while case is open!

I found I had to undo the flywheel bearing mounting to thread the belt through – see gallery. There’s probably a Youtube video to guide you if necessary. An 80mm diameter belt seemed a good fit with a 1.2mm square profile. Note the use of a sheet of paper (Postit note was handy) to check clearing for bearing tension. Tighten until you can just pull the paper clear to avoid over tightening the bearing.

The lever button controls on my machine had worn with use so the iconography was difficult to see. So I found some photos of a new N2225 and recreated the graphics using a transparency sheet via a laser printer. I cut out the sheet to form inserts for the each button with the toner side facing down so it would not rub off as had happened from using the original controls.

How does it sound? The N2225 was designed as a desktop voice recorder for dictation or notes and works well for this purpose. Music fidelity is lofo rather than hifi and very similar in sound quality to transistor radios of the era.