Our History

The History of DuroSport

In 1962, Oleg Tarlev founded the DuroSport Electronics Company in Moldova. An inventor by trade, Tarlev was an early pioneer in using steam to power home appliances. Tarlev dreamed of applying his engineering expertise to develop a line of steam-powered consumer electronics.

After a failed experiment with a steam-powered television convinced Tarlev that steam and vacuum tubes do not mix, he quickly abandoned the idea and began developing more conventional electronic devices. His first successful product, the DuroTube television, was hugely successful throughout Moldova.

A testament to Tarlev’s engineering skills, it is estimated that as many as 60% of the DuroTubes sold between 1968 and 1989 are still in use today. As a result, DuroTube repair personnel remain in high demand. A recent survey of Moldovan schoolchildren revealed that 34% dream of becoming a DuroTube repairman.

DuroTube was such a success that word spread throughout Eastern Europe. DuroTubes were sold in vast quantities on the black market in Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia until the leaders of those countries spread propaganda that the radiation from the DuroTube was killing people in their homes as they watched television. Of course, it wasn’t true: There is no evidence that any DuroSport product has ever killed a consumer (who read and followed the product safety warnings).

Following the success of the DuroTube, it would have been easy for Mr. Tarlev to retire from the electronics business and live off of his considerable fortune. But instead, Tarlev invented a new device that revolutionized how Moldovans listened to music.

Mr. Tarlev had long been a lover of fine music. His collection of 78 rpm records and 8-track tapes is said to be one of the largest in all of Moldova. Unfortunately, over the years, the frequent changing and flipping of traditional vinyl records led to severe tendonitis. As his condition worsened, Mr. Tarlev would often lie in pain, listening to his favorite albums against doctors’ orders.

Then one day, Mr. Tarlev had an epiphany. After reading about the latest developments in digitizing audio recordings, Tarlev realized that his thousands of LPs and 8 track tapes could be digitally compressed and stored in a unit no larger than an average Moldovan refrigerator.

In a matter of months, Tarlev developed the prototype for what would eventually become the DuroSport Music Console. While manufacturers in the US and Western Europe were developing tiny battery-powered portable music players, DuroSport pioneered the full-sized digital entertainment center for the home.

Eventually, it became obvious to Tarlev that consumers also wanted to listen to their music on buses and at the gym. And so, DuroSport began developing a line of portable players to meet the demands of the modern consumer lifestyle. The Prism One was the first portable DuroSport device. It was slightly larger than a loaf of bread and weight just 15 pounds. The Prism One provided consumers a portable, high-fidelity monaural audio experience they could enjoy everywhere.

Since Prism One, DuroSport has forged key strategic partnerships with engineering firms worldwide to produce even smaller (but not too small) electronic devices. By combining our Eastern European manufacturing expertise with the exceptional engineering skills of some of the top NK scientists, DuroSport has developed a product line that appeals to the modern Eastern European consumer and adventurous music fans worldwide.