NAKAMICHI DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW THIS! The DRAGON Conspiracy

The SECRETS that NAKAMICHI Won't Tell You! Controversy, Conspiracy, and Cash. Nakamichi became famous in the 1980's with their Cassette Decks, and Dragon products, but their history may be more interesting than you think...
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00:00 Intro
01:20 Nakamichi Gimmicks
02:05 Nakamichi History
02:24 Nakamichi 700 & 1000
02:53 Nakamichi 700ZXL 1000ZXL
03:30 World's Most EXPENSIVE Gold Tape Deck
04:10 Nakamichi Dragon
04:50 Nakamichi RX Flip
05:28 Nakamichi RX-505
06:04 Nakamichi Dragon Turntable
06:26 Nakamichi Dragon CD Player
06:50 What Really Happened to Nakamichi?
08:27 Nakamichi Soundbar
08:47 Nakamichi Dragon Soundbar
09:30 Nakamichi Dragon Review
10:15 What Nakamichi Doesn't Want You To Know
11:25 THE NAKAMICHI CONSPIRACY

[@MarvinHartmann452]

There's rumours that they deliver the 4k$ soundbar in a white van, in a best buy parking lot..

[@LuxAudio389]

No that's not true. You get better deals at the white vans at the Harbor Freight parking lots.

[@gavincurtis]

Mackamichi 79.4.99 sound bar? The one made in Denmark with German components?

[@Lt.Mingus69]

but it has a 9k pricetag preprinted on the box! and the guy only wants 300 bucks b/c his boss accidently ordered too many for his clients house, you'd be helping him out@@gavincurtis

[@RUfromthe40s]

that and crack cocaine ,the same van in the same place even it sells rolex swatches

[@michaelc.ateoate979]

I got sent out with too many on my invoice man I got to get rid of these I can't bring them back to the warehouse

[@michaelspurling4376]

I also own a Nakamichi Dragon soundbar. The price is painful but the sound is worth every penny. It makes me smile every time I turn it on.

[@Alwaysdirty-zj4tj]

Agreed, gimmick or not, it's IMO best soundbar out there, no issues does what we were told it would do and honestly I don't see anything on the market that compares or is equal to it. I have very few complaints about it, yes price is painful but soon forgotten once you start hit the on button. Never owned a Nakamichi before I could not give 2 shits about their previous products, I'm not loyal to them and only here for what they sold me. So far so good.

[@1fastmx5]

You seem a bit butt hurt about not getting a demo unit

[@edd2771]

The original nakamichi was sold to grande industries in 1998. Nero Nakimichi left the company 20 years ago. That is to say, the Nakamichi that built high end products isn’t scamming anyone because they no longer exist except in name.

[@bestopinion9257]

That's the way. Buy a name to sell your crap. This is VW doing with Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti, and so on.

[@edd2771]

@@bestopinion9257 it’s been going on a long time. Brand names that were once ubiquitous are bought and deployed even if the original products and businesses are long gone. The name still has some value just based on recognition alone. This is why you see names like Bell and Howell and Polaroid used in cheap consumer electronics that have nothing to do with the original companies.

[@googleedwardbernays6455]

Holy S!! I was unaware they bought Bugatti. Now i can laugh even harder when rappers use them to overcompensate for not having a father.

[@hangarsacto]

That ending came in hot!

[@MSKhan-dh9id]

I still own 3 Nakamichi decks currently. The RX-202, RX303 and the Dragon. I also owned an RX-505 but sold it a few years back. The RX 202 cost me over $500 just to repair by the famous Nakamichi Technicians over 9 years ago and still runs fine. The Dragon was tuned by an unknown technician about the same time as i could not afford $4,000 repair/tuneup. Earlier this year RX 303 was tuned by a very reputable Nakamichi only technician and runs flawlessly. In addition, i also own a Harmon Kardon CD491, which I bought new many years ago. I got it tuned by another very reputable Technician. It cost me a huge sum because I asked him to replace and upgrade all capacitor with audiophile ones. It plays and sounds very very good now. All these decks sound fantastic in their own rights. I listen to them once every other weekend when home boss is not home. you can call me cassette crazy but i just like all those buttons (LOL). BTW: Love every video you post about the Audio brands and thank you so much for doing that. Wealth of information and delivery

[@mihaischitcu1917]

Your H/K CD491's transport unit was also developed or even built by Nakamichi and Sankyo 🙂

[@jschalk7]

I auditioned a Nakamichi Dragon cassette deck along with a Revox B215 cassette deck. I bought the Revox because it sounded better. And I later found out the Nakamichi had more issues with repair than the Revox did as mine has never been in for repair. I'm glad I made that choice.

[@MarvinHartmann452]

Revox will always be better.

[@f.k.3762]

REVOX is the Kryptonite to Nakamichi Tapes

[@SupraTompan]

I have both and I'm f*cking king.

[@trevor245]

I mean the nakamichi does offer more functions. Also as far as I know those revox decks aren't particularly easy to service either. I have never worked on one so I don't know but it's what I have heard. But when you are either spending around 1200 or 3-4k for the dragon the choice does become fairly easy.

[@RUfromthe40s]

it´s easy to sound better than the nakamichi ,i also have the B215 ,maybe the best deck ever made,this engeniered wise

[@qboogie]

Lame clickbait title

[@S1mmz]

They are selling well enough that they don't need to send demo units out. They can only make 25 units a day so the order thing is probably on some staggered timer to allow the batches to be done better. If you are that desperate to review it, why don't you buy it, rather than trying to use the KZbinr privilege card then getting salty about it because you got told no.

[@hugobloemers4425]

25 units a day? Where did you get that information from?

[@S1mmz]

@@hugobloemers4425 Nakamichi has issued the following statement to explain the price increase: Nakamichi has made a significant decision regarding the pricing of DRAGON. After a thorough evaluation of our production and shipping processes, we have determined that a price increase is necessary. We will continue to honor the current preorder pricing of $3499.99 for 1000 units, while supplies last. After the 1000 units, DRAGON will be available at a new retail price of $3899.99. This pricing adjustment is implemented with the objective of addressing the challenges we are currently facing. In recent months, we have encountered various obstacles that have impacted our production capacity. The intricate nature of DRAGON, with over 700 components and a meticulous 110-step hand assembly process across four production lines, has revealed the need for additional labor beyond our initial estimations. Furthermore, our stringent manufacturing requirements have led to a lengthier but vital post-assembly inspection process encompassing mechanical, acoustic, and functional tests. Despite optimizing our throughput to 25 systems per day, these factors have unexpectedly raised the cost of manual labor. We have recently completely redesigned our packaging for DRAGON to ensure compliance with a 12-inch drop test. Each DRAGON unit weighs over 140 pounds, and this packaging overhaul is aimed at guaranteeing the utmost protection during transportation. Additionally, we collaborated with freight forwarders to optimize container loading, prioritizing damage prevention during the 30-day ocean voyage to the USA. This involved minimizing box stacking to prevent any potential crushing, which in turn limited the capacity of each 40ft high cube container to only 128 units. While these precautions are crucial for ensuring the safety of our products, they have resulted in significantly higher packaging and shipping expenses. Therefore, in order to ensure the sustainability of providing DRAGON to our esteemed Nakamichi fans, we must take the necessary measures to address these challenges. The price adjustment will enable us to uphold DRAGON’s production capacity and world-class quality while providing an attractive price-to-performance ratio in the market.

[@Review-This]

100 units a day

[@googleedwardbernays6455]

It looks to me more like a buncha salt trolls up in the comments because this upload got em’ all tight that ya’ll spent major gwap on a nakamichi , that moolah got you ready to throw down if anybody dares to have a differing opinion

[@mark902]

the auto reversing mechanism of the rx series decks is more than a gimmick, it solves a problem with auto reversing mechanisms. a spinning two track head is likely lose azimuth alignment, and four track heads are more susceptible to cross talk. a fixed two track head with a turning tape is a cool solution. i'd really like a zx-7 or zx-9 myself.

[@user-xx2hj7xb6b]

I've had my Nak 410 pre-amp since 1977. Very reliable and engineered with a great phono stage. It's a simple unit, no bells and whistles or elaborate switching facilities. Nak made its name in cassette decks but they made superb amps also.

[@RUfromthe40s]

yes ,the stasis is incredible good ,it´s maybe one of the best power amplifiers ,the MKII are not real stasis ,it´s all diferent and not as good as the first model

[@Pootycat8359]

Akai made cassette decks that physically flipped the tape over. In the early 70s, I worked as a tech for an audio repair shop that was an authorized Akai service center. We got a lot of those decks in, for repair. The problems were always mechanical, not electronic. We called those decks "toasters."

[@fredjoel8113]

I once owned a Nakamichi ZX-9 which I believe actually was pretty rare. No auto-reverse, 3-heads, and various adjustments to optimize with any type of cassette tape, more adjustments than any cassette deck I ever saw. The transport was very impressive. If my memory is correct, it moved the pressure pad in the cassette shell away from the heads to use it's motors to adjust tape tension (similar to my Technics RS-1500 reel-to-reel). I believe it also had azimuth adjustment. It performed quite well sonically and without mechanical issues.

[@rosemarysandcastle]

zx9 is cool. what happened to it?

[@fredjoel8113]

@@rosemarysandcastle Symphony orchestra musician bought it from me.

[@work6312]

Back in the day I was an E-2 in the Air Force, I fantasized over the "Nak" Dragon cassette deck. Not on my budget, settled on a low end Teac, no regrets.

[@LennyFlorentine]

Thanks for your service! Happy Veterans Day!

[@robertliskey420]

Yes thank you for your service! My nephew was in the Air force as a trumpet player and he did go to Afghanistan but when he got out there were no jobs for him so he is in the Army at West Point!

[@work6312]

You must be proud That is an accomplishment. His peers will bust his chops because he prior Air Force, but its all good. @@robertliskey420

[@user-fo9cr1yl8q]

In 1978 I was in the market for a cassette deck. It came down to 3. A Tanberg an Akai & the Dragon. I bought the Akai 570d for $1200. I feel I made the right choice I still have it today. It makes great sounding tapes that sound great today Something about the dragon I didn’t like. Listen to the Akai again

[@Bob-yw7pc]

I was super skeptical of the soundbar too. I am still depressed with what happend to nakamichi. But. Oddly enough, its gotten great reviews. apparently It is the only soundbar in the world that Dolby allowed to use the AVR Dolby ATMOS. Supposedly. I am really surprised. I guess its not too far off from the "Niro" gear that was sold in the later years. still the company is not what it used to be for sure.

[@JamesSavik]

There was a brand back in the eighties I wanted but could never afford called VECTOR RESEARCH. Could you do an episode about them and other companies that made great stuff and disappeared?

[@analogkid4557]

I remember those.

[@kevinpatrickmacnutt]

Proton was another one of those brands.

[@analogkid4557]

@@kevinpatrickmacnutt I have two D540s.

[@hugobloemers4425]

I always liked Nakamichi, and gimmicky, I never thought of it like that. Over engineered, it is certainly so. My big regret story is a Nakamichi 410 pre-amplifier. This thing was build so beautiful, and sounded also fantastic. I was working in my college days for a TV / Audio repair shop. The owner was a real audiophile with very expensive gear. I just bought this 410 pre-amp a few weeks ago and was very proud of it. I took it to my boss to show it off. He connected it to his audio gear and instantly fell in love with it. So I told him he could have it and sold it for the price I paid for it. I still regret that because it would have been a very nice piece of vintage gear. I still remember, it was build the way we perceive high end today. Now I own a Nakamichi stand alone Dolby B/C system and an Elac (yes the ones that make speakers today) cassette deck. This one was build by Nakamichi and is a testimony of its quality. It still all works fine after over 50 years.

[@mnyshrpknvs]

There have been some fantastic companies ruined by mergers and acquisitions over the decades. One such was when investors, along with Wadia Digital and Hales Speaker Manufacturing decided on doing a joint project together, an invested pulled out last minute and tanked Hales and ruined Wadia as the company it once was. Its a damn shame!!!

[@hugobloemers4425]

It perfectly exemplifies the times we live in.

[@jasonmc6997]

From what i understand, Nakamichi can only manufacturer 100 or so a day. They were also able to convince Dolby to sell them their AVR Dolby Atmos chipset as well as get licensing for DTS X Pro. It's not going to be for everyone, as evident by the price and the fact that it's a "soundbar" but theres clearly a market for it.

[@stonesfan285]

Who is the market for this? people who have more money than brains?

[@MrFaleh1129]

im in the market for one, i cant install wires or want to deal with avr if i install wires and place speakers at walls all over the family wont be happy as its a living room not a cinema so thats why the dragon is the best viable option for me when guess come in i can just take out the surrond speakers and hide them somewhere and when they go i just place them back out @@stonesfan285

[@jamesrose298]

I got one of the first 500. It’s not a perfect system, but the Dolby Atmos separation and effects are phenomenal.

[@ltrt8ian534]

I have one of the first 500 as well. Waited 4 months to be shipped, and owned it for two months. I gave away a BA Receiver and 7 speakers, and using my Marantz 7013 as a pre amp in a two channel system. Dialed in, Dragon is that good.

[@jamesrose298]

@@ltrt8ian534 I’m curious what do you have your subs set at..level and hertz

[@jamesrose298]

@@ltrt8ian534 do your subs bottom out??..many say they do as mine has so I was just wondering what you have them set at

[@ltrt8ian534]

@@jamesrose298 Hi. I found a higher than normal crossover at 160hz gives a nice spectrum. I have LFE set at 0 since I’m getting plenty of bass. I do have bass control set to 6. I toggle between triple subs and quad subs. Sub placement is best for me to the right and left and slightly behind almost against the wall of the Dragon bar.

[@olaniyi570]

I don't find the RX-505 and it's siblings to be gimmicky. They ingeniously solved the problem of incorrect Azimuth alignment; which has plagued Autoreverse cassette decks from the beginning. Nakamichi, refused to utilize rotating heads in any of their decks for that very reason. One could argue that the absolute center search in their turntables is a gimmick and it probably is. However, i was lucky enough to hear a TX-1000 and IMHO felt it sounded better after the absolute center search did its thing.

[@gxdjoeybaby07]

totally agree with you on the center search...there's other YT videos explaining the theory behind those turntables much better than the "near-dismissal" in this video...i think the physical quality of vinyl pressings was at its highest in the 70s and by the late 1980s i gave up on vinyl because of the skips and waves/warps and briefly went to compact cassettes...i bought a new REM tape and the header snapped off the first time i pressed play...went to CDs after that and never looked back anyway, sorry for the detour, but the turntables brushed off in this video were actually "necessary" for the slumping quality of new LPs/12" singles at the time...i would love to hear a new 180g pressing played on one of them! =)

[@michaeldicarlo5540]

I found a nakamichi dragon tape deck rxo5 at a garage sale back in 2003, loved that deck till it got stolen 😢

[@grabir01]

Nakamichi should still be making their Amps and Preamps. Fundamentals. They stopped and now they are Nakamichi in name only. They can keep their new 4000usd sound bar.

[@joesatchton212]

^ THIS. Truth.

[@xlrider1565]

So sad, that manufacturing has been largely relegated to China. There used to be pride in workmanship, and quality, from these Audio Manufacturers. Nakamichi Components made in China, NO THANK YOU.

[@compact-club]

About the Nakamichi Dragon self-centering/auto adjusting turntable, there might be some validity to that feature. From my experience, most LPs that are pressed off-centre (eccentric) tend to cause the stylus to pick up more surface noise or that defect causes some audible artefacts to be heard, it's also possible that this wears the stylus/cart more than a perfectly pressed disc.

[@al5152001]

The Nakamichi story that was told by you was good but not complete….You totally bypass the Nak Digital era….I was waiting for you to talk about the Nak 1000 dat/1000p unit….which I own in mint condition and still works 👍

[@user-el6se6xz2u]

Very interesting, thank you. Speaking about the most famous models, the Nakamichi 730 receiver is forgotten - a real innovative product from 1978. I own: TA-3E, CDP-2E & BX-100E - magnificent devices!

[@batman.darthmaul]

The Nak 730 was part of my first serious stereo system back in '81. Loved it.

[@jerrybowden4821]

I own a Dragon soundbar, it is to say the least unbelievably awesome. Marketing tricks are used by all manufacturers of all products. I believe the reviiewer used a marketing gimmick called "click bait" using the Dragon name to get you to watch his video. You want a plug and play awesome sound system, then buy a Dragon and start enjoying.

[@rodrigogarciamz]

I have the Dragon soundbar. It is not perfect but way better than any other soundbar I tested. I had the most expensive ones and the Dragon eats them alive. The only one I haven’t tested yet is the Bang & Olufsen Theater. Is the Dragon better than a good AV receiver and dedicated speakers for each channel no. But no cables and lots of speakers around your space.

[@RUfromthe40s]

you must find your components in the trash not even a new Dragon achieves most of the brands top of the line cassette decks quality but there are good ones like the ZXL´s or ZX´s or CR´s or the cassette deck 1 ,their last and better built model ,there´s the 1.5 but never tested it and any reel deck is better than any cassette deck for the nakamichi´s crap ,even the X-165D from AKAI is a lot better released in 1970, but i have at least 8 nakamichi cassette decks amongst other components ,like the STASIS power amplifier that it seems not built by nakamichi because it does really sound good and powerfull and for 30 years it didn´t caught himself on fire but had the pre from nak ,sold it (crap) than a Denon but recentelly i put a 70´s yamaha that it´s the best, they say SONY built a better one but this guys forget that components are not to hear music once and trash with it at least not saying that they have to work for 50 years like all other brands but at least 10 years none did that till today taking the STASIS not really built by nakamichi ,the mkII isn´t a STASIS and the builder put nakamichi in court of law because of using it´s signatrure brand and won, remenber the 90´s digital nakamichi system ,only a cd player with dat player/recorder and it looked so good with it´s digital amplifier ,well it did work the same as 5th marriage ,7 monthes both the best, in resume buy 70´s revox/studer and you´ll be fine for life with a b215 cassette deck if you find one being maybe the best deck ever made allthough i prefer the phase linear that after bought by Pioneer they released a poor version ,the CT-A1enough to slay any dragon maybe released in the same year and like nakamichi all in plastic but the main parts are metal ,and it still works today but phase linear is to keep, not sure but the amplifier was also built by Carver ,this because i own one or two amplifiers that in the back says built by Carver ,and it´s own brand allthough it was very good when built it was kind of cheap but working if repaired

[@summersky77]

You have money and don't know much about contemporary audio. Very forgivable. As long as you learn that research gains you more than price tag. You can't just throw money at audio towards what you believe are boutique brands. This isn't the 20th century anymore.

[@rodrigogarciamz]

@@summersky77 What do you mean I don’t know much about contemporary audio? Can you elaborate?

[@RUfromthe40s]

@@summersky77 well i work with sound since early 70´s till today ,you think you have anything to teach me or do you think i´ve been sleeping for the last 20 years ,people think things evolved a lot in th last 5 years but that only happens with 14 years old, a good example is the DAC´s some are expensive and have specifications that make cd players with better dac´s sound even worst , have you ever heard of an old think called DAT,it´s the best digital sound available for home using ,mine i bought it cheap in 87 it was the ES model from Sony,it´s above any cd player, and it´s a thing from the 80´s ,when they appeared one would compare them to reel decks which is the same of saying ,the best ,at least till today in digital sound

[@629Justme]

I don't think it's a ploy. I read somewhere that they make 25-50 11 4.6 systems daily for their worldwide audience. It's expected that it would appear that they " sell out" on a regular

[@user-ib7jr6ub2n]

It’s very clear that you’ve never tried/listened to the dragon 11.4.6 in person. You’re trying to shit on them for being sold out when you don’t even know their process to making them. This system is not lacking by any means. But try it for yourself instead of talking greasy about it.

[@madcrabber1113]

Too bad they no longer make tape decks. I still use tape decks for several reasons such as the ability to make mix tapes. I always wanted to own one but the prices were ridiculous. Your stuff reminds me of old Crazy Eddies with a modern twist which I loved.

[@nicholascortez728]

Would have been interesting if you talked about their mobile audio division because despite the buyout in '98 which severely impacted the quality of their home audio gear. Their mobile gear continued to be very well regarded using Zed Audio to build their amps and DynAudio for coaxials and components and Stillwater (yes as in Kicker) for subwoofers until about 2004 when they too closed up shop and began being cheap china rebadges, which they are still doing to this day.

[@digidrum2003]

Still have my original Nak car amps bought in 1986....in boxes and packaging....had the subwoofers also,but I blew those out.

[@mantaproject]

I got Nakamichi speaker plugs 🤭

[@JukeboxAlley]

Hey, some of my favorite fitting plugs!

[@dtracy03ss]

I have a Dragon killer Pioneer CT-A9X Cassette and a PD-71 CD player! Love both of them! They really work well with the SX1280 I bought from Just Audio! But will check out the new Items? Keep the Vids coming and see you have Luxman now? Great Stuff

[@Notawhitchhunt]

My brother had a nakamichi rack mount stereo in the eighties it was excellent and probably still working today

[@edwardbianchi192]

I have a Nakamishi car amp from the 80’s 25 watts x 4 worked very well. And I have a tape deck, one that you showed. I tried it but cassette door won’t open unless you open it up and physically click a lever. It always amazes me that a higher end deck and something as simple as making a door open would break. I have junk inexpensive all in ones and everything still works on them and my higher end stuff always has problems! Lol

[@digidrum2003]

Still have my Nak car amps also....bought them in 1986....in original boxes and packaging.

[@JR-ho5qm]

Looking forward to the CerwinVega! Documentary drop! 🔈👍🏻

[@LennyFlorentine]

It's a work in progress but it's going to be INSANE

[@ohmbug10]

How could anyone seriously say $3800 and soundbar in the same sentence let alone purchase one?

[@LennyFlorentine]

Right

[@ClintAvila]

I have one. Just got it this week. It's awesome and does not sound like any soundbar I've ever heard. I have a high end two channel system and wanted something that would not require me altering that setup. I have a proper home theater in my home but was using an average Samsung sound bar in my den that really wasn't that exciting. The Dragon sound bar is mind boggling in it's clarity, detail and power. I can't even approach half volume this thing is so powerful and I have a large den with a 14 ft ceiling. Even music sounds fantastic through this thing although my two channel setup still beats it easily but that system also cost $40k. I also thought the price was scary when I ordered it without ever hearing one. I can say that it was absolutely worth it. No regrets. I highly recommend the Dragon if you can swing it.

[@ohmbug10]

@@ClintAvilaI believe you and I'm happy for you but I'll never get a chance to hear one let alone afford one.

[@ozzie3805]

Looks like a soundbar but behaves like an avr and sounds like I brought the theater into my living room period.

[@ClintAvila]

100% agree. Demo'd for several and they were shocked by all the sound that was coming from this "soundbar" system. They definitely engineered something unique and worthy of the Dragon name @@ozzie3805

[@chadrizla496]

Your channel is beyond interesting!!

[@fartman1510]

Gimmicks or not. From low end to high, you were getting a phenomenal product back in the day. Imo, they were simply best sound I've heard. RIP NAK!

[@nekerrivera]

I own a Nakamichi cassette player and still work flawless and I was to experience the sound quality of the Nakamichi dragon 11.4.6 at my friend house and it sounds better than my 5.2.4 home theater system. Once that beat is on it will involve you in one of the must amazing sound bubble effects. The separation channel in my system is superior but this dragon is neck to neck to it on that department. Hopefully I’ll get mine next week.

[@jonniemactyler7929]

I purchased a nakamichi soundwafe soundbar system in the hopes that I could use it instead of buying a receiver and speaker setup. Turned into a headache when I would get home everyday and turn on my tv only to not have sound. 30 minutes of fussing and restarting components would get me sound again, but that quickly became a pain in the you know what. Bought a receiver, some klipsch speakers, & subwoofer. . .never looked back or had any trouble with that setup since. Put the nakamichi on the curb, somebody picked it up and I wish them the best of luck in getting it to work right.

[@cytowing3353]

I restore/repair vintage gear. I love Nakamichi tape decks but that is really all they did well. But they did it VERY well. Aside from sounding great they are built much more soundly and robust than most other decks.

[@indecent0079]

Where are you located? My Toshiba SVHS 995 just gave up. She’s a beauty and needs a look at 😞

[@batman.darthmaul]

Their amps were also very good.

[@cytowing3353]

@@indecent0079 I am in central Alabama but I don't work on VCRs or other video gear.

[@DukeofMiami]

I had a Dragon and a gold 1000. Sold them both and now I have a closet full of cassettes that I never listen to.

[@hugobloemers4425]

You can sell those too. They are worth good money, even used.

[@donwest5387]

love my Nakamichi cassette deck and CD player

[@madeinengland6784]

Me sat here waiting for a proper ending to the video, when’s part 2?

[@muhammadfazalradioshop2308]

Beautiful ❤️❤️❤️ video

[@mannytoledo6510]

I still have my Dragon cassette deck. I bought it while I was in the Navy in the mid 80s. Dont use it much these days.

[@ozzie3805]

Thinking of selling it? I'd be interested in buying !

[@hugobloemers4425]

They are worth thousands, don't get your self gas lit.

[@sofjanmustopoh7232]

I don’t know . I was 12 years old salivating at Nakamichi dragon tape deck in 1982 . I was never able to afford it . Even now 😄

[@MacNifty]

So what was the follow up after nine o'clock. Does it go to sold out when they turn off the out of office?

[@compaqdeskpro5770]

There are a few people here who have said the sound bar is that good, I would love an honest review of it, but $4K is a steep asking price for a KZbin video.

[@analogkid4557]

I still have my MR1 tape deck and my Nelson Pass designed Stasis amp from Nakamichi.

[@douglas2lee929]

So Very, Very sad that SO MANY if the greats from the 70's got sold off to mega-corporations, "private equity investors", and other skimmers and entities that just strip out all the value and good will and then cheapen the brand new down to nothing. Most of the great stereo companies that we admired and worshipped have been sold off and no longer make anything of great quality. Pioneer, Kenwood, Advent, Marantz, Sansui, JBL, they've all gone to hell. Audio Research has recently been close to bankruptcy. I haven't really heard if McIntosh is still healthy or not. So sad. At least we can still get most of this "vintage" (God, I'm starting to really hate that word) equipment on the second hand market. And we still have a decent amount of small mom+pop shops (or just "pop") and Technicians that can still repair and tune most of the good old stuff. And some of it is available for reasonable cost. Sometimes parts can even be found!

[@michellevey9608]

I just commented on a short that showed up of you and Randy at some show saying l wished l had been there. I'd have to include Kevin from Skylabs for sure!

[@pervertedalchemist9944]

I have a Nakamichi SoundSpace stereo system. I was unaware of their infamous door issues until AFTER I bought it.

[@maxtrue9744]

From what I have heard from my audio professional colleagues is Nakamichi pitched all the spair parts for the better cassette machines when they got out of the high end market when Mr. Nakamichi passed away. I have been keeping five MR-1 pro decks working over the years and it has been a real hassle. Now days I would avoid anything with the Nakamichi name.

[@kevinpatrickmacnutt]

I have a BX-300 and BX-2 and those have been very reliable, albeit simple straight foward decks from Nakamichi.

[@davidbutler8096]

I bought a BX-300 like 8 years ago for $120. A new idler tire and belts and it performs to almost matching Dragon specs. I love it's warm analog.

[@MN12BIRD]

My buddy had a Nak car audio CD deck back in like 2000 that looked sick, sounded good and somehow they managed to fit a 5 disk changer in a single din head unit which sounded awesome until you realize it skips when you hit medium size bumps in the road. Would not recommend!

[@stevendphoto]

I recall a Nak Cassette Deck in the mid-to-late 70's that had a sloped face (not a flat front face) it looked very cool, never owned on though...

[@ricardoflot2787]

Nak was EXCELLENT when they were made in Japan, and when they started making them in Taiwan, they took a SERIOUS DIVE like a Japanese ZERO! I've had my share of them, but settled for two that I ❤️: LX3 and RX303, WHY: because they have Senduat alloy heads, the rest of those 💰 pits, they can KEEP!

[@bernarrcoletta7419]

Back in the Eighties, a friend of mine had a BX-1. It wasn’t the best tape deck, but probably one of the best when you looked at performance/dollar.

[@koprcord5338]

I have the nakamichi 580, not the 580m and while only a 2 head, it does have the crystalloy nakamichi superhead and sounds great. Also had the nak td500 deck in a pickup and that sounded better than any cd player of the day until my brother got an alpine 7909.

[@dukemoney2]

I have a Nakamichi RX-505 and never had any problems. Fact is, I love it.

[@ScottyR951]

Well, the main companies have all been able to get demos. Maybe they don’t consider you a big enough fish to send one because they sent them to a lot of other people.

[@gregmark1688]

You forgot to make an ending for your video.

[@peacearchwa5103]

You stated that the Dragon was Nakamichi's "most popular" cassette deck, yet the decks which sold the greatest quantities were the value-for-money BX-series decks which sold in massive numbers from 1983 to 1987. Other big-selling "value for money" decks were the 480 series (1979-83). As you indicated, the outfit called "Nakamichi" today has very little in common with the original Nakamichi Research company, which went into bankruptcy protection in 1994, some years before its acquisition by Grande Holdings in '98.

[@kcleach9312]

a few years ago i found a rx 505 tape deck in perfect condition at goodwill for $20 and sold it 2 days later on ebay for $1500

[@gregordiseth6651]

I still own two Nakamichi cassette decks from the 80s, a BX-150 and a CR-1a. The CR series was the BX successor. The BX I bought when I was in college, and the CR was given to me by my best friend when he moved on to CD's. Sadly, the transport motor died in my BX machine, but the CR still works just fine with new rubber. These cassette decks were the only acceptable recorders to my ear, they were capable of recording 20-20Khz with little effort, when other popular machines were rolling off the high frequencies above 10Khz with their cheaper heads, electronics, and sloppy cheap transports. I feel Nakamichi was more substance than gimmick during the early years. Just look at the specifications and build quality of the original 1000, 1000ZXL, Dragon, or a Stasis pre-amp or power amplifier. With that said, the company was led down the road of temptation, starting with the gold 1000ZXL, and there were some other boutique-ey gear towards the end of the original company's life - including a very impressive "rack" tower system that exuded luxury and quality. Although I was a total Nakamichi head back in the day, I was put off by the lifestyle direction the brand was taking. I even had one of the CD clock radios that had a proprietary hard wired connection between two units that went on each nightstand of your bedroom. One was a master unit, the other was passive, only a clock display and another speaker. The master unit had a CD player and of course a tuner. The CD player lid hinge broke, which I repaired with a drill and a nail! The unit was obscenely expensive of course. Nakamichi faded away as I became completely obsessed with CD's, so I didn't notice too much, but still a sad story. Despite the downfall and eventual sale, consumer shift from hi fi gear to low-fi earbuds and crappy soundbars didn't help the market.

[@dicmccoy]

Nakamichi is just a name now that gets licensed to the highest bidder. Look at the Nakamichi AV1/AVP1 and IOTAVX AVX17/AVXP1. Ian from IOTAVX was one of them that licenced the name and when the units sold well, the owner of the Nakamichi name got greedy and sky rocketed the price to relicense the name to Ian. Ian said screw that, and started with a new name, IOTAVX.

[@daniannaci3258]

Nakamichi exposed! as originally an OEM manufacturer making cassette decks for Fisher, Harmon Kardon and, most notably, Advent. Advent’s first product was the Advent 200 cassette deck. It was one of the first Dolby B cassette decks that came out in the late 1960’s along with models from Harmon Kardon and Fisher. The first consumer tape deck was actually an open reel model sold under the KLH brand name a year or two earlier. I had lunch in 1998 with Andy Petite (before he charged his name back to his given name, Kostatos) the owner and head honcho of Boston Acoustics, still manufacturing then in Peabody, Massachusetts. Andy previously was one of the founders of Advent, and was at KLH before that. He related to me that the transport for the Advent 200 cassette deck was made by Nakamichi, the electronic innards were all Advent including the all-discrete Dolby B boards and the unique single VU meter. The transport mechanism was so unreliable that the warranty costs nearly put the fledgling Advent company under. They quickly made the move and reintroduced the deck as the Advent 201 that used an overbuilt commercial quality (think schools) transport from Wollensak. That deck was successful and was in their line for many years.

[@Pootycat8359]

The Nak "Dragon" sound-bars are available on Ebay, but the prices are up to $7800!

[@joesshows6793]

That’s it? Did the video cut off early?

[@darcenex14]

I've watched a few of his videos. Good stuff for what you get, but they always end abruptly leaving you hanging for what you expected was more.

[@hom2fu]

11:09 wait until he finished his energy drink. one of those psychological tool

[@ACCOUNTANTB]

The 1000ZXL is a dream deck...

[@LVleo1978]

Did anyone else feel like this video was unfinished? Like more should have been said?

[@LennyFlorentine]

Gives room for a sequel

[@midnightrider8105]

@@LennyFlorentine hoping for that sequel!!

[@hugobloemers4425]

@@LennyFlorentine A real life action sequel, just like Disney does. I hope it is not Woke :)

[@LennyFlorentine]

@@hugobloemers4425 not a chance lol

[@Oklawolf]

The Dragon is a nice machine, but it's never been my grail from this brand. That would be the CR-7A or ZX-9, depending on what day you ask me. I have a BX-150 currently in service as my main playback machine. Punches way above its weight for a two head... it's currently about #3 in my collection for best recording units. Takes my 3 head Aiwa decks to beat it.

[@fredjoel8113]

Yes, Akai cassette decks were quite good. I eventually sold my Nak ZX-9. Surprised to find that my 3-head Akai was nearly indistinguishable sonically.

[@nekerrivera]

And yes they’re so popular that it really difficult to be able to order one and it’s to continue like that for a while.

[@stonesfan285]

I have not even seen these available yet. I read somewhere that the current company is very slow to produce and ship them here. Not sure if it's because of tariffs or if they just legit can't build them. And $4k is a big high for any soundbar. I could spend half of that on a Samsung Q990 and have it sound great.

[@elcasho]

sudden ending wow!

[@mihaischitcu1917]

I believe the Nakamichi products of the 70s and early 80s had fewer "gimmicks" than most other manufacturers'. This was actually their philosophy. The innovations you are referring to as "gimmicks" offer undeniable and repeatedly measurable improvements. The self-centering feature on the Dragon turntable remains the most desirable feature on a turntable since its introduction (and pretty much the last innovation in vinyl reproduction that's not snake oil). Their first 3 head decks really had the frequency response of any respectable reel-to-reel unit of the day (at 4x the tape speed), with their "pad lifter" whose side-benefit is that it greatly extends the life of their heads (a lot of other manufacturers implement life prolonging features in their products). Considering their complexity, their products haven't aged worse than other manufacturers'. I don't think it's a fair "documentary" and I especially don't see the point of back-propagating what they are doing today onto their achievements 50 years ago. The name may have stuck but the people are long gone.

[@RUfromthe40s]

you forget the car cassette player Dragon from NAK.what a machine it worked for 6 entire monthes till i had to buy a kenwood till 97 when i bought a md player for the car ,the "put this,put that i recorded"ended ,no one had minidisc

[@RUfromthe40s]

i was one of dumb that had everything Dragon but they sure look better in games of thrones at least they shot fire when they want not like mine that shot fire when i least expected so much money spent on a ....short period of time ,while what i bought 20 years earlier ,twenty years later of the Dragon phase they still work so thousands thrown at the garbage but i recover some of the money just by selling my old 90´s Dragon cassette deck being already in the way to stop working correctelly when someone ofered me 5.000€ for it´s mint look and he brought cassettes from his home to try them on the deck but it all worked ,justknew that not for much time as i had a 82 dragon sold it for 300€ or equivalent when it had cost me 800€

[@declanfarber]

Servicing those Nak auto-reversing decks sounds like a really good reason to buy a 3d printer (which you probably have, right?) I still love my LX-5.

[@novaguy5073]

Um.. Kenwood mini systems in the 1990 had an individual cassette optimization feature along with CD copy that would calculate the best fit of the tracks onto a tape at high speed.

[@lycanhd]

I enjoy my Nakimichi Soundwafe 7.1.4

[@michaelc.ateoate979]

I still have my portable nak bx decks and a pair of cm300 shotguns

[@bradleydurbin6784]

Awhile back I saw one of there receivers for sale at the local vintage used repair shop for sale. Circa late 80s. Was around 300.00 used. I know back then they were competing with other mainstream audio brands like Yamaha etc

[@Dirtyharry70585]

Rx505 but settled for JVC kd-8a $800 in ~1980/81

[@scarecrow9046]

I have the JVC KDA8 and it sounds so good especially when recording I also had the JVC KDA7 and I loved that tape deck too. I’ll probably will end up buying another KDA7 since I sold my last one.

[@batman.darthmaul]

Nakamichi also made computer peripherals for a while after they had left the audio gear market.

[@effedrien]

I was happy with my Akai that only rotated the head instead of the whole cassete.

[@bilguana11]

I haven't connected my RX-202 in a long time. I had their car deck in the '80s. A day after I had the FM section repaired at their LA service center my car was stolen at my apartment for that tape deck. The LALA PD could have cared less about the connection.

[@tumslucks9781]

Sorry that happened to you. In the 80s I read in a British car mag the ideal combo was a Nakamichi cassette deck mated with a Sony CD player.

[@bilguana11]

I also had a Denon amp and KEF speakers.@@tumslucks9781

[@Menieres4Life]

That ended very abruptly.

[@michaelgreene5703]

does nakamichi still make cassette decks?

[@hugobloemers4425]

They are a zombie company, they don't make anything.

[@maxbg]

Not any more

[@user-zl9qk1sg2f]

For a $4000 dollars speaker system, I can buy a full 5.1 surround system for less than $4000

[@kurtismotif]

I had Cerwin Vega VS-1's in the front and Bose 601's as my rear speakers... I was at this pawn shop in Washington and Im from Oregon and there is this Nakamichi amplifier in there, I got low profile dont say anything. In the days before the internet we had go figure shit out. SO I did, I went Fred's Sound of Music and told what I found and we looked it up and there was a 3000 dollar amplifier sitting there for 400 bucks across the river. I flew back that same day and bought it. It was a very awsome set up I had the front driver speakers classic rock and roll speaker and the 601's were just like liquid and that amplifier was so clean .0000000000001 total harmonic distortion. It was something else... Im gonna get another one. That whole set was stolen.

[@StukaUK]

What happened at the end of this video? It just ended without notice.

[@jsizzle2k6]

i legit had some pos cassette deck in the 90s that just reversed it when it got to the end no fancy mechanical bs lol crazy how far things have come

[@chrislj2890]

Well I guess if it hadn't been some Chinese scoundrel ruining those great Japanese brands it would have been some asshole from another country. Whether from incompetence, greed, or corruption, it never seems to change. Thanks for more insightful info on the industry.

[@marcparsons1726]

I bought a nice Onkyo Integra cassette deck for my 506rs. Played two tapes total. Glad I didn't have to get a Dragon Elite!

[@jamesrose298]

Does anyone else notice that the dragon subs bottom out??..my q990b hits harder with just 1 sub and dragon has 4 what’s up with that?

[@ejonesss]

if they truely dont have any in stock for review then you should be able get them to give you 100% rebate (i.e. refund) for one you buy on ebay and it is not them dancing around saying straight up "we do not provide free samples". also they could be using other excuses to avoid straight up saying "production and shipping problems"