Question about cassette player settings

I have an LX-3 which is the same with the exception of having two heads.The previous poster is absolutely right. I would like to add that if you want the best performance use only metal tapes:TDK,Maxell, even Sony.The 'super' chrome (Maxell XL-IIS and TDK SA-X ) sometimes come close but I can always here the difference.Forget about 'normal 'type tapes; they are so inferior that it is not funny.This deck is capable of the very high quality recordings though not quite there with the best.

If i remember correctly, Audio magazine did a test using a referernce quality cassette deck to see which tape types performed best. I think the machine in question was a Nak 1000. As one might expect, the Nakamichi brand tapes of various formulations ( EX, SX and ZX ) did the best of the lot. They bettered the likes of similar yet better known formulations from TDK, Maxell, Scotch, Sony, Memorex, etc... Then again, Nak probably pre-set the factory bias / EQ on their machines to match their specific tape formulations.

With that in mind, you'll find that specific tape formulations / brands will work better than others in any type of magnetic tape based recorder. This has to do with the factory pre-sets in terms of Equilization and Bias. Some machines automatically re-calibrate themselves for optimum performance with whatever type of tape you install. These were all more expensive three head machines and typically from the late 1970's to mid 1980's or so. If you don't have one of these machines, it would probably be best to experiment with a few different brands of tape to see which works best. For audio reproduction, Metal is best with Chrome coming in a close second. Anything else ( normal or Ferri-Chrome ) coming a distant third and fourth in most cases. Sean
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Like most of the posters, it's been a while since I used a cassette deck. Most Nak decks had a bias setting procedure to optimize recording on blank tapes. I never owned the LX-5 so I don't know if it has this feature. From memory, having set the tape type and put the deck into record mode, you start the test tone and start recording. You then adjust the bias to achieve "0" on both channels. On at least one of my Naks this required using a small screwdriver.

If you haven't already done so, you might try emailing Nakamichi and inquire whether it would be possible to purchase a manual, or whether one is available in a pdf file.

Doug

Rockyboy,

These guys gave you very good information. I've owned 5 different Nak decks and there are some tricks to very good recordings. Firstly, the Nak can be custom tailored internally for a particular tape formulation. TDKs are decent, but the oxides shed too easily and the housings are not as stable as Maxell. Have the deck internally tweaked for Maxell UDXL II and the noise floor will drop, dynamics will be better.

Also, no matter how good the Dolby is, high end will be rolled off. I record/playback without Dolby SX @ 70. Some tape hiss but much better dynamics and natural highend. Also, you can push the saturation point on Naks like no other deck I've owned. Just touching the red zone on peaks is okay and results in very dynamic recordings. Good luck.

Just a little to add to the above. I've been making tapes with the same H-K deck since 1987 & have to agree with Celtic66 on not using Dolby. I also *push* the recording level so it hovers between 0 and +1 dB with peaks reaching into the red. Depending on what you use to playback the tapes with I would suggest changing the playback settings to experiment with in regards to hiss & rolloff points.

I've had very good success with Maxell XLII-S and even have some UDXLII from 1982 & '83 that still play OK. I made all my tapes to take over the road with me so only made a few metal ones, but they definitely were of better quality.

I've played these tapes in Pioneer, JVC, Alpine, Concord & Soundstream decks & they all played back differently. Have fun with it.