Re: Nakamichi bliss!
If playing tapes made on the machine on which they were recorded and the machine is correctly lined up, and if the heads are clean, etc. etc. the results from cassette can be astonishingly good, but, as one of the men involved with Dolby said at the time, the cassette is a fluke - everything has to be just so, and quite small maladjustments can affect performance severely. In my experience, this is particularly true of Dolby C.
One point I haven't solved to my entire satisfaction is whether cassette tapes lose enough HF with age to affect Dolby tracking, or whether the observed dulling at the top end is the result of incorrect line-up or oxide shedding. The NAD play trim feature struck me as a sensible real-world solution.
But when all's said and done, if it works, don't knock it. I picked up a Tascam 112 for next to nothing at the last Audiojumble. Leaving aside the vendor's risible claim that it "needs a mechanical line-up" - for which read a rebuild of the capstan control card - I found some cassettes I made many years ago, tried them and was surprised by how pleasant they were to listen to.
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