Nakamichi 3 Head Cassette Decks

[jay]

Hi,

I am planning to buy a Hi end Cassette Deck and on top of my list is Nakamichi 3 Head Cassetee Decks.

Will appreciate if the more knowledgable here please guide em through :

1) Which Nakamichi Deck should I go for?
2) Other than Nakamichi any other good Decks one can recommend?


Please suggest.

 

[hemantwaghe]

You need to buy second hand so what decks are available?? Your maximum planned budget??As dragon or 1000 can go to exhorbitant prices....

 

[Gerry_the_Merry]

I know of an Akai GXC 39D available here in Mumbai from teh same guy I bought mine.

 

[jay]

Budget will be anything between 10k to 20k INR. Please suggest which one should I go for. What about Nakamichi?

 

[reubensm]

I know of an Akai GXC 39D available here in Mumbai from teh same guy I bought mine.

From my experience of listening to dolby recordings made on this deck from my childhood, I can boldly say that this is a deck that would probably make the list of top-50 decks ever made. From personal experience, I'd stay away from Nak 3 headers, especially the Dragon and settle for a more contemporary 2 header like my Dr3. The Dr3 is better than most 3 head decks that you can ever find.

 

[jay]

From personal experience, I'd stay away from Nak 3 headers, especially the Dragon and settle for a more contemporary 2 header like my Dr3. The Dr3 is better than most 3 head decks that you can ever find.

Why u say so? Can u please elaborate? reason being Dragon and CR7 has some great reviews.

 

[reubensm]

Why u say so? Can u please elaborate? reason being Dragon and CR7 has some great reviews.

Most of the 3 head Naks, especially the Dragon have very complex mechanisms. These are prone to have alignment problems if not serviced properly. The Dragon for example, comes with auto azimuth feature which requires careful calibration. Also, head replacements for 3-head Naks is usually a huge challenge as availability of spare parts is highly subjective. The Dragon however, is a master piece and one of the best (if not the best) decks of all time. If you get one in working condition, you're landed with a great deck. However I must also add that purists also say that the recordings made on the earlier Naks usually sound great only when played back on the Nak that was used to record them.

 

[jay]

Most of the 3 head Naks, especially the Dragon have very complex mechanisms. These are prone to have alignment problems if not serviced properly. The Dragon for example, comes with auto azimuth feature which requires careful calibration. Also, head replacements for 3-head Naks is usually a huge challenge as availability of spare parts is highly subjective. The Dragon however, is a master piece and one of the best (if not the best) decks of all time. If you get one in working condition, you're landed with a great deck. However I must also add that purists also say that the recordings made on the earlier Naks usually sound great only when played back on the Nak that was used to record them.

Thanks.

But what makes you speak so highly about DR3. What are the positives u find in this deck? And what will be the approx price of a DR3 if available?

 

[soundofmusic]

The CR7 and 1000 are the decks many people dream of. If you get any of these in working condition don't miss it. You can also look for the ZX 9, 582 and even the 600 II.Its a good player and was for sale in this forum few months back.

Cheers

 

[manoj.p]

If Price is no barrier -

1000zxl
Dragon
CR-7A
ZX9, ZX7
582z, 682z
Any model which has zx in name.

Then there are Cassette Deck 1, CR-5, RX505 etc.

There are some other decks which have cult following, like BX300 and its professional avatar MR1/MR2.

As for 3 head vs 2 head. To get high frequency performance, playback head needs to be quite narrow. A 2 head deck has playback and recording on the same head which ends up making the playback+record head wider, resulting not so good high frequency response. Also, 3 head decks were usually top line, so they had better electronics. Now, whether that and better transport contributed to better sound, nobody knows.

About early Nakamichi recorded tapes not playing well on other players: IEC changed the recording standard in 1981, known as IEC81 but Nakamichi was still following the old standard for quite long time. They changed it sometime in 1987 on professional decks like MR1/MR2 and called those MR1B/MR2B. This standard essentially boosts up +4db at 15Khz.

 

[reubensm]

Thanks.

But what makes you speak so highly about DR3. What are the positives u find in this deck? And what will be the approx price of a DR3 if available?

What makes the DR3 work for me is that it is a simple and straight forward deck that plays and sounds like a dream. Of course, I was lucky to have got one from the first owner, in mint condition with very little use. Prices can range from 5k to 10k depending on ownership, condition, etc. Its one of the more contemporary NAKs with a straight forward servo mechanism, which relieves it from all the usual NAK mechanical problems. Sound wise, it is better than all other decks I've come across (2 head and 3 head). The only NAK I've really heard vs this deck is the BX300 and I thought the DR3 won hands down. Good thing about this deck is that it recordings sound majestic on other decks (non-NAKs) as well, something which pundits is not really the case with the older Naks.

 

[jay]

If Price is no barrier -

1000zxl
Dragon
CR-7A
ZX9, ZX7
582z, 682z
Any model which has zx in name.

Then there are Cassette Deck 1, CR-5, RX505 etc.

There are some other decks which have cult following, like BX300 and its professional avatar MR1/MR2.

As for 3 head vs 2 head. To get high frequency performance, playback head needs to be quite narrow. A 2 head deck has playback and recording on the same head which ends up making the playback+record head wider, resulting not so good high frequency response. Also, 3 head decks were usually top line, so they had better electronics. Now, whether that and better transport contributed to better sound, nobody knows.

About early Nakamichi recorded tapes not playing well on other players: IEC changed the recording standard in 1981, known as IEC81 but Nakamichi was still following the old standard for quite long time. They changed it sometime in 1987 on professional decks like MR1/MR2 and called those MR1B/MR2B. This standard essentially boosts up +4db at 15Khz.

Hi,

Thank u for the deep insight.

How do u rank a Nak DR3 Deck?

 

[jay]

What makes the DR3 work for me is that it is a simple and straight forward deck that plays and sounds like a dream. Of course, I was lucky to have got one from the first owner, in mint condition with very little use. Prices can range from 5k to 10k depending on ownership, condition, etc. Its one of the more contemporary NAKs with a straight forward servo mechanism, which relieves it from all the usual NAK mechanical problems. Sound wise, it is better than all other decks I've come across (2 head and 3 head). The only NAK I've really heard vs this deck is the BX300 and I thought the DR3 won hands down. Good thing about this deck is that it recordings sound majestic on other decks (non-NAKs) as well, something which pundits is not really the case with the older Naks.

Thanks for the info.

But getting this model between 5k to 10k in india is that easy? I mean in workable condition.

 

[greenhorn]

Nakamichi cassette deck for sale. in Mira Road, Mumbai Used Music Systems - Home Theatre on Mumbai Quikr Classifieds

I hope you've seen this ad. The condition is not that great - some parts seem to be missing. Hope it is fully functional at least

 

[jay]

Nakamichi cassette deck for sale. in Mira Road, Mumbai Used Music Systems - Home Theatre on Mumbai Quikr Classifieds

I hope you've seen this ad. The condition is not that great - some parts seem to be missing. Hope it is fully functional at least

Thanks but that will b a risk

 

[reubensm]

Thanks for the info.

But getting this model between 5k to 10k in india is that easy? I mean in workable condition.

Not really, people who have working NAKs in pristine condition rarely sell them. I got lucky with my DR3. Was at a forum member's place to buy my Turntable, saw this deck there, inquired about it, was given an offer and lapped it up without a second thought. I still remember how excited our house hold was when the NAK arrived home with me.

 

[jay]

Not really, people who have working NAKs in pristine condition rarely sell them. I got lucky with my DR3. Was at a forum member's place to buy my Turntable, saw this deck there, inquired about it, was given an offer and lapped it up without a second thought. I still remember how excited our house hold was when the NAK arrived home with me.

U r lucky

Was reading in another forum where one gentleman says

"I would avoid the DR-3 if you are really looking for a top deck. I have serviced a number (4) of DR models and they all suffered from similar issues due to build and component choice quaility. Any NIB, sealed deck that is worth having would still need to be serviced, as it would have been sitting in the box for around 20 years, so the rubber has taken a set, flat spots develop, lube hardens, etc. Only the cosmetics are perfect on a sealed deck, which is why they sell for so much. We need to know what physical requirements you have to have, voltage, size, condition of cosmetics, color, etc, etc, and really how much you can realistically spend, including shipping. If you want a guaranteed deck, then your choices are limited, and usually not to ebay. Someone recommended a Dragon, and another a 1000zxl Limited....a Dragon is an $800 to $1200 deck without shipping, and Limiteds start at $4000 and go up from there, so cut this guy a break... The BX-300 is an excellent choice, as Kent mentioned. I also like the Yamaha K-1020."

 

[manoj.p]

Jay,

I haven't listened to DR-3, so can't comment.

About the condition of the deck - the above is quite true. Most of these decks are old and may not be in top condition, even though working fine. The heads, azimuth may need alignment and calibration to make sure that its running as intended. Then on restoring, first one is belts, idler tire etc and that may need replacement right away. Next one is pots cleaning and may have to use de-oxidation. Next in line is OP-amp replacement which is fairly simple and easy to do even as diy. The older naks suffered from orange cap disease and may need replacement. Now that quite a big task identifying all, desolder, and put new ones.

So considering all the above, If and that's a big if - you get a serviced deck (with service receipt and description of services), you will have to pay quite a bit of money. Or take chances with some deck assuming you may have to perform some maintenance on it.

 

[jay]

Jay,

I haven't listened to DR-3, so can't comment.

About the condition of the deck - the above is quite true. Most of these decks are old and may not be in top condition, even though working fine. The heads, azimuth may need alignment and calibration to make sure that its running as intended. Then on restoring, first one is belts, idler tire etc and that may need replacement right away. Next one is pots cleaning and may have to use de-oxidation. Next in line is OP-amp replacement which is fairly simple and easy to do even as diy. The older naks suffered from orange cap disease and may need replacement. Now that quite a big task identifying all, desolder, and put new ones.

So considering all the above, If and that's a big if - you get a serviced deck (with service receipt and description of services), you will have to pay quite a bit of money. Or take chances with some deck assuming you may have to perform some maintenance on it.

Thanks Manoj for the great insight.

But in India do we have good authentic places to get NAK serviced?

 

[greenhorn]

another point of failure is the switch/relay between record and playback for the head etc.
Tends to happen a lot in older decks