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- Jun 18, 2024
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- 23
Hi all,
What causes different output levels/volume levels between tape decks of the same manufacturer? I have five Nakamichi decks, and they each get loud to different degrees, which I only noticed when I used the headphone jacks on them. I used the same tape and headphones on all five decks last night to compare, and one of my ZX-9s is the quietest, with comfortable listening level when the output knob is at max, but not as loud as I want for some types of music (I like LOUD music sometimes, but I'm one of those idiots who likes to stand by the speakers at shows, so take that as you will). My other ZX-9 and my ZX-7 and CR-7A are a little louder, but still the volume isn't as loud as I would expect at max output. Then my RX-505 gets louder than I'd ever need if I go past 12'o'clock on the output knob (this was the case with my former Pioneer CT-F1250, 950, and 650 decks--they each got louder than necessary before the knob was even halfway up. It was only when I switched to Naks that everyone said it's normal to leave the output knob at max when using headphones.).
What explains the difference in output here? All decks have been recently serviced by professional and reputed Nak techs (as in, I sent them off for service myself and I bought them all from tapehead-types who regularly service their equipment and had the invoices to prove service. The only deck I bought off of eBay was one of the ZX-9s which just got a full overhaul).
The CR-7A, the quieter ZX-9 and the 505 were all serviced by the same tech using original Nak tapes, with the latter two having just been serviced (they arrived home yesterday) and the CR-7A having been serviced just two years ago. The slightly louder ZX-9 was serviced by Willy Hermann a couple years ago. The ZX-7 was serviced by a reputable tech on TH one year ago.
They've all been overhauled and fully recapped. So I can only assume the discrepancy is due to some combination of the electronic components involved in each design, along with the test tapes/equipment used for calibrating each?
I know this is probably an obsessive-compulsive sort of thing to bother me, but if it's normal then I'll let it go. But I just would've thought every deck from the same manufacturer would be adjusted to the same output level, or at least the same model of deck.
I should add: each deck sounds very, very good. Heads are in great shape for each according to the techs that worked on each, and the sound corroborates that to my ears. They all operate perfectly well. It's just the headphone jacks on each don't seem capable of the same level of output.
I do have a headphone amp (Feliks Audio Euforia) and (obviously) amps (Octave V70SE with Black Box, and PrimaLuna EVO 400 Integrated) for playing them through speakers, and the difference in output is not an issue then (which is why I only noticed it when I used headphones straight into the deck). But I often use the jack in the deck itself just because I don't have to fuss with switching the interconnects to my headphone amp. But I'm just curious about the discrepancy in output and what might explain it. Is it just a matter of a confluence of factors: different techs have different test tapes and equipment, different models have different headphone amp circuits or other design differences, different biasing philosophies, etc.? I know analog is a matter of trade-offs so I just want to know if this difference in output is nothing to worry about.
Thanks for coming to my OCD TedTalk.
What causes different output levels/volume levels between tape decks of the same manufacturer? I have five Nakamichi decks, and they each get loud to different degrees, which I only noticed when I used the headphone jacks on them. I used the same tape and headphones on all five decks last night to compare, and one of my ZX-9s is the quietest, with comfortable listening level when the output knob is at max, but not as loud as I want for some types of music (I like LOUD music sometimes, but I'm one of those idiots who likes to stand by the speakers at shows, so take that as you will). My other ZX-9 and my ZX-7 and CR-7A are a little louder, but still the volume isn't as loud as I would expect at max output. Then my RX-505 gets louder than I'd ever need if I go past 12'o'clock on the output knob (this was the case with my former Pioneer CT-F1250, 950, and 650 decks--they each got louder than necessary before the knob was even halfway up. It was only when I switched to Naks that everyone said it's normal to leave the output knob at max when using headphones.).
What explains the difference in output here? All decks have been recently serviced by professional and reputed Nak techs (as in, I sent them off for service myself and I bought them all from tapehead-types who regularly service their equipment and had the invoices to prove service. The only deck I bought off of eBay was one of the ZX-9s which just got a full overhaul).
The CR-7A, the quieter ZX-9 and the 505 were all serviced by the same tech using original Nak tapes, with the latter two having just been serviced (they arrived home yesterday) and the CR-7A having been serviced just two years ago. The slightly louder ZX-9 was serviced by Willy Hermann a couple years ago. The ZX-7 was serviced by a reputable tech on TH one year ago.
They've all been overhauled and fully recapped. So I can only assume the discrepancy is due to some combination of the electronic components involved in each design, along with the test tapes/equipment used for calibrating each?
I know this is probably an obsessive-compulsive sort of thing to bother me, but if it's normal then I'll let it go. But I just would've thought every deck from the same manufacturer would be adjusted to the same output level, or at least the same model of deck.
I should add: each deck sounds very, very good. Heads are in great shape for each according to the techs that worked on each, and the sound corroborates that to my ears. They all operate perfectly well. It's just the headphone jacks on each don't seem capable of the same level of output.
I do have a headphone amp (Feliks Audio Euforia) and (obviously) amps (Octave V70SE with Black Box, and PrimaLuna EVO 400 Integrated) for playing them through speakers, and the difference in output is not an issue then (which is why I only noticed it when I used headphones straight into the deck). But I often use the jack in the deck itself just because I don't have to fuss with switching the interconnects to my headphone amp. But I'm just curious about the discrepancy in output and what might explain it. Is it just a matter of a confluence of factors: different techs have different test tapes and equipment, different models have different headphone amp circuits or other design differences, different biasing philosophies, etc.? I know analog is a matter of trade-offs so I just want to know if this difference in output is nothing to worry about.
Thanks for coming to my OCD TedTalk.
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