I'm new to this and have almost no knowledge at all. Just wondering. I saw some posts online before. People from Europe and America like Nakamichi Dragon more, but people from Asian like AIWA XK-S9000 more. There is also a SONY TC-KA7ES, and some of people say this one is good too. I'm wondering which deck is a "Must Have" if we don't consider the price. Thank you
...to me the 1979 austrian EUMIG FL1000 (pic from Eumig-museum): when it came out it was considered and tested as best deck in those days, even better than a Nak Tri-Tracer (1000zxl). i would prefer one of those to any Nak, Tandberg, Revox etc...
I will go for Nakamichi ZX-7 or ZX-9, but I'd had to set aside $500-1k to send it for re-belting and re-calibration to ESLabs or WillyHermann With Tandberg, ReVox, etc I wouldn't even know where to send them, who has spare parts?
That is the one million dollar question. I'd say the Pioneer CT-93 is very close to the perfect deck. It has a number of features, a top-class mechanism, silent as a Nak and it performs with almost every kind of tape near perfectly that makes me think it's the MUST have deck. It's kind of becoming my favorite deck...
Yup. I didn't put so much attention in it when I got it, but the more I use it, the more I realize about it's true class.
I love the look of that Pioneer! While I like Naks and Sony ES, engineering and sound wise, Naks win it for me.
Well, I could never afford a Nakamichi, but when I bought it new, (much younger ears!) recording from CD and playing back from the deck, I could barely hear any difference, that to me is the mark of a great deck, always used TDK SA or SAX, tapes still sound good today, 31 years after buying my Aiwa F770. I like the features, I like the sound, I wish it would still record on both channels and I really must replace the other belt! I wouldn't swap it, (without giving the potential swapper a damn good listening to!).
A couple of people in the US still service Revox B215 and B700 series. As with all old tape decks, most spare parts are from parts decks. Revox Europe though still has many parts for the B215 decks. Not cheap of course, but NOS. Tandberg is another story. The basics can be covered, but if you need motors or heads, then parts decks are the only source and always expensive. I’m a Nak, Revox, Yamaha, Sony deck guy, though Nakamichi by far is my favorite. As far as Naks go, the Dragon is not a preferred deck if it’s your only one, probably a ZX-9 or 7 or a CR-7 if money is no object and recording is a top priority, and it had been fully serviced for long term reliability. Once you have multiple decks, a Dragon is a must have. Favorite deck used the most is the RX-505. CT-93 are pretty hard to find, but a nice looking deck, and definitely on my want list. The Eumig is near impossible and in the US IS impossible.
Old thread and tough question, tape decks are like cars, what are you using it for? If it's for exclusivity and stunning good looks; all of the above decks are great. For me personally, a nice mid-level three headed deck, AIWA AD-F810 sits on my shelf, why? It makes tapes easy enough, and I don't have to use special tape formulations or matching equipment to play them back. My tapes are usually getting played on boomboxes or portables or decks out in the shop so the AIWA makes really good recordings. With the high end decks your going to feel guilty if your not using the best equipment. Most mid-level decks are also built to last, a belt change is all I've needed to do. Under the AIWA I've got a nice Onkyo R1 Dual Well Deck. Some of the Onkyo R1s are really neat with the ability to record with both decks at the same time or do a continous recording, the 2nd deck starts when the first runs out of tape. In my office I'm worried about prying fingers and pretty equipment attracts curious hands, I've found the balance of good quality, price and productivity with these. I've got more decks in the shop but just about all need a rebelting so I don't rotate nearly as much as I used to.
1) Three-head decks. 2) Two-motor decks. 2a) With direct drive. 3) Dolby B/C and (especially) dbx. 4) Wow & Flutter .05% or less. 5) S/N approaching 80 db. 6) MPx filter (not necessary unless recording broadcast transmissions, but indicative of a quality deck). 7) LED or LCD type VU meters, not needles (too slow). 8) NON auto-reverse decks. 9) Built-in bias calibration tool.
I don’t have a must have. All i need is the best sounding one that i can afford, which i already have. Nakamichi CR-7.
+1 to @TooCooL4 except that my standards are rather low: to record cassettes off Tidal for boombox replay. Yamaha KX-330 does the job! For when I get a neighbor/friend with LP collection bigger than mine,... only then I will start worrying about Nak deck
