What tape deck to make recordings?

[eldorado]

One thing to note about Naks
They're great decks - the best in fact
BUT
Their tapes only really sound good on other Naks

Sorry, but I gotta disagree. Are you saying that because that is your experience, or because that is what you heard?

That is more of an audio urban legend than it is fact. But, it is a surprisingly common comment about Naks and I wonder where that came from because that has not been my experience at all. My theory is that, being among the very best tape deck makers, Nakamichi always have that proverbial target on their chest. I think this train of thought came from audio salesmen who didn't have Naks to sell, when they were trying to hock other decks they had on hand instead. Hey, it does "sound" plausible.. Especially when you're trying to justify why you are buying a lesser product.

I am also an active member of tapeheads.net and this topic came up there and was thoroughly discussed a while back. The large majority of folks who engaged in that discussion felt pretty much the same way I do on this topic.

Playback variance from one deck to another is actually quite common, due mostly to slight alignment differences (azimuth, tilt, head height, etc..) from one unit to the next. Doesn't matter if the original machine was a Denon, a Teac or a Nak. If the "other" machine doesn't read the tape properly, it will sound lifeless and flat, or worse even....

I think the key is to have a PROPERLY set up deck for on which to record, and use tapes that you know work good in that machine. I have four Naks here, all of which I've used for recording, and I've played those tapes in a huge variety of other MFR cassette decks (Onkyo, Denon, Pioneer, Aiwa, Akai, Tascam, etc...) and they've sounded excellent.

In fact, I gave out over 20 nak-recorded tapes at the meet earlier this month... So, I ask that any of you who got one of those tapes from me to please chime in here and share your experience. Grab that tape (or tapes) and give a real good listen on your best boomer or non-Nak component deck. Use headphones if you have them... And then, if you have a Nak, listen to it on that deck , too... does it sound better in the Nak? Please share your thoughts regarding the sound quality of the recording. I'd be real curious to hear if you think the tapes sounded flat, or if they were rich and vibrant...

I'm not trying to start a fight, just looking for some feedback to see if there really is any truth to this "nak recorded tapes only sound good in naks" comment. And since I handed out so many tapes that I KNOW came from properly working decks, this would be useful exercise to help further dispell or maybe even substantiate this debate...

ClaretBadger - I'd also be willing to engage in a one-on-one tape trade with you... I'll send you one of my Nak tapes so you can hear how it sounds in your Kenwoods. And I would be very interested in hearing what your Kenwood made tapes sound like in my Naks. I've always thought of Kenwood as a very good amplifier, EQ and tuner company, moreso than any of their other components.

L8R,

JT

jt

never disagree with girls on their opinions!!!

 

[ClaretBadger]

Good points raised my man

I guess the thing I'm alluding to here is that "most" people with Naks - and I mean the exotic ones; multi head, ZX7 and Dragon etc - like to fiddle with Eq Azimuth etc coz they can - or that it sounds "better".

I say this from someone who has a very decent rig at home - and have tried pretty much every mainstream deck. And always come back to my "cheapy" Kenwoods.

You must agree there arre lemons out there - not all Naks are golden:

This follows for other makes - but there is no smoke without fire
and back in the 80's - there were no normal people with Naks - (I couldn't afford one )

:¬)

 

[jaetee]

Good points raised my man

I guess the thing I'm alluding to here is that "most" people with Naks - and I mean the exotic ones; multi head, ZX7 and Dragon etc - like to fiddle with Eq Azimuth etc coz they can - or that it sounds "better".

I say this from someone who has a very decent rig at home - and have tried pretty much every mainstream deck. And always come back to my "cheapy" Kenwoods.

You must agree there arre lemons out there - not all Naks are golden:

This follows for other makes - but there is no smoke without fire
and back in the 80's - there were no normal people with Naks - (I couldn't afford one )

:¬)

Lemons are out there for sure... And I never meant to imply anything negative about Kenwood decks, just that I'm generally unfamiliar with them. It's just that many people seem to express that same sentiment that you did, and I don't really understand where that came from.

I had a relatively bottom of the line Nakamichi back in the 80's because it's all I could really afford at the time. It took the place of my Pioneer or Technics (don't remember exactly which). Truth be told, I probably couldn't even have afforded that had I not gotten it on deep discount from the military duty free store. Seems all my gear back then was open-box, or the display model on sale.

I think that when you start trying to eek out every little bit of fidelity from an audio cassette, those alignment issues can come more heavily into play. And the better the sound system, the more you'll hear those nuances. Classic transport Naks used a pressure pad lifting system so the tape was never pressed against the head, the tape was pulled across the heads instead. That difference in methodology may have also contributed to that general thought as well.

But, in practice, in my history, I have always had really good headphones, a good ear, and a better than average tape deck at my disposal. And from what I've heard, Naks do play well with others.

 

[ClaretBadger]

No offence taken on the Kenwoods - that's MY words
I have a NAIM rig with a top of the range LP12 - so I kind of have a handle on quality.

Just that a decent NAk has NEVER come my way.

I even bought my old man a NAK head unit for car in the mid 90's - very nice.
But - NAKS have this mythology and I want you ALSO to bust it for me.

Lets tape swap

You can hit m up with an address via PM - i'll mail you a mix tape.

and vice versa

luv
badger

peas

 

[jaetee]

No offence taken on the Kenwoods - that's MY words
I have a NAIM rig with a top of the range LP12 - so I kind of have a handle on quality.

Just that a decent NAk has NEVER come my way.

I even bought my old man a NAK head unit for car in the mid 90's - very nice.
But - NAKS have this mythology and I want you ALSO to bust it for me.

Lets tape swap

You can hit m up with an address via PM - i'll mail you a mix tape.

and vice versa

luv
badger

peas

very cool!

got your PM and have replied with my half of the swap logistics...

Should be a fun exercise for both of us!

 

[mtrkr]

ah, gotta love that ol'chestnut of a debate: are tapes made on a nak only best played on a nak?
... my experience over past 20 years suggests that this is indeed the case.
i still own and use 3 decks - a nak 680zx, an aiwa excelia xk007, and the 'deck built into my sanyo m7790 (with dolby! v.nice). And sometimes when i remember, i pull out my pro-calibrated and fine-tuned (for 3 types of maxell tape) sony pro walkman wm-d6c.
over several hundred tapes, i gotta say it's a tie for top sound quality between the nak and the excelia - this is quite apparent on piano recordings (eg, keith jarrett's koln concert and other solo recordings seem a great test, for dynamic range and w&f stability).
but if i playback a top recording made on the nak on my excelia, or sanyo b'box, or prowalkman, it plays back a little lifeless, a little flat over my stereo - imaging is poorer, tho dynamic range seems ok.
on the other hand, recordings made on the excelia plays back the same on the other decks - incl the nak, and even the car stereo. And the same can be said of the prowalkman (which is of course well setup and calibrated).
so, for me, the nak is wonderful and top notch - just doesn't play so well with da other kids

ps: previous naks i've owned - the 580m, 481, mr1 (that's still in my ex-studio)