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Submitted by
gmnguyen
a Audio Enthusiast
from Date Reviewed: April 15, 2010
Bottom Line: I got the BX-300 more than a month ago for $60. It did not rewind and ate tape when I got it. I replaced the idler tire and this tape deck works like new. It has low hours of use. The magnetic heads are in perfect condition. This BX-300 just simply blows my 2-head BX-150 away. The BX-150 come close to the BX-300 when using TDK SA tape but the BX-300 bias fine tune can make all other tapes sound identical to the source. Even normal tape recorded by the BX-300 sounds better than Cr02 tape on other decks. I have many tape decks such as BX-2, BX-150, NAD, B&O and none of them can make good recording on normal tape. The BX-300 is my first tape deck that makes me believe it does have 20kHz bandwidth. Now I don't even need to select tape quality because all tape sounds great on this machine. The BX-300 sounds much better than DVD players. It sounds as good as my Arcam Alpha7 CD player.
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Submitted by
dimitar_pg13
a Audio Enthusiast
from Date Reviewed: October 9, 2008
Strengths: Excellend recording freq response
Excellent playback freq response
Very low wow & flutter (comparable to that of Nak ZX-9)
Very simple contruction - reliable and easily maintainable
Weaknesses: idler tireBottom Line: Hello,
I have my Nak BX-300 for an year and a half. My hobby is restauration of high end vintage cassette decks from the 80s and the end of the 70's. The other cassette decks currently at home are Revox B215, Nak Dragon, Nak RX-505, Nak 680ZX, Tandberg TCD-440A, Pioneer CT-F1250, Pioneer CT-S800 (i.e. CT-91 Elite). I bought the BX-300 from Ebay for 50 bucks - it needed belt replacement. I have to say it has an absoleutly gorgeous sound both in playback and recording. The frequency response is easily +/- 2 dB within 20Hz-21KHz - I did the measurements with my SigmaTel 192 KHz audio card on my laptop using the Virtins Audio Frequency analyzer + signal generator. The recording is absoultelly indistinguishable than the playback at least to my ear. This is true even to classical music. Shostakovich sounds excellent on BX-300 as much as on the Dragon or the RX-505. The wow & flutter is very low becuase this cassette deck uses the same cog-free capstan motor as Nak ZX-9 and Dragon (only the Dragon has 2 of those 1 per capstan). Bias control and pitch control are very useful. This is clearly one of the best Nak decks you can buy these days especially if you do not want to spend too much money on vintage deck. Very simple construction , very easy to maintain - belt replacement and idler tire replacement. The only week spot of this deck which I could point out is the idler tire - it is tiny and finicky. But the idler tire can be upgraded with gear transport which are more durable. Due to this idler tire problems many problem conclude that the motor needs replacement which is incorrect; these motors are very reliable.
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At: Ebay
Similar Products Used: Nak Dragon Nak RX-505 Nak 680ZX Revox B215 Tandberg TCD-440A
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Submitted by
dochroch
a Audio Enthusiast
from Date Reviewed: April 19, 2008
Strengths: 3-heads, pitch control, dual capstan, that great Nak sound.Weaknesses: See comments on repair costs.Bottom Line: I love/loved my BX-300 deck. It was working flawlessly until about two years ago (2005), then every so often it wouldn't rewind properly. In 2007 this became problematic to the point that it needed repair. This is where www.nakamichi.us comes in (aka Electronic Service Labs). I just want to warn buyers of used Nak equipment (or folks thinking about repairing their Naks) that fully repairing their machines is a considerable investment. A Nak deck refurb is a $800+ deal! There are few (if any other) places in the US that have this kind of expertise and access to parts. Yes, you do get the equivalent of a new tape deck but you need to decide whether it's worth the investment. I suspect many 20 yr old Nak decks are starting to experience motor drive issues. The BX-300 refurb updated some known weak components and replaced others. Suggestion: If you can find a used BX-300 that's gone through a recent refurb at a decent price, you've gotten a bargain!
Price Paid:
$650.00
Purchased At: Myer-Emco
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Submitted by
soundnut69
a AudioPhile
from Date Reviewed: June 25, 2003
Strengths: Superbly accurate sound, excellent build quality, very reliable.Weaknesses: None! (really!)Bottom Line: The best tape deck I have EVER had or used (from a sonic standpoint at least.) I currently have 4 3-head machines including:
Sony TC-K555 (early ES series)
Teac C-2X (Identical to early Tascam 122 broadcast deck)
Tandberg TCD-440A
Nakamichi BX-300
And I've had other 3-head decks (Onkyo Integras, Pioneers, TEACs) and the Nak is hands down, the best sounding deck I have ever used. (You'll notice my others don't exactly suck either, so this is a big compliment.) I work at a broadcast facility with Studer & Tascam machines, and when I want to record something that sounds exactly like the original on cassette, I use my Nak at home. It works perfectly under heavy use every time, and the sound is perfect. Maybe the Dragon, etc. sound as good or better but my BX-300 makes dead-on copies of the originals to my ears. I want another one! And it has a pitch control, which is a great feature.
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At: a pawn shop
Similar Products Used: Sony TC-K555 (early ES series)
Teac C-2X
Tandberg TCD-440A
Onkyo Integra 3-head deck (Can't remember which one. Mid-80s vintage)
Tascam 122 MkII
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Submitted by
asw_tech
a AudioPhile
from Date Reviewed: June 5, 2003
Strengths: Number of features crammed into such a tight and smart looking package. A sleek looking unit that even today in 2003, looks distinguished in my A/V system rack.
Costs considerably less than some of Naks pricier models and doesn't short-change the consumer on sonic ability.Weaknesses: Out of production now which is too bad for the sound enthusiests of our country. Now we have to put up with digital (less accurate) cd recorders which cost a bundle and if a scratch or skip is detected, the machine spits it out!Bottom Line: After reading some of the reviews of some of the whiners I felt compelled to write my own review of this machine. I call it a machine because after learning electronics from the Navy, and typewriters soon after that (era late 80's) I know what the difference between a IBM Selectric III, and a cheap Olivetti rip-off. No the BX-300 isn't a Dragon, but then it didn't cost the nearly $2,500.00 price tag of the Dragon either. At $750.00 it was priced about 1/3 the cost, but it delivered much more than 1/3 the features and performance. How many decks made either now or in the past had 3 discrete heads, a pressure pad-lifter, dual closed loop capstan rollers, pitch control, fine bias controls, provide 3 motors, direct drive and fit all this in a package that's less than 5" high, so compact that you can stack without concern on top of it (no vents) and the door cover removes for easy head and transport maintenance!! What more could the avg joe-sixpack going to college and unable to afford a Dragon possibly want? The Dragon is hand built and as such needs to be maintained (professionally) on an almost annual basis. Like the pianos of old...remember the tuner-guy who came out to adjust the strings? Or the typewriter-man who came out to clean & repair the school's typewriters which skipped or typed 2 RR's? Well the Dragon needs that kind of care and maintenance. The BX-300 Doesn't! About once ever 4-5 years it might need the head alignment checked, and have the gears & bearings lubed. But that's all. Of course like all production models, you get a few lemons. When the BX-300 was being built, recalls in the automotive industry were far and widespread. Did everyone sell their Pinto's or Mavericks? I doubt it. It was just accepted is all. Now some guys with an axe to grind come here and knock a machine that was mass produced numbering in the tens of thousands. I would submit that the guys who lambasted Naks went on to find out that other production made decks were no better. Nobody has come back to gloat? If they think the Sony ES is a better buy fine. I'm not so convinced having owned a Sony, and after looking inside, I didn't see a case for the Sony that Nak missed the mark on. So much for the analysis of someone who works on them. I'm happy to report my BX-300 has served me faithfully for almost 5 years, and the owner before that since he purchased it back in '87. He wasn't rough on it, and neither am I. As a result my BX-300 is tight and solid and I've owned Sony ES, and Pioneer, Kenwood, Sharp, even JVC's and to me the clear winner with features and sonic excellence is by far and away the Nakamichi!
Price Paid:
$275.00
Purchased At: Privately
Similar Products Used: Sony ES, and Pioneer, Kenwood, Sharp, and JVC's tape-decks. Teamed with Harman Kardon AVR-8000 receiver and AR speakers.
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