Timeline of Nakamichi cassette decks

The list is based on data from http://www.naks.com/products/ and https://www.cassettedeck.org/nakamichi. Launch year data, in particular, is based on the latter. Launch timing is easily traced to press releases, reviews and catalogues; the year of discontinuation, on the opposite, can only be inferred when a model disappears from catalogues. Where possible, subgroups within generations and models within subgroups are arranged top to bottom, from the most expensive to the least (US list price data at https://www.cassettedeck.org/nakamichi).

First generation (1973-1977)

Flagships

• 
  1000 (1973)
• 
  1000-II (1977)
• 
  700 (1973)
• 
  700-II (1977)

System 600

• 
  600 (1975)
• 
  600-II (1978)

"Budget" and OEM models

The 1974 model 500 was made as an OEM product in many different guises (probably more than a dozen). Some were visually identical to Nakamichi 500 but carried different name badges. Others like the Sonab 500 were packaged in unique designer shells.

• 
  550 (1974)
• 
  500 (1974)
• 
  Sonab 500 (1975)
• 
  350 (1976)
• 
  250 (1977)

Second generation (1978-1982)

Flagships

• 
  1000ZXL Limited (1981)
• 
  1000ZXL (1979)
• 
  700ZXL (1980)
• 
  700ZXE (1981)

600-series

• 
  680 (1979)
• 
  680ZX (1979)
• 
  670ZX (1979)
• 
  660ZX (1979)

500-series

A peculiar feature of the 500 series is the unusual width of the enclosure. It is exactly 500 millimeters - wider than anything made for 19-inch racks.

• 
  582 (1979)
• 
  581 (1979)
• 
  580M (1978)
• 
  580 (1978)

400-series

• 
  482 (1979)
• 
  481 (1979)
• 
  480 (1979)

Adoption of Dolby C

In 1981-1982 seven second-generation models were hastily modernized to incorporate Dolby C. These did not last long, and were soon replaced by the third generation models. The suffix Z that by now became ubiquitous denotes not Dolby but segmented LED or VFD meters in place of now retired analogue dials.

• 
  682ZX (1981)
• 
  681ZX (1981)
• 
  582Z (1981)
• 
  581Z (1981)
• 
  482Z (1981)
• 
  481Z (1981)
• 
  480Z (1981)

Third generation (1981-1987)

Flagship

• 
  Dragon (1982)

Car player with auto azimuth alignment

• 
  TD-1200 (1983)
• 
  TD-1200ii (?)

ZX series

The ZX-5 was a domestic Japanese market name for the model sold elsewhere as BX-300. For the purposes of this list it is included under the BX heading along with another clone, the MR-1.

• 
  ZX-9 (1982)
• 
  ZX-7 (1981)

LX series

• 
  LX-5 (1981)
• 
  LX-3 (1982)

RX series

• 
  RX-505 (1984)
• 
  RX-303 (1984)
• 
  RX-202 (1982)

BX series, MR series and ZX-5

The 1982 BX series were the first Nakamichis to use a third-party OEM transport made by Sankyo. MR-1 and MR-2 were "professional" versions of BX-300 and BX-150, respectively, with larger faceplated and mounting flaps for 19-inch racks, XLR balanced inputs and outputs and a provision for an external NR processor. The MR-1 had pitch control in place of the original's bias pot. The ZX-5 was the Japanese-market version of BX-300.

• 
  ZX-5 (1984)
• 
  MR-1 (1987)
• 
  BX-300 (1984)
• 
  MR-2 (1986)
• 
  BX-150 (1984)
• 
  BX-125 (1985)
• 
  BX-2 (1982)
• 
  BX-100 (1984)
• 
  BX-1 (1982)

Fourth generation

CR series (1986-1988)

The CR series replaced the former BX, LX and ZX lines. Production of the older Dragon, RX-505 and RX-202 continued into the 1990s alongside the new series. All CR models as well as the RXs used an OEM Sankyo transport - thus the Dragon remained the sole model with a genuine Nakamichi transport.

• 
  CR-7 (1986)
• 
  CR-5 (1986)
• 
  CR-4 (1988)
• 
  CR-3 (1988)
• 
  CR-2 (1988)
• 
  CR-1 (1988)

End of the line (1990-1996)

Cassette Deck series

• 
  Cassette Deck 1 (1990)
• 
  Cassette Deck 2 (1990)
• 
  Cassette Deck 1 Limited (1991)
• 
  Cassette Deck 1.5 (1991)

DR series

The final run of the already dying company contained three models built around the Sankyo transport:

• 
  DR-1 (1992)
• 
  DR-2 (1991)
• 
  DR-3 (1991)

DR series after the dissolution of the original Nakamichi company

In 1996 manufacturing of Nakamichi decks ceased completely. The company shell and trademark passed from the Nakamichi family to new owners, who soon resumed production and sales of car audio, microsystems and component decks under the old brand. Models DR-10 and DR-8 (1999-2002) looked like exact copies of the DR-1 and DR-3, but the only thing they shared with the originals was faceplate design. They had little common with earlier Nakamichi/Sankyo models neither mechanically, nor sonically. The DR-5 was a low-end microsystem component with a sliding loading tray, very similar to micro-decks by Kenwood or Yamaha but looking much cheaper.