Nakamichi RX505
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motorhead43026
Posts: 3,892
This is the actual deck on a local auction site. Already bid up to $425.00 with 3 days yet to go. Are these decks that good. I really think I need it.
2 channel: Anthem 225 Integrated amp; Parasound Ztuner; TechnicsTT SL1350; Vincent PHO-8 phono pre; Marantz CD6005 spinner; Polk SDA2BTL's; LAT International speaker cables, ZU Mission IC's and power cables all into a PS Audio Dectet Power center.
Other; M10 series II, M7C's, Hafler XL600 amp, RB-980BX, Parasound HCA-1500 amp , P5 preamp, all in storage. All vintage Polk have had crossover rebuilds and tweeter upgrades.
The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
It is imperative that we recognize that an opinion is not a fact.
Imagine making politics your entire personality.
Other; M10 series II, M7C's, Hafler XL600 amp, RB-980BX, Parasound HCA-1500 amp , P5 preamp, all in storage. All vintage Polk have had crossover rebuilds and tweeter upgrades.
The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
It is imperative that we recognize that an opinion is not a fact.
Imagine making politics your entire personality.
Comments
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Look for the Dragon instead. The 505's were cool, but the mechanism for flipping the cassette was finicky and prone to issues.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
nooshinjohn wrote: »Look for the Dragon instead. The 505's were cool, but the mechanism for flipping the cassette was finicky and prone to issues.
What he said. The Dragon was nothing short of incredible. Everyone was telling me how unreliable it was and was going to cost a fortune to fix so I sold it. Wish I still had it. -
Luck wish Dragon bucks.
That's all I have to say about that.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Even their budget decks were good. The Dragon was and still is an incredible piece of machinery. It's priced accordingly.Home Theater/2 Channel:
Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer
dhsspeakerservice.com/ -
That's the one that autoreverses by flipping the tape around, yes?
More stuff to go wrong -- on a thirty-plus year old piece of hardware.
Sounds like an outstanding investment opportunity to me.
Maybe go with something more predictable, like a Dodge Demon...
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Yeah, go Dragon, or 1000ZXL, or even the original 1000 or even the 700. Good decks.
All more or less finicky, though -- even when new; probably even more so in 2017.
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mhardy6647 wrote: »Yeah, go Dragon, or 1000ZXL, or even the original 1000 or even the 700. Good decks.
All more or less finicky, though -- even when new; probably even more so in 2017.
Or an RTR, those aren't finicky 2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
The Dragon was incredible. I was fortunate enough to have one free of charge for several years. A buddy had picked up one in the military and ultimately had to move back in with his folks. I never knew he had a Dragon and was talking about getting a new cassette deck when he asked me if I'd like to borrow his while it wasn't being used. Lo and behold a dragon shows up. I was speechless and told him I didn't want to be responsible for it...I think it was something like $1600 back in the 80's. It stayed in my house for about 2 years and was worthy of every bit of praise it received.
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txcoastal1 wrote: »mhardy6647 wrote: »Yeah, go Dragon, or 1000ZXL, or even the original 1000 or even the 700. Good decks.
All more or less finicky, though -- even when new; probably even more so in 2017.
Or an RTR, those aren't finicky
Different kind of finicky
The guts are pretty sturdy in the pro and prosumer machines; they'll run and run with minimal maintenance (look at an ex-radio station Otari some time). The Nak decks are like... trophy wives. They need a lot of fiddlin' to keep 'em happy.
In fairness -- the cassette format (very small track width and low linear tape speed) works at cross purposes to high performance and requires tight tolerance to deliver stellar performance. Much more room for slop at 7-1/2 (or 15!) ips on 1/4 inch tape.
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The Dragon was incredible. I was fortunate enough to have one free of charge for several years. A buddy had picked up one in the military and ultimately had to move back in with his folks. I never knew he had a Dragon and was talking about getting a new cassette deck when he asked me if I'd like to borrow his while it wasn't being used. Lo and behold a dragon shows up. I was speechless and told him I didn't want to be responsible for it...I think it was something like $1600 back in the 80's. It stayed in my house for about 2 years and was worthy of every bit of praise it received.
I lusted for one for years. To be honest the best cassette tape by far bar none that I ever used was the Denon Metal tapes. They were just unreal realistic, could tape well into the red and they lasted for ever.
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mhardy6647 wrote: »txcoastal1 wrote: »mhardy6647 wrote: »Yeah, go Dragon, or 1000ZXL, or even the original 1000 or even the 700. Good decks.
All more or less finicky, though -- even when new; probably even more so in 2017.
Or an RTR, those aren't finicky
Different kind of finicky The guts are pretty sturdy in the pro and prosumer machines; they'll run and run with minimal maintenance (look at an ex-radio station Otari some time). The Nak decks are like... trophy wives. They need a lot of fiddlin' to keep 'em happy.
In fairness -- the cassette format (very small track width and low linear tape speed) works at cross purposes to high performance and requires tight tolerance to deliver stellar performance. Much more room for slop at 7-1/2 (or 15!) ips on 1/4 inch tape.
I agree RTR is a huge difference in playback quality. Take a look at a Otari. Or if you can find one a Technics RS-1520. Once they are tuned up they are great sources. In fact I am actively looking for one now.2 Channel Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II, 2 REL Carbon Limited, Norma Revo IPA-140B, Lumin U2 Mini, VPI Prime w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC, Modwright PH 150, Denon DP-59l w/Denon DL-301MKII, WAY Silver 3 Ana+ Speaker Cables, WAY Silver 4+ Interconnect Cables, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 w/Dragon and Hurricane Power Cables -
Just to be clear: I'd never kick a Dragon out for eating crackers in bed.
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I guess I will pass on the 505 and looks for others that were suggested.2 channel: Anthem 225 Integrated amp; Parasound Ztuner; TechnicsTT SL1350; Vincent PHO-8 phono pre; Marantz CD6005 spinner; Polk SDA2BTL's; LAT International speaker cables, ZU Mission IC's and power cables all into a PS Audio Dectet Power center.
Other; M10 series II, M7C's, Hafler XL600 amp, RB-980BX, Parasound HCA-1500 amp , P5 preamp, all in storage. All vintage Polk have had crossover rebuilds and tweeter upgrades.
The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
It is imperative that we recognize that an opinion is not a fact.
Imagine making politics your entire personality. -
Pitdogg2: I absolutely loved those Denon metal tapes as well, fantastic. Did a heck of a lot of taping back in the day, and used a bunch of different Nakamichi decks. My buddy had a 700, and it was really finicky, spent a lot of down time being repaired. Seriously good looking deck. Some other Naks were real finicky, some weren't, but all the ones I used were the height of recording quality.
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Pitdogg2: I absolutely loved those Denon metal tapes as well, fantastic. Did a heck of a lot of taping back in the day, and used a bunch of different Nakamichi decks. My buddy had a 700, and it was really finicky, spent a lot of down time being repaired. Seriously good looking deck. Some other Naks were real finicky, some weren't, but all the ones I used were the height of recording quality.
I never had a Nakamichi deck, my higher end Yamaha's did will enough for me for a long time. They were very reliable and had some great heads. well IMHO anyways
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I got a line on a Nakamichi BX-300 our computer tech said he would give me. On that note, I'm with pittdog. I have a very nice Yamaha KX W-900U and it's a great machine.
I owned Akai decks back in the 80s and still have them, but they need some work and I have to send them out if I want them serviced. The Super GX glass heads last forever and these decks perform well in upper frequencies. -
I'm with pittdog. I have a very nice Yamaha KX W-900U and it's a great machine.
Pretty sure that is the one I had for a long time, If it's not auto reverse then yes that is it.
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Dual cassette w/auto reverse. This deck is like having 2 decks in one chassis. Both are capable of recording. You can listen to one source while still recording from another. Nice deck for sure! The KX-1200 was their top of the line.
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