So, I want a three-head Nakamichi. Not a new story. I've been browsing the net to score one with a good condition at a reasonable price. "Reasonable price" might not be a meaningful term here though, because things like these are old and have been discontinued a long time ago. You can argue that their age and rarity make them priceless, or that they are obsolete and worthless. Up to you. Among taping enthusiasts, it is said that a good price is a price that you are willing to pay for. For me, it is a matter of how full my wallet is and how much the same model cost in the past for different conditions. Hifi Shark provides information about past sales across different platforms. It helps me a lot in terms of purchase decisions.
The deck I ended up buying is the Nakamichi CR-5. It is basically a stripped-down version of CR-7 (one of the best cassette decks ever made) with only the lack of some high-end calibration features. Chronically, CR-5 and 7 were actually released earlier than CR-1,2,3,4 with the latter having simplified designs (there is no CR-6). Technical details about CR-5 can be found here and here.
I got mine from the US Audio Mart. Great condition with only two tiny dints. Unfortunately, mine had a faulty bias adjustment knob. Information online for technical details of vintage techs is sparse by nature, but I did find out that a similar Nak model from the same time period, the BX-300, also tends to have a broken bias knob due to the faulty design of the potentiometer. In a forum, a potential replacement is mentioned, the Bourns PTD902-2015K-A104. Judging from the look, the BX-300 seems to share the exact same potentiometer for the bias knob as my CR-5 (the resistance matches). So I ordered the replacement and started working on it.
The bias potentiometer is buried deep into the deck. After removing a few panels and circuit board carefully, I finally had access to the pot but was faced with another problem: the knob was probably glued onto the pot as it was very hard to remove. I took it apart by brute force, damaging some internal plastic of the knob in the process. Luckily, that part was not important and I found a replacing piece of plastic that fitted into the inside of the knob quite well (with some filing of course). Nothing external was damaged in the process. The deck works great. I am quite happy with the fix.
The CR-5 can make a recording that is nearly indistinguishable from the source over my Elegia headphones (for me at least). Even basic type-one tapes sound great. The deck looks amazing. Stacking the CR-2 on top of it gives me a sense of satisfaction. Their designs share a similar feel but at the time, are different enough to give off a sense of change of era. From a huge boxy body with complex circuitry to a relatively thin deck with a single-main board. That might be the last shine of Nakamichi. Some people say the following DR series no longer have the same premium, top-of-the-market feel (DR-1 is still awesome though).
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