Dragon, RX-505 or DR-2 ?

I can only relate my experience. Although I don’t know the DR-2 I have owned the Dragon (that I bought from Willy Herman), and an RX-505 (serviced by Willy). Both machines worked flawlessly, and I still have the RX-505. I couldn’t hear much difference between the two, both were great. If you only plan to listen to commercially recorded tapes, I recommend the convenience of the RX-505. The previous poster is correct that the Dragon will likely be the most expensive one to have serviced. Any higher end Nakamichi is worth the cost of service or repair. You can still find used (and sometimes new) cassettes at thrift stores for almost nothing. If that RX-505 is the lowest priced deck, you may be in luck.

Congratulations! I would take nrenter’s advice and look into service. It’s worth the money.

Buying the RX-505 was a good choice, especially at that price. If you decide that cassettes are your thing, you can always move up to a Dragon if you need what it offers. I’m betting you will be happy with your purchase. When I bought my RX-505, the seller had a Dragon for sale but it was almost twice the price and didn’t sound as clear as the RX-505. I believe it was out of alignment. I have never regretted my decision, and the RX-505 is still in my collection.

I sold my CR-7A probably 15 years ago as well, and my Dragon and ZX-9 too sometime later. I regret selling any of them. The good news is that they’re all still available somewhere on the internet. You just have to accept that you have to dig a little deeper into your savings if you want to buy them back. Just prior to my retirement and a move out of state, my wife insisted that I sell my 2000+ cassettes. Again, I regret selling them but, in retrospect, it was a good decision...but I do miss them!