[disturbed]

Guys I feel like going back to the good ol days of making mix tapes

I miss the excitement of making the perfect mix and jammin ... I miss the analogue sound.

Someone recommend me a good tape deck ... perhaps something integrated with a cdp. Something good ... I'm kinda out of the tape game so I don't know what different types of dolbys there are.

I just want superb sound and the ability to record on metal tapes.
If someone cares to educate me about dolby or whatever along the way I would appreciate it

 

[Bladerunner]

Find yourself a Nakamichi Dragon, or perhaps a CR-5A, CR-7A if the Dragon is more than you want to spend. Excellent sounding tape decks and very well built.

 

[disturbed]

I also forgot to mention ... is it worth getting a good deck to play cassettes in my car tape player?

I'm still trying to decide where will I listen to my musi the most: a home or in the car since I am moviing around a lot these days ... not to mention a tight budget

 

[rohorn]

Teac had a tape/cd unit. I've seen it new at a few sites, but I can't remember where (sorry 'bout that). The local used stuff where I got my Denon had one for fairly cheap. but it's gone. Which means you might find one on Ebay cheap as well.

Or look into DCC - Digital Compact Cassette. It came and went in the early-mid '90's.

Try the Dolby site, and some of the "obsolete" format sites. If I can dig some up, I'll turn them over.

I think I still have 3 tapes left, but when they're gone, that's it for me.

I forgot about the thrill of droping the tonearm and hitting the pause button at the "right" moment, then trying to convince family members that it was not the right time to rearrange furniture........

 

[kevin gilmore]

2 or 4 channel tube ampex. The best ever. Or a
revox b700 or its studer counterpart.
For portable use a nagra.

All available on ebay for cheap.

 

[Budrew]

I have to second the Nak recommendation. They're pretty easy to find on Ebay or Audiogon and most technicians can repair, though a few specialize in Nak. The Dragon was the most well known, but some people say it wasn't the best. There are several websites dedicated to Naks. They were really well built.

 

[crazychile]

The Nak CR-7A sounded a little better than the Dragon. You can also pick up a CR-7a for a fair price on ebay because everyone still wants a Dragon.

Overall, I have noticed the prices of tape decks dropping quite a bit on Ebay over the past couple of years. I suppose the demise of Nak had a lot to do with that. It used to be that an old NAk BX-2 would go for over $100 on Ebay. Now you can get a CR-1 or CR-2 for less than $100. Anything in the CR series is pretty good.

I wouldn't buy a new tape deck today. You'll have a hard time finding something good for a reasonable price. Buying a used Nak would get you a lot more deck. Also check out some of the used Denon decks. Most were really well built and the tapes would sound good even if played on another deck. The Nak made tapes will sound best on the same deck in which they were recorded, or on another Nak.

 

[Audio Redneck]

Best Dolby is Dolby S which was(is?) hard to find on anything but a Sony deck.

Better choice is no Dolby at all (just say "no"), metal tapes, and get a good 3-head (in order of preference) Nak, Denon, or Sony deck off of ebay or the likes. One thing I like about my Sony is computerized tape bias matching: it puts a test signal on the tape and you adjust the bias until the meters show meet the "optimal" mark. May just be smoke 'n mirrors, but they sound good for tapes!

FWIW, ratshack is clearancing their metal tapes.