Price Paid:  $500.00 from Roger Sound Labs, Lo

Summary:
If your a NAK lover check out NAKS.com
This is a review if my CR-3A. I bought this as a "close out" item in 1992 from Roger Sound Labs in LA. My Dad has a Nak-460 (still does) and I knew that if I was going to buy only one Tape Deck for the rest of my life, Nak was the only way to go. I used it to make tapes for my car and Walkman through my time in college.
(93-96) The thing is solid as a rock, talk about bullet proof! No plastic parts here! It still have it but it's not hooked up at the moment. I never had a problem with it and reccomend buying a CR series NAK or older if you can find one.
Naks are like fine wine, the older the better!

Strengths:
Makes perfect Tapes every time. I can't hear the difference. (although I've lost some hearing, 4 years in USMC EOD will do that to ya!) Outstanding construction will withstand alot of abuse. Used Equipment is good. take to a dealer for a check up.

Weaknesses:
Can't find high end audio tape, metal etc.
hard to find competent authorized dealers to provide cleaning an preventive maintanence (sp) in Seattle Area.

Similar Products Used:
My current Set up
Denon DRA-376 60W
Denon DCD-820 CD(god awful old)
KEF-Q90 Speakers (I luv em')

Price Paid:  $450.00

Summary:
I purchased this unit more than 9 years ago and it has worked flawlessly the entire time. Once you get the knack of making tapes with the unit, it is a dream.

I can't believe a product so inexpensive has performed so well for so long. If I can find another, I would pick it up. Nothing fancy, just great performance.

One of the easiest machines you will ever use and set up to use with a NAK remote if you have one.

I would give 6 stars if possible!

Strengths:
Awesome playback, rock solid construction, good looks, good transport, easy to use

Weaknesses:
No longer in production, no "bells and Whistles", heavy,

Similar Products Used:
Tandberg, other Nak's

Price Paid:  $400.00 from used, another audio fan

Summary:
You can spend a lot more money on a cassette deck, and lot gain the exponential sound quality as this unit. Keeping with the NAK tradition, the sound is beautiful and warm. Nakamichi is known for making quality equipment such as the Dragon. But at more than 4x the cost, a listener might now consider a digital format. Anyway, if you buy a CR-2A, you should throughly enjoy it.

Strengths:
This was the lower-end of NAK; but was built solid as a rock. Simple controls, very easy to record playback.

Weaknesses:
Considering it was an entry level unit...not many!

Similar Products Used:
SONY, Teac

Price Paid:  $450.00

Summary:
Short-commings well worth tolerating for the quality and performance this deck delivers. It is amazing that this is only a 2 head deck. I haven't heard a 3 head deck to rival it.

Anyone who wants top-shelf performance where money is an object, should love this deck. When I purchased it, it was the second cheapest nakamichi. For the money I spent, I could have gotten top of the line in any other brand but mcintosh. Ifelt then as now, that a low end nakamichi is better than a top shelf something else.

Strengths:
This tape deck has been with me for 15 years and has been absolutely bullet proof. There is no detectable hiss or hum and you manually set recording levels. When using metal tapes, you can allow peak signal levels up to +7db. Tape noise is inaudable at this level and the tapes last a long time because natural demagnetization is combated by the recording strength. Even with recording levels being pushed there is no perceptable distortion. You can also fine tune the bias current manually to compensate for slight differences between tapes within the same type.
When recorded from a CD, I would defy any but the most acutely sensative, to discern which is the CD and which is the tape. The quality of the recording and playback is just as astounding now as when I first purchased it. Because of this deck, I choose not to get a DAT.

Weaknesses:
You must buy a seperatemichrophone mixer to record directly with this machine, there is no jack for a mike. It is a single cassette deck, so you need another deck to record from a cassette recording.
It will auto-rewind to continuously play the same side of the tape, but will not continuously play from one side to the other.

Similar Products Used:
Various single and dual cassette decks from aiwa, teac, sony and pioneer