Why do everyone run behind a NAK!!!

[jayants]

What is there in a BRAND???????

Well that is something which we all should ponder as what is there in a NAK Deck which is missing in other Decks in the same range? Is it a hype only? Or is there something more and unique to the brand NAK which is distinctly missing in other deck makers?

Be it a 2 Head or 3 Head wherever I discuss,whichever fora I venture I feel there is a huge fanbase for Nak and some of these fans are like Talibans .

Will appreciate ppl here to post in their valuable insight as what does a NAK possess which is unique and makes it such a sought after brand worldwide when it comes to DECKS!!

 

[reubensm]

you have to experience a NAK to understand the answer

for me, its been the brilliant designs, amazingly accurate engineering, the build quality of the product, the accuracy of performance, the feel of pleasure one gets listening to them (they sound absolutely flaw-less when in good condition, and while playing good tapes), the technology - a lot of stuff that other manufacturers ignore is given prime importance in Naks, the effectiveness of the features (when its on a NAK, you can be sure that it will function they way it was intended to) and then, there's the intrinsic part, they were so expensive that only a select few could own them, hence the numbers in the market place were less, making them even more desirable.

One can use a Maruti 800 or even a Honda city to arrive at a place, but arriving in a merc or bmw is not just about arriving, but about arriving in style. NAKs definitely bring great brand value to your rig, give you the bragging rights and more importantly, many years from now, when your grandchildren discuss about their grand dad's hobbies and interestes, they'll proudly tell one and all that their grand dad owned a NAK.

On another note (nothing personal intended), its usually those who don't have a NAK or are un-successful at accquiring one, who think up such logic. I started looking a pictures of NAKs when I was in school (in old hi-fi magazines from our British Council Library). It took me nearly 30 years to realize my dream of owning one but the wait was well worth every minute of it

Belief and perseverence will always pay dividents (but you have to be ready to spend, NAKs don't come like Sonys, Technics and Akais, for a couple of thousand bucks)

 

[square_wave]

It is when you own and experience many decks and then a Nak, you will understand the brilliance of the engineering behind it.

I owned 2 ( 3 head ) decks before I got hold of a used NAK. That thing blew away the others when it comes to all things that are important. For many years after the arrival of CD, I preferred to listen to copies of LPs on crome or metal bias tapes mastered on the nakamichi. They sounded far better than the CD.
Then cd technology matured and there was some hope but then the 3 headed monster ( digital mastering ) arrived. All the chaiwallahs in studios became mastering engineers and mastering art went into a down spiral that it has never recovered from. The art now thrives in some niche studios around the world.

An experiment : Copy a cd using the analogue outputs of a high end dac into a 3 head Nak using a metal bias tape and then play the same cd from a low budget cd player and compare it to the playback of the copy on a Nakamichi you will be scratching your head after a while

 

[jay]

It is when you own and experience many decks and then a Nak, you will understand the brilliance of the engineering behind it.

I owned 2 ( 3 head ) decks before I got hold of a used NAK. That thing blew away the others when it comes to all things that are important. For many years after the arrival of CD, I preferred to listen to copies of LPs on crome or metal bias tapes mastered on the nakamichi. They sounded far better than the CD.
Then cd technology matured and there was some hope but then the 3 headed monster ( digital mastering ) arrived. All the chaiwallahs in studios became mastering engineers and mastering art went into a down spiral that it has never recovered from. The art now thrives in some niche studios around the world.

An experiment : Copy a cd using the analogue outputs of a high end dac into a 3 head Nak using a metal bias tape and then play the same cd from a low budget cd player and compare it to the playback of the copy on a Nakamichi you will be scratching your head after a while

Hi,

Your last part sounds a bit confusing.Do you mean to say I record a cassette in a Nak from analog device and then copy the cassette in CD and then play the same CD in a low budget CD player?

 

[square_wave]

- You copy Miles davis kind of blue CD using the analogue output of a high end dac into a NAK (Metal bias tape). Then you play the copied tape.

- You play the Miles davis kind of blue CD off a budget cd player.

Compare !!

 

[jay]

- You copy Miles davis kind of blue CD using the analogue output of a high end dac into a NAK (Metal bias tape). Then you play the copied tape.

- You play the Miles davis kind of blue CD off a budget cd player.

Compare !!

Understand!!

But how do I copy a CD using analogue output?A CD player will have RC or Digital output only that can be transferred to a NAK through an Amplifier.

And also if I need to compare why do I pay the Miles Davis CD off a budget CD player? I should play in my normal CD player and compare.Isn't it?

 

[manoj.p]

Will appreciate ppl here to post in their valuable insight as what does a NAK possess which is unique and makes it such a sought after brand worldwide when it comes to DECKS!!

People run after it because its a Nak.

On a serious note, it was mostly the recording of NAK which is peculiar. The gap in the recording and playback head is very small, resulting in better quality. That's the reason if you play a cassette recorded on NAK on another tape, it does not sound that good. That and some other high end features, coupled with brand name made it as a Ferrari of tapes.

This FAQ will provide some insight.
Nakamichi Cassette Deck FAQ / Sonic Sense Pro Audio Blog

 

[spirovious]

- You copy Miles davis kind of blue CD using the analogue output of a high end dac into a NAK (Metal bias tape). Then you play the copied tape.

- You play the Miles davis kind of blue CD off a budget cd player.

Compare !!

If someone has high end DAC,then why would he prefer Nakamachi when source tape will be recorded from original CD via DAC?
He can play the song from that DAC only.

 

[spirovious]

Understand!!

But how do I copy a CD using analogue output?A CD player will have RC or Digital output only that can be transferred to a NAK through an Amplifier.

Analog out of High end DAC can be fed to Nakamachi Aux in and Deck will record the tape as usual.

 

[square_wave]

If someone has high end DAC,then why would he prefer Nakamachi when source tape will be recorded from original CD via DAC?
He can play the song from that DAC only.

I have this group of friends (NAK fanatics) who grew up in the eighties. This is an experiment which we did a while ago. The crux of the matter is that a NAK will perform better than a modern entry level cd player provided that you give the NAK the best analogue signal you can get while you record.

Of course the high end dac will perform better and that is what you use nowadays. The experiment is just academic and provides a glimpse into why a NAK was sought after once upon a time. Digital has grown by leaps and bounds and mastering is all-digital these days hence there is no place for these now apart from nostalgia. I sold mine once digital started sounding good on mid-end cd players.

 

[reubensm]

If I have to encounter dire circumstances and sell off all my equipment, including my NADs, my Akai GX630D, my turntables (even my Garrard 401), my NAK will be the last piece of gear I would part with and that too, with great difficulty. If I ever wanted to own a piece of gear in my life-time, it is a NAK cassette deck. Thanks to my good friend FM Flanker, I was able to realize that dream in my life time, something which I never imagined while growing up.

 

[jay]

Analog out of High end DAC can be fed to Nakamachi Aux in and Deck will record the tape as usual.

Still confused.As its the CD that is getting copied how and where the CD player be connected and to which source?

 

[spirovious]

Still confused.As its the CD that is getting copied how and where the CD player be connected and to which source?

CD played is CD player,SPDF out to Hi end DAC,analog out to Nakamachi Deck recording in, record the Blank Tape (like in 2 in 1 system)

 

[yezdian]

hello all tape lovers . good to see that the cassette deck section of the forum is also picking up just like the phono turntables one . myself being a hardcore tape lover (may be because i grew up listening to them) own a nakamichi 700 zxl . i stongly feel that the difference between nakamichi 3 head decks and 2 head decks is like night and day . nakamichi 2 head decks perform marginally better than their counterparts but when it comes to 3 head decks you can be sure nothing ever comes close to their performance . my 700 zxl records with absolute no hiss on normal tapes with or without dolby . this kind of performance can be only seen on reel to reel recorders . even when you record from a cd player on to a nakamichi if you a 3 head version you can hear what and how is it being recorded . it is called tape monitor and there it self you can see the difference what a nakamichi is capable of . after the naks the decks with excellent performance are the akai gx series with their famous glass heads . i even love the technics tape decks . my technics rs m20 comes very close in performance with nakamichi cr2 which is 2 head version of nak which i had earlier . so finally if you own a nak 3 head you a have deck to last a life time . remember naks also need periodic maintenance because they are machines with high precision and anything designed with high precision will perform with high quality and will have lower tolerance limits .

 

[jayants]

hello all tape lovers . good to see that the cassette deck section of the forum is also picking up just like the phono turntables one . myself being a hardcore tape lover (may be because i grew up listening to them) own a nakamichi 700 zxl . i stongly feel that the difference between nakamichi 3 head decks and 2 head decks is like night and day . nakamichi 2 head decks perform marginally better than their counterparts but when it comes to 3 head decks you can be sure nothing ever comes close to their performance . my 700 zxl records with absolute no hiss on normal tapes with or without dolby . this kind of performance can be only seen on reel to reel recorders . even when you record from a cd player on to a nakamichi if you a 3 head version you can hear what and how is it being recorded .it is called tape monitor and there it self you can see the difference what a nakamichi is capable of . after the naks the decks with excellent performance are the akai gx series with their famous glass heads . i even love the technics tape decks . my technics rs m20 comes very close in performance with nakamichi cr2 which is 2 head version of nak which i had earlier . so finally if you own a nak 3 head you a have deck to last a life time . remember naks also need periodic maintenance because they are machines with high precision and anything designed with high precision will perform with high quality and will have lower tolerance limits .

Hi,

I own a Nak BX300 which is a 3 Head deck but I don't find anything called the Tape Monitor in my system.Why is it so?

 

[greenhorn]

http://sportsbil.com/other/nakamichi_bx300-om.pdf
Check Page 4, button 18. The monitor button lets you toggle the output between the source signal and the recorded signal while recording

 

[jayants]

http://sportsbil.com/other/nakamichi_bx300-om.pdf
Check Page 4, button 18. The monitor button lets you toggle the output between the source signal and the recorded signal while recording

Thank u so much!!

If u look at the attachment this is whats mentioned in the manual.I will like to get myself clarified - Does it suggest that before I start the recording to check/change record level (the red meters) I need to switch it to SOURCE.After that the switch needs to be set to TAPE as that will help me to hear whats exactly getting recorded.

Pls correct me if I am wrong.

 

[greenhorn]

Thank u so much!!

If u look at the attachment this is whats mentioned in the manual.I will like to get myself clarified - Does it suggest that before I start the recording to check/change record level (the red meters) I need to switch it to SOURCE.After that the switch needs to be set to TAPE as that will help me to hear whats exactly getting recorded.

Pls correct me if I am wrong.

You are correct. This helps you figure out if you set your levels too high/low and your tape is getting saturated or drowned in tape hiss in real time, and lets you change levels to compensate. With a 2 head deck, you don't have that luxury, and you can check only after recording

 

[jay]

You are correct. This helps you figure out if you set your levels too high/low and your tape is getting saturated or drowned in tape hiss in real time, and lets you change levels to compensate. With a 2 head deck, you don't have that luxury, and you can check only after recording

Hi,

In my Akai CS -M02 Deck which is not a 3 head deck I can also listen to the recording sound as its recorded by selecting the source of the Amplifier to Tape mode.The output I get is exactly the one thats getting recorded and I can change my levels accordingly listening to that.

Then whats so unique about these 3 Heads Deck as what makes it different with this Monitor option?

 

[greenhorn]

Hi,

In my Akai CS -M02 Deck which is not a 3 head deck I can also listen to the recording sound as its recorded by selecting the source of the Amplifier to Tape mode.The output I get is exactly the one thats getting recorded and I can change my levels accordingly listening to that.

Then whats so unique about these 3 Heads Deck as what makes it different with this Monitor option?

If you use the tape monitor on an amplifier on a 2 head tape deck, you are just listening to the source signal itself, not the recorded and played back version of the source signal. A single head cannot record and playback at the same time. three head decks have separate record and playback heads in the same assembly which lets you do that simultaneously