Nakamichi CR-7E (1985–1993)

Name: Nakamichi CR-7E
Brand: Nakamichi

The CR-7E was Nakamichi's flagship three-head cassette deck for the European market, sold alongside the CR-5E and CR-3A in the mid-1980s. It had a list price of $1,849 when introduced. Sources disagree on whether it first sold in 1985 or 1986. It stayed in production until 1993, an unusually long run.

The automatic calibration system set the CR-7E apart. Press a button and the deck runs a roughly ten-second cycle that sets bias, equalization, and azimuth automatically. That made it forgiving of off-center or worn cassettes. Underneath, it used Nakamichi's discrete three-head arrangement with a closed-loop dual capstan transport, the same basic architecture the brand built its reputation on. Dolby B and C noise reduction and an infrared remote (RM-7C) came standard.

The deck measures 435 × 135 × 306 mm, weighs 9.0 kg, and draws 55W. It was finished in black and built in Japan. As on Nakamichi's other top models, the transport is the heart of the machine, and it's also the part that ages. Surviving examples commonly need new capstan and back-tension belts, and proper head alignment after transport service.

Documentation on the CR-7E is thin. No frequency response, wow-and-flutter, or S/N figures appear in the surviving period material located so far. The original German price of 4,000 DM is one of the few concrete market data points.