Nakamichi Cassette Decks

fun thread
the Tandberg 3000 series were great sounding also

A few really good decks mentioned here. I also have some that I have collected over the years, namely the BX150, BX300, LX5, Cassette Deck 1.5, and the original 1000 Tri-tracer.  Of these I like the sound ( in order of preference) of the 1000, LX5, then the BX300 and CD 1.5.  If you like the 70's retro look, then the sound (to my ears) of the 1000 Tri-tracer is hard to beat. It's a real heavy-weight and a tweeker's heaven.

@clio09 the 680 models have been mentioned by 1000zxl owners as the only deck that is similar to that sweet sound of the best deck Nakamichi ever made. Not the dragon not the cr7a or the zx9 but yep the 680 and zx model. 

@cleeds 
@markpao 

Thank you for the Willie Herman recommendation.  

It really doesn't matter if the dealer is "trustworthy" - if the deck hasn't been restored, it's not going to play to spec. Find a deck with a solid reputation (from anywhere, working or not) and someone who can restore that brand / model. I just got my cosmetically-pristine Dragon back from Willy, and it is now an amazing performer. Yes, it cost about $700 to restore (and the same to procure it), but these mechanical beasts are 30-ish years old. Please note, these services are in high demand, and you should be prepared to sit in a 6 to 9-month queue.

Any can anyone recommend a trustworthy dealer of used cassette decks? Thanks!

  Willie Herman. Nakamichi repair guy. Probably the best out there. 925-376-2146. willy@willyhs.com

ghosthouse

Any leads on a good repair/maintenance service for Nak decks?

Soundsmith. Willy Hermann.

Your guess is good as mine. No one left around here

@vinny55

Any leads on a good repair/maintenance service for Nak decks? Thanks in advance.

Still use my 582 pretty regular.
Got lots of tapes so I'm not going to throw them anytime soon.
Like the warmth although some recordings are pretty bad....lol

I still have a CR-3A from years ago and sounds real good and have friends with higher end models that sound even better than mine. The thing is when folks say the tape sounds just like source, they are comparing it with the vinyl and the tables of the day. Put these decks up against a good digital front end and that comparison gets a bit difficult. I also have an open reel deck and I wouldn’t say the recording is better with either format but they definitely sound more organic and analog. Better, not necessarily but warmer and more sweet, may be.

Forget the overhyped problematic finicky dragon. Go for the 500/600/700/1000 deck 1 zx

Try fixing one these days. Naks Revox and Tandberg especially need proper equipment and well trained technicians for repair

Most bank for the buck?

Ya can't beat the RX-505, ease of use, auto-reverse, bias tune, the list goes on.

I have five open reel decks and still come back to the 505..service and parts are iffy, Jeff Galin in Hartford, Conn is the go to guy for Nak, he is super honest, and has a great pair of hands!

George

I would say, yes, the Dragon was the flagship model in that it was their top of the line model at the end of the Nakamichi's reign as king of cassette deck manufacturers.

However, you could argue that two earlier machine were even more exotic:

700 ZXL and
1000 ZXL

The 1000 ZXL was also made in an extremely limited edition, gold plated series and is prized by Nak collectors.

The specs on the Dragon may have been a bit better, and the Dragon also offered auto reverse.

My personal favorite would be the 700 ZXL with the outboard Dolby processor.

Re prices, not sure and they will probably vary considerably based on condition.

Cwlondon
Am I correct to assume that the Dragon was Nak's flagship model? Please correct me if wrong.Also what price they usually go for now at days?
Regards
George

I worked for a Nakamich dealer for a few years while in school until 1984, and I owned and loved a Nakamichi 250 (in my car), a Dragon and and LX5, not to mention the time I spent at work with all of their models, tinkering and recommending them to my customers.

I would agree that the "Naks" were legendary decks, and I would recommend them for their style and their functionality as well as the quality of their recordings.

Not sure, but my sense is that the MR2 was built during the early days of Nakamichi's decline, when they started to build more mass marketed gear including some very mediocre receivers and CD players. So to me, it would not deserve a place in their hall of fame.

I think if you found a "mint" and/or perfectly restored Nakamichi 680 ZX, 700 ZXL, Dragon, CR7 or other of that era, you would have more fun with a classic machine that would better hold its value.

As others have pointed out there are also many good cassette decks which will make surprisingly good sounding tapes. Tandberg was never my cup of tea, but yes they too made high end decks.

Believe it or not, my other favourite tape decks were circa 1979 Pioneers - check out the CTF 900, 950 and 1250.

All of these machines have cultish followers so you should be able to get parts and service.

Good luck and have fun.

The best cassette deck you can get is one where you hear none or very very little difference between source and tape. I dont want to start a war here. But theres other decks out there other than Naks.

I had an MR2 - but it was not a 3 head deck. The MR series were pro versions of their BX range in 19 inch rack mount chassis with handles.
I believe the domestic equivalent was the BX-100, 2-head machine which still beat most other brands in sound quality.

Thanks so much for all your input, I have a lot more info to make an informed decision now and thats what makes these forums so valuable.

Nakamichi was the king of analog decks. There were other nice decks but in total performance others usually paled.
I still have a ZX-7 that sounds great. IMHO it is the top of the heap with manual azimuth alignment on the record head, manual bias and sensitivity controls for each channel (L & R). It's a tweakers dream machine. It was the last of the belt drive systems and I found it quieter and more timbre correct than the direct drive systems that followed (ie. ZX-9, etc). The Dragons have azimuth alignment on the playback head if I’m not mistaken and do not achieve the same high level of recording capability but are none the less popular because they play any tape back well. Take your pick on what you find of most importance. Just a little reality check; a spotless ZX-7 went for $255.00USD on ebay last week. Not a bad price to pay considering that in the production years between 1981-5 the deck grabbed $1350.00.
Fleeceba about the MR2 that you have an interest in I can not speak but most Naks in their class will out perform the rest. Happy Listening!

No one has referred to the MR2 that i mentioned does this model have the magic that the other ones have, It is an older model i beleive they were made in 1986. And can be had quite reasonably

I currently own the 680ZX, 550 (2 of them), and 480. I preferred the 680Zx to the Dragon and think it could be one of the best decks Nak built.

I also own a Tandberg 440A and that is quite a nice deck as well. You can occasionally find them on eBay pretty cheap.

I agree that Naks rule, but as mentioned above Teac and Tandberg, especially Tandberg, made some really sweet decks. If you're going to get a Nak get something older, the newer decks were still nice, but they didn't have that "magic" sound quality of the truly great Naks. Besides with used prices being what they are, it's easy to get a great deck cheap.

Here is my favorite site: naks

and my baby: http://www.naks.com/682zx.gif

The RX 505 or the CR7A, or the Dragon are hard to beat at any price. I had the RX 505 for a number of years and regret (a little) selling the unit. The CR7A and Dragon are fantastic units, and arguably among the best cassette decks ever made, by anyone.

Thanks for the info, when you refer to thier better models which would those be?? Could you be more specific.

I've always heard Naks are the best but let me relate an experience I had. While living in Champagne. Il. during the early 90s a Nak rep came to a local high end shop to promote his product. He offered a free test and tune up for any cassette users. I took my Teac V800X deck for the offer. The rep seemed truly shocked at the test results of my deck, and so was I. The spec sheet he printed out showed a flat and extended frequency response much better than expected. I have to say that in direct comparison it was difficult to tell the difference between source and tape.
I sold the deck a few years ago but it was still working great when it left me.

Nak is King in their better models. Pick a favorite tape formulation and have the deck tweaked internally to that tape with full mechanical alignment and be on your way.

A Nakamichi in good working order is the best cassette deck you can find. I own a Dragon and its playback is flawless. Tandberg and Tascam also make nice decks. There are differences in playback between machines of the same manufacturer. I would look for a 3 head deck over a 2 head. In a 3 head configuration both the playback and record heads are separately optimized with respect to their alignment.