"New" Nakamichi RX-300

[stuwee]

I've been dropping hints and ;)'s for a couple of days now, I left the house at 1:30pm to catch the first of 3 buses headed for the parking lot of Pima Co. community college, to meet the CL seller, brought "the test kit", 90% alcohol, Q-tips, MA-R90, headphones, a box, towel and big plastic bags.

Big thunderstoms brewing *headache*. She's gorgeous! no fingerprints, a few scratches on the top, Mint front. Cleaned the heads, capistans, generally everywhere inside the well, plugged her in all the pretty light work. Pop in the TDK, plug in crappy sony headphones, *reelspin**reelspin*)dance()dance(.

FF and RW a 90 in about 85sec. is that about right? plays real nice. I'm happy. I'm doing friggen cartwheels. I get a :D. The seller smiles too. I hand him $75, he smiles bigger. I carefully wrap and pack her in the box and head for the long trip home, The Friggen skies open up, lightning like I haven't seen in awhile, Great ,*headache* it's comming up from the south with another nasty one popping over the mountains to the east, they're gonna meet right on top of Tucson *fit*.

I chicken out and get off right across the street from a friends house. The box barely got wet. She's spending the night there. I've got the original owners manual and a booklet of the reviews and test results from Stereo Review and Audio magazines 1984 issues, at least I got something to read *devil*, to be delivered to my house bright and early, full test coming up, just wanted to brag.*drool**drool**reelspin**hypnot**eyepop**devi l*
stuwster

[Web Police]

Cool. Post some pics when you can. :)

[MacGyver]

way to go, stuwster! be sure to get some pics up ASAP!! we're both happy tapeheads tonight!!!!*Hi5*

[stuwee]

way to go, stuwster! be sure to get some pics up ASAP!! we're both happy tapeheads tonight!!!!*Hi5*

Lot's of pics tomorrow, she's really stunning, my first NAK! i called Jeff to make sure he's not messing with it. he said I'm just sitting here listening to the thunder and staring at it, *drool**drool*.

If he had a stereo, I'd have hooked it up for him to play, he did save her from drowning after all.

John, what about the Pioneer you got today?? What up?*Hi5*

stuwee

[stuwee]

This is all I have for now

[Acoustic]

Good get.:-)<- Can't wait to read your impressions of it. It's going to make those Logans sing!

[Scorpion8]

Sweet! Uber-score there. That was a great find and a good story ....

[Mr. Lin]

Awesome, can't wait to hear more about it.

[Marc Hugo]

Magnificent deal you got there Stuwee. That is one of the tougher Naks - built to last and has all the important aspects of Nak technology. Direct Drive assymetrical dual capstans, discrete three head (crystalloys of course) and pad lifter. One to aspire to - Niro Nak's pocket battleship. It probably has the FG Servo motors used in the ZX's and CR-5/7. Enjoy her!! --Marc

[close652]

Lot's of pics tomorrow, she's really stunning, my first NAK!

Nice deck! Have fun with it!
Looks like all tapeheads should get a Nak at least once in the lifetime.

[MacGyver]

Magnificent deal you got there Stuwee. That is one of the tougher Naks - built to last and has all the important aspects of Nak technology. Direct Drive assymetrical dual capstans, discrete three head (crystalloys of course) and pad lifter. One to aspire to - Niro Nak's pocket battleship. It probably has the FG Servo motors used in the ZX's and CR-5/7. Enjoy her!! --Marc

anybody have an opinion of what are those are like compared to PIONEER's "Ribbon Sendust" and "Laser Amorphous" heads?

[Acoustic]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3192/2695109971_720e3db557_o.jpg

[stuwee]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3192/2695109971_720e3db557_o.jpg

That's cool Acoustic!! *Hi5* unfortunately Mother Nature has thrown a curve ball my way,http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=583.
I told Lady Ayeka yesterday his Pioneer was going to arrive safe and sound working fine. And that I felt alittle bobble in my gut about how my transaction was not going to go off as smoothly as I hoped. On hold for now, till the weather breaks in a few hours...............*hope**hope*

[Scorpion8]

Looks like all tapeheads should get a Nak at least once in the lifetime.

One?!? Blasphemy! I've got three, and that still isn't enough .....:D

[Marc Hugo]

anybody have an opinion of what are those are like compared to PIONEER's "Ribbon Sendust" and "Laser Amorphous" heads?

Hi Pioneer Princess Ayeka,

I'm a devotee of both families. The ribbon sendust head used on the Pioneer CT-A7 and CT-A9 is the only one I'm familiar with outside the X-Tals of the late 70's/early 80s and more latterly, the hard permalloys. The CT-A7, to my aural recollection sounded quite like my Nak 480Z in sonic signature - very clean, detailed and expicit with a deep but attentuated bass, as if it hit the low frequencies but the amplitude was a tad light. Of course, this was easily resolved with a small bass lift if you had that option on your pre-amp. I thought it was tremendously impressive. The Nak 480 series needless to say, also sport sendust heads and has the same sonic style - a vibrancy and freshness that is hard not to like.

I feel that the unique music making of Nakamichi is due to the many unusual design features working sybiotically, although their triple-laminated crystalloys are indeed very special. Certainly, the head gap differential between the record head and the playback head is part of the secret; the fact that both or certainly the latter are comfortably sub-micron and the fact that the Nak record and erase heads are capable of higher than usual currents - up to 16VA. But that is another story.

The only machine I have knowingly heard with an amorphous head is the TEAC V-8030. This is a magnificent machine and sounds very detailed and precise but with a very full representation of the audio spectrum and in short, very neutral and true to the source. Treble is very extended with with low amplitude minutae on the source material being faithfully reproduced. The bass is without head bumps that I could discern, pretty much no waffle or bloom. Of course, there;s a lot more to that deck than the heads alone but they certainly don't let the side down.

"Laser-Amorphous" heads as found on top Sony ES models, I cannot recall hearing. I lusted after a TC-K444ES once...

I think our web host has a Yamaha KX-930 - he may be able to share his impressions of that superdeck and the (comparative) virtues of its 16-layer amorphous head.

Cheers - Marc

[Acoustic]

Marc.... excellent assessment and you do well diplomatically also.

[Acoustic]

Stewee... I hope you don't get flooded and get your Nak soon.

[Acoustic]

Looks like all tapeheads should get a Nak at least once in the lifetime.

For me 4 so far. Two CR-5's, a CR-2 and a DR-3. IF... in my lifetime... a CR-7 comes along, that would be just fine with me!

[stuwee]

Jeff, my dear friend of the entire 15 years I've lived here, just brought her over, not put in the system, yet :)

Pics first,

[stuwee]

I was about to but, I was too excited. So Thank You all.
However, http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=586

down in Help and Do It Yourself, Thanks in advance,
Craig

[MacGyver]

Hi Pioneer Princess Ayeka,

I'm a devotee of both families. The ribbon sendust head used on the Pioneer CT-A7 and CT-A9 is the only one I'm familiar with outside the X-Tals of the late 70's/early 80s and more latterly, the hard permalloys. The CT-A7, to my aural recollection sounded quite like my Nak 480Z in sonic signature - very clean, detailed and expicit with a deep but attentuated bass, as if it hit the low frequencies but the amplitude was a tad light. Of course, this was easily resolved with a small bass lift if you had that option on your pre-amp. I thought it was tremendously impressive. The Nak 480 series needless to say, also sport sendust heads and has the same sonic style - a vibrancy and freshness that is hard not to like.

I feel that the unique music making of Nakamichi is due to the many unusual design features working sybiotically, although their triple-laminated crystalloys are indeed very special. Certainly, the head gap differential between the record head and the playback head is part of the secret; the fact that both or certainly the latter are comfortably sub-micron and the fact that the Nak record and erase heads are capable of higher than usual currents - up to 16VA. But that is another story.

The only machine I have knowingly heard with an amorphous head is the TEAC V-8030. This is a magnificent machine and sounds very detailed and precise but with a very full representation of the audio spectrum and in short, very neutral and true to the source. Treble is very extended with with low amplitude minutae on the source material being faithfully reproduced. The bass is without head bumps that I could discern, pretty much no waffle or bloom. Of course, there;s a lot more to that deck than the heads alone but they certainly don't let the side down.

"Laser-Amorphous" heads as found on top Sony ES models, I cannot recall hearing. I lusted after a TC-K444ES once...

I think our web host has a Yamaha KX-930 - he may be able to share his impressions of that superdeck and the (comparative) virtues of its 16-layer amorphous head.

Cheers - Marc

thank you! FYI, PIONEER used laser amorphous heads on their 1988/89 CT-S800/CT-91. and probably on the CT-93 as well...

[MacGyver]

That's cool Acoustic!! *Hi5* unfortunately Mother Nature has thrown a curve ball my way,http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=583.
I told Lady Ayeka yesterday his Pioneer was going to arrive safe and sound working fine. And that I felt alittle bobble in my gut about how my transaction was not going to go off as smoothly as I hoped. On hold for now, till the weather breaks in a few hours...............*hope**hope*

really sorry about the nak, craig. you know, that's just amazing. my mother in fact tends to have those same premonitions as you. and you know what? they are always right!!