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Nak 580M or newer 3-head deck?

two sevens

two sevens

Active Member
Hello cassette deck lovers. I am new to higher-end tape decks and had some questions. I picked up a Denon DRM-700a 3 head tapedeck several months ago and have been overall happy with the sound and performance. The other day, I picked up a Nakamichi 580M for cheap out of curiosity because of the price and the Nak reputation. This is a 2 head deck but with the famous Nak transport I believe. Anyway, tonight I AB'd the decks and the Denon came out on top in terms of sound quality which isnt surprising given it is at least 10 years newer than the 580M and a 3-head deck. The thing is that the 580M wasn't that far behind! Pretty impressive for a much older 2-head deck! Denon is staying in the system for now but my curiosity regarding just how good Naks can sound is growing...I'll be on the lookout for a 3 head Nakamichi for sure!!

My questions are these:
-With a tune up, how much will the 580M performance improve? Could a 2-head Nak deck beat out a 3 head deck from another manufacturer?
-The 580M has a dual capstan as opposed to a single capstan for the Denon I believe. How does this affect performance?
-If you had to get rid of one deck, which would you choose?
 
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two sevens said:
Hello cassette deck lovers. I am new to higher-end tape decks and had some questions. I picked up a Denon DRM-700a 3 head tapedeck several months ago and have been overall happy with the sound and performance. The other day, I picked up a Nakamichi 580M for cheap out of curiosity because of the price and the Nak reputation. This is a 2 head deck but with the famous Nak transport I believe. Anyway, tonight I AB'd the decks and the Denon came out on top in terms of sound quality which isnt surprising given it is at least 10 years newer than the 580M and a 3-head deck. The thing is that the 580M wasn't that far behind! Pretty impressive for a much older 2-head deck! Denon is staying in the system for now but my curiosity regarding just how good Naks can sound is growing...I'll be on the lookout for a 3 head Nakamichi for sure!!

My questions are these:
-With a tune up, how much will the 580M performance improve? Could a 2-head Nak deck beat out a 3 head deck from another manufacturer?
-The 580M has a dual capstan as opposed to a single capstan for the Denon I believe. How does this affect performance?
-If you had to get rid of one deck, which would you choose?
Click to expand...

I suspect that the 580M needs a service. In a good serviced condition it should not leave the DRM-700A many chances, especially on playback. On your questions:

1) A 2-head Nak in a good condition can be better than many 3-head decks, especially those from 90s.

2) A dual capstan transport can be better than a single capstan, however it is also requires more care and attention. Not all dual-capstan mechanisms are better than a good quality single capstan mech.

3) I would keep the Nak. The DRM-700 needs quite a lot of work done to it, to sound on par even with a 2-head Nakamichi.

All IMHO, obviously :) .

Cheers

Alex
 
I have a Denon DRM-710 as well as a few Nakamichi's, including a 582 (3 head version of a 580 with a few other differences)

The 582 is clearly superior to the Denon.

The Denon is not a bad deck really, it's built cheaply, and it's mostly plastic, but it has a decent (average) sound, and a super simple transport. (easy to fix)

However, Nakamichi's have such a sweeter HF response, compared to most other decks, it's hard to go wrong with one.

A mid to high end Nakamichi, is a deck worth the effort to restore, in my opinion.
 
After having several cassette decks, I finally got a Nak-Dragon. The difference is amazing. Its hard to believe tapes can sound so stunning through the Dragon. Ive been able to record much hotter and the playback is virtually silent and stunning
 
Thanks again for the advice and education as I am a novice when it comes to cassette decks! I am definitely holding on to the 580M! I just spoke to a service tech here in Portland who specializes in all manner of 'vintage' audio and he says he can tune her up for me. Can't wait to do this!!
 
So, I now have a new question!
I seem to be collecting Nakamichi cassette decks because I just picked up a 480 cheap. It is in good condition except that when the play button is pressed, the tape does not move. Rewind & fast forward do work.

2 Questions:
What is the possible cause? And is it a relatively easy fix?

Also, assuming it is a fairly easy fix, if you were to choose between the 580M and the 480, which would you have serviced first?

I will keep both, but only have the budget to get one serviced currently. I tried to compare specs of these two decks and it looks like Frequency response is 20-20K on both (though the Nak service manual for the 480 shows 20-18K...), Wow & Flutter seem to be slightly better on the 580M and the 480 has overall slightly lower distortion...

Thoughts?
 
1. The 580 is the better one.
2. 480: the problem shopuld be solved with changing the belt for play.
3. There are a lot of decks of the past being equivalent to the mentioned decks.

Dragon or ZX9 are extraordinary decks - not to compare with most of the sold decks. Nevertheless there are alternatives also against these decks...
 
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