Nakamichi Dragon: After having coveted this deck for some time, and having other high-end tape decks like the CR7 and the Revox B215, I just had to dish out top euro for a near mint one.
The main reason for getting it was the automatic azimuth adjustment since I have hundreds of tapes recorded on numerous non Nakamichi decks. I had other decks but had to let them go because of the playback high frequency roll off due to azimuth mis-adjustment. The CR7 has manual azimuth adjustment but I needed the convenience of an automatic system. Hence, enter the beast called the DRAGON

I must say the playback characteristics are amazing by virtue of the NAAC auto azimuth. This coupled with their fine electronics produces the crystal clear sound I have come to love.

However, I do find some shortcomings in the design. First, the tape EQ selector, Dolby setting switches and tape/source buttons are far too small and have no LED lights for quick identification of settings, which would be expected of a high-end cassette deck.
A large section of the front is reserved for the tape calibration of the 3 tape types and channels comprising of no less than18 buttons in all, which look amazing in their design concept but are not as often used as the aforementioned buttons for Dolby and tape selection.

The other factor to consider when buying it is that due to the complexity of its mechanism, it is sure to require servicing one day. So anyone who is interested in this deck must factor that in. Fortunately there are still people who service it like B&W in Europe and others in the US. Cutting corners or confiding repairs to non experienced techs is definitely out of the question here.

Despite this design flaw mentioned above and the inherent cost of repair, I am very satisfied with this fine deck and it is right up there with the REVOX B215 and Nakamichi CR7 in terms of sound quality and am confident that it will bring many years of musical enjoyment.

The Nakamichi Dragon can only be called "Amazing". I am using it from about 1990.
It has excellent recording capability and the Play-back is better than CDs. They sound kind of harsh/tizzy/
The NAK gives out a smooth well rounded and full-bodied sound, nothing lacking.

Best Cassette Deck money can buy. (Nearly equaled by the legendary Pioneer CT-F1250.)

They don't like to be ignored but if you have any intution at all and some white lithium grease you can make ithe transport dead quiet when in operation in about a minute. I've had mine for 10 years and never had a minutes trouble. The Pioneer is "needier" and has to be fooled with pretty regularly to keep it up to snuff....

This is not acctually a review, just a comment. Crazy as it sounds i opened it yesterday from its box. My father got it many years ago but the machine was never pluged in.

Analog sound : vitality , smoothness , depth , width , space , airiness , glow , and everything.

what a pity the analog recording dies. hard discks , memory cards ,flsh cards are not wellcome.

A masterpiece of electronic engineering and functionality. Its sound is superior to 2005 model hard disck and cd players, it even compete to Sacd and DVD-AUDIO format , and is equal to the best reel to reel tape decks. Its so enjoyable to play and record with this deck and it is as stable as the best tape decks ,like REVOX B77II . As the vinyl and the SET amplifiers are the king of the hi-end yet and all the sources and amps are compared to them as a reference standard , and many of the sacd's and DVD-AUDIO and cd's are masterd from this old technology!!! THE ANALOG MASTER TAPES AND LP's.!!! The sound of the very high priced high-end solid state amps are compared to the old technology of the valve amps( TUBE LIKE SOUND , TUBE WRAMTH ,VALVE VITALITY , TUBE LIKE SMOOTHNESS ) The Dragon also has this spirit and vitality : the analog sound.

Similar Products Used:

REVOX B77II , TASCAM reel to reel tape decks. sony(tc-k777es -tc-k6es) and pioneer(CT-93 ,CT-95) high-end cassette decks.

built very strugged and built in tone box. sound stage is very detailed ,frequency range is wide.

hard to get rubber band for motors drive.

I had my nak dragon for over 20years.It has been a blessing in audio analog tapes better than sterile CD's. I enjoyed it from time to time recording my old record's. I find it can be adjusted to anyone listen ear and can beat cd disc with depth and sound stage from this machine. I have open reel 10.5" reels that I test out my Nak sound but only one thing that bugs me is the parts are slowly being fazed out of production. I will keep this machine around until I die or my house burns down. The sound stage is very wide and detailed in the music to hear everything in that song. The best machine on the market by far!! I would rather give up my wife than let my Nak go.

Similar Products Used:

DR-2, TEAC X-10R, Tandberg 440, Nak 680ZX

Wonderful sound, makes tapes that sound better than CD's....provided the source is up to the job. Beautiful to look at. Quiet running.

Complex machine. Expensive to service and refurbish. (Plan on about a grand to get it "better than new") (Quit whining and go play your CD then)

Unlike other reviewers here, my Nakamichi Dragon was completely serviced by Electronics Service Labs in Connecticut... where they actually know what they're doing!!! This machine makes tapes that sound fantastic. My VPI Aries turntable plays the records and the Dragon makes the tapes. WOW!! They sound better than CD's! It IS a complex machine, and it does make fantastic recordings (and plays them back).

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer autoreverse tape decks

Very warm and precise sonund, tape calibrating facilities, auto azimuth, auto reverse, the look.

Sometimes hard to get used to, build quality is well below it's price range, gets unadjusted by itself from time to time etc... You should treat it like a lady. It is very expensive to get fixed, also.

This deck looks fine and has a plenty of features, of which I liked the NAAC most of all. The sound is warm and very precise, it is obvious that it has a very good high frequency response. Compatibility with the tapes made on other decks is excellent. But, this deck is very sensitive to the way you use it. It is very very complicated, with electronics that is pretty hard to service and mechanism is it's own story, the serviceman should have previous experience in Nakamichi decks in order to service it (for instance, the rubber idler which should be replaced every 5-10 years is very hard to replace, and so are other two belts). The build quality is very below it's price range, with too much plastic parts (the buttons), although the plastic is of a good quality (Nak 670ZX for instance uses long lasting metal buttons). Direct tests to Teac Z-6000 (list price 2000 EUR) showed that Dragon plays better tapes made on other machines, but details especially on high frequences are the same, and TEAC Z6000 is much much better build machine. I personally find Revox B215 much better of them both in any way. The system used to test was: Sony CDP-X555ES (1999. year model) Meridian 101/105 Pre/power heavily modified Viktor Bradac custom made speakers So, finally: sound: ***** build: ** durability and reliability: * facilities: **** overall: **

Similar Products Used:

Teac Z-6000, Sony TC-K970ES, Yamaha KX-1200, Denon DR-M 33 and 44, Revox B215, Nakamichi 670ZX and more than 60 other decks

Auto azimuth for playback of old recordings, if you can stand it.

Too many to list, but here are a few important ones: No Dolby S, No HX-Pro, Too much Hiss-sss, Inadequate Dynamic Range when compared to today's best decks, Redundant Controls, Cluttered front panel (audiophile designs are simple), Expensive Repairs, Unreliable operation for long term use.

I, like many other Nakamichi fans before and after me, bought into the mystique of the Dragon. The allure the Dragon's front panel architecture would have captured the respect of Frank Lloyd-Wright, with its jutting angular controls and endless array of left and right calibrations. One look inside of this machine and one cannot help but be amazed and marvel at its intricate design. Nevertheless, is it up to the performance, reliability and build quality of today's best cassette decks? In my opinion, the answer is a resounding NO! The Dragon is relegated to a mere Bronze at best, when compared to today's Gold and Silver medal winners, like the Sony TC-KA7ES and the TC-KA5ES, respectively. I owned all three decks at one time or another and was happy to have sold my Dragon for a hefty profit, to a wide-eyed Naaky, in favor of Japan's best-kept secret. The auto azimuth feature on the Dragon is still unmatched, however. The best thing about the Dragon is that they can be found around town at local hi-fi consignment shops for very reasonable prices, ($500.00 or less, don't pay more.) Then, turn around and sell it on eBay to someone who is naively willing to pay substantially more.

Similar Products Used:

Sony TC-KA5ES