What was the last cassette tape you bought?

Richard,

This is one Nak that fell off my radar but came across on the net.The MR2 -  I think they must be pretty rare even when a current model.It Looks slightly pro looking.

Do you know much about it in Nak history ?

Cheers Ian   

Drikus posted:

The Dragon will be used solely with pre-recorded cassettes so that's the ultimate machine for me. The condition seems good but the pic are too dark to have a good look so I asked the seller for some additional pics. Price is just within my budget but he accept offers so there's room to haggle.

Hi Drikus

I have a 1989 Dragon, bought it in 2002 (it was serviced by B&W in 2014), it sounds lovely and really does get the best out of pre-recorded cassettes of all kinds. I think that the CR7 was a better recorder, and more reliable as it was a simpler machine.

But if you're solely using it for playback, I'd go for a Dragon - plenty around but be prepared to put some extra cash aside for a service by B&W, Willy Herman etc. And it's a real head-turner...

Here's mine (no, it's not for sale):

Kev - Just so sexy.....I think your pics should seal it for Drikus   

Sexy is good but sound is better .

Reading posts on another forum of different guys who own both the Dragon and the ZX-9, all of them record on the ZX-9 and use the Dragon for playback of that recording.

Kevin-W posted:

Drikus posted:

The Dragon will be used solely with pre-recorded cassettes so that's the ultimate machine for me. The condition seems good but the pic are too dark to have a good look so I asked the seller for some additional pics. Price is just within my budget but he accept offers so there's room to haggle.

Hi Drikus

I have a 1989 Dragon, bought it in 2002 (it was serviced by B&W in 2014), it sounds lovely and really does get the best out of pre-recorded cassettes of all kinds. I think that the CR7 was a better recorder, and more reliable as it was a simpler machine.

But if you're solely using it for playback, I'd go for a Dragon - plenty around but be prepared to put some extra cash aside for a service by B&W, Willy Herman etc. And it's a real head-turner...

Here's mine (no, it's not for sale):

Very nice Kev but sacrilege to put anything on top of it!

The Dragon is recently serviced. Here's what been done on it; 

Cleaned old lubricant from capstans, hubs, idler, cam mechanism, head block, pinch roller.
Reconditioned pinch rollers.
Relubed all as needed.
Replaced spooling idler tire, capstan belt, cam belt, counter belt.
Realigned tape path guides and head depth and zenith.
Adjusted transport stop, cue and play points.
Reset head height and azimuth.
Adjusted electronics for correct play and record levels.
Adjusted test tone levels.
Verified that it meets the original specifications.

Tabby cat posted:

Richard,

This is one Nak that fell off my radar but came across on the net.The MR2 -  I think they must be pretty rare even when a current model.It Looks slightly pro looking.

Do you know much about it in Nak history ?

Cheers Ian   

 

Ian

I think the MR2 was primarily a belt drive pro machine, used in studios. It only had two heads and was made in their declining years (I think production ceased in '94). Someone once told me it was a pro version of the BX100.

Looks nice, but I've been told there are better Naks out there (including the MR1).

Drikus posted:

Richard Dane posted:

Coincidentally, in the main system I have a ZX-9 as my main deck and a BX-300E as secondary deck.

Do take extra care though when looking for a BX-300.  It has always been a very highly regarded deck, and a popular one too, so usually plenty around.  However, it was also popular in somewhat less salubrious circles, so plenty have had a hard life and good though the heads are, they do wear with use. However, find a good one, privately owned from new, preferably recently serviced, and you may well have something of a bargain in that, although it's one of the first Sankyo era Naks,  you effectively get all the Nak "goodies" - 3 heads, dual capstans, pressure pad lifter, direct drive etc.. - and even a few extras such as the pitch control. Performance is superb, better than 99.9% of other cassette decks.  And of you're wondering, yes, that remaining 0.1% includes the ZX-9, which is simply phenomenal for a cassette deck, and sounds more like a good R2R.  Interestingly, the BX-300E was called the ZX-5 in its home country.   and performance-wise I reckon it's fully deserving to be part of the ZX range.

Why did you prefer a ZX-9 over a Dragon?

I guess it just goes back to my youth.  The ZX-9 was special - the deck that Nakamichi built for themselves, to make their own recordings.  I heard one playing a Nakamichi recorded cassette and it was amazing - so unlike cassette decks I'd heard up until then. The record head azimuth optimisation on the ZX-9 makes it a formidable recorder, and combined with the bias and sensitivity level adjustment system for each channel, it absolutely ensures it gets the best from any tape you care to load. The only possible niggle is the lack of external EQ adjustment (it's internal), but with more modern (1982 onwards) tapes, that's something with limited usefulness as EQ became much more consistent.

Truth to tell, if a really good Dragon had come up at the right time then i might well have gone that way instead - auto-reverse playback and NAAC apart, they are very similar.  However, I'm not alone in suspecting that the split head and extra circuitry of the NAAC system may make a difference, maybe not always for the better.  But as a tool for getting the best possible replay from a wide range of differently sourced cassettes, it's probably king.  I think the Dragon is pretty cool.  I wouldn't say no.

Ian, AFAIK the MR-1 and MR-2 were versions of the BX-300 and BX-125 that came with rack mounts and 1/4 inch input/output jacks and (MR-1) balanced XLR in/outs, and the ability to patch in an external NR unit.  They were designed for studio use. The MR2 actually offered a few extras over the BX-125, with an additional output (handy for daisy chaining duplication), pitch adjustment and also variable bias, which is nice, whereas the MR-1 bizarrely lost the external variable bias facility, so appears to be a bit of a backward step from the BX-300.  I guess you would set it up internally for whatever tape you would use and that was that until such time as you changed tape.  The only problem with that is that tape manufacturers tweaked and changed their formulations all the time.  You could have two identical looking tapes but each would have different bias and level requirements.

If you're tempted then bear in mind that as they're pro units you need to be careful and check them very closely for use and abuse. 

Frankly, unless you're in need of balanced in/outs I'd stick with the BX-300E...

Tabby cat posted:

Drikus

I would go for a BX 300 E and get it serviced by B&W down in Worthing.Its got a lovely reel to reel sound about it.I have a CR 7 E and a BX 300 and the CR 7 E is very clean sounding but lacks the soul of the BX 300.Sorry not very good at discribing sound quality but it's all the Nak you will need and you could save alot of cash over a Dragon

Cheers Ian

 

Ian, just found a recently serviced BX-300 for £253. Is that the normal price they going for these days? Seems like a bargain!

Very good price if its been serviced.I think you would be easily be paying over a grand for a Dragon.If you can justify a Dragon I would go for it.....save the money for a holiday or more music then go for the BX 300 E.

It's great on this forum we have an enclave of Cassette users.Most audiophile people I know sneer a bit if you mention the Cassette medium to them but each to their own I suppose.

Richard

Thanks for your comments about the MR2.Have no intention of getting one.I have a CR2 E in the cupboard so no need......The Aiwa F770 - 990  I am tempted with if I see a good example on the bay.Great comments about your ZX 9 when you where younger.

Cheers mate

Panabrite - Cortex Meridian (unplayed)

My first and last contribution, in that I accidentally bought this from Bandcamp a couple of years ago, and my current deck (a Technics RS-B705) is hors de combat as I have run out of inputs on my pre-amp.

My pinnacle of cassette replay was a mid 70s Sony TC-177SD - a top loader with phenomenal performance. At Laskys we relied on cassettes for instant demos (through our trusty comparators) so I recorded a selection of stuff off my Thorens TT onto the Sony that pre-recorded at the time couldn’t compete with - salesman of the month was a cakewalk ????

Sadly, it, along with my Naim 12/120 (or it might have been a 110), got stolen by my next door neighbour’s son and I used the insurance to briefly defect to Meridian. Cough.

Tabby cat posted:

Very good price if its been serviced.I think you would be easily be paying over a grand for a Dragon.If you can justify a Dragon I would go for it.....save the money for a holiday or more music then go for the BX 300 E.

It's great on this forum we have an enclave of Cassette users.Most audiophile people I know sneer a bit if you mention the Cassette medium to them but each to their own I suppose.

It's a BX-300, not a BX-300E. What's the difference between these two?

A grand? Good luck finding a Dragon in mint condition and serviced for that price. You'll be looking more in the region of £1700+.

I just made an offer on a ZX-9. Price was not to high because of a few minimal scratches. By the look of it easy to hide with a magic marker. Scratches aren't visible from the front as you can see in the pic below. Was serviced last month. This is the deck;

How much is that ZX9 [@mention:73370968263941422]?

Asking price is £1093. I made an offer of £984. Cost of the service last month was £263. Not a bad deal if he agrees I think.

Thats a great deal on the ZX9.Well pleased for you,it will always trump the Dragon CR 7 E and 1000 ZXL on sound quality though and is one of the best Naks out there.As for the BX 300 and BX 300 E . I have no idea.

Here is my Tandberg 3014 A. Considered on par with the top Naks back in the day.An absolute beast of a deck.Sadly not rewinding and one of the VU's needs a new bulb.Not repairable and no parts available but still plays ok when I use it which is about twice a year.

Wow that is a beast Ian. Someone somewhere must be able to repair it, seems a shame not to have such a handsomely chunky unit not fully functioning...

To be honest Kev not that bothered to much effort and  money in getting it done and have 3 Naks all working well so .....

Out of interest do you stream ?

Personally I am a bit miffed by it.Have built up 3000 vinyl albums and 1000  tapes etc since my youth and love the  feel of vinyl artwork etc.Just makes me laugh that people who stream can get it all where we built up our library's with product.Just find it totally soulless.

Wishing you a good evening

Cheers Ian    

Hi Ian

No, I don't stream, it looks like too much of a faff, and besides, I like looking at racks full of LPs and big piles of CDs and cassettes. I despise Spotify because it pays artists so poorly (unless you're Ed Sheeran, of course).

Wishing you a fine, music-filled evening too.

Cor, a Tandberg 3014! I’ve long hankered after one of those or the earlier 3004. I didn’t know about the scarcity of parts though. Have you tried Marrs Communications or Vintage Electronics in the US?   

As for the E, I believe it denoted a unit specifically for Europe. Possibly this meant a different setup for bias and sensitivity? However plenty of 240v units did not have the E suffix. I have a CR-3 in my collection, whereas most were CR-3Es in Europe, 

Thanks Richard for your reply.

Sadly  I have other  priorities with money with regarding  the Tanberg and as it gets used so rarely I just keep it for eye candy   .

I have been on the Forum long enough to know that you have alot of kit lurching in your home.What have you got in your cupboard which never gets used but you could sell on but keep anyway ?

I have a Creek 4040  Amp.Creek 3040 tuner.Rega Planet Compact Disc player.Audiolab 8000 C   preamplifier .Bryston 0.5  preamplifier Nakamichi CR 2 E.  Dual 505 turntable NAD 3020 amplifier Celestion Ditton 15 XR speakers.

I think I have become a bit of a horder over the years.My girlfriend thinks there's rather alot of audio boxes in every room.Funny she has never really commentated on sound quality only once saying " you have a powerful stereo" which I thought was sweet !

I think she would be appalled if I told her how much  say SL cable costs .....

Wishing you a good day

Cheers Ian

Seller of the ZX-9 won't take less than £1045. I agreed on that price but only if he would send me a copy of the service invoice that he claims he has. Haven't heard from him since...

Found a technician only 25 km from where I'm living who specializes in vintage audio repair. Link: Vintage Audio Repair (Dutch language). Asked him about my Sony deck and he will take a look at it as soon as I get it back from Holland. Shouldn't be a problem fixing it he said.

I'm still on the hunt after a Dragon or a ZX-9 as a main deck and now I found this technician, I know where to go when problems arise.

Drikus, to give you an idea on servicing, I had my ZX-9 serviced by Bowers & Wilkins last Summer.  They're one of the few service agents who were approved service agents for Nakamichi and still use only genuine Nakamichi spare parts. This service included all the usual things plus a bunch of replacement capacitors.  Of course it has been calibrated and realigned to factory specs and performance is simply astounding for a cassette deck. IIRC the cost of the service, not including carriage (I drove the deck down there and then drove it back a few months later) was just under £500. There are only a few people I would entrust to properly service a ZX-9 so it performs as it should.  Bear that in mind when paying for a "serviced" deck.

Food for thought Richard. Did get a copy of the service invoice after all late last night. This is it;

Roughly translated this has been done: device disassembled and reassembled / belt replaced / mechanics softened and re-greased / tapedeck cleaned (tape-guiding parts, capstan, sound and ? heads) / device tested and probed. Nothing on the invoice about capacitors been replaced. Not a "full service" like what's been done to yours it seems, just a belt replacement and the mechanism cleaned. Better to get a unserviced Dragon and send it to Bowers & Wilkins I think. Does it really take a few months to get a deck serviced there?

Moderated Post:  Drikus, to spare Herr D having his address details on the net, I've removed the picture.  Best to cover up such things to be safe.

Paul Wilkins is, I think, the only one who works on the decks and with the renewed interest in cassette, he's in great demand. It's worth contacting Bowers as soon as possible to find out timings and to get your deck booked in.  A wait is a good sign here...