George, great post. I sold Nakamichi in college. My aha moment re specs is when I bought a non-working Marantz Model 7 preamp to replace my Souncraftsman preamp, and after fixing it I suddenly had a 3-D soundstage with a far greater sense of dynamics. I have always had a tube preamp since.
Audiophile Equipment
I learned the value of audiophile equipment early in my pursuit of the high end. I had accumulated enough gear for a system and was looking for the best possible tape deck… with Dolby C. From the popular magazines… Stereo Review, Stereo Times… the Harman Kardon T392 seemed to represent the pinnacle. So I bought one. It was OK… but such a huge step down from vinyl that I was genuinely bummed, especially since it cost something like $650… a lot of money at the time.
A few months later I was browsing a high-end audio shop and, somewhat morosely, told my story to a salesman. He just started laughing. “Those things are junk… you need a real tape deck.” He led me over to the window, where there was a seven-year-old used Nakamichi 1000… huge, with wood paneling all around it… looking more like a reel-to-reel than a cassette deck. He wanted $1,200 for it. That was an astronomical amount of money… and it was old. Then he said, “Take it home… try it.”
My first real jaw-drop moment.
It had the full depth and bass of vinyl… it was simply astonishing. It made the so-called “flagship” Harman Kardon sound like a cheap plastic transistor radio and without Dolby C. All that glossy magazine talk about bandwidth and specs… page after page of marketing… well, that’s all it was. This old, purpose-built audiophile machine performed leagues above the consumer-level product.
I was hooked.
It wasn’t my last audiophile purchase… but it was my last consumer-level purchase for decades.
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Good post. My second high end purchase after getting a real job was a Nakamichi BX-300, $800. I pulled it out a couple years ago and predictably it did not work. I replaced the belts and had a friend fix some electrical issues and sold it. I could not in good conscience bring it to the recycling center and put it in a bin with a stack of low grade AVR castoffs. |
@ghdprentice said:
Love it! +1 sir! |
We all need to start somewhere. Got my first TT at 18. A Thorens with an AKG cart for about 250$. Was really happy until I listened to a Linn LP12 that cost over 1000$ without the cart. Since I did not have enough money, I settled for a used Heybrook TT2 in 1986. The journeyman’s Linn as they called it. Well I kept it until last year until I finally got my Linn LP 12 with up to date upgrades. Like I said we need to start somewhere to get there. The journey is also a fun part of this hobby. |
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