Nakamichi

is a historic Japanese high end audio company most famous for its innovative and very high quality cassette decks.

In 1972, Nakamichi launched its first Nakamichi-brand products, home audio gear that included the world's first three-head cassette deck. In 1999, the Nakamichi-brand SoundSpace audio and home theater audio systems was introduced, all design-oriented products that could be hung on a wall. Nakamichi also sells a line of higher-quality mini systems, to a market similar to that sought by Bang & Olufsen, as well as selling automotive stereo products, home theater items and as of 2006, DVD video products.

Background

Nakamichi was founded in 1948 as Nakamichi Research Corporation Ltd (Nakamichi Kenkyujo Kabushiki Kaisha ) in Tokyo Japan. It specialised in manufacturing portable radios, tone arms, speakers, and communications equipment. Founded by Etsuro Nakamichi, it was later headed by his younger brother Niro. Etsuro's son Ted is the only remaining Nakamichi in the company today. The company was originally established as a research and development firm in electronics and optics but later became known as a manufacturer of quality audio products. While their cassette decks were particularly well known, the company is also credited with numerous other audio innovations, such as self-centering record players, high-end DAT recorders, and ultra-compact slot-loading CD changers. Over the years, the company managed to garner an impressive level of brand loyalty.

In the 1950s, Nakamichi developed one of the first open reel tape recorders in Japan under the Magic Tone label. In 1957 it developed and made its own magnetic tape heads. With the advent of magnetic tape at the time, the company decided to work with the format. Subsequently it went onto develop and market its own tape recorder, and during that same year, launched the Fidela 3-head Open Reel Stereo Tape Deck.

Because of its experience in manufacturing magnetic tape heads and equipment, in 1967 the company started making tape decks for a number of foreign manufacturers including Harman Kardon, KLH, Advent, Fisher, ELAC, Sylvania, Concord, Ampex and Motorola.

In 1973 Nakamichi created stereo cassette decks with such high quality that eventually made reel-to-reel tape recorders obsolete for consumers. The Nakamichi 1000 and 700 were regarded as two of the finest cassette recorders made in the mid-1970s. They had three heads, dual capstan drive that reduced wow and flutter to new low levels, and Dolby-B noise reduction to improve the signal to noise ratio. The feature that really set them apart was the adjustable record head azimuth and Dolby calibration that could be optimized for each cassette tape. Many audiophiles aspired to but could not afford a Nakamichi 1000 or 700 (whose model number was derived from the list price), so Nakamichi came out with more economical two-head models such as the Nakamichi 500 and the wedge-shaped 600.

Nakamichi pushed live recording with their Nakamichi 550, a portable cassette recorder that had three microphone inputs: one for left channel, one for right channel, and one for a center blend channel. This recorder could run from batteries or AC and was used to make very high quality recordings in the field. All of these products were known for top-notch engineering and sound quality.

In the late 1970s Nakamichi updated their machines with the Nakamichi 1000 II, the 700 II, and other midrange and low-end models. They branched out into other audio components such as amplifiers and eventually speakers, but these products were never as highly regarded by the audio community as their cassette decks.

In the early 1980s Nakamichi came out with further refinements in a successor top-of-the-line machine, the Nakamichi 1000ZXL. Prices pushed upward with this machine being $3,800 at the time. The updated 700ZXL was a mere $3,000. Low-end cassette decks sold new for under $200, with the Nakamichi name on them. This time period stands as the pinnacle for cassette recorders, as from that time onwards digital recording methods began to make inroads.

The meaning of the brand name & logo

The Nakamichi logo consists, in part, of the stylized representation of the letter "N"; it is also intended to represent in a fanciful way the earth, half of which is illuminated by the sun.

The Japanese to English translation of the word "NAKAMICHI" in the mark is "in the middle of a road" or "midway".

Notable Nakamichi products and advances

Three-Head Cassette Decks

Nakamichi was the first to use a three-head recording technique in a cassette deck. Separate tape heads were used for playback, recording, and erase, whereas prior methods combined the playback/recording function into a single tape head. The three-head mechanism was optimized for each head and allowed the user to monitor the recording quality as it happened. This feature was limited to their higher end units.

Flip-Auto Reverse

Called "UDAR" for UniDirectional Auto Reverse. Used on the Nakamichi RX series of decks. With the advent of auto-reverse (playing the tape in both directions), Nakamichi recognized that the angle of the tape passing over the playback head was not optimized if the tape was simply turned in the opposite direction. Thus, Nakamichi developed its UDAR mechanism. This was a mechanical system that would eject the tape, spin it around and reload it into the deck. It was available on all Nakamichi RX series of tape decks, i.e., the RX-202, RX-303 and RX-505.

Tape Pressure Pad Lifter

A cassette tape contains a "pressure pad" of some type, usually made of felt (Cassetteinternals.jpg). This pad is within the cassette tape shell (located just behind the tape opening) and opposes the magnetic head of the cassette deck, providing pressure against the head(s) when the tape is being played. Nakamichi found that this pad provided uneven and fairly inaccurate pressure and was therefore inadequate for reliable tape/head contact. Furthermore, Nakamichi found that the pressure pad was a source of audible noise, particularly scrape flutter (the tape bouncing across the head, a result of uneven pressure), and also contributed to premature head wear. Nakamichi's dual-capstan tape decks provide such accurate and precise tape tension that, unlike other decks, the cassette's pressure pad is not needed at all. To remedy this problem, the vast majority of Nakamichi dual-capstan decks contain a "cage" around the record/playback heads that lifts the pressure pad out of the way so that the deck itself--specifically, the dual capstan mechanism--is able to maintain much more consistent tape tension and tape/head contact during playback. This lifting system is unique to Nakamichi.

The Dragon and Special Products

In the CD era (post 1983), the top line Nakamichi products were termed the "Dragon." The Dragon-CT turntable ("Computing Turntable") automatically adjusted for off-center holes in records by moving the platter in two dimensions. The Dragon CD playing system has special mechanical dampening to prevent vibrations of the CD, and holds multiple CDs. The Dragon cassette deck used a special microprocessor controlled azimuth adjustment called Nakamichi Automatic Azimuth Correction (NAAC) to implement auto-reverse. Because it optimized the angle of the tape head when switching directions, it did not need to eject the tape and spin it around to maintain proper tape head alignment (as with the Nakamichi RX series).

Other products from Nakamichi did not acquire the "Dragon" name but were still notable. These include the Nakamichi 1000 series products with the 1000ZXL cassette deck being more advanced and expensive than the Dragon cassette deck. The Nakamichi 1000 digital audio tape transport and Nakamichi 1000p digital to audio converter system were Nakamichi's reference digital audio tape components. These components were intended to establish Nakamichi's dominance in the field of digital audio tape (DAT), but DAT was not widely adopted by audiophiles, as the format itself did not gain acceptance as an industry standard.

Stasis Series Amplifiers

Nakamichi licensed "Stasis" technology from powerhouse amplifier manufacturer Threshold (a class A amplifier circuit by Nelson Pass, then a designer at Threshold, now at Pass Labs). This circuit was used in a line of expensive Nakamichi PA series of power-amplifiers, such as the PA-5 and PA-7, as well as their SR and TA series of receivers.

Car Stereo Products

In the early 1980s, Nakamichi introduced a line of car stereo products. The flagship product was the TD-1200 cassette receiver which incorporated a drawer-mounted, top-loading cassette mechanism with NAAC, Dolby B and Dolby C. Other early products included the TD-700 cassette receiver with manual azimuth correction, a power amplifier and speakers. In the early 90s, Nakamichi was one of the first companies to produce automotive CD changers that loaded multiple discs via a single slot rather than a CD cartridge.

Toyota would choose Nakamichi along with Pioneer to manufacture the audio systems for its range of Lexus automobiles. The Nakamichi unit was the flagship audio system offered to Lexus buyers, and this partnership lasted from 1989 to 2001.

Another follow-on flagship head unit was the TP-1200, which consisted of a headunit and a separate 'black box' pre-amp section. The casing for both units was made from machined aluminium, and the internal circuitry for both units was suspended using a mechanical suspension system. The headunit contained a diversity tuner and display unit only. The pre-amp section performed input switching, volume and tone adjustment. The tone controls (bass-mid-treble) were motor driven analog controls while the volume, balance and fader were digital.

Other products of note were the PA-100 amplifier and the limited edition version the PA-1000. Both were identical in specifications (4x50wrms)and internal layout, the only difference being the case color. The PA-100 was silver and the PA-1000 black. The mobile TD-560 was a versatile pull-out-of-dash and remote controlled cassette and FM tuner head unit, that performed at the level of excellence matched only by very best Nakamichi mobile decks of the late 1980s era. Revolutionary was Nakamichi's mobile PA-350 four channel power amplifier, with extraordinary discrete amplifiers and exemplary performance specifications.

The Decline of Nakamichi

Nakamichi has never held its prominent position in audio technology since that time. Although the company dabbled with a 6 disc CD changer for use in computers in the late 1990s they failed to move quickly to the rapidly expanding computers market compared to other Japanese electronics companies such as Sony, Toshiba and Yamaha who introduced single disc CD ROM drives. The company tried to promote DAT and CDs (they launched the OMS-70 CD player in 1984) but their core engineering expertise remained with cassette based technologies. With the decline of analog taping, Nakamichi was unable to retain its appeal to the high end audio community.

By the end of 1990s Nakamichi was largely forgotten. It was acquired by the Grande Holdings, but was allowed to be run independently and with mostly the original management and design teams. Niro Nakamichi left in 1998 to set up Mechanical Research Corporation. The company went into bankruptcy protection on February 19, 2002.

Toyota also stopped using Nakamichi systems in Lexus vehicles at this time, instead choosing Mark Levinson when Toyota made a deal with Harman International to provide premium audio systems in its vehicles in 2000. Bob Carter, Lexus general manager, also cited a lack of "resonance" with intended consumers as reasons for the switch.

The company emerged from bankruptcy and repositioned itself as a manufacturer of high-end "lifestyle" systems" a la Bang & Olufsen. They also manufacture a range of CD changers available for Hi-fi, computer, and car audio use.

As of June 2006, Nakamichi released its first portable DVD player with built-in LCD screen, the Lumos.

Niro Nakamichi

In 2001, Niro Nakamichi, designer of many of the historic tape decks, started a new company, Mechanical Research Corporation, which introduced ultra high end audio amplifiers, preamplifiers, and an integrated amplifier, called "engines." The products featured innovative designs and addressed issues of mechanical isolation, as well as presenting a unique appearance. Soon thereafter, however, the "engine" products were no longer promoted and a line of home theater products was introduced

See also

• compact audio cassette

References

External links

• Nakamichi Nakamichi web site.
• Naks.com The Unofficial Nakamichi cassette deck resource.
• BleusNak CyberSpot Nakamichi cassette deck reference information, photographs, adverts, etc.
• Pictures of Cassette Decks A Japanese language page, but containing pictures of historic cassette decks including the Nakamichi 1000ZXL, Dragon, and RX-505 mentioned above.
• Pictures of Digital Audio Recorders A Japanese language page, but containing pictures of historic digital audio tape decks, including the Nakamichi 1000 and 1000p.
• The Nakamichi foundation established by the will of its late founder, Etsuro Nakamichi, dedicated to the promotion and encouragement of baroque and other forms of classical music.
• Niro Corporation Niro Nakamichi's current web site, HT products.
• Vintage Cassette Decks Collection of Nakamichi Vintage Cassette decks and other brands.
• Nakamichi @ PEROMARTA.ORG Pictures and restoration projects of Nakamichi Cassette Decks.
• Nakamichi manuals archive
• Nakamichi history and classics (German)