do you need to tweak a tape deck???

It's your duty to tweak everything, nothing escapes being fiddled with for the greater good. If you're convinced there's no benefit to changing your set up you have become complacent and satisfied with your system! Yikes. Now, if someone can explain to me why manufacturers use hex-screws instead of something more sensible like Philips or Robertson.. cuz they look good? I had a bitch of a time removing two screws on my BAT preamp to retube last night, the heads stripped WAY too easily and I had to use pliers to get the damned things out.

Great you consider the bias. I mentioned bias, because I used to have a tape deck that a tech friend measured and marked the bias adjustment for various brands of tape. While they are all simiar, there are small differences. Most folks just leave the bias adjustment (if there is one) at the center.

He also adjusted the bias adjustment so it really was center. He claimed many tape decks out of the box are not calibrated very well.

SC53 I read a short blurb in recommended components once in a Brit mag. On the Nak cr-7 it said. Kills every other deck and stomps on its grave. I guess they liked it. I have a lowly Nak dr-3 and you know it beats the old sony 555es I owned....

Yeah, Bluenose, the CR-7 is a superb tape deck. Tape playback is almost identical to CD, but not to LP. For your car, you cannot tell the diff between tapes and CDs. I also own the Nak Dragon and the CR-7 is just as good for a lot less money (at least when they were both new; i think they both command about the same price on the used market today, ~$750). I have done multiple "battle of the tape decks" recordings and cannot tell any difference or improvement between the Dragon recordings (with totally adjustable bias and azimuth for every tape) and the CR-7 recordings. I guess I should put them both on pods or cones and then judge again.