The Fabled Nakamichi DRAGON
One of my 3 Dragons singing on a table.
So many things has been said about this wonderful cassette deck that I just decided to compile significant segments of the most important articles that has been written about it. The Nakamichi Dragon has obtained such a unique cult status among the Hi Fi circles that even those not strictly related to audio recognize, or at least has heard about the Dragon. None other deck that I know of could claim this kind of prestige. We are not saying that it is the "ultimate" word in cassette deck technology, but at least we can assure and personally attest of its sonic qualities, advance technology, vast popularity and that indeed is the world's best recognized cassette deck in the history of audio. With a long production run of 11 years, the longest of any similar product, the Dragon represents the epitome of audio cassette reporduction anywhere around the world.
So many others has been called "Dragon slayers" and this is proof enouh that this machine has become the absolute standard in the cassette deck arena as every other brand use to compare itself against the Dragon: The Tandberg 3014, TEAC Z 7000, AIWA, SONY, REVOX B 215, etc. You named it! Unfortunately, none other deck has the same features, attributes and sonic qualities as the Nakamichi Dragon has. You can find decks with better transports (Revox B 215), with more features (TEAC Z 7000), digital converters (AIWA) and with faster winding speed (Tandberg 31014) but none of them can combined the same amount of technology, advancement and sound quality in one package as the Dragon has. NONE. This thing is so serious that it has created a series of revolts on many audio forums and cassette deck's aficionado pages simply because you'll always find people reluctant to accept the written truth about what Nakamichi represents in the history of audio in general, specifically in the development of the audio cassette as a serious contender in the high end nirvana. Nobody used to take this kind of tape media seriously until Nakamichi came out with the old fabled Nakamichi 1000. That event marked the beginning of a legend known today as NAKAMICHI.
Stock photo of a nakamichi Dragon's Ad
Let's check these interesting excerpts from the most recognized audio magazines:
"With an 11-year production run that ended in 1993, the Nakamichi Dragon epitomized cassette-deck technology, and to many enthusiasts, it was considered the Holy Grail of what could be accomplished at 1 7/8 i.p.s. A three-head deck with discrete heads for recording, playback and erase, it used Nakamichi’s NAAC auto azimuth correction to optimize playback azimuth on any tape played. While some other Nakamichi models used an adjustable record azimuth, the Dragon concentrated on the playback domain. This resulted in a Nakamichi deck that could play back tapes recorded on other manufacturers’ machines as well as doing a great job with pre-recorded tapes." Tone Audio
Two of my three Nakamichi Dragons
"With a tape speed of 1 7/8 inches per second, the cassette wasn’t initially considered a high-fidelity format, but thanks to the fierce competition among cassette-deck manufacturers, sound quality advances quickly elevated the format’s status. Nakamichi emerged as the uncontested king of the hill when it built the world’s first three-head machine in 1973. That deck, the 1000, had separate playback, record, and erase heads, and some owners thought it sounded as good as the better open-reel tape machines. While Nakamichi may have looked like an overnight sensation in the U.S., the company was founded in 1948 in Tokyo, Japan. In 1982, it raised the ante yet again with the Dragon, the ultimate consumer-cassette machine."
"The feature that made the Dragon the new plus ultra deck was its Automatic Azimuth Correction technology. With this technology, all tapes—even prerecorded ones—were played in perfect alignment to ensure accurate and airy, high-frequency response (and for both “sides” of the tape). The Dragon’s downside was that its record bias settings weren’t automated, as they were on many other high-end decks. The Dragon required hand tweaking to optimize recording quality. But if you got it right, it was really right. Nakamichi’s tape transport mechanism used different sized diameters (and, hence, rotational speeds) for the two capstans and flywheels to ensure the smoothest possible tape movement over the record and playback heads. To deal with tape hiss inherent with the Compact Cassette format, the Dragon had Dolby B and C noise reduction, but Nakamichi never added the more advanced Dolby HX Pro."
"Priced at $2,499, the Dragon was targeted at serious high-end clientele. It was discontinued in 1993 after an 11-year production run. Used Dragons still regularly show up on eBay and go for $600 to $1,000." Sound & Vision Magazine
One of my Dragons back from Willy Hermann
Nakamichi DRAGON
At least, this one is well remembered :) "The usual debate surrounding the originalDRAGON isn't as interesting as what this monster did represent in 1983 : it was the most one could do without actually altering the Compact Cassette format's physical structure like the ELCASET did (ie. open-reel in a cassette) or Luxman's X-3K prototype should have done by completely pulling the tape out of the cassette's shell thus removing any rotating movements from the tape. Really pushing the format to the limit and selling quite well, the DRAGON became the one show-stopper until cassettes got replaced by digital tapes, recordable CD and, ultimately, hard-drives and SSDs. Marantz/Philips used its own MAAC split-track auto-azimuth control in the 1983 SD-930 : same concept but a very different implementation, perhaps more rational. The actual licensing of NAAC/MAAC may therefore have been also split or come from elsewhere... This probably worked and despite its near $2,000 pricing, Nakamichi sold many many manyDragons throughout the world until the very late 1980 and as late as 1994 in Japan"
The Vintage Knob
The Dragon in front of top contenders
"Nakamichi was founded in 1948 by Etsuro Nakamichi. Nakamichi rose to prominence as the most respected and enamored cassette deck designer and manufacturer in history. While Nakamichi extended its design brilliance into the categories of turntables, CD playback, and amplifiers, and car stereos, it never could restore its preeminent status in the world of high end audio. After a series of bankruptcies and re-organizations, the company still does business today (mostly in the lifestyle audio category), albeit without much of the acclaim and fanfare that marked its prime years."
"Nakamichi built on the success of its first models by releasing a slew of new models in the mid to late 1970s, including the 480, 580, 680, and 680ZX models, the latter introducing the company's Auto Azimuth Alignment feature and overall raising the bar in the category. Late in the decade, Nakamichi followed up on the 680ZX by introducing its most ambitious decks to date, the 700ZXL and 1000ZXL."
"From there came the onset of digital audio, and the beginning of the (relative) end for Nakamichi. After CD began to dominate the market, Nakamichi released its Dragon CD playback system. While featuring a stunning cosmetic and mechanical makeup, and a robust dampening system within a multi-disc transport mechanism, the unit's sound quality didn't fully impress audiophile critics, delivering a stunning blow to the company as it tried to reclaim its industry leading status within this new format. Utilizing its state-of-the-art mechanical engineering capabilities, around the same time Nakamichi also released the groundbreaking 'TX-1000' and 'Dragon' turntables, which featured the amazing "Absolute Center Search" that compensated for off-center holes in LPs by custom aligning a platter and subplatter mechanism. To this day, many consider these two turntables the finest ever made."
"This consistent string of minor but significant setbacks eventually led to the departure of many of its most respected personnel, an its aforementioned acquisition, and a bankruptcy. The company ultimately re-emerged, but as a minor player in the high-end lifestyle audio and home theater system category, similar to Bang and Olufsen. While certainly a far cry from its acclaimed heritage, for those who remember, the Nakamichi name still elicits the highest levels of respect and admiration, along with a reminder of a time when mediocre formats ruled and state-of-the-art engineering dynamos flourished by improving them." Home Theater Review
A Dragon undergoing service
"But if the sheer number of loyal owners is considered, along with a manufacturer's historically relentless pursuit of perfection, no brandname can compete with Nakamichi for the much-abused title "Legendary." In high-end circles, cassette tape---by a wide margin the most popular audio format of all time---is generally dismissed as too lo-fi for consideration---unless, of course, the name "Nakamichi" is invoked. Except for a few rare, isolated models by other makers, Nakamichi is the only brand of cassette deck most self-respecting audiophiles will admit to owning.
That's with good reason. Nakamichi took a recording format that was originally intended for nothing more demanding than voice dictation, and, through consistent engineering refinement, lifted it into the realm of true high fidelity. Although other manufacturers---notably Ampex, Tandberg, Harman/Kardon, and Sony---contributed to the cassette's ultimate performance potential, Nakamichi was the firm that took it to the absolute maximum, extracting phenomenal performance where none should have been possible, given cassette tape's slow speed and narrow track width.
Like tube aficionados, Nak fanciers speak reverently about "Nakamichi warmth," a quality they find sorely lacking in the playback from almost all other brands. Those fans have a home on the Internet: the Unofficial Nakamichi Cassette Deck Page. Created and maintained by Dutch audio enthusiast Wouter Heijke, the site is a treasure trove for all things pertinent to Nakamichi's long dominance of the cassette market. The site features pictures and engineering specifications of products going back as far as the model 250 (which went on the market in 1973); links to other Nakamichi sites, including the company's home page; a discussion area ("Naktalk"); and pricing guides for used Nakamichi recorders. Most of the company's products have held their value well, selling at 25-50% of their original retail value, with some priced even higher." Stereophile
The famous Dragon Transport and the Famous Nakamichi Heads. The best ever made!
So, no matter what others said, Nakamichi re-wrote the history of cassette deck recording and proved that a cassette tape could be taken into the hi fidelity realm. Other brands emulated this move and offered their proposals, and very good ones! We can mention the Revox B 215, the Tandberg 3014A, the Teac Z 7000, NAD 6300, Sony, Aiwa, Akai,etc... Some pretend to be the Dragon Slayer and other folks simply do not accept the reality, no matter if they are presented with the facts! Anyway, this is common among every collection hobby and audio is not an exception.
Defining the best deck ever made would never be easy and it's almost impossible for obvious reasons, but the name Nakamichi figures as synonym of Cassette Deck Recording. Period. A lot of misconception has been piled concerning the Nakamichi different equalisation settings, the gap in the heads, the refusal use of HX PRO and the allegedly cheating on figures... These are all ignorant comments from competitors that couldn't keep up with Nakamichi during the 80's. Countless papers has been presented concerning these issues, but some people insist otherwise,so, why keep bothering?
Kobayashi San: The Dragon's Creator
