Nakamichi BX300 - Awesome Quality

[jayants]

when I listen to my NAK, I sometimes wonder why CDs were invented in the first place (guess the answer to that question is - mostly only NAKs sounded like this and NAKs were not for the normal individual, they were expensive and were affordable for only a select few)

Can't agree with u more!!

Anyways I have almost stopped listening to CDs for years now as Vinyl has been my 1st love.But indeed a good Nak machine....... the output u get one really wonders and ponders how come a cassette can sound so soothing and fresh!

 

[jayants]

Opened the cassette cover of my Nak BX300 to get a better view of the Heads,pinch rollers,capstan etc which might need a serious cleaning.

Will appreciate experienced personnel here like reubensen,greenhorn to have a look at the picture of my inside deck and give their suggestions which are the ones to be cleaned.Also if someone can pls identify for me the erase,playback and recording head here.

 

[greenhorn]

Can't really make out from the pic, but anyway, why be so selective. Clean anyway. Most of the times, when i feel the sound is dull, the heads look clean on inspection, but cleaning still yields good results.
The capstan too can be cleaned - dirt increases flutter. If you are restoring this deck, touch the capstan while it is rotating to check if the spindle feels smooth, and that there are no irregularities. If it isnt smooth, some 1000 grade sandpaper should help things.

The Pinch roller, on the other hand, you can clean when it gets dirty. Too frequent cleaning might cause it to degrade. It looks a bit shiny in this photo. if it is, might be due for a replacement soon

 

[yezdian]

hi jayanth the heads are as follows starting from left to right erase record and playback

 

[manoj.p]

Well, clean everything.

Don't use a blower at all or blow anything into it.

In the NAK, you can take the Cassette cover off. Then close the door. In this position, you can hit the play button. This will bring the entire mechanism up, rollers will start spinning and allow better access to clean.

Use a cotton swab. Dip in the liquid, wipe off excess. Clean one part at a time. Lightly move the swabs on parts, don't exert lot of pressure. Check if its getting dirty. Once dirty, throw it out and use another. Make sure no cotton strands are clinging to parts. Clean thoroughly.

For metal parts - use 91% or above rubbing alcohol.
For rubber part, especially rollers - use distilled water. Dip cotton swab, swipe off excess water. Clean rollers. Don't leave any residue water. Don't try to wipe off excess water with dry cotton swab. It has to be wet when its touching the parts, else some strands may get out.

Keep the cover open for drying out all the parts. Alcohol will dry faster, water will take some time. Use the deck only when all dried out and no vapors inside.

During regular use, never leave a cassette inside the deck if the heads are on bottom.

Hope this helps.

 

[reubensm]

as yezdian has rightly mentioned, the heads in order from left to right are:

1) Erase Head (small, narrow and in white)
2) Record Head (small, narrow and shiny)
3) Master Playback Head (the biggest of the lot, with the pressure pad lifter)

Here's a close-up of the assembly:

I use a very light swab of isopropyl alcohol to clean the record/playback (its a single head), erase head and capstan on my DR3, and I use distled water to clean the pinch roller. I play only good (new) tapes and hence don't have to clean too often. With pinch rollers, the golden rule is the more you clean it, the lesser it lasts. Hence if you use good tapes and don't have to clean it that often, it will last longer. If you notice a significant oxide build-up on the roller, clean it immediately. Avoid playing old "dusty" and "fungus" tapes. Prevention is always better than cure.

 

[jayants]

as yezdian has rightly mentioned, the heads in order from left to right are:

1) Erase Head (small, narrow and in white)
2) Record Head (small, narrow and shiny)
3) Master Playback Head (the biggest of the lot, with the pressure pad lifter)

Here's a close-up of the assembly:

I use a very light swab of isopropyl alcohol to clean the record/playback (its a single head), erase head and capstan on my DR3, and I use distled water to clean the pinch roller. I play only good (new) tapes and hence don't have to clean too often. With pinch rollers, the golden rule is the more you clean it, the lesser it lasts. Hence if you use good tapes and don't have to clean it that often, it will last longer. If you notice a significant oxide build-up on the roller, clean it immediately. Avoid playing old "dusty" and "fungus" tapes. Prevention is always better than cure.

Thank you so very much.The only trouble is the kind of music I listen to its dominated by the old tapes only where the Venus,Tips,T Series also play a big role


How do I resize the attachment and post? The moment I am attaching an image and posting by default its taking a smaller size.

 

[reubensm]

How do I resize the attachment and post? The moment I am attaching an image and posting by default its taking a smaller size.

check this out: http://www.hifivision.com/announcements/1091-how-post-image-hifivision-com.html

 

[reubensm]

The only trouble is the kind of music I listen to its dominated by the old tapes only where the Venus,Tips,T Series also play a big role

Well, the quality of tape used by these brands was very poor, in comparison with the big brands like TDK, etc. The common issues with these tapes were 1) oxide fall, 2) fungus attacks, 3) cassette warping and transport issues, 4) poor quality pressure pads and 5) sticky or brittle leaders (at times, gum used to ooze out of the leader joint). Examine the tapes properly before use, especially if you've not used them in a while. Inspect the tape in daylight but rolling using a pencil. If you see any staining on the surface of the tape, don't play them in your deck. A quick way to evaluate whether the tape is victim of a fungus attack, you'd see mould on the reels of tape, also when you roll the tape using a pencil, the tape edges will appear to fold outwards, forming a concave surface. People talk about cleaning tapes and so on but in my opinion, once they get spoilt, well, it better to avoid playing them.

 

[jayants]

A quick way to evaluate whether the tape is victim of a fungus attack, you'd see mould on the reels of tape, also when you roll the tape using a pencil, the tape edges will appear to fold outwards, forming a concave surface. .

I couldn't understand what you mean by moulds on the reels?
Tape edges will appear to fold outwards ---------> Can u pls elaborate on this what u actually mean?

 

[reubensm]

Here's an example of fungus on a VHS cassette. Would look similar on audio tape as well, but perhaps a little less dramatic. Would appear as white patches or dust on the tape reel.

 

[jayants]

Here's an example of fungus on a VHS cassette. Would look similar on audio tape as well, but perhaps a little less dramatic. Would appear as white patches or dust on the tape reel.

Yes.No question of playing them as most of them are permanently damaged.

Someone told me that opening up the cassette and keeping the reels out under the sun for half an hour or so helps.Not sure though!

 

[greenhorn]

Yes.No question of playing them as most of them are permanently damaged.

Someone told me that opening up the cassette and keeping the reels out under the sun for half an hour or so helps.Not sure though!

As someone who spend his entire college savings buying and fixing tapes from roadside dealers, these things are very fixable - you just need to be wary of using them on your good decks.

The fungus itself is manageable. What you have to worry about is the tape backing drying up. Even this can be worked around. But when the material starts to shed, then the tape is a goner.

There are some jugaad methods with spirit and talcum powder which I've had some amount of success with. But I don't want to ruin anyone's tape deck, so I'm not going to post them here. Don't try it at home folks, or unless you have a separate tape deck to experiment on

 

[reubensm]

As someone who spend his entire college savings buying and fixing tapes from roadside dealers, these things are very fixable - you just need to be wary of using them on your good decks.

The fungus itself is manageable. What you have to worry about is the tape backing drying up. Even this can be worked around. But when the material starts to shed, then the tape is a goner.

There are some jugaad methods with spirit and talcum powder which I've had some amount of success with. But I don't want to ruin anyone's tape deck, so I'm not going to post them here. Don't try it at home folks, or unless you have a separate tape deck to experiment on

honest opinion (i went through all this myself with the road side cassettes :lol: ), great ideas if you plan to play your takes on a home brewed cassette player, but DEFINITELY NOT on a NAK of all decks

 

[reubensm]

opening up the cassette and keeping the reels out under the sun for half an hour or so helps.Not sure though!

Won't help, infact the tape will stretch and curl up :lol:

Best to keep such cassettes for display (and the memories) or simply throw them away, unless you are bold enough to experiment on your valuable NAK

 

[jayants]

Can't really make out from the pic, but anyway, why be so selective. Clean anyway. Most of the times, when i feel the sound is dull, the heads look clean on inspection, but cleaning still yields good results.
The capstan too can be cleaned - dirt increases flutter. If you are restoring this deck, touch the capstan while it is rotating to check if the spindle feels smooth, and that there are no irregularities. If it isnt smooth, some 1000 grade sandpaper should help things.

The Pinch roller, on the other hand, you can clean when it gets dirty. Too frequent cleaning might cause it to degrade. It looks a bit shiny in this photo. if it is, might be due for a replacement soon

Can u have a look now as this will give u a clear idea.

 

[crosstalk]

Someone told me that opening up the cassette and keeping the reels out under the sun for half an hour or so helps.Not sure though!

Looks like a good NAK there.

Ask that "someone" if you can put the tapes in boiling water for 10 minutes and dry it under fan. Perhaps he will say "Yes" too. :lol:

The weather in Kolkata is hot and humid 80% of the year around. Humidity hovers around 70% most of the year. Preserving magnetic tapes in this weather means to keep the tapes inside AC year around. Otherwise down the line they will get damged and ultimately un-acceptable on/for a NAK.

So you would rather be concentrating on keeping your cassettes inside silica gel in the rainy season when the humidity sits at 100%.

In one word, Kolkata is not the ideal place to keep/maintain/preserve cassettes unless you use a wine cabinet to store them.

Question is would you buy a Rs 1.5 lac cabinet for a bunch of Rs. 22 cassettes?

 

[jayants]

Question is would you buy a Rs 1.5 lac cabinet for a bunch of Rs. 22 cassettes?

There lies the love and passion................the pagaalpan

 

[James Hamzah]

The Nak BX300 is an underrated Nakamichi. Only becos it is the totl of the cheaper 2 head BX series. Although it doesn't have full external user recording calibrations other than fine bias like the ZX series or Dragon, with the factory settings still produce excellent recordings.
Playback is superb and has one of the lowest bass extension of the best Naks.
This deck though a BX has some serious electronics and share the same direct drive transport as the CR7. The sound is analogue warm like a good vinyl turntable.
I too bought one a few months ago for a steal as the deck was eating tapes. I put new belts, and was to change the idler tyre with the one that came with the kit only to find out my BX has gear idler. I then cleaned the capstan motor using contact cleaner through the holes and left it running overnight. No more tape chews. Cleaned the heads, tape paths and pinch rollers, some adjustment to pb head azimuth.
Now it's a super deck. Took away most of my listening lately from vinyl and cd as I really enjoy listening to this baby!

 

[chubbix]

hi i may be able to give you brand new TDK cassettes and some other recorded cassettes if yr interested. the new TDK cassettes are sealed and never used. sold my machine years ago and these cassettes have been lying around. if interestd sms me 9821059332 mumbai. out of curiosity how much did u pay fr the NAK