Nakamichi: about the gods of the cassette era and the times when the rising sun shone brighter
Meanwhile, sometimes it is the memory of the legendary devices of the past that can inspire engineers and designers to create something comparable in quality, efficiency or, as in the case of audio electronics, fidelity of reproduction. Companies that create technology as a work of art do not always grow into transnational giants, but they always leave a significant mark on technical evolution.
This post is about the unique devices of its time, which became the ceiling for the development of household cassette recorders, and the company Nakamichi, which created them. In many ways, this material is the answer to people who, in the comments on the cycle about Soviet tape recorders, tried to prove that this technique of the 70s and 80s was not inferior to foreign or quite inferior. Under the cut, more about the best (without exaggeration) in the world of tape recorders, the history of their creation and the fate of the company that created them.
Nakamichi – The Birth and Death of a Legend
Nakamichi has been a family business almost the entire time of its existence, like many other Japanese firms. The founder of the company was Etsuro Nakamichi, who founded Nakamichi Research Corporation Ltd. in Tokyo in 1948. At that time, the company was engaged in more research activities in the field of electronics, optics, and acoustics like the “Labor W” of Fritz Senheiser. The company developed and manufactured portable radio stations, timbral blocks, loudspeakers and speaker systems, as well as various communication equipment.
In the 1950s, it was at Nakamichi that one of the first Japanese reel tape recorders was developed. Around the same time, Etsuro Nakamichi was replaced by his younger brother Niro Nakamichi as head, and the company almost completely switches to the production of audio equipment.
Niro nakamichi
In 1957, the company released its own magnetic heads, an original magnetic tape, and Fidela 3 reel-recorders, legendary for their time. In the 60s, under the leadership of Niro Nakamichi, the company repeated success with the full-fledged development of its own devices, and also produced tape drives for world leaders in the electro-acoustic industry such as Harman Kardon, KLH, Advent, Fisher, ELAC, Sylvania, Concord, Ampex and Motorola.
In 1973, the golden time began for Nakamichi, the company began to produce high-quality cassette decks. The bet on compact cassettes, as the most promising medium of the next 20 years, was justified. So, the company became the manufacturer who brought the quality of the cassettes to a level that was considered only reachable by reel monsters.
Throughout the 80s, the company has been reaping the fruits of its success. At the same time, it was not possible to make another revolution. Magnetic recording had its limits, and Nakamichi, as a manufacturer, reached these limits back in the 1970s. The company’s experiments with CD are known, for example, the creation of a compact CD changer with slot loading of the disc, which was a serious innovation for the 1980s. Contrary to the expectations of Niro, these developments did not return the company the glory of the innovator. Mostly sold cassette decks Nakamichi.
By the beginning of the 90s, Nakamichi’s reputation reserve gradually began to dry up, as did interest in the format that brought the brand worldwide fame. The ubiquity of the CD killed everything related to compact cassettes. The agony of the cassettes lasted a long time, Nakamichi surrendered one of the latter, losing the right of honor to release the last mass product for the cassettes, possibly just SONY.
The brand itself, as often happens, has survived. But he had nothing to do with Niro Nakamichi. The brand became the property of the Chinese corporation Grande Holdings and today under it produce car speaker systems. Engineer, researcher and businessman Niro Nakamichi founded another company, in Japanese, simply calling it his first and last name. This company in the early 2000s was known among music lovers as a manufacturer of expensive and high-quality amplifiers.
Next, I want to return to the 70s – 80s and talk about the approaches that made Nakamichi the world leader in fidelity of playing from compact tapes.
Perfect solutions or why a pillow is not needed
Perhaps the first Nakamichi application for a coup in the global “Nakamichi” was the Nakamichi 1000 and Nakamichi 700 cassette decks. These devices were the first in the world to be equipped with three heads, a knock suppression system, noise and circuitry that reduces THD to a record 1% or less.
Features of the mechanics of the two-stage drive of the tape drive mechanism guaranteed a perfect head-tape contact. Non-classical and often quite complex solutions in the mechanics of Nakamichi tape drives were a necessary measure that leveled the significant shortcomings of compact cassettes – as a carrier.
The big problem was the pressure pads. They did not allow to ensure high-quality contact of the tape with the head and significantly spoiled the sound. Those who have come across household cassette tapes in recent years and cheap music centers probably know some tricks to improve sound associated with this feature.
Slightly sipping the lid with the cassette receiver or vice versa by pressing on it, through trial and error, it was possible to achieve an improvement in sound. Overdone awaited the inevitable chewing.
Nakamichi raised the pressure of the tape to the head and its exact positioning in the cult, thanks to which they succeeded. In models of the late 70s, they equipped tape recorders with special elevators for pillows, which made the sound quality from the cassettes even closer to the bobbin “older brothers”, reduced head wear and stabilized the movement of the tape.
Most Nakamichi cassettes after the 78th year still had a nozzle pushing back the head. According to the information on the official website, such a solution was used in all of these models 480/481/482/581/582 / 660ZX / 670ZX / 680 / 680ZX. Naturally, the cushion was only the tip of the iceberg. The design of the tape drive involved the creation and adjustment of the belt tension by two drive shafts at once, which eliminated the need for an additional unreliable and problematic clamping device in the form of a pillow. Thus, the pillow turned into a hindrance for uniform movement of the tape, and, accordingly, into a source of distortion.
An exception to the rule was the Nakamichi 580 model, where there was no nozzle, where the tape was designed so that the tape passed, touching only the playback head of the crystals (Cristalloy). The next model of the older 582Z line gets support for Dolby C technology – this eliminates the need for external noise reduction blocks, which were frequent companions of cassette music lovers of the 70s.
Most of the innovations tested on flagships were inherited by simpler models. Some decisions were simplified, for example, a two-head rather than a three-head design was used, but the vast majority of advanced solutions were used in younger models.
The best of the best
By the end of the 70s, the electrical and mechanical solutions used by Nakamichi engineers brought fidelity to the highest possible level for that time. The tangible embodiment of the “ideal cassette deck without vacuum” was the two models of 1979 and 1980, the Nakamichi 1000ZXL and Nakamichi 700ZXL, respectively. The superflagman Nakamichi 1000ZXL (which today costs about 2–3 million rubles at auctions) became the first cassette recorder in the world to bring characteristics significant for fidelity to those previously available only to studio tape monsters.
So, the range of reproducible frequencies of the device was in the range from 18 to 25000 Hz (with its own cassettes). The deck was designed for impeccably accurate recording and playback of music.
The tape recorder was able to automatically set the playback and recording parameters depending on the type of film. Microprocessor systems with the technologies A.B.L.E (Azimuth, Bias, Level, Equalizer) and RAMM (Random Access Music Memory) made it possible to carry out calibration at four frequencies and with automatic installation of the azimuth of the recording head.
Similar digital systems were used in the design of the Nakamichi 700ZXL. This is the actual continuation of the super-flagship 1000ZXL with an advanced design. The only significant difference is the simplified calibration at three frequencies.
I quote the passport specification 1000ZXL (at 700ZXL it practically did not differ, with the exception of the mass-dimensional characteristics):
Type: 3-head, single compact cassette deck
Track System: 4-track, 2-channel stereo
Tape Speed: 4.8 cm / s
Heads: 1 x record, 1 x playback, 1 x erase
Tape Type: type I, CrO2, Metal
Noise Reduction: B
Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz (Metal tape)
Signal to Noise Ratio: 66dB (dolby B)
Wow and Flutter: 0.04%
Total Harmonic Distortion: 1.0%
Input: 50mV (line), 0.2mV (mic)
Output: 1V (line)
Most fans of vintage analog audio technology agree that the 1000ZXL and 700ZXL were the pinnacle of evolutionary development of cassette decks. Everything that was made suitable after these masterpieces of Japanese tape recorder, repeated the solutions used in them, or simplified, inevitably reducing the fidelity of reproduction. Neither in the 80s nor in the 90s there were created cassette decks that would be able to surpass the 1000ZXL and 700ZXL in objective indicators of fidelity of reproduction. In fact, these devices have proven that compact cassettes can be made to sound no worse than a studio reel.
In conclusion
Learning more about the approaches that were used to create devices in the 70-80s, I, at times, am ready to agree with those who claim that the sun was shining brighter then, especially in the country where it rises. Fans of Soviet engineering masterpieces who do not recognize the secondary nature of what was produced in the USSR are offered to compare the characteristics of any of the devices mentioned in the article with Soviet peers.
Nakamichi’s experience demonstrates that nothing is impossible for brave, talented engineers. You can argue about the rationality of uncompromising approaches to creating equipment for sound, but it is impossible not to recognize the technical perfection and the highest quality possible for the time of the devices they create.
Photo content used:
fishki.net/1290393-nakamichi—proizvoditel-obrazcovyh-kassetnyh-dek/gallery-964712-photo.html
www.yaplakal.com/forum2/topic1613974.html
picclick.com/Nakamichi-STASIS-TA-3A-Home-theater-Tuner-Amplifier-Stereo-133303597986.html
www.pinterest.com/pin/284289795207389343
stereo.ru/to/jh3ia-nakamichi-1000—kassetnaya-deka-zanyavshaya-dostoynoe-mesto-v-sfere
alexmod.do.am/forum/14-191-1
www.gennlab.com
streetmarket.ru/?pp=100&related=%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B0+NAKAMICHI+EXII+C50+%28%D0%97% D0% BE% D0% BB% D0% BE% D1% 82% D0% BE% 29
Traditional ad unit.
In our catalog The devices described in the article are not presented. And a place in collections and museums. But at the same time, we have a wide range of audio electronics, includingacoustic systems, amplifiers, soundbars and other useful devices at both “prestigious” and “democratic” prices. The assortment includes warm lamps, vinyl and other joys for lovers of technoarchaics. We did not forget about cold transistors and completely frosty digital devices.
