Which Nak Deck? CR7-ZX7 or Dragon?

[Wilburchubs]

Which Nak Deck? CR7-ZX7 or Dragon?

After chasing a ReVox B215-S to silly levels on that auction site,ive decided to change direction a bit-Have never owned any Nak stuff,but have a fancy for one of the 3 above.Any opinions on where they differ,I will be using for both playback and recording.and have lots(1000+)tapes recorded on previous decks iive owned,Revox B710/215 Tandberg 3** series etc
Any words of wisdom guys??

 

[Arkay]

Have you thought about the ZX-9? Nakamichi corporation itself chose this model (more than thirty of them!) for their own recording studio. I would definitely recommend the ZX-9 over the ZX-7 [I have both.]

The Vintage Knob site has posted the whole brochure for the ZX-9; click the links at the bottom of this page to view it: http://www.thevintageknob.org/THEVAULT1/ZX9/ZX9.html
You can read some owner's reviews of it here: http://www.audioreview.com/cat/other/tape-decks/nakamichi/zx-9/PRD_124814_1595crx.aspx

Never owned a Dragon, but I've heard them, and chosen to pass on buying one, at least for now. Given the complexity of repairing them, the premium you pay for their fame (best-marketed of all the Naks, and with a catchy, memorable name) and the fact that the ZX-9 sounds at least as good to my ears, I see no reason to get a Dragon. Maybe one day just to try it in my system and do a more rigorous A/B comparison, but the ZX-9 is enough that the "need" for anything else just isn't there.

Some people do say that the CR-7 sounds better, others say the ZX-9 sounds better. I've never heard a CR-7 (yet), let alone compared the two models, so I can't comment. The CR-7 is slightly more automatic (the ZX-9 is purely manual), so it definitely is worth considering. I'd pick a CR-7 over the other two you list, just based on what I've heard about its sound quality, from people who have owned the various models.

The ZX-7 predates the Dragon, which predates the ZX-9. I think Nakamichi pushed the envelope on quality with each release. Not sure about the dates on the CR-7.

The other one you should consider is the 1000zxl. It was Nak's greatest no-holds-barred statement piece, but it is relatively hard to find (the ZX-9 isn't that easy to find, either) and more expensive. It is, allegedly, THE BEST deck Nak every built. I had a chance to buy one a few years back for about $300, and still regret letting it go. It ended up being bought by someone in Singapore and shipped there from Hong Kong!

Overall, I'd rank them as follows:

1000zxl
CR-7 or ZX-9 (close choice)
Dragon (almost as good as the two above; more famous and some might prefer it)
ZX-7 (outstanding on its own, just edged out a bit by the ones above)

If you figure you don't want to wait until a 1000zxl or ZX-9 shows up (which could take a while), then I'd suggest the CR-7 or the Dragon as slightly preferable to the ZX-7. Read up on the two models (audition if possible) before deciding. Ask yourself what is most important to you: ease of use? absolute best sound? number of functions? appearance?

Heck, you can't go wrong with ANY of the models you listed (or the other two I've mentioned) - they are ALL good. :yes: Any of them will give you "sounds like the original" or "sounds like CD quality" sound. At least for now, I'm still keeping my ZX-7, even though I have the ZX-9, because it IS VERY GOOD, too! You won't feel disappointed, no matter which you get, unless you start making picky comparisons.

All that said, NOTHING beats a top-level reel-to-reel, not even a TOTL Nak deck. The physics works against it, although Nak managed to stretch the presumed engineering limits for the cassette format beyond what was once thought possible, and their top decks DO sound GREAT. You can also get a lot more music on one reel of tape than you can on a cassette. Takes up more room, tape is harder to find, but are you sure you want to go the cassette deck route? Not saying it's wrong; both are great in their own ways, but worth thinking about. Of course, you can always do what many of us do, and get BOTH.

 

[Bigerik]

And don't forget the 681/682 ZX. Last of the traditional Nakamichis. Built like a brick ****house. Wonderful sound. Different from the ZX-9 and CX-7. Some prefer the 681/682 soundwise. Warmer and more lush sounding.

 

[Wilburchubs]

Have you thought about the ZX-9? Nakamichi corporation itself chose this model (more than thirty of them!) for their own recording studio. I would definitely recommend the ZX-9 over the ZX-7 [I have both.]

The Vintage Knob site has posted the whole brochure for the ZX-9; click the links at the bottom of this page to view it: http://www.thevintageknob.org/THEVAULT1/ZX9/ZX9.html
You can read some owner's reviews of it here: http://www.audioreview.com/cat/other/tape-decks/nakamichi/zx-9/PRD_124814_1595crx.aspx

Never owned a Dragon, but I've heard them, and chosen to pass on buying one, at least for now. Given the complexity of repairing them, the premium you pay for their fame (best-marketed of all the Naks, and with a catchy, memorable name) and the fact that the ZX-9 sounds at least as good to my ears, I see no reason to get a Dragon. Maybe one day just to try it and A/B compare it, but the ZX-9 is enough that the "need" for anything else just isn't there.

Some people do say that the CR-7 sounds better, others say the ZX-9 sounds better. I've never heard a CR-7 (yet), let alone compared the two models, so I can't comment. The CR-7 is slightly more automatic (the ZX-9 is purely manual), so it definitely is worth considering. I'd pick a CR-7 over the other two you list, just based on what I've heard about its sound quality, from people who have owned the various models.

The ZX-7 predates the Dragon, which predates the ZX-9. I think Nakamichi pushed the envelope on quality with each release. Not sure about the dates on the CR-7.

The other one you should consider is the 1000zxl. It was Nak's greatest no-holds-barred statement piece, but it is relatively hard to find (the ZX-9 isn't that easy to find, either) and more expensive. It is, allegedly, THE BEST deck Nak every built. I had a chance to buy one a few years back for about $300, and still regret letting it go. It ended up being bought by someone in Singapore and shipped there from Hong Kong!

Overall, I'd rank them as follows:

1000zxl
CR-7 or ZX-9 (close choice)
Dragon (almost as good as the two above; more famous and some might prefer it)
ZX-7 (outstanding on its own, just edged out a bit by the ones above)

If you figure you don't want to wait until a 1000zxl or ZX-9 shows up (which could take a while), then I'd suggest the CR-7 or the Dragon as slightly preferable to the ZX-7. Read up on the two models (audition if possible) before deciding. Ask yourself what is most important to you: ease of use? absolute best sound? number of functions? appearance?

Heck, you can't go wrong with ANY of the models you listed (or the other two I've mentioned) - they are ALL good. :yes: Any of them will give you "sounds like the original" or "sounds like CD quality" sound. At least for now, I'm still keeping my ZX-7, even though I have the ZX-9, because it IS VERY GOOD, too! You won't feel disappointed, no matter which you get, unless you start making picky comparisons.

All that said, NOTHING beats a top-level reel-to-reel, not even a TOTL Nak deck. The physics works against it, although Nak managed to stretch the presumed engineering limits for the cassette format beyond what was once thought possible, and their top decks DO sound GREAT. You can also get a lot more music on one reel of tape than you can on a cassette. Takes up more room, tape is harder to find, but are you sure you want to go the cassette deck route? Not saying it's wrong; both are great in their own ways, but worth thinking about. Of course, you can always do what many of us do, and get BOTH.

Thanks!!Plenty there to think about!!
I know that theres gonna be nothing can touch reel to reel,but thats taken care of,ReVox A77's,B77's and PR99's make up a good part of my systems

As for which comes highest on priority,its sound-I dont mind how fiddly it is to set up or use,as long as it sounds the best it can be. I think it may possibley be a CR7 I go for,if I can find a nice one!! I'd love a 1000zxl,but it may be a bit tricky finding one!!

 

[Wilburchubs]

These are also on the "could be" list,again,its finding a nice example that hasnt been ran to death,but im sure there's still some left out there!

 

[goldear]

If you have lots of existing tapes that you are going to playback, then the plaback azimuth adjustment on the CR-7A is worth its weight in gold.

 

[perryinva]

I thought all 3 have playback azimuth adjustment? The Dragon obviously has automatic playback azimuth adjustment, and is the only auto reverse unit, so for ease of playing back his 1000+ other tapes, the Dragon is a great choice. It is also dual direct drive, like the B215.

You need to tell us what else is important to you. Goldear used to own a Dragon, but sold it because of it's complexitity to repair should something go wrong. Which is very true. The CR7A is the newest design of the 3, a Sankyo based drive, IIRC, the most automatic to record with of the 3, has wireless remote, and if you find one with the gear replacement for the idler tyre, the least costly to maintain of the 3, though not as easy as a B215. The ZX-7, though a great machine, is the older of the 3, and classic belt drive. As mentioned, the ZX-9 is direct drive on the pull capstan, slaved belt on the tension capstan, so closer in quality, original cost and design to the Dragon. The CR7 and Dragon are contemporaries of build dates. You mentioned chasing a B215, which , as many of us know, is very frustrating. I own 2 RX-505s, and 2 B215s, which are great classic decks, but also yearned to get a Dragon, CR7A, or ZX-9. Which ever one came my way at the right price, right build date and condition I was going to get. There are 10 times as many Dragons out there to buy than CR7As and ZX-9s combined. And a high percentage of them need some kind of work. The other 2will be easier to bring up to spec than a Dragon, but you can find a good one at a price less than CR7a or ZX-9.

I bid for close to year on all 3, and ended up with a local pickup Dragon with late "88 build date and low hours that has been fantastic. Very nice CR7As and ZX-9s will go in the $600-$800 range, every time. I got my Dragon for way under 5. It's all a trade off for what's important to you.

The tape handling of the B215 is absolutely the best. Period. The search on time function and auto tape time location is very useful. It is the quietest physical deck while playing of my others. That said...I dislike the LCD display, the automatic tape type only selection, the automatic bias and level adjust only, the inability to zero out the counter, as true time is your only option, and raise lower PBs instead of knobs. And it has no front panel user azimuth adjustment. The Naks have a quieter and cleaner extended high and low end. It's so cliche, but unless you A-B a Nak to another deck, you don't realize how much better they sound, though I've never heard a Tandberg 3014a, which gets raves but is also harder to find and more expensive still.

 

[goldear]

I thought all 3 have playback azimuth adjustment? The Dragon obviously has automatic playback azimuth adjustment, and is the only auto reverse unit, so for ease of playing back his 1000+ other tapes, the Dragon is a great choice. It is also dual direct drive, like the B215.

Actually, the ZX-7 and ZX-9 only have record-head azimuth adjustment (as does the Tandberg 3014). This is a usefull feature for achieving the very best recordings possible, but it doesn't help you with your massive library of existing tapes.

I'm not certain which type of azimuth adjustment the 681s have though. Bigerik, can you answer this?

Dragons are really sweet machines! In terms of just cosmetics, they are my favorite deck of all time. And the auto azimuth adjustment is great when it works (although I prefer the manual adjustment). But you correctly summed-up the biggest reason why I parted with mine in favor of my CR-7A. I didn't want to have to work on such a complex machine. I also didn't like the lack of front-panel indicators for things like Dolby and tape type, as well as the lack of a real-time counter.

The B215s are great machines too. But I think that both my CR-7A and my 3014A have the edge over it. And if you are looking for a non-Nak, the Tandberg 3014 series is about as good as the cassette format gets.

 

[Bigerik]

I'm not certain which type of azimuth adjustment the 681s have though. Bigerik, can you answer this?

Yup.
The 681/682ZX only have the record head azimuth adjustment. It is fully automated, and runs with the tape biasing. Press one button and it sets the tape up perfectly for recording. Doesn't do squat for playback tho.

The transport and motors are truly awe inspiring. I was afraid the tapes would start smoking inside, they move so fast on rewind and fast forward. Made me wonder if they had a small block Chevy inside.

 

[Old_Tech]

If you do not need azimuth adjustment for your collection the less expensive CR-3A and LX-5 are beautiful decks. I own them both and while they are certainly not in the same league as a ZX-9 or $Dragon$ they sound beautiful and were easy on the wallet. Build quality on these was fundamental to the higher end units.

 

[Wilburchubs]

Thanks everyone for the advice so far-I m being drawn closer to the CR7.
I had a Revox b215,and sold it a few years ago and have regretted it ever since.

 

[Trower]

I have seen referance to upgrades to the CR7a's eq that said to be a substantial improvement and agian, "said" to bring it past the Dragon. The CR7 is a nice looking deck as well. Best of luck finding one!

 

[guiller]

If you have lots of existing tapes that you are going to playback, then the plaback azimuth adjustment on the CR-7A is worth its weight in gold.

I totally endorse your comment. This was the first thought I had as soon as I read about your collection. I have a few hundreds commercial cassette releases and the playback azimuth alignment tool of the CR-7 always comes to rescue when a tape sounds cold or distant! Best tool available for this type of collectors, in my opinion!

 

[2fives]

as soon as you talk about playing back other tapes IMO if you don't get something with adjustable azimuth your (or 99.9% likely) gonna be hittin a lot of flat sounding tapes.

I have a Dragon and CR-7, and both do tape, even low qual ones justice. The CR-7 makes recording much more easier though. But the Dragons playback can't be beat, and auto reverse is great for taking a snooze on the couch with a mix tape going.

 

[Number 6]

I believe the 680 series decks had the original Nakamichi dual capstan transport system, which might have been better than the transport used in the CR7. The CR7 does perform pretty darn good though. I like mine.

 

[braxus]

I'd go with the ZX-9 myself. The ZX-7 was just a ZX-9 that wasn't blue printed.

Any reason Tandberg decks don't enter your thoughts? Some say (including a few on here) that the top Tandberg decks beat out the top Naks. Decks like the TCD 3004, 3014, 3014A, 910 and 911.

 

[goldear]

I believe the 680 series decks had the original Nakamichi dual capstan transport system, which might have been better than the transport used in the CR7. The CR7 does perform pretty darn good though. I like mine.

The 680 series does feature the Nak "classic" transport, which is excellent. But as solid as it is, it is still a belt-drive tranport which has higher W&F than the 50% direct drive transport inside of ZX-7, ZX-9 and the CR-7A.

Despite being made by Sankyo, the transport inside of the CR-7A is actually much more similar to the 50% direct drive Nakamichi-made transport inside of the ZX-9 than it is to any of the older belt-drive Naks. And its superior performance demonstrates one of the reasons why Nakamichi decided to drop the classic transport from the CR-Series Naks (the other obviously being cost).

So no, I would not agree that the CR-7As transport is inferior to the 680 series. But, unless you happen to have the gear kit installed, they do tend to eat tires.

 

[Satch]

I own the ZX-9 and am very pleased with it. I compared it directly to the Dragon and on the point of soundquality couldn't hear any difference. The Dragon is easier to use but a PITA to service and way more expensive. So I'd go with the CR-7A or the ZX-9. Hmmm... that isn't very helpfull, is it?

 

[Wilburchubs]

as soon as you talk about playing back other tapes IMO if you don't get something with adjustable azimuth your (or 99.9% likely) gonna be hittin a lot of flat sounding tapes.

I have a Dragon and CR-7, and both do tape, even low qual ones justice. The CR-7 makes recording much more easier though. But the Dragons playback can't be beat, and auto reverse is great for taking a snooze on the couch with a mix tape going.

One of my favourite ways to spend and afternoon!!!
Keep the advice coming guys-its all sinking in slowly!!

 

[Wilburchubs]

I'd go with the ZX-9 myself. The ZX-7 was just a ZX-9 that wasn't blue printed.

Any reason Tandberg decks don't enter your thoughts? Some say (including a few on here) that the top Tandberg decks beat out the top Naks. Decks like the TCD 3004, 3014, 3014A, 910 and 911.

Always had as soft spot for Tandbergs-have most of the 3 series ones,tcd310 etc,the only reason I didnt list the 3014etc is they dont come up often,for good reason!!