I think it's the Nakamichi Dragon that's considered the best sounding tape deck but also requires a lot of maintenance? Is there an expert in the US that's considered the go-to guy for working on them? Hopefully he sells them too.
Willy Hermann is often cited. Last time I called him, he was too swamped to accept any orders. ES Labs is the other place often cited (U.S.) and the guy there is Jeff eslabs.com
Second the above. Usually technicians do not get into sales, so your best path forward ideally is to find a good used audio shop with a decent warranty policy that uses one of the top techs. Otherwise you'll have to get a functioning unit and send it off to a tech, either right away or when it inevitably breaks down. I'd also suggest poking around on the TapeHeads forum to see what models would be equal to the Dragon which has an insane demand if you can't locate one. Plenty of other great Nakamichi models out there.
This would be only for playback, not recording, but I think I remember reading that the Dragon is king in that regard?
Never had one but in my mind there's no question the auto-azimuth feature solves a lot of the issues with pre-recorded cassettes making it really hard to compare directly against other models. Still the prices people are asking online for clean Hermann serviced ones are going over $7k now so I'm just suggesting another 3-head Nak might get you 90% of the way there for a lot less and give you an idea of the Nak house sound before investing heavily, but TapeHeads is the real compendium of knowledge on the subject.
There are a few models that are considered as Nakamichis best, Dragon is one of them but there are also the ZX-9, ZX-7 as well as the CR-7. I've a Nak 582 which is a fully manual adjustable deck, it's great sounding and a great recording deck. It's dream to maintain in good running order as it's much easier to service than the more complex models mentioned. Highly recommended!
How about the 680ZX? I had one years ago and it was an excellent tape deck in all regards. Nakamichi 680ZX Discrete Head Cassette Deck The asking prices for the 680ZX seem quite a bit less than the Dragon. Used Nakamichi 680ZX Tape recorders for Sale | HifiShark.com
I don't know, I'll be playing only prerecorded cassettes so I think the Dragon would be ideal. Are there other great ones with auto-azimuth?
Dragon sounds superb but very complex. Check out other 3-head Naks as they are very good. Tapeheads can provide insight.
In your case, look for a Nak with playback head azumuth adjustment (as opposed to record head azimuth adjustment).
I had a Willy refurbished one and it's the only piece of audio equipment that I regret selling. When Willy sent mine back he said just play it regularly and it'll last for years. They are complex but a restored Dragon is a reliable deck. Thanks to the NAAC on the Dragon cheap prerecorded cassettes sound great.
There are a lot of people who think the last Tanberg machine, the 3014 is better sounding than any Nakamichi. It is often referred to as the "Dragon Slayer."
Buy quality, corr Except for no spare parts, and service support very sparse. Tandberg machines also tend to be finicky on a good day.
Truly crazy and unique is the Nagra PS-1. It is a cassette recorder that played a unique type of cassette--JBR--which is a proprietary Nagra cassette that holds tape that is extracted from the cassette to play and record (sort of like the Elcaset--remember that format?). This machine was extraordinarily expensive, something like $20,000 in the mid 1980's. I have never seen one, but, it is reputed to be the best ever cassette-type machine.
If not too late.. contact @perryinva and that guy will take care of your dragon or not sure if he has one for sale. Anyways he's just around. Another good ones are ZX7, 682 zx, 680 zx, CR-7, BX-300...
tascam 112 decks are also very good. probably not Nak good, but reliable and good sounding. they were the broadcast/studio standard for many years.
