Nakamichi CR-20

The Nakamichi CR-20 is a three-head stereo cassette deck from the early 1980s. In the CR series it sits below the CR-30 and CR-40 and above the CR-10. It was a serious, no-frills recorder - no auto-reverse, no music search, and no MPX filter. The transport is a closed-loop dual capstan design with two motors and a direct-drive capstan. Add Nakamichi's pressure pad lifter, which disengages the cassette shell's pressure pad during play and record, and a Crystalloy record/play head, and you get the stable tape-to-head contact the company was known for.

Specifications are consistent across sources. Frequency response runs 30Hz - 16kHz ±3dB on metal tape and 30Hz - 15kHz ±3dB on chrome and normal formulations. Signal-to-noise is rated at 72dB with Dolby C, 68dB with Dolby B, and 58dB with noise reduction off. Wow and flutter is listed at 0.05% WRMS. The tape selector covers Normal, CrO₂, and Metal. There is switchable playback EQ (70µs/40µs) and there are internal record bias and level trimmers. Dolby B and C are both onboard. Dimensions are 43.5 × 12.5 × 22.5 cm and it weighs 6.7 kg.

Period press is thin. One listing in Mix Magazine (September 1981, p.58) appears to be a studio directory entry rather than a review, and no major audio publication of the era seems to have given the CR-20 a full test. That is surprising, given how well-regarded the deck is among enthusiasts today. The original Japanese price is listed at ¥168,000, and a US price of $800 appears in some sources, though without a firm year attached. Production dates conflict slightly: some sources say 1980-1982, others 1981-1983.

Owners describe the CR-20 as reliable, clean-sounding, and musical, giving away little to more expensive decks of its era. It lacks the manual record level calibration of the pricier CR-40. The negatives are plain: no auto-reverse, no tape counter memory stop, and no MPX filter for FM recording with Dolby C engaged. With age, the belts and idler tires are the usual failure points. A deck with weak or failed fast-forward/rewind almost always has a degraded idler tire. The Crystalloy heads are durable but expensive to re-lap if worn.

Serviced examples have recently sold between $450 and $700, with fully overhauled units commanding more. The service manual is available through HiFi Engine, though free versions sometimes lack pages.