Nevertheless the industry has standards. Why would B be set up right but not C? I have heard these assertions before and they are not backed by anything except rumour. I have been using Dolby C for decades and during recording on the three head Nak I have turned the Dolby C off then ON again. Except for more hiss there was no change in frequency response. Maybe this was a problem with cheap decks or certain companies. But to make a general sweeping statement about Dolby C being misaligned is too much. That makes it sound like there is one company on an island somewhere that does all alignment for every deck in the world. Silly!.
Do you service cassette decks? You sound like you actually know what your talking about. How good are you with 2 inch 24 tracks? It is getting harder and harder to find a skilled technician to work on the analog multi-tracks. I don't suppose you live in the Southern Ontsrio area? Can you service DASH 3348HR's?
Actually not true. It is simply a 2:1 compression/expansion. That is why DBX LP records and broadcasts are possible. The problem is when you have a non-linear device such as tape that doesn't record or playback faithful signals, due to said calibration concerns, and tape coercitivity and saturation, and also when there is new noise added that confounds the compander.
There is a phenomenon called "sticky-shed", where the binder used in many reel-to-reel tape formulations degrades when it becomes hydrated, which can lead to the oxide flaking off, and squealing and even stalling from sticky tape head friction. It is less common to be found in high-bias cassette stock.
This actually happened with one of the Chrome cassette tapes made by BASF and it was a pain to clean all those flakes off one of my Nak deck cassette compartment ...
I have been working with analog machines and reel to reel to tape for almost 18 years at our studio. It was only a problem with 3M tape from 1969 - 1982. We only have had to send 3M tapes out to be baked. We have never had the problem with: EMI, Scotch, BASF on any other brand. And I have transfered hundreds masters and 2 inch multi-tracks to Pro Tools. And cassette tape never had the problem. The 3M tape formulations that caused SSS were only used in reel to reel and not cassette. And it was no longer a problem after 1982. You could find it on older cassettes but not on a 90's tape formulation. How old were the tapes? The companies knew about this issue since 1988. It's crazy that they would make a tape with the same dubious receipe. But stuff happens. Some bands recently who used analog tape in the late 90's are having problems. Don't know if it's SSS. But it is some playback issue with analog tape. You think companies would have learned bu now. So I could be wrong .I am wrong all the time.
Sorry have to disagree with you. Been working with DBX for years on Pro equipment. Input and output level is a calibration issue. If the playback azuimth is off the DBX will be off and frequently playback height azimuth was off on even mid priced decks.
Not in the 80's and not in the 90's. I have been buying chrome cassette tape from 1985 - 2000. Never had the problem. Purchased several BASF chrome tapes in 1986. Never had the problem. What year were these BASF tapes made in. Never heard this problem before with a cassettes. It has happend to some people apparently but it was never a major issue like SSS was in our industry. It only took a few years in storage to screw up the tapes. If this had been a major problem in the consumer world it would bankrupted BASF. But then stuff happens doesn't it. Can someone give me the BASF type tape and year (years) this happened.
I have to say with all pride in our site the knowledge of members on here is astounding! Correct. But we haven't had any problems with Scotch. But all the Scotch brands we have had our way were the older 205 and 206. Which may or may not have had the issue. My Uncle knows this stuff better. The 205/206 Scotch are the ones you would use in 2 inch 40 track Stephens. Not saying no other studio didn't have problems with Scotch. Many studios purchased their 2 inch and quarter inch tape in bulk. Some in massive bulk. So some studios had lots of older stock. Which they kept and used. O.k..one or two Scotch needed to be baked. Maybe three. Oh damn.
I have some 7 1/2" reel Scotch open-reel tapes and they were purchased when I bought my first open-reel deck in the mid to late 70's. Over time, the tapes have developed some stickiness ...
We need to bake 1 in every 6 tapes that come in here. Two or three passes and that's all you get. Fortunately setting levels is easy. For us anyway. We use the test tones at the beginning of the tape. Usually it's the 1 000 hz tone @ 0 VU. We play the tape. Right at the beginning there should be the test tones (not always!) Then we turn our DAC input level up to - 18 dbfs. In 24 bit converters 0VU is equal to - 18 dbfs RMS (average not peak).
Never used Type 1 tape. My old Hitachi back in the late 80's and early 90's could only reach 16 000 hz with at least Type 2. With Type 1 tape 14 khz was the best I could get. As soon as I switched to Type 2 the difference in frequency response was amazing. Didn't need a test to know that. When a tape machine can't reach even 15 000 hz the super dull top end is unmistakable.
I'm not a big fan of that rolled off high end either. I purchased a fully serviced/overhauled Dragon and did not care for the sound at all. Which Nak's are you referring to that sound sonically better in your opinion?
All that proves is that the tech guy doesn't know what he is doing. Nackamichi decks are not like any other. Some of them have an automatic azimuth. This alters the height azimuth the playback head for maximum treble. Only Nak had this technology! So unless the technician who has worked on the Dragon has taken a course headed by an actual Nackamichi instructor on how to fix and calibrate the Auto Azimuth then it probably was set up wrong. So instead of playing back the maximum treble it does the reverse. Common problem with getting old Naks restored. Next time when you are in this guys shop look on the walls. He should have the certificate saying that he successfully completed the course. And there was a separate class just for the auto azimuth. Nackamchi decks also have a little pin that during record and playback it pushes the little flimsy felt pad of the cassette out of the way. And there is a course for that too. And sorry but learning to fix the Auto Azimuth from a Utube video doesn't count..LOL The blind leading the blind in that case. Because Nackamichi is a dead company any person can hang a "QUALIFIED NACKAMCHI CASSTTE DECK TECHNICIAN" on their web site. Doesn't mean they are. Unfortunately many of the Nackamichi technicians are either dead, retired, or just don't want to do it anymore. Except for my Unlce's elderly Japanese friend and mentor Tangoura Zimori (85 years old) I know of no other actual Nak tech who still is actively fixing old Naks. If Nakamchi turned out their flagship cassette deck that rolled off the high over 12 khz or whatever it would have been big news in all the audio mags. It would have destroyed Naks reputation. Even a 2 head $200 Sony deck with Metal tape back in 1985 could do at least 17 khz. Or at worse 16 khz! Do you really think one the greatest manufactures of cassette the world would make their flag ship cassette deck so bad? The truth is most of those Naks are restored incorrectly. We have a real Nackamachi technician from Japan who has been keeping our Dragons going for more than 30 years. He laughs at all these posts. He pops by Seven Nations Studio twice a year to test them. In playback always 20 - 20 000 hz +-3db. Let me explain. We own 2 Dragons at our studio. These were purchased new by my Uncle when Nakamachi still made cassette decks. We get quite often old demos on cassette. Or sometimes all that exists of an album is a good cassette copy. Nackamichi was great when the company was new and they serviced their own stuff and you could get parts. But my advice, DON'T BUY ANY NACKAMCHI. It just ain't 1993 anymore.
That might be a somewhat overly pessimistic assessment on the Nakamichi repair state of play. Certainly, in the UK, there are still officially certified repair centres that have continuously serviced decks since cassette's heyday. Who services your decks?
These guys know exactly what they’re doing. Thay are certified specially trained nakamichi specialists with an impeccable record and a massive inventory of spares. They have an impeccable reputation in the U.K. for Nak servicing. The deck I had came back working flawlessly. The truth is, I just don’t like the sound of the Dragon. I’ve heard 2 more since and they all sounded identical. Service info | Bowers and Wilkins
Forgive my overstating of affairs sir. But when I hear more than one member state that the one of the top cassette deck manufacturers of the world's flagship cassette rolls of at 10 khz I have good reason to doubt whom ever serviced it. In this case incompetence is assumed.
So they can't service all Nak decks. Not a 581 or 582. Parts would be very hard to come by if next to impossible. Why does it say they have no information After 1998. Does that mean they can't get parts for Nak decks after 1998 or what? The Dragon came out before 1999 so I am confused. Fine. That's good. But please stop saying that the Dragon rolls off the top end. I am there at his work shop every time Tangoura Zimori (Servicing Naks since 1975) runs the test tones though both the Dragons. And it always comes back 20 - 22 000 hz +-3 db with Type 2 tape.( That 20 - 22 000 hz claim with any tape was not true. I will give you that much) Let's say we agree to disagree. Question. When he ran the test tones through what was the frequency response? Or you were just looking to buy and not having one repaired? I may have misunderstood your situation. I may have a explanation for what you think you heard. Just a hypothesis not saying fact... Do you own a refence headphone amp? I do. I own a Grado R-1. Your are an audiophile so I am gonna assume you own one. Upon first hearing a really good headphone amp the top end seems to be rolled off when in fact the distortion is so low in the head phone amplifier that it makes the top end less prominent. Or less annoying. The same is true for all Hi-Fi equipment . The top end will seems rolled off on a Nad integrated amp compared to a Yamamha. This could be the reason. Just a guess. I just get annoyed by the internet bashing of: Nackamichi, KRK and Rega. Not saying you are bashing but unless you have a test sheet to prove the Dragon roll off I really don't think you should be making assertions. Ears can and do deceive us.
Tangoura Zimori has been servicing Nackamichi decks since 1975. And he had been servicing our Nackamichi Dragons for the last 20 years or more. I called him last last night on the top end roll off issue. He said, "Nackamichi decks are very difficult to service and fix but the Dragon more so..(He laughed) I have seen experienced Nackamichi technicians make mistakes on this model. And parts are very hard to come by. If you need parts for a 581 or 582 then you should make them yourself! Dragons have a very subdued top end because of the output preamp used. Very high end. And some don't like the sound. But properly serviced and aligned a Dragon will be flat at 20 khz. If the technician runs the test tones though the unit and finds the deck rolling off at 15 or 12 khz or whatever then he has made a mistake somewhere or something else is wrong with the unit that he had not discovered. I have been working with Nackamichi cassette decks for more than 40 years. If a Dragon had a top end roll off at 12 khz I would tell the world....I would take an ad out in the paper. I joined the company in 1972 because I believed in their machines. If the flagship failed that badly I would have quit.....
The best I've ever used is any Tascam player but that's usually on the pro/prosumer side. I have a beautiful early 2000's era rack mountable Tascam that was being thrown out of a workplace and I picked it up for any cassettes I might come across.
