Nakamichi 700II (1976–1979)

Thirteen kilograms of teak, brushed aluminum, and pneumatically damped restraint - the deck that proved Nakamichi's engineering could wear a dinner jacket.

Overview

Nakamichi's own documentation frames the 700 Series as a deliberate aesthetic counterweight to the 1000 Series. The 1000 chased performance metrics. The 700 line "aimed for something with beauty," and by Nakamichi's own account the performance was as good as the 1000 Series anyway. The 700II arrived in 1976 as a refined evolution of the original 1973 700. The updates went to the transport, the heads, the touch-command pads, and the phase-compensation circuitry in the playback amplifier. The rest, per the period documentation, was carried over from the original.

Owners reach for superlatives, and they're consistent about it. "Magnificent engineering monster" recurs, usually attached to the same observation: the thing has weight and presence. Thirteen kilograms is a lot of deck. The teak cabinet with polished aluminum front is a big part of why collectors still hunt these down, since it isn't all-black like the professional 1000 Series racks. The three-head configuration that made the original 700 famous carries over intact, as does the user-adjustable record head azimuth that was among the first of its kind in a consumer deck.

The headline numbers hold up well for a 1976 design. Wow and flutter is specified below 0.05% RMS weighted, and below 0.1% on the DIN peak standard - figures that rival full-size reel-to-reel machines of the period. Frequency response runs 35 Hz to 20 kHz within ±3 dB with Dolby engaged on SX or EX-II tape. Signal-to-noise is quoted above 65 dB, and total harmonic distortion stays under 1.5% at 400 Hz and 0 dB. Channel separation exceeds 35 dB at 1 kHz and crosstalk exceeds 60 dB. The bias frequency sits at 105 kHz. That keeps the bias signal well clear of the audible band and lets the wide-gap crystal ferrite record head do its job without dragging high-frequency losses along with it.

What sets the 700II apart from other period three-head decks is the combination of that head technology with a closed-loop dual-capstan transport, belt-driven, with staggered flywheels. Documentation from the era notes the 700II was one of the few three-head cassette decks at the time to pair this head design with a dual-capstan drive. Speed control comes from an optical-sensing DC motor with 120 pulses per rotation. It adjusts speed by altering the motor's voltage rather than through a conventional servo arrangement, and a separate induction motor handles the reel hubs. Rewind time is quoted at roughly 50 seconds for a C-60.

Key Features

The Super Head: Crystalloy Playback, Crystal Ferrite Record

The playback head was renamed the "Super Head" for the 700II, and the name comes from the material. Crystalloy is a composite of nickel, niobium, and tantalum. Nakamichi reshaped the head contour so that low wavelengths approaching the physical dimension of the head wouldn't trigger alternating cancellations and reinforcements, the phenomenon that can smear bass on lesser decks. The gap is 0.9 microns, a slight increase from the 0.7-micron permalloy gap of the original 700, and the material choice was pitched as a longevity improvement as much as a performance one. Head wear is correspondingly less of a concern here than on single-head machines.

The record head is crystal ferrite, chosen because the material suits wide-gap applications well. To work around the high-frequency losses that come with a wide gap, Nakamichi adopted a low-stress manufacturing process and a design that extends the magnetic field properly. The erase head is also crystal ferrite, installed instead of the conventional AC erasing method. The documentation credits this with reducing temperature rise and improving erasing efficiency. Stainless steel tape guides sit at the top and bottom of the erase head to keep the tape path linear and stable from supply to take-up.

Pneumatic Damping and the Touch-Command Transport

The touch-command pads feel confident partly because the tape isn't being slammed into the heads. An air damper using a cylinder ensures tape-to-head contact happens quietly and slowly. A second cylinder-type air damper handles cassette ejection, with the ejection speed adjustable via a needle throttle. It won't show up in a spec sheet, but it means no abrupt shocks to the tape coating and no gradual head misalignment from mechanical violence over years of service.

Phase Compensation and the Monitoring Chain

The 700II's playback amplifier received phase-compensation circuitry that maintains signal integrity within thirty degrees. Phase correction keeps dynamic processors like Dolby from misbehaving on complex material, so the noise reduction works on transients instead of artifacting them. Off-tape monitoring is available through the three-head configuration, letting the user hear what's on the tape rather than the source, and a 400 Hz tone generator is built in for accurate Dolby level calibration. A peak limiter, Dolby and 19 kHz MPX filters, and plug-in electronic cards round out the feature set.

Mixing, Microphone Inputs, and Headphone Drive

Five-channel three-way mixing is possible via the blend microphone input, and the deck carries three MIC inputs - left, center, and right. Microphone sensitivity is 0.2 mV into 10 kΩ, and the line input takes 50 mV into 50 kΩ. Line output is 1 V maximum, variable, on both RCA and DIN connectors. The headphone amp delivers 40 mW into 8 ohms. Power consumption tops out at 60 W, and the deck is multi-voltage - 100, 117, 220, or 240 V at 50/60 Hz via a selector plug on the rear panel.

Peak VU Meters and the Front Panel

The peak VU meters use a 300 ms rise and 1.5 s decay. That reads musical peaks the way the ear perceives them rather than snapping to every transient, and it's part of why collectors prize these units. Under the hood the electronics run to 138 transistors, 9 ICs, and 54 diodes, which is a lot of circuitry for a cassette deck and explains a good deal of the weight and the heat. The brush aluminum finish resists corrosion better than painted steel, though it demands careful cleaning to avoid scratching. Collectors treat an unscratched faceplate as a meaningful part of a unit's value.

Historical Context

The original Nakamichi 700 arrived in 1973, created in response to demand for a machine that could offer the essential performance of the flagship 1000 at a lower cost. It was among the first cassette decks to incorporate three separate heads - erase, record, and play - and among the first to offer user-adjustable record head azimuth. That let owners align the head for maximum high-frequency response rather than accepting whatever the factory shipped. The 700II came along in 1976 as the refined version, with updates to the transport, heads, touch-command pads, and phase compensation. The rest of the deck was carried over intact.

The 700II sits above budget entry models like the later 500 Series but below the flagship 1000II in terms of raw modification potential. It was pitched as roughly the performance equal of the 1000 Series in a more elegant package. Dolby B was the standard noise reduction of the era, and the 700II handles EX and SX tapes with manual record level calibration rather than automatic switching, giving the user control over dynamic range that automatic systems often compromised. It's the deck that established Nakamichi before the Dragon existed, and it did so without looking like a rack-mount instrument. Production years are generally given as 1976 to 1979, though at least one source lists it as first sold in 1977 and discontinued in 1980, so treat the exact endpoints as approximate.

Collectibility & Value

Original Japanese pricing was ¥210,000 in 1977, with the optional RM-10 wired remote control sold separately for ¥9,000. At least one source lists a US figure of $1,140, which may reflect a different market rather than a contradiction. Current market data is thin. A Reverb listing for a unit described as owned by Modest Mouse sold for $405 in September 2024, so buyers should treat that as a data point rather than a benchmark. Fully serviced units with original remote controls are increasingly rare, and the price gap between a serviced example and an as-is unit is substantial.

The maintenance realities are the usual ones for a deck this old. Original rubber belts harden and slip over four decades, and a belt replacement restores rewind time to roughly 50 seconds for a C-60. If the play function is dead while rewind and fast forward still work, the transport belt is almost certainly the culprit - a diagnosis that shows up repeatedly in vintage audio exchange listings. Pinch rollers and idlers need attention to hold the wow and flutter spec. The foam surround on internal damping components may crumble with age, though replacement kits exist and the install is manageable for anyone comfortable with basic disassembly. Head wear is less of a worry thanks to the Crystalloy material, but alignment should be checked on any heavily used unit. A full service is the baseline expectation now, not a bonus.

Buying advice from the field: bring a flashlight and examine the faceplate at a raking angle to catch pitting or deep scratches that won't polish out. Test the peak VU meters for responsiveness - the 300 ms rise and 1.5 s decay behavior should be visible. Slight marks on the upper front edge are common even on well-kept units. Owners describe the 700II in near-devotional terms, and "THE BEST cassette player/recorder of its era" is a phrase that recurs. The consensus from people who've lived with one is that when it's working, it's genuinely magnificent.

eBay Listings

See all Nakamichi 700II on eBay

As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.