Beocord 1101 Vintage Cassette Tape Deck Bang & Olufsen Designer Mid Century by Jacob Jensen

The model shown in your photo is a Bang & Olufsen Beocord 1101, a Danish stereo cassette recorder manufactured between 1975 and 1978. The silver aluminum trim, teak wood top panels, top-loading cassette mechanism, and distinctive piano-key controls are signature B&O design elements from the Jacob Jensen era. The Beocord 1101 was essentially the silver-faced version of the Beocord 1100, created to visually match receivers such as the Beomaster 901. It was a premium cassette deck for its time, featuring built-in Dolby B noise reduction, a Super Permalloy record/playback head, electronic auto-stop, twin VU meters, and support for both ferric and chrome tapes. Specifications include frequency response of 40Hz–12.5kHz, signal-to-noise ratio exceeding 54dB (62dB with chrome tape), wow and flutter below 0.3%, rewind time of approximately 90 seconds, power consumption of 20W, and dimensions of 400 × 85 × 240 mm with a weight of 5.3kg.

From an audiophile and collector perspective, the Beocord 1101 is admired more for its elegance, engineering, and musical presentation than for absolute laboratory performance. In the mid-1970s, built-in Dolby B was still relatively uncommon, giving the deck a significant advantage in reducing tape hiss. The transport mechanism is smooth and gentle on tapes, while the top-loading design provides easy access for cleaning and maintenance. Owners often praise the deck’s warm, natural sound character and excellent integration with classic Bang & Olufsen systems. The combination of brushed aluminum, real wood, and minimalist Scandinavian styling has helped make the 1101 one of the most visually desirable cassette decks from the era.

Today, the Beocord 1101 is considered a highly collectible vintage component. Enthusiasts value its timeless design, solid Danish construction, and historical significance during the golden age of Bang & Olufsen. When properly serviced with fresh belts and calibration, it delivers a smooth, engaging analog sound that complements jazz, vocals, classical music, and vintage recordings exceptionally well. The deck represents the philosophy that made Bang & Olufsen famous: combining advanced technology, user-friendly operation, and furniture-grade industrial design into a single product. For collectors of vintage hi-fi, the Beocord 1101 remains one of the most beautiful and iconic cassette recorders of the 1970s.