Nakamichi Cassette Decks

[20to20K]

I'd like to purchase a high end Nakamichi cassette deck but do not want to deal with the hassles that I've heard several people complain about the Dragon(difficult to operate and
calibrate, outrageously expensive to repair & maintain, hard to find someone who can service it properly) I've heard the same about the 1000ZXL as well.

Others I'm considering are the RX-505, ZX7 or ZX9, and the 680ZX. Does anyone have any of these models and if you do how "servicable" and user friendly are they?

My Harmon Kardon CD491 has croaked and I need a replacement.

Thanks!

[dean_martin]

http://www.naks.com/ Maybe you can find some info here. I have 2 Yamahas and an Akai so I can't comment on the Naks.

[RossFlet]

http://www.naks.com/ Maybe you can find some info here. I have 2 Yamahas and an Akai so I can't comment on the Naks.

I've had a Nakamichi 582 for 20 odd years but there are problems with this brand. I had a breakdown after only 12 months and have had to replace the tape transport on my deck. As you have noted, repairs are very difficult and as the company has changed owners, parts are a problem particularly down here (New Zealand). I imagine this applies to the upper end of the Nak range too. They are, however a superb deck when fully functioning and light years ahead of anything else in that range. The guys that run the webpage are real enthusiasts. However, my feeling is that you should think again about buying one - you may be buying a heap of future trouble unless you are clued up electronically.

Ross

[20to20K]

I've had a Nakamichi 582 for 20 odd years but there are problems with this brand. I had a breakdown after only 12 months and have had to replace the tape transport on my deck. As you have noted, repairs are very difficult and as the company has changed owners, parts are a problem particularly down here (New Zealand). I imagine this applies to the upper end of the Nak range too. They are, however a superb deck when fully functioning and light years ahead of anything else in that range. The guys that run the webpage are real enthusiasts. However, my feeling is that you should think again about buying one - you may be buying a heap of future trouble unless you are clued up electronically.

Ross

I've gotten a couple more replys almost identical to yours on another thread with the same advice....JUST STAY AWAY. Bottomline is I need a deck and any deck can crap out on you and cost you in repairs. It just appears that Naks do it more often and incur a greater cost when they do. Then it becomes a question of whether having such a fine deck is worth the added expense/frustration? I'm thinking no. My HK CD491 was a fine deck that made excellent recordings. It died on me only twice in 21 years and repairs where usually reasonable and parts relatively easy to find. I may just pony up and fix it or look for another one or a similiar Teac, Denon, etc on Ebay...

[dean_martin]

I've gotten a couple more replys almost identical to yours on another thread with the same advice....JUST STAY AWAY. Bottomline is I need a deck and any deck can crap out on you and cost you in repairs. It just appears that Naks do it more often and incur a greater cost when they do. Then it becomes a question of whether having such a fine deck is worth the added expense/frustration? I'm thinking no. My HK CD491 was a fine deck that made excellent recordings. It died on me only twice in 21 years and repairs where usually reasonable and parts relatively easy to find. I may just pony up and fix it or look for another one or a similiar Teac, Denon, etc on Ebay...

My oldest Yamaha has been a workhorse for 15 years. Here's a pic:

http://gallery.audioreview.com/showphoto.php?photo=486&password=&sort=1&cat=501&page=3

It's an older entry level model K-130 (or, KX-130) natural sound I believe. I'm not home now and my pic is blurry. I ebayed a newer Yamaha that I've only tested. It has a few more bells and whistles but I just can't retire the old one. I have a vintage system that includes an old Akai that I like very much.

[Rycher]

I've owned the Dragon as well as a 505 and a couple of the LX models. All have worked fine - except the Dragon; what a piece of crap. It broke down all the time. But worse of all was that if I made any recordings on the Dragon, those tapes would sound horrible on every other deck I played them on. This was due to the Auto-azimuth tape guide lifter of the dragon. Anyway, I ended up buying a Tandberg 3014. What a deck! :) I still use this deck to this day. Built better than the Dragon, sounds better than the Dragon, and has NEVER gone to the shop for repair - EVER!!!! It's been almost 20 years! I go thru state of the art DVD players 20 times faster than that. So if your looking for a nice sounding, extremely robust and reliable deck, look into the Tandberg. Maybe in 20 more years you could tell us how you like it so far? ;)

[20to20K]

I've owned the Dragon as well as a 505 and a couple of the LX models. All have worked fine - except the Dragon; what a piece of crap. It broke down all the time. But worse of all was that if I made any recordings on the Dragon, those tapes would sound horrible on every other deck I played them on. This was due to the Auto-azimuth tape guide lifter of the dragon. Anyway, I ended up buying a Tandberg 3014. What a deck! :) I still use this deck to this day. Built better than the Dragon, sounds better than the Dragon, and has NEVER gone to the shop for repair - EVER!!!! It's been almost 20 years! I go thru state of the art DVD players 20 times faster than that. So if your looking for a nice sounding, extremely robust and reliable deck, look into the Tandberg. Maybe in 20 more years you could tell us how you like it so far? ;)

I'm just amazed as to how many people have the same complaints of the supposedly legendary Dragon as you do. Maybe it's legendary for the wrong reasons. I knew that tapes recorded on them sound like crap on other decks...I even found that acceptable
considering I only play tapes on my home system. The other faults are inexcusable for a $2000 deck.

Thanks for the words of experience and I'll add that Tandberg to my short list to investigate. I always knew of Tandberg (and Tascam, Revox, Luxman) as top brands from the 80's tape deck wars, but never had any personal experience with them

Thanks again...

[kgutzke]

Instead of the Dragon go with the NAK CR-7A with manual azimuth adjustment. It is much more dependable and simple in its operation.