Topic: azimuth adjustment query..

[ellaguru]

hello friends,,,a good local taping friend loaned me a nak rx505 for some crucial dubs to the digital realm.  some of these master cassettes that im transferring have a bit of 'wave-y' sound due to the mis aligned heads on the master deck, a d6.  now this great nak deck has the adjustment screws for azimuth, but im still a little leary about doing it without any advice/guidance...id wager theres a taper or 2 that perhaps educate me a bit on this process?   

thanks in advance

chris

[Roving Sign]

Unfotunately you really need an auto-azimuth deck for those D6 tapes with the wandering azimuth...the wave-y sound is from the azimuth moving...there really isnt any "right" place to set it - since it is moving...

Usually it was just the beginings and ends of the tapes that would be affected - common D6 problem.

[ellaguru]

Unfotunately you really need an auto-azimuth deck for those D6 tapes with the wandering azimuth...the wave-y sound is from the azimuth moving...there really isnt any "right" place to set it - since it is moving...

Usually it was just the beginings and ends of the tapes that would be affected - common D6 problem.

some tapes are like that and some are just 'off'...side 'b' tape starts were brutal on that d6...not too sure of the exact deck(s) that these were made on, so it'll be a learning experience for sure.  this nak is a tank...at least compared to my sony es deck   
thanks for the info...

chris

[ellaguru]

...and who makes an 'auto azimuth' deck?? 

chris

[kskreider]

Nakamichi Dragon

[ellaguru]

Nakamichi Dragon

interesting...wonder how it can detect 'what to do' when its was needed to adjust....

chris

[kskreider]

You'd have to get someone else to pipe up on how the Dragon's operate.  I tried one for a couple of months and absolutely HATED it.

[tilomagnet]

Nakamichi Dragon

interesting...wonder how it can detect 'what to do' when its was needed to adjust....

chris

I own a Nak Dragon. I don't think NAAC does continuously monitor the azimuth throughout the tape though. It checks for correct azimuth once you put the deck into play and it will re-check the settings in case it detects a short period of silence on the tape. If the music plays continuously on the cassette without silent spots in between I don't think the deck will re-adjust the azimuth, but it will keep the original setting that it adjusted to at the beginning of the tape.

[KenH]

fwiw, back in the cassette trading days I fiddled w/ azimuth adjustment by ear. Pretty easy to do imo when the whole tape is off (when the playback deck is not the same as the recording deck).  It made a HUGE difference at times, most especially when the tape was encoded w/ Dolby.  I guess it's optimal if you have a reference tape or something to get it back to where it should be.   

Used to do this on a workhorse Onkyo deck and a NAK don't remember the model.

/Ken