Volume higher through tape monitor

Recording input level on your deck and output level, if it is not fixed, must be set high.
I sometimes run my cd player through Nakamichi deck, with Nakamichi output set to max and amplifier level set quite low, and adjust volume using recording input level knob.

You have something hooked up wrong. Chuck the equalizer for now. You probably have the eq (which does nothing but distort-a glorified tone control)hooked up through the tape monitor loop of the HK - and you have a tape deck (tape deck should go into tape montor loop of the eq and eq in tape monitor loop of hk but you really DONT WANT AN EQ). If you really want to use an equalizer, keep away from cheap graphic equalizers and get a parametric equalizer. Not much more money and they can actually work.