Tape Trail

Reel to reel, cassette and other analogue tape formats.

Return to Tape Trail

Akai GX-8 vs. GX-R70EX: your opinion?

114.42.24.65

Posted on October 26, 2009 at 22:00:45

honeypie
Audiophile

Posts: 2
Joined: October 26, 2009

Hi guys, this is my first post here.

I'm looking for a decent tape deck to convert my 30+ years old tape collection into digital format, a lot of rare concert/session recordings. A quick search leads me to two available Akai decks from some local dealers: GX-8 and GX-R70EX, both in full working condition.

The GX-8 is said to be rare and very desirable, some deck nerd even claimed it's THE best deck he ever used. But the dealer is asking $200 for it, which makes me hesitate.

The GX-R70EX is much cheaper, think I could have it for less than $60.

I also found a Pioneer CT-F950 ($120) and a Nakamichi CR-1(less than $50), don't think I'll have the time and money to tweak the 30-yr old Pioneer, which could be very painful, and I doubt an entry-level Nak could beat a mid-to-top-line Akai...I might be wrong?

Your comment will be appreciated!

RE: Akai GX-8 vs. GX-R70EX: your opinion?

13:24:14 10/28/09

RE: Akai GX-8 vs. GX-R70EX: your opinion?

honeypie

19:55:11 10/28/09

RE: Akai GX-8 vs. GX-R70EX: your opinion?, posted on October 28, 2009 at 13:24:14

Fountainhead

Personally, I have owned and used both the GX-R70EX and the Nak, and while the Akai had a better array of features, side-by-side comparisons of recorded material always favored the Nak with one caveat: You must use premium tapes on the Nak as there are only 3 pre-set bias settings. With any metal formulation tape the Nakamichi was superior in all aspects of recording/playback.

Also, if you have a large library of pre-recorded cassettes, the Nakamichi is also the better universal cassette playback deck.

Unfortunately, I have no experience with the GX-8 nor the Pioneer.

RE: Akai GX-8 vs. GX-R70EX: your opinion?, posted on October 28, 2009 at 19:55:11
honeypie Audiophile Posts: 2 Joined: October 26, 2009	Thanks a lot, Fountainhead. I just paid $50 for a Nak 482 which needs its belt replaced. Couldn't wait to try it out once it's fixed. As you said, I guess a Nak is hard to beat simply as a playback machine, just what I want it to be. :)

Page processed in 0.020 seconds.