Nakamichi 480 (I've been a bad boy!)

derek92994

derek92994

Veteran and General Yakker
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May 1, 2013
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Oxygen Free
Ok this is how it goes, I'm saving up for another audio item and I promised myself I would not spend anything on audio gear until seeing THIS. Damn it, I could not resist. A Nakamichi 480 2 head, dual capstan (with pressure pad lifter!) cassette deck for $70. Just got a back payment from previous employer so that was my excuse to go for it, and there is still money left over to throw towards saving for the Phase Linear.
I turned up to the guy's house and he stated that 3 years ago he had $350 worth of servicing done on the unit, which after internal inspection I believe has been done, or close to anyway. New belts, decent idler tire, new pinch rollers, listening to it now sounds so warm and clear. Tape path was dirty so gave it an intense clean and de-magnetize, checked internals, all good. I did not think the 480 would be so nice sounding, sure surprised me, very happy with this purchase. Comments are welcome =).












 
Great deck and an awesome score! I'm sure you enjoy it at the max there. It looks stunning for those money you payed for. :thumbleft:
 
VintageShadow said:
Great deck and an awesome score! I'm sure you enjoy it at the max there. It looks stunning for those money you payed for. :thumbleft:
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Thanks man, just a slight mode belt bug at this stage, it just reared its ugly head, I should have it sorted within the hour =).
 
Slightly adjustments are needed many times, i'm sure you can make it and you are a skilled guy. This NAKA is lucky having you. :-P
 
VintageShadow said:
Slightly adjustments are needed many times, i'm sure you can make it and you are a skilled guy. This NAKA is lucky having you. :-P
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I am not a professional, rather am self taught. I recently acquired a technics deck with a mode belt issue, that was a real bitch to fix, this Nak was easy to fix mode belt wise, didn't even have to take the mechanism apart, great design!
 
derek92994 said:
I am not a professional, rather am self taught. I recently acquired a technics deck with a mode belt issue, that was a real bitch to fix, this Nak was easy to fix mode belt wise, didn't even have to take the mechanism apart, great design!
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I know about the Technics, great deck BTW, no need to be a pro to do the right things, passion and skills guides you like they guides me too, i also love to play with their internals but obviously just when needed, so good to see something coming right straight from your hands. :-P
 
Ok mode belt fixed, slight azimuth adjustment as well, running very nicely. It is not as bright as my Denon DR-F7 deck but it is more "balanced" in the sound with deeper bass.
 
The only fault I have found so far is the fact that the EX/SX/ZX buttons have no effect on sound (like Normal/Cr02/Metal). The 120/70 button works though. My Nakamichi BX-1 has this issue to. Are there any Nakamichi experts out there know if this is normal and if not, what can be done to fix it?
 
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bobbysdad said:
have you tried it recording using those diff settings yet to see if they work?
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They are supposed to make a difference in the sound on playback as well. I am about to test a chrome tape in it recording something, will select the chrome option to start with and tinker with the other settings to see if there is any difference.
 
derek92994 said:
The only fault I have found so far is the fact that the EX/SX/ZX buttons have no effect on sound (like Normal/Cr02/Metal).
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That affect bias value just when recording, so EX for typeI, SX-typeII and ZX-typeIV, obviously the EQ button will affect the playback but not the bias button. The fact is that the bias is separately by EQ so you can even record typeII at 120us and this might be a nice feature.
 
derek92994 said:
They are supposed to make a difference in the sound on playback as well. I am about to test a chrome tape in it recording something, will select the chrome option to start with and tinker with the other settings to see if there is any difference.
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hopefully something as simple as spraying some de-oxit into those switches and working them a bit may solve your problem, otherwise it could be the logic chip and that would be bad.
 
VintageShadow said:
That affect bias value just when recording, so EX for typeI, SX-typeII and ZX-typeIV, obviously the EQ button will affect the playback but not the bias button. The fact is that the bias is separately by EQ so you can even record typeII at 120us and this might be a nice feature.
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You are right there, I just did a test recording and the buttons made a difference, I could hear the recording toggling through them on playback. So the buttons do work and that is a good sign. This thing records STRONG, very very nice. Must load up a real nice tape and put some mannheim steamroller on it.

Thanks for the advice there George, I must get some of the de-oxit stuff for the future in case the need arises.
 
Derek: Nice deck with a good service history. Too bad you missed out on the Nakamichi Travelling Tape(s) on TH that just wound up a short time ago. I was the last to contribute to the TT. I recorded both TT s to MiniDisc, before returning them to the originator. The BX-150, I used to record my selections, did an admirable job for a $100 deck. Once I sit down to listen to all the different decks used in recording I will be able to distinguish which deck I prefer. I have a line on two Naks: a BX-300 and a 682 ZX. I'm leaning towards the latter.

Nando.
 
Elite-ist said:
Derek: Nice deck with a good service history. Too bad you missed out on the Nakamichi Travelling Tape(s) on TH that just wound up a short time ago. I was the last to contribute to the TT. I recorded both TT s to MiniDisc, before returning them to the originator. The BX-150, I used to record my selections, did an admirable job for a $100 deck. Once I sit down to listen to all the different decks used in recording I will be able to distinguish which deck I prefer. I have a line on two Naks: a BX-300 and a 682 ZX. I'm leaning towards the latter.

Nando.
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The 682 ZX would walk all over the BX-300 I'd imagine.
 
Here's a picture of Robert's 682 ZX I may be considering for purchase. He has had a number of choice equipment over the past 20, or so, years. I trust his opinion when he says of all the Nakamichi decks he has owned, this one records and plays back the nicest.



Nando.
 
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