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From: peters@cubsvax.UUCP (Peter S. Shenkin)
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: Re: Wanted:  cassette deck advice!
Message-ID: <316@cubsvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 26-Feb-85 14:33:24 EST
Article-I.D.: cubsvax.316
Posted: Tue Feb 26 14:33:24 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 3-Mar-85 03:23:56 EST
References: <4846@cbscc.UUCP> <>
Reply-To: peters@cubsvax.UUCP (Peter S. Shenkin)
Organization: Columbia Univ Biology, New York City
Lines: 49
Summary: 

>> A salesman trying to put down the Nak mentioned that Nak aligns
>> the heads on their decks different from most other decks, is this
>> true? Isn`t there some kind of standard?
>
>Your salesman may be correct.  I used to own a Nak BX-2, which made superb
>recordings.  It was stolen, and I now own the JVC KD-V6.  Unfortunately,
>most of my old tapes, when played on the JVC, have no high frequencies!
>I was sure that the JVC was at fault, so I took it to an authorized repair
>center to have the heads aligned.  NO CHANGE.  (By the way, the JVC's
>record/playback performance is fine; only the playback of old tapes is
>bad.  Also, commercially pre-recorded tapes sound OK on the JVC.)
>
>The NAKs are superb performers, well worth the money; but if you have a
>large investment in non-NAK recorded tapes, you really ought to try to listen
>to one before you buy it.  I sure wish I had listened to
>the JVC before I bought it!

I already replied to the original poster on this subject, but since stuff
is appearing on the net, thought I'd add my 2 cents' worth...

Several years ago I read an article, though I forget where, in which a Nak
engineer claimed that Nak used to do something different from most other
cassette deck manufacturers -- I don't remember whether it was head alignment,
bias, or what -- but that there is now a standard that all mfgrs. adhere to.

I have a Nakamichi LX-5.  Personally, over about 3 years of trading 
cassettes with various friends who own machines of diverse manufacture,
I've only once encountered compatibility problems.  That was with a
Harmon-Karden, and I forget exactly what the problem was, but neither my
friend nor I could figure it out.  No explanation we could come up with
made sense.

In any case, I have been happier with my Nak than with any other component
I own.  By switching between the source and the playback head during
recording (LX-5 is a 3-head machine) I can hear how much signal degradation
I'm getting.  With TDK-SA (which I use almost exclusively) it ranges from
inaudible to a readily audible but, to me, tolerable loss of brightness 
in the highs -- things like cymbal crashes and rides.  Obviously, how 
audible this is depends on how much stuff in this frequency range is in
the source material, and on how well it is recorded.  I accept that it's 
possible to do better with better tape, or with other media (Beta, reel-
to-reel), but I'm happy with what I have, and am reasonably certain that
it would be hard to exceed given the medium.

Also, the Nak is extremely sturdy and reliable, and even seems to need
head demagnetization and cleaning less frequently than other machines.
When it comes to Nakamichi, though in few other realms, "I'm a believer"!

Peter S. Shenkin, Columbia Univ. Biol. Sci., 	cubsvax!peters