Nakamichi Dragon numerous upgrades,

Nakamichi Dragon, overhauled in 2020 ,





The Nakamichi Dragon is a truly unique deck. It is a direct drive, auto reverse cassette deck incorporating the epoch making NAAC system for automatic azimuth correction of the playback head. Thanks to the NAAC system, sound quality differences between forward and reverse are completely eliminated and perfect playback is possible under all conditions. Furthermore, manual calibration facilities for record sensitivity and bias permit high precision adjustment to suit the requirements of every tape.

Specifications
Type: auto reverse, 3-head, single compact cassette deck
Track System: 4-track, 2-channel stereo
Tape Speed: 4.8 cm/s
Heads: 1 x record, 1 x playback, 1 x erase
Motor: 2 x capstan, 1 x reel, 1 x auto azimuth, 1 x mechanism
Tape Type: type I, Cr02, Metal
Noise Reduction: B, C
Frequency Response: 20Hz to 22kHz (Metal tape)
Signal to Noise Ratio: 72dB (dolby C)
Wow and Flutter: 0.04%
Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.8%
Input: 50mV (line)
Output: 1V (line)
Dimensions: 450 x 135 x 300mm

With an 11-year production run that ended in 1993, the Nakamichi Dragon epitomized cassette-deck technology, and to many enthusiasts, it is still considered the Holy Grail of what could be accomplished at 1 7/8 i.p.s. A three-head deck with discrete heads for recording, playback and erase, it used Nakamichi's NAAC auto azimuth correction to optimize playback azimuth on any tape played. While some other Nakamichi models used an adjustable record azimuth, the Dragon concentrated on the playback domain.