Otari MX-5050

otarimx5050.com

The Mini Pro

A reference site and restoration log for the original Otari MX-5050 reel-to-reel tape recorder — the rare, silver-faced first generation the community calls the Mini Pro.

Bought listed as broken, revived with a single plug, and being restored to digitize the tapes my late father recorded. Everything I learn goes here, so the next Mini Pro owner doesn't have to dig the way I did. Read the backstory →

-200+3

Latest from the log

2026-07-08

Listed as broken. It needed a plug.
Why the 'faulty' Mini Pro I bought for under $1k AUD was never broken at all — and the accessory-socket dummy plug every new owner needs to know about.

All log entries →

History
Where the Mark I fits in the MX-5050 line.
Specs
The data plate, compiled carefully.
Service
Notes from the bench, dummy plug included.