Once again
Nakamichi System One
My
article about Nakamichi’s illustrious System One on the internet set things
rapidly in motion. This article about the search for the different components
in the Nakamichi rack shows a temporal setup of a kind of cassette copying
system. This setup of all 600 cassette consoles looks very nice, but had to
disappear in order to reach the eventual goal; the setup of a regular System
One. This copying system had to make way until I would lay my hands on a second
system rack.
Changes being small, the internet has created new possibilities and in
the mean time a second rack is sitting besides the first acquisition. The
second rack was fully complete and preserved very well. In addition to this it
contains some rare additional options.
Options
Maybe not very
significant, but from collectors viewpoint interesting are the following two
options. First, wheel blockers, the so called ‘caster locks’. The components
list of the original System One user manual shows two ‘caster locks’ for
purpose of fixing the System One Rack in its desired space. The ‘locks’ are
small, steel made baskets to be put under two of the trolley wheels in the base.
The
second option is called the system console, a top sheet for the support of a
record deck. The addition of a record deck completed the sources of the System
One to encompass all available music formats of the seventies, the era the
System was conceived. Nakamichi has developed record decks later on, but not at
the time of the System One. And very special
record decks they were, becoming the ingenuity of the brand name, of which the
record centring option deserves a special report in itself.
The additional console is not mentioned in the original System One user
manual, but is shown in an inlay (half page sized) added to (my sample of) the
English manual. The inlay is written in German, posing some questions in it’s
own. Maybe the record deck console was not an original option from Nakamichi in
Origin
The second
System One that has found it’s way to me has been used in the canteen of a
government bureau and had to source 8 (!) loudspeakers of music signal. An
number of which were situated in the canteen itself, and a number on a adjacent
podium for presentations or dancing space for parties. These special
circumstances asked for a special implementation of the rack, in which the
original 620 power amp is omitted. A distribution box was taken the place of
the 620, enabling the distribution of he line level output signal to the four
isolated stereo speaker sets. Each stereo speaker set was implemented using
Philips Motional Feedback loudspeakers, which supply in their own power
amplification. So this particular System one lacks the 620 power amp, a pity
for my collection…….
Luck
Because this System
One was by turns meant to be used for speeches and parties microphones had to
be catered for. So the Nakamichi 610 preamp with it’s professional and complex
setup was incorporated and added to the 630 Tuner-Preamp. Set alone, the 630
would suffice for all purposes and inputs, but not the mikes. The complex setup
using two preamps in series and an additional distribution box, made the
resulting System One a dream for technocrats like me. But it proved a nightmare
for the ladies of the canteen who had to deal with all the functions of this in
addition to making salads, sandwiches and other refreshments. So after only a
few years this system was set aside in ‘like new’ condition and the deep-fryer
became the prime electrical instrument of the canteen, as is to be expected. A
bit of luck for my collection….
Collecting
dust
After a life in
the canteen this particular System One was given a number of places at the home
of the previous owner, who has retained the system for 20 years or more. The
last years the system resided workless in his garage, but even there it had to
make available it’s occupied space. The previous owner had catered very well
for the system for years and abhorred the idea to ditch this beautiful peace of
audio engineering and my internet presentation resulted in our contact and 
preserved
the system’s future. Again my luck.
The system had gathered an amazing even layer of dust in the many years
of inhabiting the garage. The following picture of the dust collected in the
cassette bay of the 600 serves as an indication of the complete system. Follow
the link to see also the next picture taken, showing the delicate head and
cantilever
after cleaning.
Modification
Altering this
immaculately preserved specimen is something not done, really! But one of the
three blind faceplates in the space originally meant for the 620 power amp, was
drilled for accommodation of the distribution selectors. The distribution box
contained two potentiometers to relay the signal to 4 sets of speakers. The way
the distribution box was built and the knobs (same as the one in the 600 gear)
were aligned were not up to the level of built of the Nakamichi gear. Because
the original function of this box was never to be used again I decided to empty
the box and rebuild it into a switchbox for inputs and outputs of 4 cassette
players. The switches and knobs are aligned to be fully comparable with the
Nakamichi style and quality of feel, parallel to the quality image of the
brand. I strengthened the box and mounted one of the din connectors for the
combined set of four inputs, one din connector for four outputs and a din
connector for external system “source” connection, in and out.
Beside these connections a switch is incorporated for shorting the inputs
of all four decks, enabling simultaneous recording of all four decks. The
shorting of 4 inputs will result in signal degradation and hence had to be
selectable, rather then fixed. The visual effect of 4 decks recording in
parallel, showing the same signal on those precious analogue meters is a treat,
though.
As an digression
to the goal of 4 cassette decks in the System One rack, a setup of three decks, together with the 610
preamplifier, brings an appealing look alternative System as well. This
combinations completely fills the System rack and the 610 offers the
recording/playback connections for three separate cassette players. The preamp
can obviously connect to all sorts of different signal sources and facilitates
simultaneous recording to three decks without loss of signal quality by
serialising the three inputs of the decks involved. Combined with a record deck
on the additional console a neat Tape System One setup emerges, 
with
3 times the cassette deck.
End result
As a final result,
4 decks fully operational via the additional switches, are brought into play
and form the additional system sitting aside the “standard” System One. The
desired result is obtained.