Nakamichi decks/generations etc

["John Q." <Zephead1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I found "pageboys" original post interesting, if not a tad arrogant.  Some
of the commentary that followed was also worthy of mention:

>>>Speaking of pet peeves, my number one pet peeve of tape trading is
people who do not list source and generation info on their pages or
lists.  To me, it is extremely important to know the source and the gen
of a show I am trading for.  Not everyone wants a cd dub, and I am
trying to move away from accepting dub trades.<<

This reply hits the nail on the head.  One of the original replys to
Pageboys post said that they never list generation, nor do they care,
because there is only minimal difference between say a 2nd gen, and a multi
generational copy.  This is completely and utterly false.  Everyone should
strive for the best possible copy, not only for their own benefit, but for
the benefit of traders that you make dubs for.  This is the only way to
preserve the integrity and sound quality of the original recording.  Analog
tape is an imperfect medium.  Each copy from different tape decks intoduces
things like tape hiss, azimuth problems and tape speed (wow & flutter)
Amplify this by 10 generations and you have a real mess

And the assertion that new collectors should seek out cd dubs is also a bit
off the mark.  Cd manufacturers are notorious for chopping shows up,
editing and eq'ing the living hell out of the tape.  There are a few cd
releases that have used low gen and/or master tape sources, but this is
certainly the exception and not the rule.

Nakamichi tape decks....a subject near and dear to my heart!  I purchased
two, because I was tired of the shortcomings of my previous decks.  This
does not imply that you need to own one to be considered a worthy trader. 
I have heard satisfactory results from Sony's Es line and Technics high end
decks for example.  And you don't have to break the bank to own these.  As
far as Dual cassette decks being an abomination, they are decidedly at the
bottom of the spectrum, but not all are worthless.  Sony's Wr901Es is a
killer dual cassette deck, that rivals the performance of any single well
deck.

Keep your heads clean, don't high speed dub, and keep those levels pumping
between +1 & +3 and everyone will get along just fine!!