Quest for a new tape deck

Venkat,

A couple of observations from personal experience:

- audiogon may be slightly pricier than ebay but chances of goods living up to description are higher. This does not means good stuff is not available on ebay, just that you have to be extra careful.

Because of the cult value attached to Naks, ebay does attract some unscruplous folk who will describe the product as 'mint' when it's anything but. In particular, beware of the phrase 'this product is sold as-is'. Look for good detailed product descriptions, ask for photos of actual product (not a brochure scan), ask as many questions as you needed before bidding. Look for sellers who have a decent return policy, this means they are confident of their goods passing the acceptability test.

- do some research on Nak models. Since servicing them in India is near impossible, choose minimalistic models that don't have bells and whistles. Extra features involve parts that are most likely to break down due to wear and tear. A good example is UDAR, featured on the RX series, which is Nakamichi's very convoluted way of incorporating auto-reverse on their machines (the mechanism flips the cassette around; Nakamichi at the time believed it was impossible to achieve perfect alignment of moveable heads, which is how conventional auto reverse works).

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Persiflage

Thanks guys. I will see what is the best I can do to get a reliable Nakamichi tape deck.

Venkat, are you determined to go in only for a Naka?
Viren has a Naka Deck which he is unable to use bec he cant find anyone to repair it as parts are not available.
What if you land into a similar situation?
You could check out an Onkyo-they still sell & service Tape Decks.
I have an Onkyo & it sounds lovely;& an important reason why I went in for an Onkyo was bec of availability of after sales support, even 10 yrs after my purchase.

Kamal:

It is true that Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer and even TEAC make good tape decks. Iactually have to listen to them before I decide. The advantage with a Nakamich (hopefully one in a good condition) is that you can buy it without second thought. Anyhow, as I said, I might just keep it on my rack for oooomph value even if it does not work.

Another idea that is floating in my mind is to convert all my tape collection into CDs through the PC. There is special PC based tape drive that is available only in the US.

As of now, I use my car system to hear some old tapes.

Venkat, I understand your desire to possess a legedary deck.
But,why only the visual oomph? Why not an aural one also?
Remember,even cassette tapes played thru an excellent deck possess the magic of analogue sound.
I request you to please do some listening sessions of the brands you listed -
& Then decide.

Thing is, a good Nak's performance is way above and beyond anything that is produced this days. I used to think that cassettes are an inherently low-fi medium till I heard the same tapes played back on a Nakamichi (in my case, the cassette deck 1.5).

Kamal: re. Viren's dysfunctional deck. If the issue is with parts like belts, pinch rollers, capstans etc. then these are easily procured for not too much. The serious parts (heads etc.) on the better Nak models rarely wear out with moderate home use.

If interested I can pm you a couple of helpful contacts who can provide some basic DIY remediation tips if you will email them a brief decription of the problem you're facing.

Regards,
Persiflage

Not necessarily. Most of the tapes I have seem to be digitally sourced, plus recorded at 50-100X, thus adding HF rolloff, tape hiss, and wow & flutter! (although you can minimise the last through a good deck, of course).

On the other hand, much of what I listen to is AAA!

Lucky you
Most rock/jazz that I bought from 95-03 (Indian editions) was AAD or ADD to CD and then recorded from the CD master onto tape.
Where did you buy these AAA tapes?

Hi Guys,
There is a NAKAMICHI 1000 MK ll for sale in mumbai. The seller is G VAZE and his cell No is 98209 49395. Asking for Rs 7500/-
Keep in mind that its a 30 year old classic and more a collectors item rather than a peice of reliable/servicable gear.
Have not seen/heard it but am just passing on what i got to know as there are some of u looking for Naks.
Please google and see the SIZE of the deck. Think its bigger than the current power amps!!!!!!!!!!
Regards