Which Nakamichi to choose?

"Practical difference between cast and stamped metal has probably evened out over the last 25 years. If they have survived, they have proven reliable enough, I would say."

Both transports were reliable. It’s just that the cast metal transport sounded better and it always will.

Either deck would likely give you good service, but as I previously said, as long as both decks are in the same condition, the better choice is the Cassettedeck 1.

tls49,

I have no experience in comparing those so I stand corrected. However, if someone starts a thread about the theory of that, I am afraid it would turn ugly.

@jond

My CR-7a with belts is marginally better than my CR-7a with gear train. High frequency was not an issue on Dolby B with either deck when stock. I found Dolby C to sound a little "processed", but not degraded to digital levels.

I suggest that you buy the best deck you can find. My father, a shipyard superintendent, with corresponding hearing damage, compared a high class Denon to a DR-1. His comment, "There’s really no comparison, is there?"

I thought about a ZX-9, but the automatic alignment feature on the CR-7a is really useful.

@tls49 

Thanks for the Nak link. I'd forgotten about that site!


@lowrider57 

Sorry, I mis-attributed the question to jond. See above. Yes, pretty close to studio quality, IMO.

Thanks, @terry9 . I still have my notes on the various Nak models when I was looking to buy.
I worked in studios and am very familiar with how quiet R-R and cassette can be. I'd like to try transferring CD's to a high-end cassette deck; I know analogue tape bestows a nice sonic quality to the recording.