Don't think we will see that sort of quality on a tape deck EVER again an absolutely beautiful piece of design, visually and technically.

Another super cool video. Getting to not only see one, but to pop the hood and see how it ticks, is really a treat for audio enthusiasts.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for your kind words!

There is a happy man proudly showing his gear he repaired. Only good children top that feeling

I've restored one Dragon and I just happened across another, so I'm reviewing your video! I'd stick with a TDK MA variety for the metal, VAA. I hoarded them in the '90s when they were being closed out at the local Camelot Music (formerly Grapevine Records) and "Media Dump". (Well, that's what I used to call Media Play. I never thought I'd miss them, but I do now...) I love your videos and I've learned a lot from them! I started working on vintage audio in the early '90s, when it was still affordable and not really on folk's radar yet. It was still yard sale fodder then. I can't collect and restore very much at today's auction prices. Every once in a while I get lucky, but not all that often. Keep the great videos coming and thanks again!

Have always admired Nakamichi products, their level of quality and attention to detail. I have a vintage LX3 and an RX-505 that I purchased new & still use today. I also had a full mobile setup in a 1983 Bronco with a TD1200 head unit. I mention it because it used the same Nakamichi Auto Azimuth Correction (NAAC) control system used in the Dragon. TD 1200 meant it was a tape deck that cost $1,200. I believe I had the first one west of the Mississippi, purchased all from Custom Sound in Wichita Kansas back in the day.

@LapisandHamtarolover

Жыл бұрын

TD1200 could be donors to DRAGON should the head got worn

I like your comment about parts flying across the room if one is not careful. About ten years ago I was fixing an older reel to reel machine for a friend. I made a mistake and a tiny screw went flying across the room onto my not so clean workshop floor. I looked down, sighed and grabbed a flashlight. Much to my surprise my cat ran over to where the screw landed and was staring at it.

Man that was my dream to have one of those back in the day. My dad had a Nakamichi 1000 it was pretty awesome.

I remember back in the 80's lusting over these decks. I never was able to afford one. Beautiful pieces of engineering.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

I tell ya. Some amazing gear that I couldn't afford either.

I have a Nakamichi 581 which was probably a basic level deck. I put on new belts, fixed the eject button and it plays so clear like a CD. I was blown away coming from my Yamaha k-850 and Carver deck.

@jlecount

3 ай бұрын

Hey @adaboy4z - I recently came into a 581 also and I think it probably needs new belts also -- did you find anything online on how to do it, or had you done it before...? I've never done any tapedeck repair before and am looking for pointers, if you know of any good resources...?

Cassette transports never cease to amaze me. They are full of finesse and the variations of their designs are endless.

@brentb5303

4 жыл бұрын

It is mind blowing to think that most people have been reproducing audio tracks exclusively on solid state devices for 10-15 years. Zero moving parts compared to this beast which has more moving parts than a TESLA model S.

@HamtaroEL

4 жыл бұрын

Which is why it is important to make sure the tape is threaded properly. Many prerecorded tapes fail to do that and some blank tapes too. I would just thread the stable way if the shell is removable. I am OCD about things like that. One of the reasons I don't like most prerecorded cassettes and prefer most blanks.

This was my adventure and my destination was the Dragon. I just ended up with the Nakamichi 700. Second hand which gave me the greatest pleasure in recording cassettes to perfection. The monitor switch could hardly tell between vinyl and deck. Pleasure at its best. Etsuro Nakamichi the man and founder. Even back then $2500 was worth being spent You did not buy a cassette deck. You bought a Nakamichi

@BeniBen

3 жыл бұрын

I still have mine I got it when I was stationed in Okinawa Japan.. guess what it's even worth more now on Ebay.. I still got mine in its original box

Thank you for letting us know about these beautiful and legendary amplifiers and cassette decks. My Dad used to work for Sansui and Nakamichi back in the days. We used to own a LX-3. But it's gone now as it got rusted due to long storage. In our part of the world the moisture content in the air is too high. It's a walk back memory lane when I saw the deck today. Thanks for your efforts and also the video upload.

Just a tip for you.. After you have completed the Level and then the Bias calibration for a tape, switch back to the Level, as it may need tweaking, tweak it, then switch back to the Bias, as it then may also need a tweak. It is best to do this iteratively until you can switch back and forth between the Level and Bias with no difference on your meter display. Then hit Reset and you are ready to Record. This will also vary with the tape you are using.

I've got a Nakimichi Dragon that has sat for years. I tested it after cleaning the heads and it plays & records great.

I remember seeing an ad for this unit in a stereo magazine, and reviews, in the 80s. I had a small inheritance and wanted one at the age of...19 in '88? Local hifi shop thought I was nuts. They checked the pricing and offered it new to me at roughly 2200, 50% down, 50% on delivery. Still have it today.Still have the Nak wired remote, Nak head demagnetizer, and I think some of the head cleaning fluid. I need to send it off for a complete overhaul.

I subscribed and hit the notification bell as well as a thumbs up. I really love how you present this beauty in a very relaxed and informative fashion. Fantastic truly fantastic. Cheers from Italy 🤙🏼

Used to (1977 through early 80’s) record live Dead concerts on a small Nakamichi …. Still in our hearts with SERIOUS REVERENCE.

@vintageaudioaddict

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing.

@Bill-xx2yh

2 жыл бұрын

@@vintageaudioaddict thank you, however I was not clear. The small Portable, battery powered recorder was amongst the finest build quality, and recordings we had ever seen. Fifty years later they still have our genuine respect.

Very nice restoration! Tape deck is wonderful!

@vintageaudioaddict

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much!

Yep! Best tapedeck ever. Thanks for pushing me into belts and idler change on my 700. Cheers... and especially thx for the tests. Btw.: (I never use the original starting point of tape - I forward the tape ca. a minute into the tape, especially for calibration)

A lot of the information presented here applies to most any cassette deck. The Dragon transport is very similar to the other Nakamichi Classic transports such as used in the 580, 480 and LX series. Thanks for the video. It is very nicely done.

I had the Zx-7, recording calibration was manual, great deck as I mostly made tapes from vinyl for the car

Always dreamed of one of these. Watching this is the next best thing.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! She's an amazing deck.

As a kid I would look in the military PX catalog, and look at the tape decks. They sold these, and they were EXPENSIVE. I always wanted one!

@euroshark1

4 жыл бұрын

Same here Brian. You can grab one on eBay today. $2-5K...What?

@jonsingle1614

4 жыл бұрын

@@euroshark1 I got mine at the rhein main AB bx

Great device. Great work. Thx.

Many thanks for this video. Awesome.

I remember readind a test of the dragon in a french hifi magazine at that time. They remarked that even the buttons were srtyled to mimic the scales of a dragon. Awesome kit.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for your comments.

The dragon was the gold standard back in the day. I dreamed of having one for years; sadly I could never afford one!

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

I'm with ya. At that time the value of my entire stereo wasn't $2500

@kevinfetner7983

4 жыл бұрын

The Dragon is NOT the "gold standard". The Nakamichi 1000ZXL Limited is the gold standard, with the 1000ZXL right behind. Even with the Dragon would be the ZX9. The Dragon was unique only in the sense that it did everything for you automatically if you wanted it to. And because of that, it's one of the hardest decks to work on. Also, to calibrate these decks properly you need the Nak tools designed for the job. All the tools are rare and expensive when you find them. So what most so called 'techs' do is bunt when it comes to some calibrations. To make people envious that the Dragon is THE Nak to own just shows you have a lack of knowledge/imagination with respect to the rest of the Nak line. If you're gonna spend the money now that a properly sorted Dragon brings, you'd be way ahead of the game just to by a prosumer reel to reel. You know, the media that cassettes always tried to emulate.

@terrybeavan4264

4 жыл бұрын

@@kevinfetner7983 sorry but as a long-time owner of one I disagree, at least in your description of the Dragon. I do get that it's a bit overhyped and as polarizing as the Technics SL1200 as either the best thing in the world or utter crap, with both sides being wrong--but--read on. :) I would say most people back in the day that wanted one didn't even understand what made it special, and that was something that even the 1000 lineup didn't do, which was the automatic PLAYBACK head alignment -- there's only one other machine I'm aware of that does this and surprisingly it was a Marantz deck that I learned about only recently. Yes, really, I couldn't believe it either until I read about it. There were a few other machines I can think of that had a control on the front where you could manually align the playback head, doing it by ear. A lot of Nakamichi decks going back to the original 700 and 1000 had manual or automatic RECORD head alignment but not one of them that I know of would align the playback head to the existing tracks laid down on a tape. And it works very well, possibly where the Dragon really shines is in playing back tapes recorded on other machines! Where you really lost me is with this "automatic" stuff--other than that playback head alignment, pretty much everything else with the Dragon was fully MANUAL, down to separate bias and EQ switches and separate bias and record level calibration controls for each tape type--if you wanted to get the best out of it in making a recording you had to get pretty involved in tweaking these controls and in the right order, but the point is you had them, separate manual adjustments for bias and rec level for each channel and tape type! Not at all like some of the later Nakamichi 1000 and 700 "computing" decks that could do automatic tape calibration. I also own and have heard many open real machines that didn't even compare to the Dragon and believe you'd have to spend at least as much or way more to get one that's worthy of comparison. Not to take anything away from the 1000 decks or really a lot of other stuff in Nakamichi's lineup, I'd love to own any of the ones you mention or even an original 1000 or MKII for that matter, I once owned a 700II that sounded great when working right but needed more attention than it was worth to keep running at the time--wish I'd kept it anyway! I even own a pristine 550 portable that could give a lot of supposedly better decks a run for their money.

@zulumax1

3 жыл бұрын

@@kevinfetner7983 Don't forget the CR-7A. My friend who is also a collector sold me his Dragon and kept the CR-7A which is much easier to record on and setup. Dragon is not user friendly at all, but does play back all the assorted tapes I have made over the years made on different machines.

@RUfromthe40s

3 жыл бұрын

i remenber in late 80´s the main hi-fi publications having a test to see what was the best deck of cassettes available in the world and technicians all over europe said the dragon was over-rated ,and i sold many in a hi-fi store from my family and i would prefer the zx-9 or cr-7 ,but i bought a pioneer ct-959 and i´m happy with it ,also have other high-end or the reference before the high-end deck from many brands i started in the 70´s ,had many times the dragon and the zx-9 at home ,still have around 30 decks ,i had 46 but i have been selling them in the last 3 years and know many people who have dragons at home closed in a box the repair is too expensive and some even get´s cheaper to buy other deck in good conditions on ebay ,but if someone asked me the best nakamichi is the cr7 not cristiano ronaldo but the deck "the dragon killer"1982 was long ago ,a lot evolved since 1982 ,but in my opinion the dragon is far from being a good deck ,the price is so wrong for a deck that only works good in 5 years, then all start to give problems, i sold some and remenber them having problems after 5 years of usage and where i live nobody buys pre-recorded cassettes only is for home recordings and play recorded tapes, but if one wants a nakamichi buy the 1000ZXL is good for sure ,i had one at home for 3 years but needed to buy a diesel mercedes with a/c and sold it , regards

I first found out about Nakamichi products when I was in Okinawa Japan in 1986

I did it. I just restored a not too old KLH Audio Systems surround sound receiver... It had some bad solder joints. Works perfect now...

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Good Job!

Super Video. Die Geräte habe ich früher viel repariert 👍👍👍 Awesome video. I used to repair the devices a lot👍👍👍👍

24:00 awesome info, thanks man!

Back in the day I always dreamed of owning one of these but here in the UK like in the US they were incredibly expensive! worth every penny though to the few that could afford one!

@HamtaroEL

4 жыл бұрын

I wanted one in 2010 when I was 17 years but haven't came across them.

Best cassette deck out there!

@artderix803

4 жыл бұрын

No.. thats the ReVox B215....

@zulumax1

3 жыл бұрын

@@artderix803 Tandberg 3004 or 3014A or Revox B-215S with Dolby HX Pro and Dolby C. Best at playback of tapes made on other machines, still can't top the Dragon.

I remember dreaming about buying this back in the day, still have my Yamaha cassette bought at a much less $$$$$$$$$$$$$.

Very, very good.

Good video. I repair electronics but have only did basic belt or idler replacements in Nakamichis cassette decks. If someone has ever been into one and messed with alignment previously you need a full test suite of factory jigs and tapes to get it back to factory spec so be careful when buying used. Had to send my personal unit to a long time Nak factory trained tech to get it right.

Wow so nice. It’s a legend

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! She sure it!

Nothing to add about the Dragon, but that 1510A looks like a cool piece.

@vintageaudioaddict

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, it's a great piece of test equipment if you mess around with any type of tape decks.

Got a nice Nakamichi RX-202 that's due for a good going through. People flip...when the tape flips! Your LX-5 is no slouch either. The Dragon is the King Kong of desirable cassette decks... Followed by the Revox b215 & b710. I've always wanted a Denon dr-m44HX.

@HamtaroEL

4 жыл бұрын

DRAGON > LX-5 > RX-202

The legend Dragon....! I have nakamichi tape deck BX- 1.. it was broken now...😂😂😂

We sold Nak at the audio store I worked at in late 80's. The CR 4A I bought still works great. Also had a TD700 deck in my car . We never sold a Dragon. Just a bit to pricey. 🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing.

@bobsoft

4 жыл бұрын

I had the same deck in my Datsun 510 back in the day.....long gone now. But I still have a CR-1 and CR-3 in storage boxes. Have to set those up one day.

Knowing the incredible sound that tape decks did deliver, seeing what measurements would show is absolutely great! @Vintage Audio Addict: The only thing that really was annoying me was the shaky time-lapse recording when doing measurement. It would have been great if you could have used some kind of tripod or even monopod or just some books under camera on desk ;) Apart from that: Thank you for the great video. It very well shows how to check one of that really highest end tape decks and what quality they could deliver.

I bought a new Nakamichi Dragon in 1983 and, you're correct, it cost $2500. I used it frequently until the CD became popular and more available and recordable. I still have it and it runs perfect, even though, I don't use it anymore.

@markanderson8119

4 жыл бұрын

James Koralewski I got 400 bucks I’d give for I!

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

The Dragon is an amazing piece of audio's history. Congratulations on owning one!

I was shown by a Nak service tech just how good these decks are. He did the same sweep test but at 0 db recording vice -20 db. Frequency response was just as good and no roll off on the high end. I also learned some interesting information from the JBL produced "Sessions" record. They talk a lot about what went into producing a record including frequency response issues. They say that in recording and producing a record the recording engineers routinely filter out any frequencies above 12KHz since there is very little music content above that except for discrete electronic music. I was surprised to see that the standard tape did so well in the frequency sweep. There are other tape issues to be concerned about too such as the ability of the tape to handle saturation which can affect sound quality.

@vintageaudioaddict

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I enjoy learning about the technology behind the music.

Awesome deck. Absolutely one of my favorite pieces of audio gear. One thing I used to notice about the Bias and Dolby calibrations, after I'd been recording for a while, say a half hour, I'd run the tests again and it needed to be re-calibrated. I don't know if it was that the electronics warmed up and that affected tests, or some other factor. In any case, I always did those calibrations at least twice per side of the cassette.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing. I don't know that I have ever tried what you did so I can't say if mine has the same drift over time. She always has made a good recording after calibration so I only re-calibrate if I change tapes.

@batman.darthmaul

4 жыл бұрын

@@vintageaudioaddict It didn't go out of alignment so far that the recording sounded bad but when doing the calibration again it had definitely drifted off the optimal settings.

@kevinfetner7983

4 жыл бұрын

@@batman.darthmaul Not an issue with a properly calibrated reference deck....you had some sort of issue.

@batman.darthmaul

4 жыл бұрын

@@kevinfetner7983 Interesting to know. Thanks for the info. I sold the unit long ago. Loved it, though. Definitely one of my all-time favorite pieces of gear I've owned in my life.

I never owned one but the Nakamichis were definitely the finest tape decks available for home audio at the time. I dunno about their professional lines, but I'm sure they were also amazingly good. I sold retail audio in the later 80s for a few years, so I know how good they were. Did you ever run into one of the 1980s audiophile turntables that cost like $2000 and sucked the record flat to the mat with a special built-in vacuum alignment system? I can't recall the brand, but it was really expensive audiophile stuff at the time. Update: I think it was the Luxman turntable: Luxman PD-151 Turntable Vacuum Disc Stabiliser Vacuum Disc Stabiliser As the PD-171 (now in PD-171A guise) only appeared in 2011, Luxman's earlier turntables may still seem vivid and fresh. But in fact there was a 28-year gap, from 1983 until the PD-171's launch, with no Luxman record decks whatsoever in the CD era. As Luxman's future is now on a secure footing under the same corporate umbrella as Quad, the company has been able to return to turntable manufacture with conventional decks. But devotees are most likely praying for the return of the brand's legendary vacuum hold-down turntables. What is now only found among very costly high-end decks, Luxman did so at more approachable price points, nearly 40 years ago. Luxman unveiled its PD-555 Vacuum Disc Stabiliser (VDS) turntable in 1980, believed to be the first to employ a vacuum hold-down system to iron-out record warps and suppress resonance, and this was followed by the more affordable PD-300. Luxman's system forced the LP to stick to the platter, with no air gap in between. It immediately inspired a cult following and the deck, which was only available until the mid-1980s, became an immediate collector's item. The original price of the PD-300 converts to £2000-£2500 in 2019 money - exactly the values we've seen for excellent examples on eBay.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for commenting. Nakamichi was the king of cassettes. I never have owned a real high end turntable. My Thorens TD-147 is the closest thing to it, simple but great sounding. I do own and I have a video of some wonderful Nakamichi digital equipment. Check it out if you get the chance. Nakamichi Digital Products - kzread.info/dash/bejne/aKeFzNCCgKepops.html

This is something that I would never, ever dare to open, not if I had to, so scary. It's not even about the Dragon's complexity, but overall Nakamichi transport quirks, like the fragile plastic standoffs everywhere. Glad that I've got a thoroughly overhauled Revox - apart from head wear, it seems like it would hold another twenty years mechanically. Hope so.

멋진 기계^^

I would like to have a deck like that just because of the features

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Yes, lots to play with.

I also own one but found that the Dragon is NOT the best recorder ever made as there are other decks that record with crystal clear quality but definitely the Dragon is a decent playback deck and a plus for having the auto reverse capability. If someone wants to have a Nak deck for playback reasons I would strongly suggest the RX505 as the cost is less than a Dragon.

I always wanted one when I was younger.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Not many had them including myself. They were just so expensive for most people.

Not Sound Technology ST-10A, but ST-1510A. I have one here on the bench. It lets you tweak a deck to the nth degree!

I got a Gen2 Yamaha CD player instead in 1983. Lasted until 2004.

It’s hard to imagine Type 1 cassettes will sound very good on this. But, hey miracles do happen. It’s a Dragon

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

There are many good cassette formula's and some not so good. The Dragon will get the most out of the tape whatever it is.

@batman.darthmaul

4 жыл бұрын

I got outstanding audio on my Dragon, even from cheap, normal bias cassettes.

@1mctous

4 жыл бұрын

They pretty much sound as good as the tape.

@roasthunter

4 жыл бұрын

Type I can sound on any good deck, the main issue is noise so dolby is preferable but that can suck the life out of music.

Just did the belts and tire on my Dragon, the wow and flutter is measuring 0.026 wrms 0.05 peak which is just a bit higher than spec. I am using the T-100 software to measure the results on my laptop. What oil would one use for the capstan bearing? Synthetic 20w-50w perhaps?

Belts, idlers, and pinch rollers. Where do you find them? I have a Dragon and a 680ZX. Both need new tires.

Excellent video with relevant technical data. I just wish you'd invest in some sort of camera holding equipment.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Thank a lot for your kind words. I'm still finding my way with the video production and every other part of making video's but having fun doing it. Well.......most of the time. LOL

A friend getting out of tape gifted me his Dragon a decade ago because I had a ZX-7 and hundreds of homemade tapes. I watched this video and it inspired me to go fire up the Dragon using my tapes. Amazing how close it sounded to the CD version after all these years. Not sure I’ll get a lot of use out of it nowadays but it certainly stirred up some fond memories of a great audio era👍

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

That's Great! This equipment brings back good memories for most of us.

5:30 Did you have to unsolder the black ground wire from the cam motor to get enough slack to get the transport out?

I want this deck

Pops gave me his Dragon after couple decades left in a box. The idler wheel is a hard very shiny black plastic ring as opposed to rubber. So FF/ FR not working. When turning it on, the capstans spin fast and loud for aprox. 2-3 seconds then they both slow down and continue spinning silently. Playback does not work in both directions. Any thoughts where to begin is greatly appreciated. Much thanks !

I ‘ve got to get my 500 up and running.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

That would be great.

Why did you avoid the calibration tapes on Repro?

"You can knock a Sony, but you can't Nakamichi!"

I still keep one from my father and I think will do the same ..

Impressive performance, especially with that metal cassette. It would be interesting to see how the tape response changes after 10 plays, then 50, then 100. I wonder if the tape wear is linear or goes up with more use.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

I've never done any real long term tests on tapes but I think most of them are pretty durable. I have test tapes that I used over and over for years. They seem no worse for the wear.

Nakamichi Transports also were Asymmetrical to quell additive resonances.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

I'm not smart enough to even respond to that sentence, LOL.

@cjay2

4 жыл бұрын

@@vintageaudioaddict He means that the two capstans are of different thickness (diameter) to counteract possible tape-path resonance. It's actually meant to determine the tape contact pressure with the heads.

TDK was the vendor for the Nakamichi blank tapes EX SX and ZX. Center roll stock TDK tape for Nakamichi Blank tapes.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot for sharing that information.

I think there was no auto-bias because some people used to custom bias their tapes to be played back in other equipment. This way you could compensate for any deficiencies in lesser tape decks or car tape players by customizing the sound of the recordings.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

You could adjust it for your car or whatever. That sounds possible. Thanks for sharing.

Used to be the benchmark Audio system amongst other brands. I'm still a bit old school l like CD's and Bluerays and DVD's and real books. Lollll l do draw the line at vinyl records though as well as eight track and cassettes. And l don't own a VHS player.

@kevinfetner7983

4 жыл бұрын

Lol.....don't even put eight track in the same sentence with cassettes....lol. Vinyl has had a fantastic resurgence. On a masses level, millennial's loved the cheap USB turntables and the 50 cent records they found at yard/garage sales. On a more audiophile level the sky is about the limit on TT design and cost. Plenty of 180 gram vinyl reissue stuff out there as well.

@markjmaxwell9819

4 жыл бұрын

@@kevinfetner7983 True not so much crackle and hiss on the new vinyl thankfully. I don't stream so my 4K TV is limited until l trade the PS4 for PS4 Pro or the PS5.

@kevinfetner7983

4 жыл бұрын

@@markjmaxwell9819 Now that (thankfully) were moving away from RCM's that scrub and vacuum...moving toward the science of ultrasonic cleaning, records can be rendered almost quiet. And thanks to some really novel stylus designs, your old records can be tracked in new places the old styli didn't track. It's a good time for vinyl right now, but it comes at a cost. You're not buying new records for $3 anymore at a discount record store. And their proper car & feeding can get expensive.

Beautiful unit! Would they possibly have replacement parts made out of silicone instead of rubber? Might possibly get more years out of them.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much. Replacement belts are getting tougher to get. There are belt kits/idler tires for sale out there but they are hit and miss. Some folks say the belts from one source work and next one say's they don't but with no OEM parts available for these there is no other choice. Other parts will have to come from donor units as time passes.

@kevinfetner7983

4 жыл бұрын

@@vintageaudioaddict Fred Marrs @Marrs Communication had the best belt kits; they were made to factory specs by Japanese suppliers. But....turns out Fred wasn't a very good business man and made a lot of people very angry often waiting forever for belt kits. Now his daughter is trying to run things because Fred is very sick....some say terminal. I had hoped someone else would step up and take over that business by buying him out or whatever....hasn't happened. ESL has a couple of containment trailers of Nak parts they've been working out of for decades. Jeff probably has what you need, but you will PAY dearly for it.

I apparently have an earlier version (based on serial number) Nakamichi Dragon and am curious of any reputable repair person that can diagnose and repair them? Any suggestions?

Where is a good source for idler wheel rubber, flat and square belts?. Any information would be helpful. Thank You

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

That's the million dollar question. Many people who have serviced vintage tape decks professionally in the past have stopped. This is because they rip a unit apart, replace the rubber, get the unit back together and the tape deck doesn't operate properly. Now what? You can't charge the customer, so that happens and you are done working on tape decks. This a problem that affects all the different brands. I personally have had several issues in the past. Not with this Dragon's replacement belts or idler tire but with an LX-5's replacement rubber that I purchased and many others. There are belt kits/idler tires for sale out there but they are hit and miss. Some folks say the belts from one source work and next one say's they don't but with no OEM parts available for these units there is no other choice. I'm a hobbyist so I'm not concerned if a 4 hour job takes me 20 hours because I'm chasing my tail. I wish I had the answer for you, I don't.

As I've stated under another video, don't play with these machines if you don't have prior quality experience working on complex electro-mechanical gear. You MUST obtain the service manual for your model BEFORE attempting work. They are available from eBay sellers, and also sometimes for free online. It is best to properly PRINT OUT and assemble the manual before using it. I've owned my ZX-7 since new in 1982, and purchased it from Nakamichi WITH the service manual in Los Angeles, where they had their US headquarters. I've replaced the belts and tire and rollers many times without problem, but I was already a Nak-certified tech at the time. As said in this video, these decks are full of tiny parts, of which EVERY ONE is necessary for proper operation. There are NO 'extra' parts, and without the service manual, you would not know if you were missing a part. Splitting this transport requires good precision electronics hand tools and a clean, quiet, and stable open well-lit space in which to do it, as well as patience. You will get back exactly what you put into it.

@kevinfetner7983

4 жыл бұрын

Even real techs versed in Naks can struggle with some of the Dragons auto features. For the very reason that it tries to do everything for you automatically and the fact that I've heard techs bitch about this deck in the past, I stayed away from it. I have a very sweet 700ZXL with the remote Dobly C and a nice RX 505. I don't have Dragon envy or would ever even want one. To buy a Dragon and try to service/calibrate yourself is just foolish. eBay is awash with Dragons that were fiddled with, causing the new owner to spend serious bucks in getting them sorted. Buyer beware.

@cjay2

4 жыл бұрын

@@kevinfetner7983 I settled for my ZX-7 in 1982. Same transport in a much simpler environment. It's fixable, you have to learn how to work with the split transport, but it's learnable, and I've kept it going since then.

@kevinfetner7983

4 жыл бұрын

@@cjay2 Very popular and well thought of Nak.....especially recording. It's interesting how Nak changed their methodology on making cassette decks. In the beginning they were massive with large flywheels.....compare the size of my 700ZXL to my RX 505. They got into those small Sanyo motors running things when they downsized their decks and they caused techs headaches for yrs and still do.....although other motors are now out there to replace the Sanyo's. My default cassette deck is the 700ZXL hands down. The RX 505 is very clinical, but very accurate. The 700ZXL can make any tape sound wonderful. No doubt I have some pleasant first, second, third and fourth order harmonics going on along with good coloration and distortion. Whatever you record from your source with the RX 505, it had better be perfect...lol.

@cjay2

4 жыл бұрын

@@kevinfetner7983 I'm not familiar with the 700ZXL. I serviced 700's and 1000's, and everything lower than those, plus my ever-present ZX-7. I recall well those large, heavy, all-metal transports. They were the epitome of reliability and strength. The ZX-7 sound has always been for me very precise. I've always used it in a high end system, and there is only the most subtle difference in the sound stage, between tape and source while it's recording on metal tape. These days it sits with its belts untensioned, all easily reachable from open top and bottom plates. It's done its major life work already. Just about everything I have has been digitized 2496.

@kevinfetner7983

4 жыл бұрын

@@cjay2 The 700ZXL in the Nak scheme of things is one step down from the 1000ZXL. But it gets confusing after that as they got into their second/third generation and models go 'sideways' with different features but much the same specs. Except for the two models that flip the tape around like the RX 505....I think they might have gone further with that design if it had sold better. As good as the RX 505 is, it just doesn't stand shoulders above anything else in Nak's top stable. The 700ZXL's A.B.L.E. lets you store a variety of bias, level and equalization setting for individual tape types after it tests them. The deck sold for $3000 new. I also have the Nak three microphone and mixing system to record live music. All of it plugs into the back along with the remote Dolby C unit. Never used it, still in boxes. I got heavy into RtR after the 700ZXL got sorted. The 700ZXL is more complex in features than I like. If you don't spend a lot of time with it, you find yourself back in the manual for a 'refresher'. But it sounds absolutely glorious. I could digitize everything and I actually might someday, but with analog you actually feel like you're doing something.....all the endless tweaking and wondering what all your gear will do on any given day...lol. That's the running joke about my Tandberg RtR's...."Why do you have three Tandberg decks? Because I want ONE good one."

1982, old like me :)

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Still some years left in both of you, LOL.

@Rijeka82

4 жыл бұрын

@@vintageaudioaddict haha, yea.. one day i hope to get this beauty.. it is expensive :(

Great stuff! Just wondering how are you able to get parts for it since the company has gone defunct for so many years. Besides how are you able to get brand new cassette tape these days?

@zulumax1

3 жыл бұрын

You can get new normal, maybe chrome, but not metal tapes new still.

Awsome and beAutifull device! Heavy duty machine, with high tech !0

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

It sure is! An amazing piece of vintage audio history.

This is great !!! I remember this deck. Pretty amazing analog. I knew someone who bought a budget Nakamichi when they were first offered. This was '85 or so. Seem to recall getting better mileage out of an Aiwa I got from Matthews (TOTH,DC) for $99.00. Tapes sounded great, for car decks. TDK SA and AD times :) Good times.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Is this a Nekkumitsji drag on?

Hmm, if I have had this ST 1510A...My AKAI GX-75 should be checked...

holy sh#t, these are going for $3k right now.

Hey guy, how about trying a Revox B215 S? This is a top drawer cassette deck and I am not the only one who would like to see it get restored and tested as well as calibrated!

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

Man, I would love to add any Revox tape deck to my collection. Revox made some wonderful vintage audio equipment. I have not been lucky enough to run into Revox equipment over the years here in the USA but if I do it's coming home with me.

Its not one of the finest cassette decks ever made....it is THE finest cassette deck ever made Yes...I have one 😁 Tape types 1....normal 2.....chrome 3....ferri chrome ( I really liked these but seems to have fell out of favor after a short time ) 4....metal Does anybody still make type 4 tape ? One reason my Dragon gathers dust these days

@lazycalm41

4 жыл бұрын

you are dead right there! These things were the absolute best at the time!

@arclementsjr

4 жыл бұрын

Your are correct and I have one too!

@Croccydile

4 жыл бұрын

As do I. Sadly all taken apart for repairs, but eventually it will breath fire once again.

@markanderson8119

4 жыл бұрын

Jon Single I’m so jealous

@jonsingle1614

4 жыл бұрын

@@markanderson8119 As you should be 😂

Do you only do restorations for youtube projects? I have a Yamaha K-2000 that needs restoring; I'm currently using my K-1000 which doesn't have any issues. The K-2000 was the Top Dog back in 1983, it had the added feature of three heads plus auto-bias tape tuning.

popular (it was expensive) ? nope !... highly "I will sell my baby" desired YES ! I bought one when I was stationed i Okinawa Japan... man was I the envied one when I bought it back to the states. I still have it.. even now when my old friends from way back are still envy that I owned one

I still want one! But still can’t afford one.

@vintageaudioaddict

4 жыл бұрын

I'm telling ya. Not an inexpensive cassette deck.

@1mctous

4 жыл бұрын

The Nakamichi 480 and 580-series decks can be had in good working condition nowadays for $300-400 and still sound great.

Halo om,klo mau restorasi biar suara enak lagi dragonnya dimana ya daerah jabodetabek

Sir this was the best explanation I have ever seen. I have one that could use a tuneup. How do I contact you Sir?

I need to see the level on the test signal 20Hz-20 kHz on the Dragon level meters. By specification should be on -20 Db with a fluctuation plus minus 3Db . Exept NAAC sistem which is another deffectable point I don;t see much advantage over Alpage AL300

No wonder it was so expensive with those 12 million parts .. so many things to go wrong.

I could have sworn they were sold in the late 70's, but I may be wrong.

Przereklamowany deck .Słyszałem lepiej brzmiące urządzenia - decki .Dwóch moich kolegów ma podobne opinie . Marek nie podaję celowo bo zaraz zacznie się obrażanie .Raz się z tym spotkałem .

I MISS MY DRAGON

@vintageaudioaddict

2 жыл бұрын

It is a unique tape deck.

Thank you for this video, I write you to hope a little help from a specialist, I have a CR-4 model of Nakamichi; I encounter a recurrent problem; I can't understand why the recorder doesn(t play when I push on the lecture button; yesterday it worked, and today when I have trying it , it didn"t; so if you know people who have had this "bug", it could help me to have some suggestion to start it again; I have the owner"s manual but I dont have read any information concerning excepting that if the recorder didn't work, just have a look if a cartridge is in???? and if the front door is correctly shut.... really I wonder what they were thinking at the time.... it seems that Nakamichi is a great brand enough to have people who know how to use a recorder....

Damn! My car is less expensive than these decks on ebay.

And I thought servicing a V5000 was a pain. This is ludicrous ! Dragon's maybe on of the best, and they're fetching $2000 USD these days. Today you can make perfect recordings on a $150 24bit/ 192 kHz digital recorder and 128 GB SD card ($50). $50 gets you what... qty 5 Maxell chromes ?

I currently own an RX 202 that needs belts. In great cosmetic shape. I took good care of it until it started slipping. Cleaned and put it away. Think it's worth $100? I don't need it.....

@vintageaudioaddict

3 жыл бұрын

At this point and time almost anything that you have in vintage audio equipment will sell quickly.

I thought it would be sirjury but its just monitoring ?

My Nakamichi Cassette Deck 2 has stopped playing. Everything else works fine like rewind, fast forward and all other functions. Can anyone please help to fix it myself?

That Nakamichi Dragon was just a beautiful tape deck!!! No one made anything even close! I use a Technics SJ-MD150 Minidisc Deck. In the U.S. the minidisc didn't take off,but in other corners of the world it did. I bought this deck around 1999? It's still going strong and it's a part of my cinema system. The minidisc decks came out as I was leaving the U.S. Army back in the mid 90's. I waited to buy the deck,cause the Digital Cassette Deck dropped about the same time? Some people might remember that too? It was a battle between the 2 formats! Like with Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. That's a beautiful deck! Great video!!!