Nakamichi 250 (circa 1977–1980s)

Little is documented about the Nakamichi 250. It was a portable stereo cassette deck produced from around 1977 into the 1980s. Exact years are not firmly recorded. An advertisement in Audio (February 1978) listed the deck at $179 from a dealer in Richland, Washington. It quoted "less than 0.3%, from 20 to 20,000 cycles per second" - though it is not clear whether that figure refers to total harmonic distortion or frequency response. A separate listing for a combined Nakamichi 250 / ADS 2002 system gives frequency response as 40-17,000 Hz and wow & flutter as less than 0.13% (DIN WTD Peak).

The 250 was frequently paired with the ADS 2002 powered speakers. The combination was marketed as "The ADS-2002/Nakamichi 250 music system." It also appears as a reference source deck in several vintage audio component reviews from the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the Boulder 500AE amplifier and the Classic Audio CA260. That suggests some reviewers regarded it as a known-quantity portable deck. One owner reports their unit "still in original working condition" with all original packaging and accessories.

Virtually no other technical information has survived in the available sources. No dimensions, weight, head configuration, battery type, or signal-to-noise ratio are known. A PDF service manual is available through third-party vendors.