Nakamichi CR-3A

The Nakamichi CR-3A is a odd case in the archive. It was reviewed and advertised in major audio magazines, yet almost no documentation survives beyond those period mentions. The record does show a deck Nakamichi positioned as its entry point into serious three-head territory - "the least expensive cassette deck that offers the three essential" recording attributes, as High Fidelity (February 1988, p.23) put it.

The period sources give a reasonably clear picture. The CR-3A had three discrete heads, Dolby B and C noise reduction, and a defeatable MPX filter. The transport was an asymmetrical dual-capstan design with a pressure-pad lifter, which Nakamichi claimed eliminated scrape flutter and modulation noise. It also had independent bias and EQ selection, thirteen-segment peak-level meters, and one-touch record/pause. HiFI-Stereo (January 1988, p.13) listed the frequency response as 20 to 20,000 Hz ±3 dB, the dimensions as 16 15/16 inches wide by 3 1/16 inches high by 10 7/16 inches deep, and the price as $750.

The recording-level controls are concentric, with an outer ring for balance and an inner knob for both channels, as described in the High Fidelity report. The transport keys sit to the left of the level controls.

Beyond that, the record goes quiet. No service manual, no detailed lab measurements beyond the basics above, and no production years or serial number ranges have surfaced in the archive. If you own a CR-3A and can fill in the gaps - transport behavior, real-world recording quality, common failure points - the archive would welcome the contribution.