The BEST system you've ever built !!!!

McCormack DNA-1 upgraded to SMcAudio Rev. A Gold Standard
ARC LS-3
Denon DCD-2700 as transport
Muse Model 2 w/Bessel Analog Reconstruction Filter
Infinity RS9A Kappa modified with MIT internal speaker cable throughout except for short multiple ganged silver Kimber Kable runs from binding post to crossover.
Denon Tuner TU-800
Monster M2.4 biwire
AudioTruth Diamond interconnect
Monster M2000 interconnect
Kimber PowerKords
API PowerWedge
Sennheiser HD600

This was a fine system to my admittedly olden ears, but some others thought well of it. Unlike some very fine high end systems which I have had the good fortune to hear, this system did have a minimum threshold to come fully alive. Thankfully, this threshold was well short of headbanging level. At times after experiencing some unbelievable systems at the local audiophile meetings, the system did sound a bit sweetened by comparison. But a sysem based on Mark Levinson and Revel Salon Ultimas (?) did a lot to restore my faith in my system and my taste in sound while nonetheless completely blowing my system away with a similar character. I am now listening to music primarily through the HD600s or the Audio Technica ATH-AD700, which pleasantly bring up the question of "...if either of these is right, then the other must be wrong..." Same could be said of the SMcAudio mod compared to say, Krell & B&W setups that I had the pleasure of listening to, but I absolutely loved what Steve and Kris did with the amp. While the tube-like character that Steve achieved may have arguably been better suited to another speaker, I really enjoyed the sound.

What a long strange trip it’s been, as the lyrics go so has audio collection been with me. From my first new audio piece, a Lear Jet 8 track AM/FM with speakers, bought at a local jewelry store of all places, I got involved with audio. I am 57 years old now and have had countless audio systems,, mostly used. My favorite pieces were a Pioneer A-27 and an NAD 40 watt Integrated amp. They just sounded good at the time and seemed powerful enough. I long for the Pioneer most I guess. It had a great tonal quality I long remembered.

Fast forward several years, I last owned and really enjoyed my Outlaw 950 and 7100 system. It was a good HT with respectable power for my four DCM Time Frame 700 speakers. I augmented that set up with a nice custom built 15” sub woofer and an AR 2c center channel. I enjoyed that system for a few years but somehow wanted something different.

A friend called me out of the blue and let me in on a special deal he had purchased at a local Salvation Army Auction. It was a 5 piece, scratch free, silver Pioneer Spec Rack System!! Complete with this was the rack itself, Spec 1 preamp, Spec 2 power amp, EQ, 9500 tuner, and CTF 1000 cassette deck, Problem, the cassette needed a rubber work and it all had been used in a smoking area. The good news is it was all in good working order and was $500 cheap!!! I bought it all sight unseen. I immediately got the cassette deck repaired, it then worked like new. Next, an idea struck me. My Nephew, who is an AVID old silver Pioneer collector, also came into a killer deal not long ago. He bought, from the original owner, a fire sale of a Dragon Cassette deck, two Nakamichi PA-7 amps, a matching CA-7a preamp, and a ST-7 tuner…all for $500 as well.

As they say “and now you know the rest of the story”, I called him up and told him what I had and if he wanted to agree to an even trade!! We did end up trading. He felt like he got an excellent deal, as did I. We were both pleased beyond belief- despite the fact the pieces needed further work. He proceeded to break down the rack and detail it and I detailed the NAK pieces. The Dragon had a bad record channel so it went in and got repaired.

This NAK system was beyond my wildest belief to ever own, a cut or two above the Outlaw gear and even further up the food chain from the Lear Jet of old. I did my due diligence and read all the reviews and precautions. Excitement was oozing from every pour of my body. I had just acquired some nice rare Cerwin Vega 2000-15 speakers and these components should suit those large speakers well. I had been to the better audio boutiques in the area and had heard McKintosch, Krell and other premium equipments, so I had a rough idea what to expect. I was wrong. Hearing it in your own living space, with your own surrounding equipment, etc. was the true acid test.

The sound experience I received next was unbelievable. This equipment was 10+ years old but well maintained (the DC offset had just been set on the amps). I lined up several of my favorite CD’s for sampling and for 3 solid hours played one after another, hearing information and dynamics like nothing else before. Emmy Lou Harris was my new sonic Madonna; Earl Kluge captured nuances I had long missed, I could understand all the words of Mark Knophler and the list went on. My aural veil was not only lifted, but a wet blanket was ripped from its posts. Now I understand what the better audiophile equipment was about. One thing that really impressed me was the shear dynamics of the music. Especially the softer sounds like triangles, cymbals- the simpler the sound the more it would move you. You could almost count the brushes on a drum brush or the number of beads in a Maraca. The larger dynamics, like big drum rolls, piano solos and organ rifts, were room breathing experiences all their own. My wife asked not to be there for those events!

Beyond the CD medium I did also appreciate the better quality of the ST-7 AM/,FM tuner. The sound was not strained but actually quite believable despite the lack of FM frequency bandwidth. The Dragon cassette deck was most impressive as well. It had very good dynamics and a wide bandwidth to boot. I found myself listening to it as much as CD’s. Had I had better and more recorded cassettes from this unit I could have easily listen to analog purity all day long from the Dragon! I had forgotten just how smooth and mentally pleasing good quality analog was.

Another thing I liked about the NAK system was the included power strip that had a separate wired DIN plug that went back to the preamp. The strip powers on all the components, like the amps, tuner, etc., you need only to turn on the preamp!. Aside from the NAK power strip I also Din cable connected the ST-7 tuner, a NAK CDC 4a CD player and the Dragon deck into the back of the CA-7a. Now I could operate the sub functions everything that was DIN connected into the CA-7a control amp with one simple remote. With the one remote control I could easily switch between components and operate everything from the tape azimuth, CD tracks/ discs, to selecting tuner stations and more. As if the pure sound and dynamics were not the hallmark of this NAK system, the remote made it a final & easy pleasure to enjoy.

I think I understand the Nakamichi sound and build philosophy better now that I own some nice pieces. While it is well made and complex equipment, it is striking in its dragon scales look, advanced in its sound and simplified in it functions. Come time to turn this equipment off I am saddened, but then I know when I turn it on again there will be that solid sense of elation, full expectation and aural reward like nothing else I have ever owned. It is good to be the king…very good indeed!

Maybe it was because I was younger and everything seemed to be more fun?
A pair of Mac 240s
Marantz 7c
Chartwell LS35/As
Dual 1229
Grace F9L
Maybe it just sounded better?

Marantz sa11s2,DIY passive pre.,Rogue 150 mono,all connected with soundstring wire.The speakers are the Gallo Ref.3s.

Emm Labs CDSD SE + DCC2 SE, VYGER Indian Signature turntable + Koetsu Onyx, MIT Oracle MAX and Cabasse Atlantis (active speakers with 8 amps build in).