A bit of Nostalgia

[r_w]

Stuff like this always makes me warm and fuzzy.

 

 

[firedog]

Stuff like this always makes me warm and fuzzy.

 

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It would for me, and then I remember what it sounded like....

[r_w]

What did the Nakamichi (any top model) and TDK MA-XG tape sound like to you?

 

 

It would for me, and then I remember what it sounded like....

[esldude]

Yes, a Nak Dragon. Saw one when I purchased an old McIntosh amp from a fellow. Wanted one very badly. I did get a Nak cassette machine which is really fantastic vs other cassette machines. Still craved the Dragon which seemed the pinnacle of cassette machines.

 

Alas 3 or so years ago you could buy working examples for pretty much peanuts. Like so many things you crave when younger, by the time you could afford it or it becomes affordable you don't crave it so much anymore. If I had managed to acquire one back then it would have made me somewhat happy in a sense. It would maybe just a tiny bit now, but not very much. Either way it seems a cruel fact of life that I missed out on something I wanted and cared about. Doubly cruel in that acquiring it now wouldn't be satisfying much.

 

I did see recently where unopened Maxell and TDK tape apparently goes for maybe $10 each. I do have possibly a hundred of those unopened. So do I sale now or will they climb higher? Probably sell now. I could get one or two good microphones for that much money.

[r_w]

Agee sadly this stuff will never likely make any kind of a comeback. I've still got my Nak, will never sell it, but it never gets used.

 

It was a wonderful time back then when you could make stunning recordings that used to have people utterly baffled at the sound quality.

 

Probably best to sell your tapes sooner, rather than later.

 

;-)

 

Yes, a Nak Dragon. Saw one when I purchased an old McIntosh amp from a fellow. Wanted one very badly. I did get a Nak cassette machine which is really fantastic vs other cassette machines. Still craved the Dragon which seemed the pinnacle of cassette machines.

 

Alas 3 or so years ago you could buy working examples for pretty much peanuts. Like so many things you crave when younger, by the time you could afford it or it becomes affordable you don't crave it so much anymore. If I had managed to acquire one back then it would have made me somewhat happy in a sense. It would maybe just a tiny bit now, but not very much. Either way it seems a cruel fact of life that I missed out on something I wanted and cared about. Doubly cruel in that acquiring it now wouldn't be satisfying much.

 

I did see recently where unopened Maxell and TDK tape apparently goes for maybe $10 each. I do have possibly a hundred of those unopened. So do I sale now or will they climb higher? Probably sell now. I could get one or two good microphones for that much money.

[firedog]

What did the Nakamichi (any top model) and TDK MA-XG tape sound like to you?

 

Had a Nakamichi. It sounded almost as good as my fairly modest (Dual 506) turntable- but not as good. Still couldn't totally eliminate the hiss of the tape without harming the sound of the highs.

 

Digital today - pretty much any pretty good home setup - sounds way better, IMO. It's also possible my phone playing back 256k mp3s on good IEM's sounds much better.

[JS21]

Agee sadly this stuff will never likely make any kind of a comeback. I've still got my Nak, will never sell it, but it never gets used.

 

 

;-)

 

Same here. Still have my NAK RX-202 from maybe 25+ years ago. It's in the closet now and every once in a while I look at it just because. The auto-reverse function was the best and it was quite a showstopper back in the day.

[firedog]

Same here. Still have my NAK RX-202 from maybe 25+ years ago. It's in the closet now and every once in a while I look at it just because. The auto-reverse function was the best and it was quite a showstopper back in the day.

 

Yes, I'd forgotten about that. It was cool to show off. Even the people who didn't appreciate the sound appreciated the auto-reverse function.

[Apesbrain]

I loved my LX-5 with TDK SA tape and Dolby C. Dubbed tons of LPs on that thing and listened to them well into the CD era. Once I went to a server it never got used and someone on Craigslist gave it a new home. Had the wired remote, too.

[NOMBEDES]

What did the Nakamichi (any top model) and TDK MA-XG tape sound like to you?

 

 

 

Well..the Nakamichi Dragon sounded fine to me. But then, most people on this site don't think much of audio memory....right?

 

Bought mine in Japan. Used it for a long time, then one day I was taking it down to the basement to box and store when I missed a step and me and the mighty Dragon went down. I was ok, but the Dragon, sadly, got a nice big dent on one corner. Sold it later for about $25. bucks.

 

I would still have the damn thing, if I could manage stairs better.

[new_media]

Audio cassettes had already peaked by the time I was assembling my first component system in college in the early 90s. I do remember drooling over a Nakamichi Dragon at Hillcrest High Fidelity in Dallas, but at the time I felt my money was better spent on Adcom separates and a Denon CD changer. The auto reverse mechanism was definitely a show stopper.

 

I did end up buying a JVC V-541, which was a fine cassette deck in its own right. I recall recording Eric Clapton Unplugged from MTV before it was available on CD, and my friends were blown away that a cassette recording from TV could sound so good. I ended up selling that deck in about 1998, probably at 2/3 of its original value.

 

[PhilR]

Check out the facebook group "Audio Classics", lots of vintage love there.

[Ralf11]

I still have my last cassette deck - a Nak 680ZX - does not work, but I still have some cassettes that cannot be replicated in digital.

 

 

And then there's this:

[TubeLover]

I still have my Tandberg TCD-330 from that era. It gave up those ghost years ago, but I still think of it fondly. And yes, at the time, having a high end cd deck was certainly impressive to display and demonstrate.

 

JC