BINSON ECHOREC T5E

Serial: 875

During our tests, the output of the first position head was found to be poor and it was replaced with a NOS head – it now works very well indeed: this represents a unique opportunity to buy a very early T5E in excellent condition. Eric is no longer restoring these machines, and this one had the benefit of a new disc and heads when he rebuilt it – a genuine late 50s echo which sounds like it’s only a year or two old… The travel case has some exterior scuffs and damage, and the knobs are not original, but overall it’s a great example. Eric converted it to an IEC mains socket for safety and also installed 1/4″ jack sockets on the inputs and outputs to replace the 3 pin Gelosos.

This T5E is a great early Binson: it is rare to find one in such good order. We’ve bought many Binsons over the years, and this is not only the earliest T5E we’ve seen, it’s also the best-sounding. It sounds wonderful and inspires creativity when you play through it – whoever buys this will be getting a great machine in top operational condition which should give many years good service. Being a good quality valve unit, it also sounds wonderful as a pre-amp.

The motor starts well and the disc spins smoothly and quietly (some machines can require a nudge to get started if they’ve not been used for many months). It will go into self-oscillation if required (this can be adjusted via the internal trimpot for more subtle or extreme effects) and is capable of all sorts of cosmic noises – Binsons do tend to encourage experimental noise-mongering. The repeats are not hifi – this is after all 50 year-old technology – if you want perfect repeats, buy a digital delay.

There are currently no operational issues with this unit at all, but please be aware that these units require looking after and that regular maintenance is the key to keeping this in good working order. They are very delicate: minute adjustments are made to the heads’ positions for optimum performance, so it is entirely possible that this machine will need to be calibrated again after shipping (most withstand shipping with careful packing, but the buyer should be prepared to have this done if required).

(Please note: it is always possible with vintage equipment that some crackly pots/sliders may develop over time when equipment has not been used – even during shipping – this can usually be easily rectified either by use or judicious application of suitable switch-cleaning spray).

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I’ve personally collected Binsons for many years and have recently sold some of the best machines from my collection to satisfied customers. If some of the wording below seems familiar, it’s because other Ebay sellers have taken to copying our descriptions verbatim for their own listings. This description is relevant to this machine only: T5E serial number 875.

We have sold dozens of Echorecs in the past ten years; we understand how they should sound and function.
Along the way we’ve learned that many Binsons sold on Ebay as working well (even ones that have been serviced and rewired) are not always up to scratch.
We guarantee that this machine will not disappoint.