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jandl100
06-08-2009, 09:59
I've an Akai GX-65 cassette deck that I picked up recently for £50.

It looks pretty much mint and seems to have been used very little, but the motors act and sound like they are tired - some pre-recorded cassettes warble around a bit, some don't play at all (the auto-stop mech kicks in). New tapes that I have recorded my self are fine, though. (I also have a cheap Yamaha deck that doesn't sound as good - but it is far more robust when it comes to playback of old tapes).

Is it worth getting ther Akai serviced? If so where and how much is it likely to cost?

Suggestions / advice?
__

I've found that I really enjoy the cassette deck thing - both recording off Radio 3 and playback of pre-recorded tapes (which can be had very cheaply from charity shops! :)).

I'd be happy to buy another deck, but the choice is daunting and I know next to nowt about these things. Price? - well, up to 'several £hundred' I guess.

DSJR
06-08-2009, 10:05
I think spares for most cassette decks won't be available now sadly, even for Naks.

Most Naks should be pretty good, although earlier ones had a slightly reduced 10Khz output which can make tired old pre-recorded tapes sound duller than they are. Denon's three head machines have a treble peak which is good for playback, but tapes made on such machines sound very dull when played on a Nak (been there and done it!)

Revox used to make brick outhouse machines and as far as I know, they don't yet have the Nakamichi cachet... Hopefully someone a bit more up to date than me will offer advice..

twelvebears
06-08-2009, 11:49
Without doubt, THE MAN on this subject is Alex Nikitin, as he's rummaged around in and fixed more types of deck than I can name, so I'd PM him and ask....

Also, with the right skills, many decks are more fixable than you might think, and parts are available, or at least the bits that usually wear out are. For example, I've just got replacement drive belts and an idler tyre for my recently acquired Aiwa XK-S7000. Admittedly they came from Deutschland, but still quite reasonable.

Beechwoods
06-08-2009, 12:19
B&O still service and have spares for almost all but the most esoteric Nakamichis.

Classic Nakamichi: http://www.classic-nakamichi.com/nakamichi/nak%20home.htm

You will pay more for a Nakamichi than for other good machines, because (to be frank) it seems that people are pretty lazy and assume that Nakamichi were the first last and only name in decent tape decks. They are good, but there are as good and better around if you look, partiuclarly if you know which are the gems in the linups from the otherwise less-notable manufacturers. If you check the 'Cassette's Not Dead' and 'Best Playback Deck' threads on here you'll get some good ideas. Steve's recent experience with the Aiwa XK-S7000 is a case in point. As I've done more reading that deck keeps cropping up as a really top machine, and when you can pick them up for less than £75 ... need I go on. There's many a wealthy fool out there keeping prices on other decks far too high in comparison :)

jandl100
06-08-2009, 12:34
Steve's recent experience with the Aiwa XK-S7000 is a case in point. As I've done more reading that deck keeps cropping up as a really top machine, and when you can pick them up for less than £75

Thanks Nick. Yes, well, there's an Aiwa S7000 on eBay for a BIN of £180! So maybe folks are catching on! :(

There's also a few Naks on eBay, I'll look into those. Thanks for the Nak link.

twelvebears
06-08-2009, 12:50
Hi Jerry.

Worth pointing out that although I did only pay £74 for my XK-S7000, I would have gone higher, and Alex's view was that up-to £180 was reasonable for a good one considering how good it's performance is....

Re the Nak subject, as I have unexpectly got more decks than I have space for, I might be up for selling on my recently serviced DR-2, so PM me if you're interested and me can talk.

S.

jandl100
06-08-2009, 13:57
Hi Jerry.
Re the Nak subject, as I have unexpectly got more decks than I have space for, I might be up for selling on my recently serviced DR-2, so PM me if you're interested and me can talk.

S.

Thanks Steve - you have a PM. :)

Alex Nikitin
06-08-2009, 14:46
I've an Akai GX-65 cassette deck that I picked up recently for £50.

It looks pretty much mint and seems to have been used very little, but the motors act and sound like they are tired - some pre-recorded cassettes warble around a bit, some don't play at all (the auto-stop mech kicks in). New tapes that I have recorded my self are fine, though. (I also have a cheap Yamaha deck that doesn't sound as good - but it is far more robust when it comes to playback of old tapes).

Is it worth getting ther Akai serviced? If so where and how much is it likely to cost?

Suggestions / advice?
__

I've found that I really enjoy the cassette deck thing - both recording off Radio 3 and playback of pre-recorded tapes (which can be had very cheaply from charity shops! :)).

I'd be happy to buy another deck, but the choice is daunting and I know next to nowt about these things. Price? - well, up to 'several £hundred' I guess.

Hi Jerry,

Your Akai is most likely requires new pinch rollers, the idler tyre and bels. However it is worth noting that some old pre-recorded cassettes are just very "difficult" and may not play properly in a good closed-loop dual capstan deck - I have few cassettes like this.

Almost any deck you'll buy second hand or on Ebay would require a proper service and a set-up. If there is no particular trouble with the deck it would usually take 1 to 3 hours to service it which means £50-£100 in cost, sometimes more. Out of the decks available on the second hand market AIWA XK-S7000 is probably the best value for money at the moment. AIWA XK-007 and 009 also worth considering but these are older and usually require more attention. Technics RS-M85/88 is a very nice playback deck if it is in a good condition and serviced. There are also some older Akai decks worth considering - CS-M01/02/03 for instance. After a small mod and service these simple 2-head units sound surprisingly well on playback. Midrange 3-head Naks are good as well and usually keep their resell value.

Cheers

Alex

twelvebears
06-08-2009, 14:51
Listen to Alex, this man knows his tape decks.... :)

jandl100
06-08-2009, 15:02
Thanks Alex and Steve. :)

.... in the circumstances (i.e. £50-£100 service for my Akai), Steve's already-serviced Nak DR2 looks like a good bet ... ?

Alex Nikitin
06-08-2009, 15:16
Thanks Alex and Steve. :)

.... in the circumstances (i.e. £50-£100 service for my Akai), Steve's already-serviced Nak DR2 looks like a good bet ... ?

As I did the service on it ;) , I would say - yes, it is a good deck in a good condition and should be noticeably better than your Akai (even if the Akai is serviced) .

Alex