I’m not sure what you mean. Nakamichi had a few auto azimuth decks, but some are for record head azimuth and others are for play head azimuth. It has to be one or the other, it can not be both. Any deck with “ZX” in the model number is record head azimuth adjust. All are automatic except the ZX-7 & ZX-9, which allow full manual adjustment of dolby level, bias, and optimum record head azimuth via built in tones and an external knob with direction & peak leds. The auto reverse dual direct drive Dragon is the only auto azimuth for the play head in both directions. The CR-7, Casette Deck One and DR-1 both have manual play head azimuth adjustment with a centering light or indicator. The CR-7 actually is an auto calibration deck that adjusts the play head automatically in record to match the fixed record head. .
Once a Nakamichi has been serviced PROPERLY they will go many years before needing anything further besides keeping the tape path clean. Proper service is not cheap. These decks are 30-45 years old. The grease has gone hard or sticky, motors wear or dead spot, certain capacitors have to be replaced, the correct belts and tires installed, etc etc. Most of the unused decks have sat many (10-20) years in a closet or unpowered so corrosion, cold flow, and drying out etc, have compromised parts. They were put away without the tape path cleaned, so the tape oxide, escaped binders and lubricants from the tapes that coats everything it touches has corroded in to the pressure rollers, tape guides, capstans and heads. The best decks are used and cleaned regularly, but not to the point of excessive physical wear.
Nakamichi made a couple of hundred thousand tape decks. Heck, they made over 30,000 Dragons alone, over an 11 years period. And probably twice as many RX-202s & BX-300s. Most/many can be restored to new or even better than original specs but others are too far gone and there is no way to tell unless $$ are spent or you know it’s history, which is fairly rare. There are no Nakamichi parts left, so donor decks are required and a bad play head can set you back $250, or may even be unobtainable like for a Dragon play head.
Most people do not want to pay todays stupid high asking online prices for an unknown condition unserviced or poorly serviced Nakamichi, only to have to shell out another $350-500 to have it serviced again. I don’t blame them. So for the average enthusiast it makes sense to stick to the most common models, like the BX-300, get it overhauled by someone that knows what they are doing and enjoy the nostalgia.
Some are inherently more reliable than others, like anything else, but most issues are well known and usually have solutions. I have customers who’s decks I serviced over 10 years ago, and still occasionally drop me a note that they still work perfectly.
