Tape Trail

Reel to reel, cassette and other analogue tape formats.

Return to Tape Trail

Message Sort: Post Order or Asylum Reverse Threaded

Recommendations For Best Sounding Cassette Deck

70.24.39.17
Posted on May 12, 2015 at 02:25:14
KalK
Audiophile

Posts: 36
Location: Ontario, Canada
Joined: August 27, 2009
 Hi,

I am looking for suggestions and recommendations for a good sounding cassette deck.

I will be converting my cassettes to CDs and the deck would be used primarily for playback only.

What I am looking for a musicality and non-fatigue sound.

I would prefer something which would not cost so much that I would have to wait a year to get the money for the machine.

I would indeed be very grateful for your suggestions and recommendations.

Cheers



 

Hide full thread outline!
    ...
RE: Recommendations For Best Sounding Cassette Deck, posted on May 12, 2015 at 05:57:14
John Elison
Audiophile

Posts: 23900
Location: Central Kentucky
Joined: December 20, 2000
Contributor
  Since: January 29, 2004
 > I would prefer something which would not cost so much that I would have to wait a year to get the money for the machine.

That statement has meaning only to you. Nobody else can possibly know how much money you would prefer to spend.

In my opinion, the best cassette tape deck for playback is the Nakamichi Dragon. It has special electronics and a servo mechanism to adjust the playback head to the correct azimuth for any cassette regardless of the alignment of the tape deck on which it was originally recorded. Therefore, you get the best sound quality with all the high frequencies intact. The only problem might be finding a good one because the Nakamichi Dragon is no longer in production. It also might be above your price range, but that would be impossible for me to know.

Good luck,
John Elison

 

RE: Recommendations For Best Sounding Cassette Deck, posted on May 12, 2015 at 06:37:58
Awe-d-o-file
Dealer

Posts: 21037
Location: 50 miles west of DC
Joined: January 10, 2004
 How many tapes do you have? If it is 25 or 50 it would be cheaper, easier and better sound wise to just buy the same titles on CD. That is before you add all the time and expenses of burning CD's from the cassettes which must happen in real time. 50 tapes will surely be near at least forty hours of your time.

E
T


ET

"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

 

RE: Recommendations For Best Sounding Cassette Deck, posted on May 12, 2015 at 13:09:25
6bq5
Audiophile

Posts: 4385
Location: SF Bay
Joined: August 16, 2001
 I would echo John and Awe-d-o-file's comments-
I have had good luck further down the food chain from the Dragon-
680ZX
LX5
and for a while the BX-300 - though I would not buy that one again....
Happy Listening

 

NAD - 6300, posted on May 12, 2015 at 15:38:16
kavakidd
Audiophile

Posts: 20316
Location: Upstate NY
Joined: April 15, 2004
 I don't see any for sale at the moment but they can be had, when available, at very reasoable cost. I have one I bought new for $900 and it has been bulletproof. Stands up very well to the Naks and others recommended.

Google NAD 6300 and you can find a lot of information, reviews etc.
"Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to" Mark Twain

 

Any 3 head Nakamichi in good shape., posted on June 1, 2015 at 22:40:02
ppopp
Audiophile

Posts: 2994
Location: OR
Joined: October 10, 2002
 CR-7 is the one to beat in my book. ZX-9, ZX-7 and Dragon following close behind. But any 3 head Nak will thrill.

 

RE: Any 3 head Nakamichi in good shape., posted on June 2, 2015 at 09:37:50
Bill Way
Audiophile

Posts: 1884
Location: Toms River NJ
Joined: May 28, 2012
Contributor
  Since: December 14, 2012
 Nak Dragon was it for me. Best cassette transport ever, including the little arm that stuck up to block the pressure pad. I also liked the Revox B710 Mk-II. Didn't sound as good, but so beautifully made. The original Nak 1000 was one of the coolest-looking decks ever, and sounded pretty good, especially given when it was made.

WW
"Put on your high heeled sneakers. Baby, we''re goin'' out tonight.

 

While you save up for your ultimate machine, buy a ..., posted on June 2, 2015 at 13:39:56
reelsmith.
Audiophile

Posts: 13131
Location: CT
Joined: June 7, 2005
Contributor
  Since: January 19, 2010
 ...Nakamichi 480. You may just find its all you need.

I've had a 680ZX, CR7, ZX7 and a ZX9 (my favorite) and all are better than the 480 ...but the 480 is the point of diminishing returns. You have to spend a lot more to get something a little better.

YMMV.

Dean.


reelsmith's axiom: Its going to be used equipment when I sell it, so it may as well be used equipment when I buy it.


 

RE: Any 3 head Nakamichi in good shape., posted on June 4, 2015 at 09:14:10
bobschneider8
Audiophile

Posts: 100
Location: Chicago
Joined: August 5, 2008
 Being able to adjust the playback azimuth is important for getting the best playback of tapes recorded on a different machine. The CR-7 has manually adjustable playback azimuth (even from the remote if you find one with the remote). Some of the later top of the line Naks also have that feature, although not with a remote. The Dragon adjusts the azimuth automatically.

If all the tapes you want to copy were recorded on the same deck, you could just buy a good quality deck and have the azimuth aligned by a tech to match those tapes.

 

RE: Recommendations For Best Sounding Cassette Deck, posted on June 19, 2015 at 13:13:11
A.Wayne
Audiophile

Posts: 2527
Location: Front row center
Joined: November 30, 2011
 1. Nakamichi
2. nakamichi
3. Nakamichi

 

RE: Recommendations For Best Sounding Cassette Deck, posted on June 19, 2015 at 18:32:07
KalK
Audiophile

Posts: 36
Location: Ontario, Canada
Joined: August 27, 2009






I have had Nakamichi Decks, Dragon, CR5, CR3, BX300, 550, 250(Player only deck), 480, BX1, they were just ok, I dont think any of these was worth hanging on to.

So I will simply pass on Naks.

Here are two pictures of a BX300 and 480 that I sold not to long ago.

 

RE: Recommendations For Best Sounding Cassette Deck, posted on July 7, 2015 at 16:34:58
Ampheat
Audiophile

Posts: 65
Location: Canada
Joined: December 14, 2003
 If you budget allows it go for the Nakamichi Cassette 1 Deck with adjustable playback azimuth.
if on a budget a good buy is the late Yamaha decks like the KX 530 which is great for playback being a 2 head deck.

 

RE: Recommendations For Best Sounding Cassette Deck, posted on August 6, 2015 at 22:10:47
Todd Krieger
Audiophile

Posts: 37333
Location: SW United States
Joined: November 2, 2000
 I just fired up a Tascam 122 mkII cassette deck..... I have a Nak CR-5A and NAD 6300..... The Nak sounded really nice, but wasn't reliable..... The NAD is a decent deck, but doesn't track recordings well from other decks.... The Tascam, I thought I lost highs over time on old recordings, but play like new on this deck, a used but low-hours unit calibrated at Audio Proz in MA.....

The Tascam has a linearity the NAD and even the Nak don't match. I'm recording Donald Fagen's "The Nightfly" to a 90 minute cassette side, monitoring the output. Using a BASF Chrome Extra II tape, recorded from CD, via Dolby C HX Pro. The record/playback with Type II tapes is as transparent as any deck I've owned, and and devoid of a "graininess" or "house sound" that often plagues cassette playback. The ever slight loss of HF extension isn't as pronounced as with other decks, I will try metal tapes later.

I got the deck because I think when I play back recordings without any active digital processing going on, I sense a relaxed "depth" to the presentation. Loses a smidgen of resolution relative to vinyl or CD, but a convenient analog alternative.

 

RE: Recommendations For Best Sounding Cassette Deck, posted on August 19, 2015 at 19:24:44
raya
Industry Professional

Posts: 662
Joined: May 9, 2014
 I've ownwed more cassette decks than most: Sony, Denons, Naks, Kyocera, etc. My favorite was a Sony TCK-71 it beat every deck I owned. Yes, it beat my Nak 700 II, ZX 7, BX 300, and 480. No it doesn't have speed adjustment and you have to remove the front cover to manually adjust tape alignment but it just sounds so much better. BTW the speed on a well running 71 is spot on.

 

Page processed in 0.033 seconds.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]