Had a Nakamichi system in my first car. Amazing they had auto azimuth control. I could make cassette copies of CD's that were indistinguishable from the CD. Incredible how good they were. Love the fluorescent display on the 680. Always thought the red led's they used later looked cheap.
My dad has the Nakamichi PA-7 amp and pre amp! Also has the Nak mb-3 cd MusicBank. He also has a Nak bx-150 cassette player but we don’t listen to cassettes that much! He’s had partied basically all the time and the amp has never broken,only one fuse has been replaced. Powering custom 15 inch speakers for over 30 years is not something I’m gonna soon forget. I will always have Nakamichi in my house :) Best thing is he has all the boxes as well! When the PA-7 was released he spent almost $8,000 Canadian!
@@stereoniche - Those units are real classics... museum-worthy. I watched a used stereo equipment video - in Japan... and there was Not One Nak in the whole bunch.
I bought a new Dragon in Alaska' it malfunctioned and Nakamichi gave me another one #457. I was so pleased I bought a new Dragon Turntable to record my tapes.
Thanks for the video Scott, you're one lucky guy having that collection of Nakamichi cassette decks and car audios. I liked the set up too, and thought it looked great. Looking forward to your future video. 👍🏻
What is interesting is that things sort of come in waves. I've mentioned it on occasion at how often I seem to run across things in groups over a short time frame. Most of these decks I found within a year of each other. In prior years, I've run across very rare units on more than one occasion, then a short time later, run across another. After that, I never see them again. Very odd. But, this all means, strike while the iron is HOT! 😆
I had 2 Nakamichi decks, a Dragon and a deck that i do not recall the model and I've never seen another one ever again. It was a deck that had a 45° face. Basically, it was a triangle / wedge shape device. Not a square box shape like everything else is. It had provisions so you could attach it on a rack where the face was aligned normally (straight up) or place it on a flat surface where the deck face was 45° offset. It was very expensive at the time and had great sound. Wish i knew the model and see if i was the only one who had one.
The Nakamichi Dragon was featured in an episode of "Magnum P.I." The Nakamichi 700 was seen in "Space 1999". I still have my original Dragon which I purchased in 1982. It's a keeper for me.
Thanks for the overview. I'd guess Bentley and other top car lines would also be installing these. Now imagine Mozart in the back seat of your Cadi as you enjoyed a Sunday drive.
Nice video , but there may be arguments about them being the best! Most expensive for sure, but there are others with Specs that Equal or better than ! But overall Nakamichis definitely have top spot Reputation.
Fantastic video and gear tou have!!! I still have my Nak Pa-400 and Pa 200 car amps in original double box packaging with all accessories... also a LX 3 home deck..plus Nak car audio pamphlets from back in the day. A friend of mine installed a Nak cassette deck in his girlfriends car back in 1984....when they broke up all he was worried about was getting that unit back.....and he did😂.
@stereoniche there was a time when you could build world class stereo setups for next to nothing. I've picked up a 9090 and a fisher 400 and some L-100's for the same price. I got a totl mid 70s jvc receiver for free from the dump. Those are just a few of the deals pre internet.
Fantastic video! Every time you make a collection based video, you blow my mind. I loved cassette decks and still do. I look at them and drool. High quality media availability is a big issue.
Tandberg and NAD also made some great 3-head decks which featured advances which Nakamichi lacked: DynEQ and HX-pro. They sounded better than Nakamichi decks of that era.
I’d saved for years to afford a Nak deck to replace my aged 3-head Kenwood I’d had since College. Finally bought my nak BX-300, plugged into my NAD & Boston Acoustics based system and started to enjoy in home and car. But within a year the Alpine in the car crapped out. I replaced it with a Sony CD player. Uh Oh… I don’t think I ever listened to a cassette again. Still have the BX300. In a box, like new. Time to dust it off and see how the old girl sounds after all these years.
You are a very lucky man !!..A friend had a Dragon back in the day. I have a DR2 now.Just had it serviced last week.🙂. I have a Sansui QR 4500 that I picked up at a garage sale $20.00 Cdn.
Well, those are typically going for over $10k now, so not likely. I actually do not typically seek out specific units, I sort of "discover" them as I search since I don't really focus on a specific brand.
Great video, still have my BX-300 with the manuals, the one to have for those who couldn’t afford the Dragon. The name Nakamichi was so popular, that it was mentioned in one episode of Miami Vice!
Absolutely the best sounding cassette decks bar none back in the day. I had two home decks and a TD-700 car unit. Unfortunately it was hard to find qualified repair technicians.
Love that Nakamichi collection, Scot. Any idea why Nakamichi never made a reel to reel deck back in the day? Btw, a great vintage and Mac gear repair specialist near Pittsburgh is Kevin Nichols. 800 north bell avenue Bldg 6 Suite 270 Carnegie 15106 Fantastic tech who has repaired my Carver and Mac equipment at times (sent you an email with pics of that system). You can add him to your files.
On the R2R question, they actually did..... but not under their name. The company started in 1948 and made a lot of OEM parts, like tape heads, but for other manufacturers/brands. They decided to sell cassette decks under their own name in '72, so maybe they felt that R2R tech was fading out, I have no idea really.
If by "pearls" you mean only examples that are in excellent condition, yes and no. All collectors prioritize condition mostly over everything else because that is the hardest issue to address. Most units with technical issues can be fixed, but if faceplates, etc. are damaged, you simply have to find another unit. So, to answer your Q, I try to focus on the best physical condition, but only the best units make it into my personal showroom where I create these videos. I have a good number of units in the back that are in need of some restoration (or are parts units) before they are ready to be put on display or for a video.
@stereoniche What I tought about by "pearls" were the chosen models of nakamichi cassette decks for example. Thank you very much for your detailed answer.
Love that Nakamichi collection, Scot. Any idea why Nakamichi never made a reel to reel deck back in the day? Btw, a great vintage and Mac gear repair specialist near Pittsburgh is Kevin Nichols. 800 north bell avenue Bldg 6 Suite 270 Carnegie 15106 Fantastic tech who has repaired my Carver and Mac equipment at times (sent you an email with pics of that system). You can add him to your files.
Nakamichi's best product ever wasn't a tape deck. It was the CA-7A preamp design which was inspired by Nelson Pass, who actually designed the amp it was intended to be paired with. Dual mono.
Had a Nakamichi system in my first car. Amazing they had auto azimuth control. I could make cassette copies of CD's that were indistinguishable from the CD. Incredible how good they were. Love the fluorescent display on the 680. Always thought the red led's they used later looked cheap.
They certainly set the standard for a good number of years.
Wow Scott. You blow me away with your collection in every video! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Mike!
My dad has the Nakamichi PA-7 amp and pre amp! Also has the Nak mb-3 cd MusicBank. He also has a Nak bx-150 cassette player but we don’t listen to cassettes that much! He’s had partied basically all the time and the amp has never broken,only one fuse has been replaced. Powering custom 15 inch speakers for over 30 years is not something I’m gonna soon forget. I will always have Nakamichi in my house :) Best thing is he has all the boxes as well! When the PA-7 was released he spent almost $8,000 Canadian!
So, you grew up in an audiophile house! Anyone who keeps the boxes is #1 in my book! :-)
Thanks for sharing. Nice video.... and it goes without saying: Nice collection. Thanks for the front face closeups.
Thanks for watching. I will work up separate videos for each model, so keep a look out for them to get an even closer view of each.
@@stereoniche - Those units are real classics... museum-worthy. I watched a used stereo equipment video - in Japan... and there was Not One Nak in the whole bunch.
@@FeedScrn Not ONE Nak!? That video should be banned! 🤣
I bought a new Dragon in Alaska' it malfunctioned and Nakamichi gave me another one #457. I was so pleased I bought a new Dragon Turntable to record my tapes.
My girlfriend slammed an M&K speaker at that turntable. It didn't do anything except break the cover
It forced me to put my system into storage and move
Thanks for the video Scott, you're one lucky guy having that collection of Nakamichi cassette decks and car audios. I liked the set up too, and thought it looked great. Looking forward to your future video. 👍🏻
Thanks Garry! It did take a bit of time to get it all in place.
I had one of their removable units in my car back in the 80's. It was nice. Memories.
Heck yeah, those decks look amazing! I've only been able to grab the BX-300, CR-3A and LX-3 so far but my eyes are always peeled.
What is interesting is that things sort of come in waves. I've mentioned it on occasion at how often I seem to run across things in groups over a short time frame. Most of these decks I found within a year of each other. In prior years, I've run across very rare units on more than one occasion, then a short time later, run across another. After that, I never see them again. Very odd. But, this all means, strike while the iron is HOT! 😆
I had 2 Nakamichi decks, a Dragon and a deck that i do not recall the model and I've never seen another one ever again. It was a deck that had a 45° face. Basically, it was a triangle / wedge shape device. Not a square box shape like everything else is. It had provisions so you could attach it on a rack where the face was aligned normally (straight up) or place it on a flat surface where the deck face was 45° offset. It was very expensive at the time and had great sound. Wish i knew the model and see if i was the only one who had one.
That would be the System One. It was a set of components designed to be mounted into a cool vertical rack.
The Nakamichi Dragon was featured in an episode of "Magnum P.I." The Nakamichi 700 was seen in "Space 1999". I still have my original Dragon which I purchased in 1982. It's a keeper for me.
Did not know that, I'll try to add that to the Dragon video.
Thanks for the overview. I'd guess Bentley and other top car lines would also be installing these. Now imagine Mozart in the back seat of your Cadi as you enjoyed a Sunday drive.
LOL, I would imagine the guy asking for some Grey Poupon mustard was listening to one. 😆
I bought a 680 when I was in the Navy, around 1980 or 1981. It was later stolen from my house, probably because I liked to blast my music back then.
Most likely because it was a GREAT deck! 😄
Nice video , but there may be arguments about them being the best! Most expensive for sure, but there are others with Specs that Equal or better than !
But overall Nakamichis definitely have top spot Reputation.
LOL, well, all brands have their advocates, but I like and collect them all. 😁
Anyone ever see the ZXL in gold. It's truly something else.
Fantastic video and gear tou have!!! I still have my Nak Pa-400 and Pa 200 car amps in original double box packaging with all accessories... also a LX 3 home deck..plus Nak car audio pamphlets from back in the day. A friend of mine installed a Nak cassette deck in his girlfriends car back in 1984....when they broke up all he was worried about was getting that unit back.....and he did😂.
LOL, good thing he got it back or it would haunt him today. 🤣
@stereoniche True....we still talk about it!!!
I picked up the rx 202 in a thrift store a number of years ago for 20 bucks.
That's a great price for a classic deck!
@stereoniche there was a time when you could build world class stereo setups for next to nothing. I've picked up a 9090 and a fisher 400 and some L-100's for the same price. I got a totl mid 70s jvc receiver for free from the dump. Those are just a few of the deals pre internet.
Had a cr7a deck. But my mother saw dollar signs after a passing. Thanks..
Well, sometimes mom's know best. LOL
@@rartolak Ah, the Cr7a. I couldn’t remember the other Nak deck that I had, you just reminded me. Thanks!
Fantastic video! Every time you make a collection based video, you blow my mind. I loved cassette decks and still do. I look at them and drool. High quality media availability is a big issue.
Thanks Steve! Cassettes seem to be getting a bit of a nostalgic surge of interest like records, so you might start to see quality media more often.
Tandberg and NAD also made some great 3-head decks which featured advances which Nakamichi lacked: DynEQ and HX-pro. They sounded better than Nakamichi decks of that era.
Oh yes, there are certainly other great decks out there. Luxman had some. The Pioneer CT-93 comes to mind.
@@stereonicheThe Pioneer CT-A9X has better performance also, I own one that's been Restored and it is Fantastic.
I’d saved for years to afford a Nak deck to replace my aged 3-head Kenwood I’d had since College. Finally bought my nak BX-300, plugged into my NAD & Boston Acoustics based system and started to enjoy in home and car. But within a year the Alpine in the car crapped out. I replaced it with a Sony CD player. Uh Oh… I don’t think I ever listened to a cassette again. Still have the BX300. In a box, like new. Time to dust it off and see how the old girl sounds after all these years.
@@wjtinatl I have an MR-1 that I use to transfer cassettes to digital for streaming radio sites that I work with.
You are a very lucky man !!..A friend had a Dragon back in the day. I have a DR2 now.Just had it serviced last week.🙂. I have a Sansui QR 4500 that I picked up at a garage sale $20.00 Cdn.
Great score on the Sansui!
Any plans on finding the Nakamichi 1000ZXL Gold Limited Cassette Deck. That was hands down the most beautiful piece of audio equipment ever made.
Well, those are typically going for over $10k now, so not likely. I actually do not typically seek out specific units, I sort of "discover" them as I search since I don't really focus on a specific brand.
Great video, still have my BX-300 with the manuals, the one to have for those who couldn’t afford the Dragon. The name Nakamichi was so popular, that it was mentioned in one episode of Miami Vice!
Nice tidbit! I was a big Miami Vice fan back in the 80's, had the white jacket and all. LOL
Absolutely the best sounding cassette decks bar none back in the day. I had two home decks and a TD-700 car unit. Unfortunately it was hard to find qualified repair technicians.
I want a nakamichi dragon so bad. I didn't know this and I am a huge tifosi very cool
Thanks for watching! Tifosi, I learned a new word today!
Excellent video. Did Nakamichi ever make a dual cassette deck 7:30 as good or close to the Dragon. 🐉🐲
No they didn’t.
I don't recall that they made ANY dual decks.
Love that Nakamichi collection, Scot. Any idea why Nakamichi never made a reel to reel deck back in the day? Btw, a great vintage and Mac gear repair specialist near Pittsburgh is Kevin Nichols.
800 north bell avenue
Bldg 6
Suite 270
Carnegie 15106
Fantastic tech who has repaired my Carver and Mac equipment at times (sent you an email with pics of that system). You can add him to your files.
On the R2R question, they actually did..... but not under their name. The company started in 1948 and made a lot of OEM parts, like tape heads, but for other manufacturers/brands. They decided to sell cassette decks under their own name in '72, so maybe they felt that R2R tech was fading out, I have no idea really.
No Nakamichi TD-1200ii? I had the above-mentioned as well as the Dragon back in the day. Thanks for sharing!
Well, a TD-1200ii would be quite the find. :-)
You collect the pearls only, right?
If by "pearls" you mean only examples that are in excellent condition, yes and no. All collectors prioritize condition mostly over everything else because that is the hardest issue to address. Most units with technical issues can be fixed, but if faceplates, etc. are damaged, you simply have to find another unit. So, to answer your Q, I try to focus on the best physical condition, but only the best units make it into my personal showroom where I create these videos. I have a good number of units in the back that are in need of some restoration (or are parts units) before they are ready to be put on display or for a video.
@stereoniche What I tought about by "pearls" were the chosen models of nakamichi cassette decks for example.
Thank you very much for your detailed answer.
Love that Nakamichi collection, Scot. Any idea why Nakamichi never made a reel to reel deck back in the day? Btw, a great vintage and Mac gear repair specialist near Pittsburgh is Kevin Nichols.
800 north bell avenue
Bldg 6
Suite 270
Carnegie 15106
Fantastic tech who has repaired my Carver and Mac equipment at times (sent you an email with pics of that system). You can add him to your files.
@jb.2986 Are you sure Scott will receive your comment? You didn't write @stereoniche at the beginning.
@@jakefiersingahh. Thanks. I posted it in the general reply section now.
Nakamichi's best product ever wasn't a tape deck. It was the CA-7A preamp design which was inspired by Nelson Pass, who actually designed the amp it was intended to be paired with. Dual mono.
Unfortunately, I do not have one to showcase....yet.