Nakamichi Cassette Decks


I would like to hear from anyone who can tell me if the Nakamichi decks are better than say a upper end Denon DRW 800A, And second is there a big dirrence in the way the different models sound in playback mode. I' thinking of buying a Nakamichi MR2
fleeceba
I bought a LX5 at a Lion's sale for $20. I took it to the local audiophile store (small, been in business for 40 years) and they said they could refurbish it for $200.  They said: "I've had a look at your Nakamichi cassette deck and it will need a few things to get it up and running again. Belts are in need of replacement, but in addition, the pinch roller arms are ceased up (unit's been unused for some time?) and will need lubrication. Unfortunately access to them and disassembly is somewhat labour intensive. It could quite possibly involve a service charge of $200.00 to get this fine old girl up and running again. Please advise if this meets with your expectations in regards to repair cost."  I want to use it to transfer some old live music cassettes into my system. I am ok if eq needs to be adjusted (because tapes were not originally recorded on a Naka)-- I run a recording studio and plan to master them anyway. As well, would like to occasionally track parts on the Naka and then digitize them and include them into projects I am working on.  I'd appreciate any feedback on what quality deck I might have after this servicing was done...

$200 to refurbish a deck is very cheap. Don’t wait, get it done! If you have any commercially recorded tapes, listen and you won’t be disappointed. So, for $220, you’ll have great sound. Maybe not SOTA, but very good. Lucky you!
OK, thanks. Felt right to me, but this seemed to be an experienced crowd, so I thought I'd get some feedback!

Nakamichi cassette decks are magical. A techology that had matured gracefully. Engineers poured their inspiration and sweat into a medium that originally was for onky dictation into a hi-fidelity medium. However finicky with detail to maintaince involved and tape selection. When everything is in tune then you have a sonic fooler that can give u absolute realism. 
I used my trusty but retired BX300 for years (I took it out recently so my wife could listen to an old recording of her kids and hey...it still works!) as an important part of my hifi rig, and also as a mixdown deck for recordings I did on a TEAC 8 track porta-studio...the Nak is an amazing machine with the best Dolby I ever used, with the three heads allowing you to hear that fact instantly.