buying a new cassette deck

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
yes, you read read that correctly. i've been reading i should try to pick up a used Nakamichi? can anoyne recommend which model



what other decks would you recommend?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 22
    burningwheel, I'm assuming you'll want a high end model...yes? Even Nakamichi made mid-level models.
  • Reply 2 of 22
    Find an old surplus commercial deck from a radio station and you might get one with pitch control.



    If you're trying to 'recover' tape archives, perhaps look for one with better heads.



    Or go totally old school and get an Ampex reel-to-reel.
  • Reply 3 of 22
    Get a Nakamichi Dragon.



    I wish I still had mine.



    <sigh>
  • Reply 4 of 22
    i have lots of tapes that i'd like to digitize. my deck bit the dust last year. i don't want to spend much, maybe $300 tops. i don't think i can get a Nak for that price unless it's used, but i'm a little leary to buy a deck that is 15-20 years old



    what's dolby S all about? i don't know anything about it
  • Reply 5 of 22
    Dolby S: http://www.dolby.com/resources/tech_library/index.cfm



    The Nakamichi CR-7E was superior to the Dragon. However, both will still set you back if they're anywhere near mint condition.

    When you can find them...



    My sister just bought a new Sony TC-KE500S Tape Deck for about $240. It's a sweet little 3-head machine but it's no Naki...



    If you're willing to take a chance on reasonably priced used decks to be found on EBay, look for an old Rotel or NAD. As I recall those two companies would offer superior sound recording/playback by ommiting some of the more "fancy" gee-gaw features that would come on a comparably priced Denom, Pioneer, Yamaha, Marantz, et al.,



    Just my .02
  • Reply 6 of 22
    Yes that is an unusual acquisition in 2004. What are you using it for? The suggestions here certainly may be impacted by your use.



    I have a Nak DR-2. Which is a loverly deck. If you want azimuth control you need the DR-3, but the decks are identical except for that (if memory serves). I see someone has recommended the Dragon. That's a lot more deck and a lot more money, I expect, so it comes back to what you need if for to justify that extra cost. Nakamichi made a lot of different decks over the years and this site http://www.naks.com/ has a chart showing what was made when.



    Here's another site that may provide some additional information.

    http://www.hifiheaven.com/tape-recorders.htm



    Dual (famous for their turntables) made an excellent deck in the late 80s though I doubt there are any around and Kyrocera also made some good decks at that time.



    Good luck and enjoy.



    edit: Sorry I started this earlier (and I didnt' reload the thread) and see that you've already answered some of my questions... Maybe you should borrow a deck from a friend rather that splurging?



    edit2: I got the DR models backwards. The DR1 has asimuth control and the DR3 is a 2 head deck with no azimuth control. Oops.
  • Reply 7 of 22
    Heh, I had the top of the line Dual Cassette deck back then. I should have kept it!
  • Reply 8 of 22
    thnaks everyone



    Is this a good Nak?





    what about this one?





    what NAD model is nice?



    i found a MR 2 that looks lnice, is that a decent one? what about the CR-2 or CR-3? which line is the one i should go with?



    so if i buy a Nak is it better than anything i can buy new now??
  • Reply 9 of 22
    does rack mount mean it doesn't have feet?
  • Reply 10 of 22
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    What's a tape deck? Sorry, I've never been to the 90s.
  • Reply 11 of 22
    ^
  • Reply 12 of 22
    burningwheel, this fellow did his homework. Some pertinent info for you: http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.e...ide/part1.html



    As far as NAD models, look around for a 6300. I saw one go on EBay for $198 a few months ago. If it was in the condition as stated, someone scored.



    For Rotel look in the RD 900 series.



    Rack mount components in consumer electronics always come with feet.
  • Reply 13 of 22
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by hardhead

    ^



    Oh, come on, it's all in good humor... \
  • Reply 14 of 22
    Die Placebo Die...



  • Reply 15 of 22
    burningwheel you got me curious about this over the weekend. How are you doing the input? What hardware and software required to do this? Hmmm, maybe I should be putting some tapes (and records) into iTunes.



    (edit: grammer and it's still not grammatically correct )
  • Reply 16 of 22
    [email protected],

    i'm going to use Griffin's iMic



    i ended up buying a Nak on eBay. i got a 3 head machine for under $200. Form my understanding, the NAD 6300 is a super nice machine
  • Reply 17 of 22
    What model burningwheel?
  • Reply 18 of 22
    Quote:

    Originally posted by hardhead

    What model burningwheel?



    hardhead,

    i got the CR-3A.



    do you have one?
  • Reply 19 of 22
    burningwheel, that's a very good machine. Congrats.



    I digitized all my tapes some time ago and sold my Nak CR 7. That was a boneheaded move in retrospect.



    Fortunately, one of my car's still has a cassette player in it.
  • Reply 20 of 22
    So how is the sound quality using the iMic? Is that what you used hardhead?



    Are the results indistinguishable from playing the tapes straight through the stereo or is this a significant compromise?
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