Are Nakamichi cassette decks that much better?

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candyliquor35m
candyliquor35m Posts: 2,267
edited April 2006 in 2 Channel Audio
than say yahama. I saw a nakamichi 480 single cassette deck at the thrift store for $8.50. I didn't buy it since I already have a dual yamaha that I haven't even hooked up yet. When I got home and looked up the book value to be $60 but it was gone by the time I went back to buy it. Oh well it's not like I missed a pair of polks.
Post edited by candyliquor35m on
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  • polkatese
    polkatese Posts: 6,767
    edited April 2006
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    at $8.50, why are you even bother to think? ;)

    The answer is "it depends". I bought a nice NAK from Doro, and yes, it is better than my Yamaha. But it is all relative, compared to high-res CD/SACD, no cassette technology can surpass it. It's all about reminiscing the past, that's why and how I ended up with three decks.
    I am sorry, I have no opinion on the matter. I am sure you do. So, don't mind me, I just want to talk audio and pie.
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  • amulford
    amulford Posts: 5,020
    edited April 2006
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    Older Nakamichi was thought to be good stuff. Kind of mid level, but well regarded by some. I used to have a Nak amp, but it got fried.
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  • candyliquor35m
    candyliquor35m Posts: 2,267
    edited April 2006
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    polkatese wrote:
    at $8.50, why are you even bother to think? ;)

    The answer is "it depends". I bought a nice NAK from Doro, and yes, it is better than my Yamaha. But it is all relative, compared to high-res CD/SACD, no cassette technology can surpass it. It's all about reminiscing the past, that's why and how I ended up with three decks.

    Can you hear any difference between the yamaha and the nak? I thought for sure it would be there when I went back an hour later but when I was leaving I saw a guy standing outside that buys stuff there and puts it on ebay so he probably got it. This is kind of hard to believe but he said he found a stevie nicks gold album one time at a garage sale and sold it for only $900 I think. I don't remember what he said he paid for it. I'll have to ask him again.
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  • polkatese
    polkatese Posts: 6,767
    edited April 2006
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    yes, I can hear the extra details and resolutions from the Nak. Bass is more profound, high is a bit better, not by a wide margin. It could be because the Nak has a better quality head, that would be my guess.
    I am sorry, I have no opinion on the matter. I am sure you do. So, don't mind me, I just want to talk audio and pie.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,082
    edited April 2006
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    I've owned several Nak decks and they are superior in every way. I'm talking the 80's and earlier stuff & some very early 90's, not that late 90's stuff made in Tiawan, although those were good, just not as good (well built, attention to detail) as the earlier models.

    I've owned a Bx-100; Bx-125; Bx-300 (killer 3 head deck); Rx-505 and a Dragon. I currently own an early 90's CR-1A, but use it very rarely if at all. If @ $8.50 it works, I say go for it. If it has issues you can get them fixed, but it's expensive and you need to send it to someone who can do it right

    See link www.naks.com

    Click Naks in the left hand column and it shows all the models produced and the specs.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • George Grand
    George Grand Posts: 12,258
    edited April 2006
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    Naks are okay but a little overrated. I still have a cassette deck in every rig I use. I had a Nak 581Z that I sold for a boatload of cash a couple years ago. That one cost me $10 mint, owners manual and original box.

    The He-Man rig has some kind of SONY ES cassette deck in it. I'm too lazy to go see the model #. It has a remote too. The Half-**** HT rig has a Tandberg TCD-310 in it. I've had people walk in and say "George, that sounds great, I see you finally bought a DVD player." Yes that's true, I have DVD players. But those people were listening to a cassette recorded on that Tandberg. It's a 30 year old machine. $25 two years ago at a flea market. Original box. My office rig at the squadron has a Teac in it, only because the Onkyo TA-2056 that I had in there needs a PLAY motor. It died two weeks ago. $6.50 for that pup about 5 years ago in a thrifty. So for $8, yes you should've bought it. For $80, no.

    I forgot, I had a NAK LX-3 that somebody left on my desk at work. It was okay too, but died some years ago.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,082
    edited April 2006
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    Tandberg, Top-line (older) Teac's were about the only thing that could keep up with the Naks. There are quite a few merely avg. Naks from about 88-93. In order to gain some foothold in the entry level segment they made some "lesser" models which were avg, but still better than most other brands. I've owned many cassette decks including a Pioneer CTF-950 and some Sony's, etc. A good Nak is where it's at when home recording was the thing. The Dragon was the single coolest piece of gear I've ever owned. The sound coming out of that thing was incredible, plus it was a serious piece to look at.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited April 2006
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    Nak made great decks, e.g., The Dragon, but they also had "budget" models that weren't all that... The one you missed out on is in the latter group.

    IMO main issue is compared to more modern decks with Dolby S and HX Pro, older Dolby B decks, be they Nak or other, just can't measure up.
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
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  • markmarc
    markmarc Posts: 2,309
    edited April 2006
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    IMHO the Naks were slightly better than the HK's in the 1980's. I picked the HK as it had Dolby B C and HX-Pro for far less.
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  • Polkersince85
    Polkersince85 Posts: 2,883
    edited April 2006
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    I bought that Sony ES deck at GW a couple weeks back and have been very pleased with it. All kinds of tapes at the thrifts from people who bought lesser decks. About $19 for mine. Sony TC-WR99ES. There was good music before CD's came along. Not all listening is done while comparing different interconnects or power cords.
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  • ND13
    ND13 Posts: 7,601
    edited April 2006
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    The best recording tape deck I ever owned or used was an HK I had from the mid 80's. I can't recall the model number, but it had Dolby B and C and HX pro. I made a shitload of mix tapes on that deck and they all sounded great.
    "SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE,
    CAUSE I SPEAK OF THE POMPITIOUS OF LOVE"
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