I spotted the Nakamichi TA-4A receiver the other week for sale on CL. Since I made up my mind to upgrade to the Denon PMA-900V, I checked the TA-4A references and pedigree mainly out of curiosity. It turns out that it was the TOTL of Nak receivers made 20 years ago (I was interested), that it has 125 or so WPC, high current with the STASIS design eliminating negative feedback as PMA-900V (I was intrigued) and that is has the lazy audiophile’s best friend- remote control (The PMA-900V does not have one). Now I was hooked. After a brief and satisfactory audition with seller’s system, I brought it home in the hope that it will be a good match for my B&W 685.
I hooked it up and spun some record that was on a turntable...VOW! The sound was as good as never before! To characterize this first impression in one word, the sound was ALIVE. I forgot what was the record I played that night, but I remember the impression.
For one thing, the punch was there. I did not turn the volume past 9 o’clock and it was not necessary- it was THE punch that my previous gear (Classe, Pioneer, Yamaha) lacked. The other thing was the bass. The Pioneer also delivered good bass, but I always have an impression that it required a lot of efforts of the olde workhorse SX-780. In contrast, the Nakamichi delivered the bass gently and effortlessly without even touching the bass knob. I got a feeling that the Nak is like a beast in the cage that just tear speakers apart if let free.
I listened to different kind of music since I got the TA-4A and I found that it much surpasses all other receivers/amplifiers that I have or had. Besides the punch and bass, the soundstage acquired the third dimension (needless to say that the 2D soundstage is great). For example, playing the last piece on Santana’s “Inner Secrets” LP B-side, I hear now that some drums are located closer to me that the others.
In compositions where full orchestra is in play, I hear that violins are located as two arches, i.e. violins at the extreme left or right are close to me than those in the middle; this is how violins in a symphonic orchestra are located on the stage, AFAIK.
The Pat Benatar’s vocal in the “Get Nervous” LP was well balanced with other instruments. The Nakamichi did not force it into my ears as Classe often did; this is true for all vocals tested, male or female. The ELO “Time” record sounded just great without getting the last watt out of the Pioneer or turning the Classe at half of its 100 WPC power. The detailing, too, was greatly improved over the Pioneer and probably surpassed that of the Classe.
The FM tuner section is so good that now we listed to it quite often. It’s digital, very sensitive, and –perhaps the most important thing- with just a simple two wires as FM antenna the reception is excellent for all neighboring stations that I found. Other gear required re-positioning of antenna wires to get a good reception for some stations. The FM sound is great too.
If all the Nakamichi STASIS TA 1/2/3/ receivers and SR 1-4 amplifiers sounds as good as my TA-4A, they are really hidden gems.
I don’t know if my TA-4A requires some tune-up or upgrade. However, it’s 20 years old and, judged by scratches on its body and knobs, was not treated as a treasure by its previous owner(s). So it might be a good idea to have it thoroughly checked and tuned-up; any recommendations on the shop?
One thing that I noticed is a slight hiss from the speakers if the volume control is turned to 1 or 2 o’clock. If I turn it all the way to the maximum, the hiss became louder but still not very strong. The hiss is there regardless of the input source. If I use the headphone outlet, the hiss is definitively stronger. Should It be this way or the TA-4A should be dead silent? The other thing is if I bypass the bass and treble regulators with a little switch, I hear a click in the speakers. This click is not strong, but should it be there?
I also have an impression that for the best sound the TA-4A requires some time to warm-up, like 10 or so minutes. However, based on other posts here, this is normal. Anyways, I just listen to the music and have fun. The quest for the best amp is over … at least, for a while?
I hooked it up and spun some record that was on a turntable...VOW! The sound was as good as never before! To characterize this first impression in one word, the sound was ALIVE. I forgot what was the record I played that night, but I remember the impression.
For one thing, the punch was there. I did not turn the volume past 9 o’clock and it was not necessary- it was THE punch that my previous gear (Classe, Pioneer, Yamaha) lacked. The other thing was the bass. The Pioneer also delivered good bass, but I always have an impression that it required a lot of efforts of the olde workhorse SX-780. In contrast, the Nakamichi delivered the bass gently and effortlessly without even touching the bass knob. I got a feeling that the Nak is like a beast in the cage that just tear speakers apart if let free.
I listened to different kind of music since I got the TA-4A and I found that it much surpasses all other receivers/amplifiers that I have or had. Besides the punch and bass, the soundstage acquired the third dimension (needless to say that the 2D soundstage is great). For example, playing the last piece on Santana’s “Inner Secrets” LP B-side, I hear now that some drums are located closer to me that the others.
In compositions where full orchestra is in play, I hear that violins are located as two arches, i.e. violins at the extreme left or right are close to me than those in the middle; this is how violins in a symphonic orchestra are located on the stage, AFAIK.
The Pat Benatar’s vocal in the “Get Nervous” LP was well balanced with other instruments. The Nakamichi did not force it into my ears as Classe often did; this is true for all vocals tested, male or female. The ELO “Time” record sounded just great without getting the last watt out of the Pioneer or turning the Classe at half of its 100 WPC power. The detailing, too, was greatly improved over the Pioneer and probably surpassed that of the Classe.
The FM tuner section is so good that now we listed to it quite often. It’s digital, very sensitive, and –perhaps the most important thing- with just a simple two wires as FM antenna the reception is excellent for all neighboring stations that I found. Other gear required re-positioning of antenna wires to get a good reception for some stations. The FM sound is great too.
If all the Nakamichi STASIS TA 1/2/3/ receivers and SR 1-4 amplifiers sounds as good as my TA-4A, they are really hidden gems.
I don’t know if my TA-4A requires some tune-up or upgrade. However, it’s 20 years old and, judged by scratches on its body and knobs, was not treated as a treasure by its previous owner(s). So it might be a good idea to have it thoroughly checked and tuned-up; any recommendations on the shop?
One thing that I noticed is a slight hiss from the speakers if the volume control is turned to 1 or 2 o’clock. If I turn it all the way to the maximum, the hiss became louder but still not very strong. The hiss is there regardless of the input source. If I use the headphone outlet, the hiss is definitively stronger. Should It be this way or the TA-4A should be dead silent? The other thing is if I bypass the bass and treble regulators with a little switch, I hear a click in the speakers. This click is not strong, but should it be there?
I also have an impression that for the best sound the TA-4A requires some time to warm-up, like 10 or so minutes. However, based on other posts here, this is normal. Anyways, I just listen to the music and have fun. The quest for the best amp is over … at least, for a while?
