Nakamichi CR-7A Tape Deck - Fully Restored - In Stock

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This tape deck is in stock today ready to ship! These usually have a 3 month lead-time if not more from our store.

These are always in crazy high demand thanks to the full manual azimuth control. Desirable by savvy pro recording studios and HiFi enthusiasts in the know.

We've shipped this model more than once to special facilities archiving rare or historical tapes to digital. 

Here's your chance to own a fully working CR-7A.

Please do not try to purchase one of these that has not undergone a full restoration as it will surely lead to tears. Lifespan is 12-15 years before requiring service as all the rubber components disintegrate over time.  

This super clean machine was fully serviced including the replacement of all consumable belts, rollers, and wheels. The power supply was recapped and received a full cleaning, lubrication, and calibration.  

The result is factory-like performance in both playback and recording.

The front display is super bright, both meters are responsive, and the drive mechanism engages quietly and quickly.

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects

Watch this walkthrough from our YouTube for complete details (From a past CR-7A that is since sold)

The SkyFi Testing Process for Tape Decks and Reel to Reel Machines:

First steps are performed to determine if the unit is a candidate for our full restoration process or if its just in need of a light service.

We first do a basic functionality test to ensure proper playback fast forward and rewind.  We look for smooth operation of the motors, transport engagement and associated rolling parts.

We then do an internal physical inspection to ensure the belts and rubber consumable parts are up to spec.

Internal components are checked to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage particularly in the power supply section.  Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect the PCBs for discoloration from resistors or transistors that may have been running hot. On vintage units we often spot check select capacitors for value and ESR.

A light service will involve replacement of belts and rollers, external cleaning of heads, mechanism and boards and basic record and playback tests.

A full restoration will often include disassembly of the drive system and replacement of all consumable and wearable parts including pinch rollers, belts, brakes, bearings.  We then clean lubricate and re-assembly the drive and perform basic mechanical alignment to ensure proper tape path and head alignment.

Final calibration will involve adjustment of playback erase and record heads and optimization of the bias for a specific tape type.  We do this with the aid of a  Soundtech 1510A tape deck analyzer and a Nakamichi T100 unit and reference calibration tapes.

Final listening tests are done while monitoring with our reference Grado HP-1 headphones and a variety of factory and custom reference recordings. We find that there is no better system for critical listening on tapes than the headphones specifically when comparing a live feed to a recorded feed.

Specifications
3-Head Single 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:
1 x Reel, 1 x Capstan, 2 x Mechanism

Tape Type:
Type I, CrO2, and Metal

Dolby Noise Reduction:
B, C

Frequency Response:
18Hz to 21kHz (Metal Tape)

Signal to Noise Ratio:
72dB (Colby C)

Wow and Flutter:
0.027%

Total Harmonic Distortion:
0.8%

Input: 50mV
(line)

Output: 1V
(line)

Dimensions:
17-1/8" x 5-5/16" x 12"
(435 x 135 x 306mm)

Weight:
19.85 lbs.
(9 kg)

Accessories:
RM-7C Remote Control (Not Included with this listing - Available Separately)

Year:
1986

Price When Released in 1986:
$2,200 ($6000+ today)

Nakamichi CR-7A Detailed Sales Brochure

Nakamichi CR-7A Owner's Manual