Inside a TEAC Z 7000

This is my "like new" Z 7000. A technological tour de' force!

The TEAC Z 7000, a fabled cassette deck from 1982.

The Teac company embarked on a very ambitious project when the cassette deck war was at its peak. The "Z" series composed of 3 fabulous deck the Z 5000, Z 6000 and Z 7000 represented an example of what a research and development department can do when cost is no object.

Some manufacturer's specs are simply amazing: a 20 Hz - 22 Khz freq. response with a Metal tape, 92 dB S/NR with dbx and 0.019% wtd. flutter! One of the biggest and heaviest machines ever made at 40 pounds with 17" wide, almost 7" high and 17" deep. Called by Teac a "master cassette deck", just looking at its size and front panel full of buttons is enough to intimidate even the most seasoned cassette recordist. Perhaps this machine offers the most features of any cassette deck in history. Many un-usual options are present: variable auto-space, fade-in and fade-out that could be adjusted from 0 to 10 seconds! The sync button offers an automatic switching from source to tape that is very convenient for the amateur recordist.

Dolby B, C and DBX are the main filters but also the MPX for radio recordings is included. The meter/display panel is really big and full of indicators that reminds the user of any selection made. Pitch control is available next to the phones level control but TEAC decided to use these fragile and no longer available ALPS controls that after 30+ years of use are really rare to find a unit with these controls intact and fully working. Thanks God we found the perfect substitute at Mouser Electronics... The peak responding meter is easy to read, bright and big.

The "computomatic" system allows the user to program the selections to be played in any order and up to 19 en route. The RC 200 remote control was included with the deck when new, but today many units on the second hands market no longer comes with it. Owners tends to sell the RC under a separate auction at hefty prices ($150.00 up) or are no longer working.

On the right side of the front panel you'll find many buttons that deals with not so common features: search to zero, search to cue, search to record and the spot erase system that permits the recordist to pinpoint a section to be erased as little as 0.3 seconds! Once the position is programmed, the machine do the erasure all by itself! Intro check is another option which makes the deck play the first 10 secs. of each selection recorded.

The main difference between the 7000 and the smaller sister 6000 relies in the tape auto calibration system. Bias, equalization and record level sensitivity is automatically analyzed & calibrated according to the tape. You can choose the amount of "MOL" for each tape (maximum output-level) from low, standard and high mol. I have done recordings on this machine using a high quality metal tape on "high mol" with dbx and definitely is the most close you could ever get to a CD sound (sometimes even better) with no doubt in my mind that it delivers the best dbx encoded sound of any dbx equipped machine out there! It's highly versatile and allow you to store up to 3 different tapes calibration on the 3 available memories. Also, for high energy recordings, the "Hi Extend" button helps adjust the bias automatically for best results and tape's compatibility.

The transport quality is also top notch. Apparently, Teac employed the same hold-back tension used in most open-reel decks. Unlike other dual-capstan transports, the supply hub in the Z-7000 (and Z-6000) provide reverse torque that varies along with the amount of tape on the supply pack. This helps to keep tape tension and tape-to-head contact consistent even between sides of the same cassette. This means that azimuth is consistent throughout the length of each cassette and between sides. So this negates the need for the discrete head design used by Nakamichi and Tandberg. The tape guide for the supply capstan is also ceramic for smoother tape travel. The clutchless and gearless 3-motor transport also adds to the long-term reliability. Each hub is direct driven, as is the leading capstan which is belt-coupled to the supply capstan. Like most Nakamichis the heads and pinch rollers disengage and engage through the activation of motor-driven cams instead of loud and clunky solenoids. Changes between modes are also nearly instantaneous. As a bonus, a pitch control on the front panel allows a user the ability to adjust the speed by ±12 during recording and playback to match the speed of other decks. Most decks with pitch controls only allow for playback speed adjustments.

What else can I say? Let's check how it sounds comparing it to other big leaguers.

A beautiful and full of features machine!

The contenders:

This time, we'll be including the Revox B 215S, the NAD 6300 and the Nakamichi ZX 7. The music selected were Classical, Smooth Jazz, R&B and Salsa. We used a "neutral" deck for recording and this time we used a TEAC Z 6000. As we said before; the 6000 has almost the same electronics of the Z 7000 but the former one has more auto-features. We decided to use a more "neutral" machine for this ocassion instead of our preferred Nak ZX 9 because of the misconception that a tape recorded on a Nak, would sound better on another NAK,so, in order to eliminate this apparent advantage for the ZX 7 over the other contenders, we choose the Z 6000.

No dolby were used and the tape was a BASF Metal Maxima C-90 with 60 seconds segments of music. The ZX 7 was the first one, followed by the B 215S, Z 7000 and the NAD 6300 last.

Since the tape was a high quality Metal, we choose a hot level @ +5db. High energy material were recorded: the opening of Pictures as an Exhibition, Spyrogyra Old San Juan, Daft Punk Lucky and Puerto Rico All Stars Introduction. We were really surprised with the recording quality of the Z 6000! Since all the cassette decks on our collection are calibrated to have the same azymuth compatibility, all the candidates exhibited a top notch performance on all and each one of the recorded material. We decided that instead of differences what we found were just sonic charasteristics of each deck, meaning that we wouldn't waste our time talking shit with imaginable attributes that only exist on our minds, like the audio reviewers do in order to earn their salaries: a lot of irrelevant bull shit instead of the real facts.

Listening Results:

Our listening system is not a 6 figures "non-sense" high end rig. We no longer believe in that. Instead, we used a very vintage audio gear that has nothing to envy systems costing 100 times more because at the end all comes to one very important issue: ACOUSTICS. Our room has professional applied acoustics designed and installed by an Architect specialized in that area,so, forget about spending a leg and a half on absurd components to hear things where there are not! Well, if you can spend a second mortgage on that, no problem with me. All on the contrary: ENJOY...because I was there once.

Pioneer Spec 1 pre

Phase Linear 700 B series ii amp

Tannoy DMT 15 System II monitors

LAT International wires

OK, let's see: we found that the ZX 7 sounds very similar to her older sibling, the ZX 9: tight bass, extended and crystalline highs, nice mids and big soundstage. The Nakamichis has this tendency to go on the bright side due to their eq and heads design unequaled by anyone else, but most people tends to like it. Remember that many fans confuse the "extended highs" with "high fidelity"...well, you know what I'm talking about.

The B 215S came second. I have always been a Revox fanatic all my life since my many years as a Mastering Engineer working for the biggest music companies. Immediately, the Revox forté attribute came out as a rocket: the MIDS! Nothing can compete against this machine on that department. The bass is also strong with a good impact but the highs are more neutral than the ZX 7. The transport, well, what can we say about the best cassette deck transport ever made, ah? Inaudible wow & flutter results in a clean and clear sound. A shame this machine couldn't be fit with a Nak head.

The Z 7000 brought the most impacting and visceral bass ever found on a cassette tape. The sound is similar to the ZX 7 in this aspect because it exhibits a very complete spectrum but remaining a little short on the highs, as we expected. No matter what, the Nak highs are a trademark very dificult to emulate. It's not only the extension, but also the crystalline quality of the sound. Anyway, the Z 7000 is a class all by itself and a engineering tour de'force never equalled by other machine. You wouldn't notice a lack of anything unless you compare it head to head against a high quality Nak. Anyway, it seems to me that in all Teac "Z" series, the bass and mid-lows are their strong attribute, as experienced before with the modest Z 5000 and Z 6000.

Finally, the NAD 6300 is the "cheapest" one of the group, but one that could clearly compete against decks costing almost twice. We tested it with the playtrim adj. in the flat position. No adj. needed as the aymuth compatibility was excellent. The NAD bass and highs are really good. Well, a little "bright" for my taste but what a deck this simple and cold looking machine is! The best part is that you can find one for a very good price. Excellent deck for recording due to its Dyneq and HX PRO combination and also very good for playback when using its playtrim thing. Again, it tends to record also a little bright but for some folks with dull sounding decks and/or systems, this will come as an extra benefit. Unfortunately, it lacks a lot of useful features and needed indicators but if you are just looking for a good sound and the best bang for the money look no more. This is it. Just keep in mind that the supply roller "tape eating" habit is a usual malaise with this model. You need to keep it with new belts, good conditioned rollers and the proper back tension specs. Otherwise you'll be chewing your most precious tapes in no time, baby! By the way, the soundstage on this machine is also very wide.

Conclussion:

If you listen to them "blind", you'll like it all until you start comparing each one against the others. ZX-7:The most easy to indentify is the Nakamichi because it has the best "overall" sound of all 4. B 215S: As soon as you hit the play button on the B 215S, you can easily identify the best mids among the group.Z 7000:The same goes with the low freqs. listened through the Z 7000. On the 6300 is just a matter of personal taste. Some would like it and some others not. Its big soundstage is something worth to mention. You'll notice it.

So, which one do I prefer? If I could only keep one of these decks I'll have to choose the Z 7000. Why? Simply because it balances the most features ever found on a deck with a terrific sound. Specially if you wish to make pro-like editions and enjoy a full automatic "this and that", this is the deck to have. Construction wise nothing come close and the visual impression it cause, even on seasoned recordists, is simply incredible. Unfortunately, parts are already scarce for this monster as well as qualified technicians to deal with it. The ALPS potentiometers are a pain in the ass and even on "NOS" Z 7000, like the one I have, still a problem! The weight, size and complexity of this machine is also a handicap for many, so take these facts into consideration when buying one...if you find it!

From the practical point of view the Revoxes still the best way to go as parts and techs are highly available and once you do a complete overhaul on one of these classics, you could have a "like new" machine for many years to come! Not so with the Z 7000.

I'm very fortunate to have all 3 from the famous TEAC "Z" series and all 3 are excellent decks. In my own understanding, this series represents a clear epitome of cassette deck engineering from Teac and many other brands included. They were not sold in big numbers and TEAC never recoup the investment, but they left a strong legacy in the world of cassette recording. A legacy that continues even today.

Above, all 3 "Z" Series decks together with some other Nakamichi...