Which Nakamichi to choose?

Problem solved was still a problem.

"Nothing wrong with the Sony Walkman portable Cassette players as far as I can tell. "

They had a weak spot in that connecting film between two parts (the one that cassette goes in and the one that closes it). I guess "interconnect" would be the closest name for it.

In the U.S.A. warranty was 90 days for labor and parts were six months. You ended up paying $45 for repair while they gave you $1 part free under warranty. Otherwise, nice machines.

inna,

Thanks for mentioning Willy Hermann. Just enough info to link me to what I have been thinking about for years. Thanks again.

tls49,

I have no experience in comparing those so I stand corrected. However, if someone starts a thread about the theory of that, I am afraid it would turn ugly.

mickeyblu79,

DR 2 is as good as you will ever want it to be. I have no experience with DR 1, though.

Practical difference between cast and stamped metal has probably evened out over the last 25 years. If they have survived, they have proven reliable enough, I would say.

If you are really a cassette novice, you should know that the medium is very inconvenient and novelty may wear off relatively soon. Otherwise, it does posses some magic. If you still have your own tapes from when you were what you are not anymore. It does bring a madeleine moment every time and many of us love it for that. Some admit, some do not. I have to admit that recording new tapes is not as exciting as it used to be, but playing old ones is unbeatable. It beats playing records.

There are tapes to be found, but you will have to learn which ones you really want. TDK SA from 1980-1988 seems to be indestructible. SA-X comes close. However, it will be a real luck to find them for 25 cents a piece. Same tape names from the 1990s, at least on my machines, have had different (less tight in some imaginary way) sound and were far from reliable.

Good luck.