Rare 3 - Head Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1 Limited CD - 1 Exceptional
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:606782 | Model: Cassette Deck 1 Limited |
| Brand: Nakamichi | Country/Region of Manufacture: Japan |
| UPC: Does not apply |
I own the Nakamichi 700 ZXE tape deck, and to be honest, I never thought I'd encounter a deck that was in even close to the same league ~ until I acquired this deck, which is no real surprise. You will be amazed by what cassettes can sound like. With Dolby B & C, MPX filter, variable Output, and of major note MANUAL AZIMUTH ADJUSTMENT, this 3-head beauty will make your old tapes sound like you've never heard them before. Recordings you make will astound you as wel...l.
Geared direct drive transport mechanism sets it above the pack as well (see diagram in photos.) Very special, reliable mechanism.
This deck to me is the best of all situations: the design and build quality of the Dragon, 1000 & 700 series in the size, shape, and weight of a "normal" tape deck. I love my 700 ZXE, but they affectionately call it the "Toaster" for a reason....it's HUGE! This Cassette Deck 1 Limited delivers basically the same quality sound (of course some will quibble, but the reality is at this level, differences are not only subtle but also diminishingly small!) in a unity you don't have to clear out extra space for.
This unit is in perfect working condition. However, due to its age, the sale is final, unless it arrives DOA and has not been damaged in shipping. All shipping damage must be taken up with the carrier. Please look at my feedback and bid with confidence. Payment due within 3 days of auction end. I happily allow for local pickup if you are in the Los Angeles area. Please look closely at all the pictures (of actual item) and ask all questions prior to bidding.
Below are cut/pasted from hifiengine and thevintageknob, specs, reviews and an overview of the Cassette Deck 1 with its siblings, the Cassette Deck 1 being the far superior unit. Not even comparable, really. Please read if you're considering buying this. It's good info.
(from wwwDOThifiengineDOTcom)
Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1ThreeHead Dual Capstan Stereo Cassette Deck (1990-92)DescriptionAcore made from selected crystalloy and Nakamichis famous processing technologyresult in a magnetic head complement that is capable of delivering outstandingperformance even with normal position tape (20 to 21000 Hz +-3 dB). Thiskind of response makes music reproduction really come alive.SpecificationsType:3-head, single compact cassette deckTrackSystem: 4-track, 2-channel stereoTapeSpeed: 4.8 cm/sHeads:1 x record, 1 x playback, 1 x eraseMotor:1 x reel, 1 x capstan, 1 x mechanismTapeType: type I, CrO2, MetalNoiseReduction: B, CFrequencyResponse: 20Hz to 21kHz (Metal tape)Signalto Noise Ratio: 72dB (dolby C)Wowand Flutter: 0.06%TotalHarmonic Distortion: 0.8%Input:50mV (line)Output:0.5V (line)Dimensions:430 x 100 x 320mmWeight:5.4kgYear:1990Price:GBP £700 (1990)ReviewedDec 15th, 2015 by pdermara Irecently picked up a Nak Cassette Deck 1. My first thought was WOW when testingpre-recorded tapes. I was amazed at how many pre-recorded tapes are offazimuth. No wonder many audiophiles passed on cassette decks back in the 80'sand 90's. With this Nak you can manually adjust the exact playback tape headazimuth to where things sound good... I personally prefer manual headadjustment vs. auto adjustment like the Dragon has. As well less complexitymeans less to go wrong.
Recording and playback performance with all tapes is superb. Of course the bestof the best is with Metal tape which sadly is no longer made. When copyingvinyl, this deck provides 99%+ of the emotion of the original vinyl. There is adifference from source to tape but it's ever soooooo close... I'm not a big fanof dolby B/C due to playback tracking errors but because you can get theplayback head 100% perfectly aligned to the record head, dolby tracking worksas it should, in the background... No pumping or high frequency roll off, justless tape hiss... Bottom line, this deck is highly recommended by yours trulyand it probably won't cost you an arm and leg like a Dragon will. I picked upmy mint condition unit for less than $100 US at a estate sale store. Goodhunting... :-)
(from wwwDOTthevintageknobDOTorg)
Ultimate cassette recorders before Nakamichi went under - as elegant as, twelve years earlier, the 580. The mechanics inside hold a surprising move, quite different from what Niro and Etsuro Nakamichi put in their late 1980s recorders : the drive isn't based on belts or direct DD motors but... gears ! There are three models : the 1 and 2 here shown, plus a 1.5 for a few select markets. Black color for all and silver for... a few select markets. The differences between the 1 and 2 lie in the number of heads (3 for the 1 and 2 the 2), the presence of Playback Azimuth on the 1 and the absence of variable output level knob on the 2, Crystalloy heads for the 1, Sendust for the 2. Also, visibly, the 1 has a flap hiding controls, the 2 doesn't ; said flap doesn't hold much more than what is visible sans flap on the 2 but for the added variable output level knob which is placed between the MPX switch and the Rec Balance knob. The other features are the same : Dolby B/C, MPX filter, dul-mono structure, rec/play amps placed on the heads' PCBs, multi-regulated power-supplies, Silent Mechanism for the heads' movements and reels braking, non-symmetrical capstan sizes to avoid resonances. Plus all the common conveniences of 1980s decks : digital counter with search function etc. Outside Japan, the silver version of the (black) Cassette Deck 1 was named "Cassette Deck Limited".
The Cassette Deck 1.5 has the flap of the 1 but no added function than those of the 2 besides being also available in silver (unlike the 2) (still following ?). Before completely vanishing from visible sight, Nakamichi made a quickie low-grade version of the Cassette Deck in 1993 : the DR series. The latter had different looks (far less interesting) but the very same basic appearance : even if designed differently, the knobs, switches, functions and buttons are all exactly identical and the DR-1 even uses the same two heads as the Cassette Deck 2 !
However, the drive motors are belt-driven in the CR and DD in the Cassette Decks - tape recording in 1993 wasn't worth much anymore.
Geared direct drive transport mechanism sets it above the pack as well (see diagram in photos.) Very special, reliable mechanism.
This deck to me is the best of all situations: the design and build quality of the Dragon, 1000 & 700 series in the size, shape, and weight of a "normal" tape deck. I love my 700 ZXE, but they affectionately call it the "Toaster" for a reason....it's HUGE! This Cassette Deck 1 Limited delivers basically the same quality sound (of course some will quibble, but the reality is at this level, differences are not only subtle but also diminishingly small!) in a unity you don't have to clear out extra space for.
This unit is in perfect working condition. However, due to its age, the sale is final, unless it arrives DOA and has not been damaged in shipping. All shipping damage must be taken up with the carrier. Please look at my feedback and bid with confidence. Payment due within 3 days of auction end. I happily allow for local pickup if you are in the Los Angeles area. Please look closely at all the pictures (of actual item) and ask all questions prior to bidding.
Below are cut/pasted from hifiengine and thevintageknob, specs, reviews and an overview of the Cassette Deck 1 with its siblings, the Cassette Deck 1 being the far superior unit. Not even comparable, really. Please read if you're considering buying this. It's good info.
(from wwwDOThifiengineDOTcom)
Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1ThreeHead Dual Capstan Stereo Cassette Deck (1990-92)DescriptionAcore made from selected crystalloy and Nakamichis famous processing technologyresult in a magnetic head complement that is capable of delivering outstandingperformance even with normal position tape (20 to 21000 Hz +-3 dB). Thiskind of response makes music reproduction really come alive.SpecificationsType:3-head, single compact cassette deckTrackSystem: 4-track, 2-channel stereoTapeSpeed: 4.8 cm/sHeads:1 x record, 1 x playback, 1 x eraseMotor:1 x reel, 1 x capstan, 1 x mechanismTapeType: type I, CrO2, MetalNoiseReduction: B, CFrequencyResponse: 20Hz to 21kHz (Metal tape)Signalto Noise Ratio: 72dB (dolby C)Wowand Flutter: 0.06%TotalHarmonic Distortion: 0.8%Input:50mV (line)Output:0.5V (line)Dimensions:430 x 100 x 320mmWeight:5.4kgYear:1990Price:GBP £700 (1990)ReviewedDec 15th, 2015 by pdermara Irecently picked up a Nak Cassette Deck 1. My first thought was WOW when testingpre-recorded tapes. I was amazed at how many pre-recorded tapes are offazimuth. No wonder many audiophiles passed on cassette decks back in the 80'sand 90's. With this Nak you can manually adjust the exact playback tape headazimuth to where things sound good... I personally prefer manual headadjustment vs. auto adjustment like the Dragon has. As well less complexitymeans less to go wrong.
Recording and playback performance with all tapes is superb. Of course the bestof the best is with Metal tape which sadly is no longer made. When copyingvinyl, this deck provides 99%+ of the emotion of the original vinyl. There is adifference from source to tape but it's ever soooooo close... I'm not a big fanof dolby B/C due to playback tracking errors but because you can get theplayback head 100% perfectly aligned to the record head, dolby tracking worksas it should, in the background... No pumping or high frequency roll off, justless tape hiss... Bottom line, this deck is highly recommended by yours trulyand it probably won't cost you an arm and leg like a Dragon will. I picked upmy mint condition unit for less than $100 US at a estate sale store. Goodhunting... :-)
(from wwwDOTthevintageknobDOTorg)
Ultimate cassette recorders before Nakamichi went under - as elegant as, twelve years earlier, the 580. The mechanics inside hold a surprising move, quite different from what Niro and Etsuro Nakamichi put in their late 1980s recorders : the drive isn't based on belts or direct DD motors but... gears ! There are three models : the 1 and 2 here shown, plus a 1.5 for a few select markets. Black color for all and silver for... a few select markets. The differences between the 1 and 2 lie in the number of heads (3 for the 1 and 2 the 2), the presence of Playback Azimuth on the 1 and the absence of variable output level knob on the 2, Crystalloy heads for the 1, Sendust for the 2. Also, visibly, the 1 has a flap hiding controls, the 2 doesn't ; said flap doesn't hold much more than what is visible sans flap on the 2 but for the added variable output level knob which is placed between the MPX switch and the Rec Balance knob. The other features are the same : Dolby B/C, MPX filter, dul-mono structure, rec/play amps placed on the heads' PCBs, multi-regulated power-supplies, Silent Mechanism for the heads' movements and reels braking, non-symmetrical capstan sizes to avoid resonances. Plus all the common conveniences of 1980s decks : digital counter with search function etc. Outside Japan, the silver version of the (black) Cassette Deck 1 was named "Cassette Deck Limited".
The Cassette Deck 1.5 has the flap of the 1 but no added function than those of the 2 besides being also available in silver (unlike the 2) (still following ?). Before completely vanishing from visible sight, Nakamichi made a quickie low-grade version of the Cassette Deck in 1993 : the DR series. The latter had different looks (far less interesting) but the very same basic appearance : even if designed differently, the knobs, switches, functions and buttons are all exactly identical and the DR-1 even uses the same two heads as the Cassette Deck 2 !
However, the drive motors are belt-driven in the CR and DD in the Cassette Decks - tape recording in 1993 wasn't worth much anymore.
