The Story of My Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1000ZXL (English)

 

The Story of My Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1000ZXL

My journey into the world of audiophilia began with my father, who introduced me to the magic of sound by purchasing a vintage Denon all-in-one system. This elegant shelf-like cabinet housed a ceramic cartridge pickup head on a turntable, a radio, and an amplifier flanked by two loudspeakers. It was 1965, and the price tag of approximately $1,600 was equivalent to a two-tone Rolex Datejust 36mm 16233. My father's modest monthly income of $240 as a proofreader for the Sing Po newspaper made this purchase quite significant. Later, he expanded his audio collection with an Akai reel-to-reel deck, frequently recording music from vinyl onto tape.

As I entered the workforce, I was determined to carve my own path in audio. My first setup featured a Quad 33 preamplifier, a pair of Quad 305 amplifiers (50W x2), a Linn LP12 turntable, a Shure V15 Type III cartridge, and a set of AR-16 8-inch woofers. This configuration brought me joy for a couple of years until I decided to upgrade to a Marantz 3200 preamplifier.

One unforgettable summer, I wandered into Radio People to experience the Nakamichi Dragon. The moment I slipped on the headphones, I was utterly captivated by the sound—it was nothing short of extraordinary. However, when I glimpsed the price tag—over $12,000 in 1982—I felt a wave of disappointment; it was far beyond my financial reach. At that time, a university graduate earned about $1,200 a month.

Eventually, fortune smiled upon me, and I had the opportunity to acquire a Nakamichi 680ZL cassette deck. This remarkable machine became a cherished part of my life, especially when I recorded my daughter Leica's voice as she called out "Papa" in 1996. In recent years, I transitioned from CDs to cassettes, discovering that the sound felt more natural and comforting. I prefer to let the music guide my evaluation of audio equipment rather than the other way around.

Over the past five years, I have passionately collected legendary gear from the Hong Kong market, including the Nakamichi 1000ZXLx2, Dragon X3, CR7x1, LX5x1, and CR40x1. These exquisite machines represent some of the finest audio craftsmanship available. My two Nakamichi units, with serial numbers A3264 and A3270, belong to the same export batch destined for an HK agent.

My Nakamichi 3270 has an intriguing backstory; it originally belonged to the owner of Hong Kong's first CD manufacturing company. He regaled me with tales of the 1980s, when the sum he spent on the 1000ZXL could have purchased a third of a typical medium-sized flat in Hong Kong. It was a significant investment, and he hardly used the machine for more than 200 hours. He found me through his younger brother, a member of the HIENDY YouTube channel, who had previously invited me to discuss cassette decks live on his channel. His brother suggested that I might be the perfect caretaker for the gear.

When I acquired the deck, it wouldn’t power up at all. I consulted a technician known as “Panda,” who assured me that it should be fine as long as the CPU chip wasn’t dead. I paid $40,000 for the unit, and it took him five months to fix it—not due to complexity, but because he was swamped with work. Even after the repair, it wasn’t perfect; after a few hours of use, the right channel developed a crackling sound. I attempted to fix it myself by securing the four boards inside the right chamber, but that effort proved futile.

Just yesterday, I discovered some cold solder on one capacitor and realized I needed to activate a bias switch. Once I made those adjustments, the sound was nothing short of miraculous—like celestial voices enveloping me. While I haven't yet fully explored its capabilities, the audio is delicate, smooth, and sweet, never harsh or exaggerated. I am confident it surpasses my previous CD setup, which included a Meta Research CD transport, Goldmund 12 DA converter, Wadia 8, Studer D19 DA converter, and Krell CD-10 transport.

Here they are: my two 1000ZXL units—serial number 3264 on the bottom and 3270 on the top!

我的 Nakamichi 卡帶機 1000ZXL 的故事

 

我的 Nakamichi 卡帶機 1000ZXL 的故事

我進入音響世界的旅程始於我的父親，他通過購買一台復古的 Denon 一體機讓我體驗到聲音的魔力。這個優雅的櫃子形狀的設備內置了一個陶瓷唱頭的轉盤、收音機和一個兩側有喇叭的擴音器。那是在1965年，價格約為 1,600 元，相當於一隻兩色的 Rolex Datejust 36mm 16233。作為《星報》的校對員，我父親每月的收入僅為 240 元，這使得這筆購買非常重要。後來，他又購買了一台 Akai 磁帶機，經常將音樂從黑膠唱片錄製到磁帶上。

當我開始工作時，我決心在音響領域開創自己的道路。我的第一套音響系統包括一台 Quad 33 前級放大器、兩台 Quad 305（50W x2）擴音器、一台 Linn LP12 唱盤、一個 Shure V15 Type III 唱針和一對 AR-16 8 吋低音喇叭。這一配置讓我享受了幾年，直到我決定升級到 Marantz 3200 前級放大器。

在一個難忘的夏天，我走進了 Radio People，想要體驗 Nakamichi Dragon。當我戴上耳機的那一刻，我完全被聲音所吸引——那簡直是非凡的。然而，當我看到價簽——1982 年超過 12,000 元——我感到一陣失望；這超出了我的財力範圍。那時候，畢業生的月薪約為 1,200 美元。

最終，運氣眷顧了我，我有機會獲得一台 Nakamichi 680ZL 卡帶機。這台卓越的設備成為我生活中珍貴的一部分，特別是當我在 1996 年錄製女兒 Leica 說「爸爸」的聲音時。近幾年來，我轉向了卡帶，相比 CD，發現其聲音更加自然和舒適。我更喜歡讓音樂引導我評估音響設備，而不是反過來。

在過去的五年裡，我熱衷於從香港市場收集傳奇音響設備，包括 Nakamichi 1000ZXLx2、Dragon X3、CR7x1、LX5x1 和 CR40x1。這些精美的機器代表了一些最優秀的音響工藝。我的兩台 Nakamichi 設備，序列號 A3264 和 A3270，均屬於同一批次出口到香港的代理商。

我的 Nakamichi 3270 有一個有趣的背景故事；它最初屬於香港首家 CD 製造公司的所有者。他告訴我關於這台設備的故事：在 1980 年代，他在 1000ZXL 上的花費足以購買香港一個中型公寓的三分之一。這是一筆可觀的投資，他幾乎沒有使用這台設備超過 200 小時。他通過他的弟弟找到我，弟弟是 HIENDY YouTube 頻道的成員，曾經邀請我在他的頻道上現場討論卡帶機。他的兄弟提到，他可能找到了這台設備的看護人。

當我買下這台設備時，它根本無法開機。我詢問了一位名叫「Panda」的技術人員，他告訴我只要 CPU 晶片沒有壞就應該沒問題。我為這台設備支付了 40,000 元，並且花了他五個月的時間來修理它——這並不是因為難度，而是因為他工作繁忙。即便修好後，它也不是完美的；使用幾個小時後，右聲道開始出現雜音。我試圖自己修理，通過鎖定右側艙內的四塊電路板，但那並沒有奏效。

就在昨天，我發現一個電容器上的冷焊點，意識到我需要啟動一個偏置開關。調整後，聲音簡直令人驚嘆——就像來自天堂的聲音。雖然我還沒有完全探索它的功能，但聲音細膩、平滑、甜美，從不尖銳或誇張。我相信它的性能超過了我之前的 CD 設置，包括 Meta Research CD 轉盤、Goldmund 12 DA 轉換器、Wadia 8、Studer D19 DA 轉換器和 Krell CD-10 轉盤。

這就是我的兩台 1000ZXL，底下的是 3264，上面的是 3270

Paul 

Deepseek search " is Nakamichi 1000ZXK the best sounding cassette deck in the world?"

 Alright, I now need to answer the user's question: “Is the Nakamichi 1000ZXL the best-sounding cassette deck in the world?” Based on the provided search results, I need to synthesize information from various web pages and correctly cite sources.

First, let's examine the content of each web page. Page 1 mentions that the Nakamichi 1000ZXL and 700ZXL are "dream machines" for cassette deck enthusiasts, renowned for their perfect soundstage and powerful low frequencies, making them the ultimate choice for cassette players. This clearly highlights the advantages of the 1000ZXL in terms of soundstage and low frequencies, and positions it as a top-tier product, which can serve as evidence supporting its excellent sound quality; this is cited from Page 1.

Page 2 provides a detailed description of Nakamichi's high-end cassette deck models, including the 1000ZXL, mentioning its technical features such as three heads and RAMM memory storage, indicating its technological advancement. However, it does not directly evaluate whether its sound quality is the best. Nevertheless, as a flagship model, it can indirectly support the claim of excellent sound quality, but may not require direct citation.

Page 3 states that the Nakamichi 1000 flagship cassette deck commands high prices in the second-hand market, even rivaling CD players, and that the limited edition 1000ZXL symbolizes status among enthusiasts, indicating its popularity and high-end positioning, though it does not directly comment on sound quality. However, in conjunction with other pages, one can infer that its sound quality is recognized, but citations may be limited.

Page 4 mentions that Li Zhi-Jie considers the Nakamichi 1000ZXL a flagship model. Although he does not directly compare it with other brands, he points out its recognition by recording studios and engineers, stating that its playback quality surpasses certain CD players, which can be used as evidence of its excellent sound quality; this is cited from Page 4.

Pages 5 and 6 both highlight the high price and demand for the 1000ZXL limited edition, with user reviews describing its sound as warm and noble, comparable to vinyl records, and even calling it the “cassette deck terminator.” These subjective evaluations support its top-notch sound quality and are cited from Pages 5 and 6.

Pages 7 and 8 primarily discuss other Nakamichi products, such as soundbars, which are unrelated to cassette decks and can be ignored.

In summary, the Nakamichi 1000ZXL is described by multiple pages as a top-tier cassette deck, featuring outstanding soundstage, low frequencies, and technological innovation, with high market performance and user reviews. Therefore, it can be concluded that it is a leading cassette deck; however, it should be noted that the term "best" may be subjective, but based on the information, it is indeed widely recognized. The Nakamichi 1000ZXL is broadly regarded as a top flagship model in the cassette recording deck field, with its sound performance and technological innovations at the forefront of the industry.

Based on the search results:

1. Soundstage and Low Frequency Performance: The 1000ZXL is known for its “perfect soundstage” and “powerful low frequencies,” capable of presenting a natural, transparent, and wide frequency response. Users describe its playback as “warm, noble, and vivid,” even comparable to vinyl records.

2. Technological Advantages: As a representative of Nakamichi's three-head cassette decks, the 1000ZXL is equipped with RAMM memory storage, automatic azimuth adjustment (A.B.L.E. system), and other cutting-edge technologies, ensuring precision in recording and playback. Its gold-plated limited edition further optimizes the signal-to-noise ratio.

3. Market Position and Evaluation: The 1000ZXL is a “hot commodity” in the second-hand market, priced up to 150,000 yuan, and referred to as the “cassette deck terminator.” Audiophiles view it as a status symbol, with jokes like “owning it lets you walk sideways.” Recording engineers and industry experts also acknowledge it as “a powerful tool for Nakamichi's fame.”

4. Comparison and Recognition: Although the term “best” is subjective, the 1000ZXL approaches or surpasses contemporary top devices (like the Aiwa S9000) in several metrics (such as frequency response range and signal-to-noise ratio) and is rated as “more pleasing to the ear than the Clearaudio Master Reference LP.”

In conclusion, the Nakamichi 1000ZXL, with its technological foundation, sound performance, and market reputation, can be seen as one of the benchmark products in the cassette recording deck field. However, whether it is the “best in the world” should be judged in conjunction with personal preferences.

Is Cassette tape sounds good, better than CD? Or even vinyl?

 

I have been listening to music since 1978, when vinyl was the dominant format. Over the past 50 years, I have explored various formats, including vinyl, CDs, and cassettes. I also have experience with reel-to-reel tapes, which I believe offer the best sound quality. However, original reel-to-reel recordings can be quite expensive, so I primarily use vinyl as my main source of music.

 

Recently, I have taken up collecting vintage cassette decks because I believe they can sound better than vinyl in some cases. There are many vinyl enthusiasts who often claim that cassette decks "eat" tapes and produce a lot of hissing noise. Some even argue that even the cheapest turntable can outperform my cassette deck.

 

I recently posted a message on Facebook about vintage cassette decks, asking why I still enjoy using them. I was pleased to find numerous supportive comments, which reassured me that I am not alone in my appreciation for cassette decks.

 

Here are some of the comments I received:

 

These are some of the comment.

1.      Two wheels are better than one !

2.      Cassette are awesome 。  

3.      No, he never has listened to a good cassette deck. Maybe his experience is one of the early pre-recorded tapes. I had a friend ask "who the hell listens to cassettes anymore" I guess other than her ignorance, she had never listened to Mitsubishi Dragons, oh well John Meyer in terms of what type of source we prefer to listen to, yes. But to make an empirical statement that vinyl is superior to tape, particularly a cheap vinyl setup, just reveals a deep ignorance of the technological facts.

 

4.      Correct! A friend - self-confessed cassette hater, owner of some really high-end Hi Fi, listened to one of my decks (average quality 1990s two head Yamaha) with a pre-recorded cassette and was astonished!

5.      A well-recorded cassette on quality tape from a digital source with proper use of Dolby NR (or dbx if you like) can absolutely beat the sound quality from even the best LP on the best TT with the best cartridge.

 

6.      Yes, simply like that: The cassette sounds better (even at lower quality). Insiders know that.

7.      Cris Schulze just the commercial  World kill the good

Cassette music Media as no one invest on manufacturing hin end cassette deck. I make mix tapes on my Teac to play in my Toyota on my Blaupunkt. I earnestly don't care what anyone else thinks about it.

 

8.      Some of my Cassettes sound better than my Records, depends how it's recorded and on what system it's being played on

 

9.      A good cassette deck, properly aligned to the tape used, using high quality tapes and recorded properly from any source, including vinyl, will produce great results.  There could be some minor trade offs, but excellent nevertheless. That's ok. We don't want everybody to know what we know... 😉 I have some cassettes that I recorded with my BEOCORD back in the eighties that still sound amazing. Bob Hadden l was just listening to a recording of Love Over Gold made in 1984 on fairly modest equipment and it still sounds great.

 

10.  My first cassette deck was an Advent, which I enjoyed a lot. Then, I got a Nakamichi, and enjoyed that, even more! I also added a dbx noise reduction unit which really lowered the noise floor.

 

11.  I’ve been slowly assembling my “retirement” system and decided that the spot that the cassette occupied should be a digital server/streamer in this generation.

 

12.  I do still want something as great as the Nakamichi was and am probably going with Aurender.ACS10. It comes with up to 24TB of storage and the ability to rip all my CDs to that huge SSD drive so everything but my LPs will be accessible from my listening chair. After all, this is the retirement system!-)

 

13.  Then we hope he spends a fortune buying audiophile grade stylus and re-issues of popular LPs over and over.

 

14.  Whenever somebody says something like that to me I just say "you are not doing it right".

 

15.  Tell the guy that he's absolutely right and that he should stick to the turntables. In that case we have one competitor less for the wonderful tape decks 😁 And if he won't listen then ask him how he would imagine a turntable in a car - that being before the CD-player was invented 🤣

 

In my opinion, I dislike the crackling sound of vinyl, while I barely notice the hissing of cassettes. Thus, I prefer cassette tapes. Records require RIAA equalization to suppress low frequencies during recording, which can distort the original musical form. Setting up a turntable for optimal performance is almost like rocket science, and the cost can be ten times higher than that of a cassette deck. The Nakamichi, with its magnetic head azimuth alignment, can reproduce recordings faithfully.

 

When I listen to cassette tapes, I find it more relaxing. Vinyl is less user-friendly; maintaining a good cassette deck requires regular tasks like cleaning the heads and washing the tapes. The drawback is that it's not easy to manufacture a high-quality cassette deck, and if a new production lot were to be made for the Dragon model, I believe the price would start at around HKD$100,000.

 

I own the HK Wing Sing Tsai Chin "Old Song" cassette tape (Taiwan edition) and the Sanyo B series CD of the same title. It sounds best on my Nakamichi 1000ZXL or Dragon. My vinyl system consists of a Wilson Benesch ART turntable and a Koetsu Onyx cartridge, which is more of an average setup than a high-end one.

 

You might wonder how a cassette deck sounds. It’s warm, comfortable, has a wide range, is vivid, natural, pleasant, and offers a more stereophonic experience. You have to listen to believe it.

 

My Current Collection:

 

Akai GX95

Braun C4

Harmon Kardon CD291

Marantz SD551

Nakamichi 1000ZXL x2

Nakamichi Dragon x1

Nakamichi CR7

Nakamichi CR40

Nakamichi LX5

Pioneer T-1000

Revox H1

Revox B710 MK II

Teac 112 Mk II x3

Teac V9000

Teac Z6000

Yamaha KX-1200

Conclusion:

In terms of faithful reproduction, I rank the formats as follows: reel-to-reel, cassette tape, vinyl, and then CD.

 

— HK Snob

錄音帶的聲音好嗎？比CD好，還是比黑膠好？

 

自1978年以來，我就開始聆聽音樂，那時主要的媒介是黑膠唱片。在這50年裡，我使用過不同的音樂格式，包括黑膠、CD、錄音帶，還有一些開卷錄音的經驗，我相信開卷錄音是最好的。不過，使用原始錄音材料的開卷錄音機非常昂貴，所以我仍然將黑膠唱片作為我的主要音樂來源。最近，我開始收藏優質的錄音帶播放機，原因是「它的聲音更好，有時甚至比黑膠還要好」。當然，黑膠的粉絲很多，他們通常會說錄音帶播放機會「吃掉」磁帶，並且有很多雜音……最近有人說，即使是最便宜的黑膠唱機也能超越我的錄音帶播放機。

 

我曾在Facebook上發了一條消息，關於「復古錄音帶播放機」，有人問我為什麼還在聆聽這種設備。結果有許多評論，讓我高興的是我並不孤單於這個錄音帶的世界。

 

以下是一些評論：

 

1.      兩個輪子比一個更好！

2.      錄音帶真棒。

3.      不，他從未聽過好的錄音帶播放機。也許他的經驗只限於早期的預錄磁帶。我有朋友問過：「誰還在聽錄音帶？」我想除了她的無知，她從未聽過三菱的磁帶，唉，約翰·梅爾在我們喜歡的音源上，沒錯。但要說黑膠比磁帶優越，特別是便宜的黑膠設備，這正顯示出對技術事實的深度無知。

4.      正是如此！一位自稱討厭錄音帶的朋友，擁有一些高端音響，聽了我的一台（1990年代的普通雙頭雅馬哈）錄音帶播放機，驚訝不已！

5.      一盤高品質的錄音帶，來自數字音源，並正確使用Dolby NR（或者dbx，如果你願意），絕對能超越即使是最好的黑膠唱片和最好的唱盤。

6.      是的，就是這樣：錄音帶的聲音更好（即使在較低的質量下）。內行人都知道。

7.      商業世界摧毀了優質的錄音帶媒介，因為沒有人投資於製造高端錄音帶播放機。我在我的Teac上製作混音帶，然後在我的豐田車的Blaupunkt音響中播放。我根本不在乎別人怎麼想。

8.      我的一些錄音帶的聲音比我的唱片更好，這取決於錄製的方式和播放的系統。

9.      一台好的錄音帶播放機，正確調整到使用的磁帶，使用高品質的磁帶並從任何來源（包括黑膠）正確錄製，將產生出色的效果。雖然可能會有一些小的折衷，但依然很出色。沒關係，我們不希望每個人都知道我們知道的… 😉 我有一些錄音帶是我在80年代用BEOCORD錄製的，至今聽起來仍然很棒。鮑勃·哈登，我剛剛在聽1984年用相當普通的設備錄製的《愛在金色時代》，聽起來依然很棒。

10.  我的第一台錄音帶播放機是Advent，我非常喜歡。後來，我又買了Nakamichi，享受得更多！我還添加了一個dbx降噪單元，真的降低了噪音。

11.  我一直在慢慢組建我的「退休」系統，決定錄音帶應該被這一代的數字伺服器/串流器取代。

12.  我仍然希望找到一個像Nakamichi一樣出色的設備，可能會選擇Aurender.ACS10。它配備高達24TB的存儲，能將我的所有CD壓縮到這個巨大的SSD驅動器上，這樣除了我的LP外，所有東西都可以從我的聽音椅上訪問。畢竟，這是我的退休系統！-)

13.  然後希望他花一大筆錢購買音響級的針頭和流行黑膠的再版。

14.  每當有人對我這樣說時，我只會說「你沒有做對」。

15.  告訴那個人他是完全正確的，他應該堅持使用唱盤。在這種情況下，我們就少了一個競爭者，讓那些美妙的錄音帶播放機得以存在😄 如果他不聽，那就問問他，想像一下在車上使用唱盤——這是在CD播放器發明之前的事🤣。

16.   

在我看來，我討厭黑膠唱片的爆米花裂響聲，我幾乎聽不到錄音帶的雜音，所以我選擇錄音帶。黑膠唱片在錄音時需要經過RIAA來抑制低頻，並需要在唱放階段重新生成原始音樂，這會在某種程度上造成與原始音樂形式的失配。設置一個唱盤系統就像是NASA的火箭科學，如果你想做到完美，幾乎所有的變數是錄音帶播放機的10倍。而Nakamichi的優勢在於它們的磁頭方位調整，能夠忠實再現錄製的音樂。

 

在聆聽錄音帶時，我更感放鬆，黑膠並不如錄音帶那麼方便。更具體地說，要播放一盤好的錄音帶，還需要定期工作，比如清潔磁頭、轉輪和清洗磁帶……

不過，製作一個好的錄音帶播放機並不容易，如果能生產出新的Dragon，我相信價格至少會在HKD$100,000以上。

 

我擁有HK Wing Sing Tsai Chin的「舊歌」錄音帶，台灣版的Tsai Chin「舊歌」錄音帶，最佳聲音來自我的Nakamichi 1000ZXL或Dragon。我的黑膠系統是Wilson Benesch ART TT和Koetsu Onyx碟針，並不高端，但算是平均水平。

 

你可能會問錄音帶播放機的聲音怎麼樣？

它溫暖、舒適、範圍廣、鮮艷、自然、愉悅且更立體…… 聽了才知道……

 

我的當前收藏：

Akai GX95

Braun C4

Harmon Kardon CD291

Marantz SD551

Nakamichi 1000ZXL X2

Nakamichi Dragon X1

Nakamichi CR7

Nakamichi CR40

Nakamichi LX5

Pioneer T-1000

Revox H1

Revox B710 MK II

Teac 112 Mk II X3

Teac V9000

Teac Z6000

Yamaha KX-1200

 

結論

就忠實再現的百分比而言，我認為首先是開卷錄音，然後是錄音帶，黑膠和CD。

 

HK Snob

 

 

Rev 1

I have been listening to music since 1978, when vinyl was the dominant format. Over the past 50 years, I have explored various formats, including vinyl, CDs, and cassettes. I also have experience with reel-to-reel tapes, which I believe offer the best sound quality. However, original reel-to-reel recordings can be quite expensive, so I primarily use vinyl as my main source of music.

 

Recently, I have taken up collecting vintage cassette decks because I believe they can sound better than vinyl in some cases. There are many vinyl enthusiasts who often claim that cassette decks "eat" tapes and produce a lot of hissing noise. Some even argue that even the cheapest turntable can outperform my cassette deck.

 

I recently posted a message on Facebook about vintage cassette decks, asking why I still enjoy using them. I was pleased to find numerous supportive comments, which reassured me that I am not alone in my appreciation for cassette decks.

 

Here are some of the comments I received:

 

These are some of the comment.

1.      Two wheels are better than one !

2.      Cassette are awesome 。  

3.      No, he never has listened to a good cassette deck. Maybe his experience is one of the early pre-recorded tapes. I had a friend ask "who the hell listens to cassettes anymore" I guess other than her ignorance, she had never listened to Mitsubishi Dragons, oh well John Meyer in terms of what type of source we prefer to listen to, yes. But to make an empirical statement that vinyl is superior to tape, particularly a cheap vinyl setup, just reveals a deep ignorance of the technological facts.

 

4.      Correct! A friend - self-confessed cassette hater, owner of some really high-end Hi Fi, listened to one of my decks (average quality 1990s two head Yamaha) with a pre-recorded cassette and was astonished!

5.      A well-recorded cassette on quality tape from a digital source with proper use of Dolby NR (or dbx if you like) can absolutely beat the sound quality from even the best LP on the best TT with the best cartridge.

 

6.      Yes, simply like that: The cassette sounds better (even at lower quality). Insiders know that.

7.      Cris Schulze just the commercial  World kill the good

Cassette music Media as no one invest on manufacturing hin end cassette deck. I make mix tapes on my Teac to play in my Toyota on my Blaupunkt. I earnestly don't care what anyone else thinks about it.

 

8.      Some of my Cassettes sound better than my Records, depends how it's recorded and on what system it's being played on

 

9.      A good cassette deck, properly aligned to the tape used, using high quality tapes and recorded properly from any source, including vinyl, will produce great results.  There could be some minor trade offs, but excellent nevertheless. That's ok. We don't want everybody to know what we know... 😉 I have some cassettes that I recorded with my BEOCORD back in the eighties that still sound amazing. Bob Hadden l was just listening to a recording of Love Over Gold made in 1984 on fairly modest equipment and it still sounds great.

 

10.  My first cassette deck was an Advent, which I enjoyed a lot. Then, I got a Nakamichi, and enjoyed that, even more! I also added a dbx noise reduction unit which really lowered the noise floor.

 

11.  I’ve been slowly assembling my “retirement” system and decided that the spot that the cassette occupied should be a digital server/streamer in this generation.

 

12.  I do still want something as great as the Nakamichi was and am probably going with Aurender.ACS10. It comes with up to 24TB of storage and the ability to rip all my CDs to that huge SSD drive so everything but my LPs will be accessible from my listening chair. After all, this is the retirement system!-)

 

13.  Then we hope he spends a fortune buying audiophile grade stylus and re-issues of popular LPs over and over.

 

14.  Whenever somebody says something like that to me I just say "you are not doing it right".

 

15.  Tell the guy that he's absolutely right and that he should stick to the turntables. In that case we have one competitor less for the wonderful tape decks 😁 And if he won't listen then ask him how he would imagine a turntable in a car - that being before the CD-player was invented 🤣

 

In my opinion, I dislike the crackling sound of vinyl, while I barely notice the hissing of cassettes. Thus, I prefer cassette tapes. Records require RIAA equalization to suppress low frequencies during recording, which can distort the original musical form. Setting up a turntable for optimal performance is almost like rocket science, and the cost can be ten times higher than that of a cassette deck. The Nakamichi, with its magnetic head azimuth alignment, can reproduce recordings faithfully.

 

When I listen to cassette tapes, I find it more relaxing. Vinyl is less user-friendly; maintaining a good cassette deck requires regular tasks like cleaning the heads and washing the tapes. The drawback is that it's not easy to manufacture a high-quality cassette deck, and if a new production lot were to be made for the Dragon model, I believe the price would start at around HKD$100,000.

 

I own the HK Wing Sing Tsai Chin "Old Song" cassette tape (Taiwan edition) and the Sanyo B series CD of the same title. It sounds best on my Nakamichi 1000ZXL or Dragon. My vinyl system consists of a Wilson Benesch ART turntable and a Koetsu Onyx cartridge, which is more of an average setup than a high-end one.

 

You might wonder how a cassette deck sounds. It’s warm, comfortable, has a wide range, is vivid, natural, pleasant, and offers a more stereophonic experience. You have to listen to believe it.

 

My Current Collection:

 

Akai GX95

Braun C4

Harmon Kardon CD291

Marantz SD551

Nakamichi 1000ZXL x2

Nakamichi Dragon x1

Nakamichi CR7

Nakamichi CR40

Nakamichi LX5

Pioneer T-1000

Revox H1

Revox B710 MK II

Teac 112 Mk II x3

Teac V9000

Teac Z6000

Yamaha KX-1200

Conclusion:

In terms of faithful reproduction, I rank the formats as follows: reel-to-reel, cassette tape, vinyl, and then CD.

 

— HK Snob

Cartier Satos is back

 

昨晚8:00 時光寳盒YouTube live Abel 問開那－些卡地亞表我們喜歡的？我不言而喻Tank 和 Santos 喇！

70年代末，三大主打瑞士表王，Patek推出Nautilus、AP的Royal Oak賣翻天、VC的222復刻差唔多60 兩銀。Piaget今年復刻的原版Polo也近七十兩銀，奢華運動錶當道。卡地亞今年拍得滿堂紅，黃金Crash (我理解佢係Crashcash crash my cash )拍壹百七十銀，近排亦見卡地亞Santos 價格開始上升，升覆吾少喎！六年前我有－隻全金Santos (原版華爾街電影中Gordon Gekko 手上那只). 賣了比個BOA 的泰國banker 朋友六兩銀！今日這個表不便宜了！前日去廣華街Target 取老友代購的5167 途中經過P&F 問江仔窗櫥窗隻Santos 全金表有小月相的多少錢，：”十三兩八！” 再問原來只係石英的！嘩😳Santos 升了不少。

兄弟， 我們知道勞力士掉了三成了，卡地亞可以講係逆市而上，果然唔簡單喎！究其原因，而家啲人潮流興簡約細小啲半中古董，另外，錶友比勞力士雞鵝盈燒玩咗咁多年。 從前嘅Lover －部份而家變咗做Hater 啦，”易時” 也不時說永遠不再買新勞力士，唔知佢會唔會唔會姣婆守唔到寡；遲啲自己靜🐔🐔地去買隻新Rolex 呢？😆, 我唔係吾鍾意勞力士，只不過係希望搵到啲啱價錢 如King Midas 青金石！特別的掃把頭棺材仔之類！再講…. Santos的特色在於錶殼和錶帶設計版版正正，用多平面切角呈現光影變化，不規則的的金鏍絲釘擺位，可以想尤如愛彼Royal Oak那樣以平面帶出各角度的強烈光線反射。此錶當年也成為潮人，金融業和一些富二代playboy的致愛。

HK Snob

為什麼我們喜歡保持忙碌

  

為什麼我們喜歡保持忙碌

研究表明，個人感知的忙碌程度與他們的自我價值感以及他人對其社會地位的看法有密切關聯。選擇總是忙碌的人往往會感到被需要、受到重視，這提升了他們對自己的感覺。

 

在文化上，對社會地位的看法也發生了變化，物質物品不再是唯一的社會地位指標。現在，忙於工作、過度勞累且缺乏休閒時間的人被視為地位較高。

 

此外，一些人總是忙碌是為了避免或麻痹痛苦的情感和情況。保持高度忙碌使他們無法專注於潛在的困擾或不適感。

 

雖然保持忙碌可能提升我們的自尊心，但如果我們忙碌到無法進行自我照顧、與摯愛的人共度時光，並享受自由時間，這對我們的整體福祉可能造成危害。脫離工作或不必要的義務，有意休息和為自己留出時間，可以顯著提升我們的生活質量。

 

如何將自我價值與工作脫鉤

過度安排自己，使我們總是忙碌，會對身心健康產生負面影響，也會影響我們維持健康關係的能力。

 

忙碌與生產力

忙碌與生產力往往容易混淆。如果我們很忙，可能有很多事情要做，但這不一定意味著我們有效率或在生產上有所成就。生產力是指能夠完成任務或完成某事。我們不需要忙碌才能生產。

 

忙碌與我們如何花時間有關，而生產力則更多地涉及我們所完成的事情。

 

總是忙碌的影響

保持忙碌可能對我們的生活產生多方面的影響，包括情感和身體健康、關係以及健康的工作與生活平衡能力。

 

情感健康

當忙碌被美化和鼓勵時，我們可能會因各種義務、承諾和責任而過度延伸自己。如果我們無法完成任務或履行義務，可能會感到內疚，或覺得自己辜負了自己或他人。如果我們的自我價值感源於生產力和完成任務，則感到自己不夠好會影響我們對自己的看法。

 

過度忙碌可能導致壓力增加和自尊心下降，進而引發更嚴重的心理健康問題，包括焦慮症、抑鬱症和物質使用障礙。

 

研究還發現，中等到高程度的忙碌可能會導致老年人的用藥依從性下降，這對他們的情感健康可能是有害的，特別是當藥物是為心理健康問題開的。

 

身體健康

忙碌可能導致我們為了完成任務而犧牲身體健康，包括不優先考慮運動或未能獲得足夠的睡眠。我們也可能會忽視或推遲就醫，以應對身體健康問題。

 

關係

繁忙的日程可能使我們幾乎沒有時間與他人建立有意義的聯繫。這會讓忙碌的人感到孤獨和被孤立，周圍的人有時也會因為缺乏可用性而感到被拒絕或生氣。

 

關係需要所有參與者的時間和精力。被多重義務拉扯可能讓我們感到壓力，無法與他人充分互動，這使我們難以支持和培養與摯愛的健康關係。

 

如果我們的日程過於緊張，與朋友、家人和配偶的關係可能會受到影響。

 

工作與生活平衡

不斷保持忙碌可能會導致工作與生活平衡不佳，影響我們在健康的工作和家庭環境中茁壯成長的能力。這種平衡對每個人來說都是獨特的，但總體而言，擁有平衡時，我們會感到對時間的支配更加掌控和舒適。

 

相反，如果工作與生活的平衡被打破，我們可能會經歷倦怠，感到過度勞累、筋疲力盡，與社交和家庭生活脫節。工作與生活平衡不佳還可能導致慢性壓力，影響我們的心理和身體健康。

 

忙碌並不總是壞事

公平地說，忙碌的生活並不總是與負面後果相關。例如，一些研究發現，隨著年齡增長，忙碌與認知優勢有關，包括：

 

更快的認知處理

改進的情節記憶和工作記憶

更強的推理能力

更強的知識結晶化

當忙碌對生活產生負面影響時，這就成為一個問題，包括對健康（無論是心理還是身體）有害，損害我們的關係，或造成工作與生活的失衡。

 

克服總是忙碌的建議

每個人對於「過於忙碌」的定義都不同。如果我們感到過度勞累、壓力過大或精疲力竭，將健康和福祉放在首位是非常重要的。雖然改變優先事項和時間安排可能感覺困難，但這樣做可能會提高心理和身體的健康，並增進與摯愛之間的聯繫。

 

以下是幾個克服總是忙碌的方法：

 

練習正念：這有助於我們與自己聯繫，無評判地觀察自己的想法，讓自己保持平靜。如果感到不知所措，正念還能幫助打斷思緒的奔騰。

計劃一次度假或留在家中的假期：重要的是在這段時間內不要安排活動，以便我們能夠充電。

花時間與摯愛相處：將這視為優先事項。這樣能幫助我們感到連結、被愛和充滿活力。

每天花些小時刻來欣賞自己：這可能包括給予自己積極的肯定或每天記錄一件感激的事情。

與他人設置界限：說「不」是可以的。犧牲自己的福祉以過度延伸自己可能會在長期內帶來嚴重的後果。

記住自我價值不來自於忙碌：想出一句表達自我價值真正含義或自愛理由的口號，每天朗誦。

設置提醒，呼吸一下，花些獨處時間：這可以是簡單的手機通知或在家中放置一張便利貼，以便經常看到。

諮詢治療師：如果日常生活變得困難，或整體生活質量下降，這尤其重要。

設定適當的期望：關於能夠輕鬆承擔的事情，並記住這可能會隨時間變化。

努力找出不適感：如果忙碌被用作避免不愉快的想法或感覺的工具，則需努力找出問題。如果這看起來太過壓倒性，請尋求治療師的支持。

將工作或繁忙時間分段安排：重要的是在一天中留出時間給自己，哪怕只是短暫的休息，並故意與工作斷開聯繫。

我們都應該為自己留出時間，無論是長途度假還是一天中的小休息。這是提醒我們自己，我們是值得的、有價值的個體.

HK Snob