Nakamichi 480Z (1981)

A 2-head cassette deck from Nakamichi's 400-series, released in 1981, with Dolby C noise reduction and a precision tape transport.

Overview

The Nakamichi 480Z is a two-head stereo cassette deck introduced in 1981. It is the second generation of the 480 series. It sits below the 481Z and 482Z, which use 3 heads. The 480Z supports Dolby B and C noise reduction and metal tape, and it has a bias fine adjustment for tuning recordings to the tape. The transport is a frequency-distributed double capstan design driven by a DC servo motor, built for stable tape speed and low wow and flutter. Up front you get soft-touch logic controls and a wide-range LED peak level meter. It reads from -40dB to +10dB across 16 segments.

Specifications

Type	Cassette deck Truck type 4-track, 2-channel stereo system
Heads	2 heads (1 erase, 1 record)
Motor (for tape drive)	For Capstan : 1 DC servo motor; For Reel : 1 DC Motor
Tape speed	4.8 cm / sec
Wow and flutter	0.06% or less Wrms; 0.11% or less Wpeak
Frequency characteristic	20 Hz to 20 kHz
Overall S/N ratio (70 μ s, ZX Tape)	Dolby B NR in : 62 dB or more (400 Hz, 3% THD, IHF-A wtd rms); Dolby C NR in : 68 dB or higher (400 Hz, 3% THD, IHF-A wtd rms)
Total Distortion Factor (400 Hz, 0 dB)	1.0% or Less (ZX Tape); 1.2% or Less (SX, EX II tape)
Erasure rate	60 dB or More (100 Hz, 0 dB)
Channel separation	36 dB or More (1 kHz, 0 dB)
Crosstalk	60 dB or More (1 kHz, 0 dB)
Bias frequency	105kHz
Input	50mV/30k Ω
Output (400 Hz, 0 dB)	Line : 600mV/2.2 Ω; Headphone : 10 mw (Phones Level : High) / 8 ohm
Voltage selector	can select either 120 V or 220-240 V
Power consumption	30W max.
External dimensions	Width 450x Height 135x Depth 289 mm
Weight	Approx. 6.4 kg

Design

The 480Z uses an RP-9E SENDUST record/play head and an E-8L type double-gap erase head. The erase head has ferrite and Sendust cores, chosen for high-frequency performance and magnetic efficiency. The chassis is resonance-damped aluminum alloy with resin damping to soak up microvibrations. Tape speed comes from the frequency-distributed double capstan system and its DC servo motor. Control logic is C-MOS, with soft-touch buttons, a tape start memory function and timer recording. A built-in MPX filter, a bias oscillator circuit and the bias fine tuning mechanism (±10% adjustment range) round out the recording side. The deck came in black and silver finishes. It also has a high-output headphone amplifier with a 2-level switch.

Product Family

The 480Z belongs to Nakamichi's 400-series cassette decks and is the second generation of the 480 line. The 481Z and 482Z use 3 heads. The 480Z uses 2, which makes it the more accessible model in the series.

Market

The Nakamichi 480Z originally sold for ¥99,800 in Japan and $595 in the US in 1981. The optional RM-100 remote control unit was sold separately for ¥6,000. Reported problems include failure of the auto-stop function and of reverse transport (rewind), often blamed on age or long disuse. Service manuals are available, and restoration kits are offered.