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!
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