Older Nakamichi Gear ?? Stasis ??


Hi-

I'd like to get a simple system that is very warm
sounding. I'm specifically looking at older (used)
Nakamichi receivers and CD players. I am thinking
about a Nakamichi RE-2 Reciever with MB-2S CD player
or an SR-4A with OMS-7AII. I want it to be a simple
2 piece system and I want to use just one remote. Now
for my questions...

The SR-4A used a "Stasis" design. The RE-2 did not.
How did this affect the sound? I would think the SR-4A
is a warmer sound based on having a "Stasis" design???
Which model sounded better?

On the CD player side, which sounded better, the OMS-7AII
or the MB-2S ??

Thanks
Tom
eastside_guy
Gee.. I remember in the early days listening
to recievers made by Dennon, Yamaha, and Nakamichi.
My impression was that Dennon was very bright,
Yamaha was slightly warm sounding and the
Nakamichi SR-4A was the warmest sounding of the
3 brands. Now their seperates might be bright,
but I know the SR-4A Reciever was not bright at all.
I have no experience with their other receivers like
the TA-3a so that's why I'm asking.
Yah, I wouldn't say they are warm sounding either. I'd say they are a bit dark and a bit smooth but never lean much like watered down premium coffee.
I enjoyed a Nak CD Player2 for many years and especially liked the MusicBank feature. It conveyed emotion moreso than the asian entry level CD Player it replaced. The Nak presented an undistorted but entirely flat soundstage. Addition of a quality DAC supplied the missing depth but revealed a gap in the response that made cymbals sound disconnected from the rest of the tone stream. Replacing the Nak with a dedicated transport eliminated the gap.
Definitely go with the earlier SR series receivers. They are far better sounding and the build is superb. They produce a rich, smooth sound that packs a lot of punch but is never fatiguing. I've owned a SR-3A since 1987 and just had it restored by the folks at Soundsmith in Peekskill NY. It is now the center of my office system and sounds better than ever. The RE series is good but a little harsh sounding in comparison to the SR series. It would be worth your while to seek one out.
I owned an MB-2 CD player for a while and thought it was outstanding for the price - $400 from Costco. It's only drawback was that it was rather flat sounding. I probably could have worked on it to fix that, but I didn't as I was moving and returned it back to Costco. I wish more companies would come out with good multi-players.