Revox cassette decks

I used to own the B710 and then the B710 MKII.

Both units were beautifully built and offered outstanding performance; unfortunately, they were both plagued by mechanical problems related to the transport mechanism. They needed to be cleaned repeatedly and they chewed up cassettes like peanuts. I only used TDK and Maxell (Chrome or Metal), but this didn’t seem to satisfy the deck’s appetite.

If you open them, they make a Japonese unit look like a toy in comparison, but the truth is the B710 never lived up to my expectations.

I'd spend the money on getting the 682zx overhauled to factory spec. The 682zx allows you to adjust bias and have auto adjust for azimuth and rec level. Any decent tape should sound great on this deck pretty much. Don't use bad tapes however.

I see. It appears that no one so far thinks that Revox is worth getting. Yes, this Nak sounds great. I bought it 10 years ago on ebay in excellent condition, put probably 3000 hours on it, never serviced, and it plays exactly as when I first tried it. But the transport is getting a little noisier.By the way, it sounds its very best with Maxell Vertex tape, and the difference is not small; I tried every reference tape.

Keep the Nak. Take it to a tech familiar with Naks, supply your go to tape and have it internally tweaked for that formulation for optimal performance WITHOUT using Dolby. Sound floor will drop dramatically, S/N improvement, better highs and resolution.

What about ZX-9 and Tandberg 3014, 3014A ? They might be a little better, right? But so expensive.

Agree on the NAK. In some ways I think the 680 series was better than the Dragon.

IMHO the Nak 682ZX was one the of the best cassette decks ever made...I'd stop there.

They had a very good reputation but check into the parts availability before you get one. They were on the same level at the top of the cassette hierarchy as the NAK.