Topic: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?

[dallman]

These prices are so crazy. I bought my CR-2A sometime in the early 00's off Craigslist for $35. No one wanted them then.

It may be that the CR-2A is not that sought after.  It is not a three head deck.

That may be the case but as happens in the world of reselling sometimes a great product goes unnoticed perhaps because the printed specs do not tell the whole story. I have the CR-2A (2 head) and the CR-3A (3 head). They both sound and work great. The 3A though with auto stop is a little temperamental with stopping occasionally on an old cassette, and most of my cassettes are old or older but the 2A is just a workhorse that never seems to wear down or have issues. True it does not have all the fine tuning, but it does the job.

[nak700s]

P.S.: I just wrote to "Pro Digital Inc." ... just three hours away via Amtrak ...

I had mentioned Pro Digital earlier in this thread.  I am planning to bring my CR-7A to them when I have a couple hundred bucks to spare.  Please keep us (me) informed how things go with them.  I've used them in the past for other things, and have been very happy with their work, and they were fair with their prices.

[DSatz]

nak700s, will do.

dallman, the preference for three-head decks isn't only because they allow "live" monitoring while recording. The optimum gap width for a record head and for a playback head are different; any two-head deck is a compromise from the start. Separate record and playback heads can each to be optimized for best frequency response (especially at low frequencies) and dynamic range (especially at high frequencies).

Furthermore, the procedure for adjusting any tape deck for recording on a specific type of tape is FAR more efficient and straightforward if the deck allows monitoring while recording. It's an almost unbelievable PITA to adjust the record bias on a two-head deck; you have to estimate, record test tones, rewind, play them back and measure them, then repeat the process until the adjustments converge on the result that you want. With a three-head deck you simply monitor the output while adjusting the bias "in real time"--allowing a slight delay for the time it takes the tape to travel from the record head to the playback head.

--best regards

[dallman]

nak700s, will do.

dallman, the preference for three-head decks isn't only because they allow "live" monitoring while recording. The optimum gap width for a record head and for a playback head are different; any two-head deck is a compromise from the start. Separate record and playback heads can each to be optimized for best frequency response (especially at low frequencies) and dynamic range (especially at high frequencies).

Furthermore, the procedure for adjusting any tape deck for recording on a specific type of tape is FAR more efficient and straightforward if the deck allows monitoring while recording. It's an almost unbelievable PITA to adjust the record bias on a two-head deck; you have to estimate, record test tones, rewind, play them back and measure them, then repeat the process until the adjustments converge on the result that you want. With a three-head deck you simply monitor the output while adjusting the bias "in real time"--allowing a slight delay for the time it takes the tape to travel from the record head to the playback head.

--best regards

All of which brings me back to the days I was making cassette after cassette. It was rewarding work though...
 

[nak700s]

I love It when a plan comes together, or in this case, falls into my lap.  Yesterday I saw an add on facebook in a group I'm in regarding stereo repair, which specifically mentioned cassette recorder repair.  I commented asking about their experience with Nakamichi decks, to which I got a reply saying they have repaired 100's of them.  I still need to speak to them, but did mention the CR-7A that I have, with a brief description of the problem.  They seem legit so far, but I'll feel them out before dealing with them.  They are located in Huntington, NY (Long Island).  I will report back here either way...  Let's hope it's a good, reliable and fair priced outlet for us.