Download Feb 2006 issue - Electra

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Nakamichi Stasis SR-4A Receiver.
By Mark Marcantonio
Made from 1987-1989, regulated power supply, extensive video switching.
60 wpc/cont,
retail $1,000. Used
Features Nak's 'Inherently Stable / Uniform
Impedance Amplifier'..
Remote capable, not included.
Pre out / Main in jacks for easy system expansion (use as a pre/tuna).
Normally, when an audio enthusiast sees or
hears the word “Nakamichi”, the first image
that comes to mind is the Dragon, the king of
all cassette decks. A piece of equipment so
universally admired and desired that it retired
with the crown of “Ultimate Cassette Deck”.
Luckily, for us Nakamichi made other products
as well. One of their finer receivers was the
SR-4A. A seemingly average-looking piece of
audio, with a bundle of fine touches under its
hood that separated itself from much of the
competition.
Affordable$$Audio!
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True to the styling of the time, the Nakamichi
SR-4A exterior came in a satin black finish.
Knobs and buttons (both push and solenoid)
ran across the face plate. Unlike the Technics
and Sony faceplates, the SR-4A didn’t resemble the cockpit of the space shuttle. LED displays are visible, yet simple, leaving the impression that this is a piece of equipment
rather than a souped-up Hasbro Lite-Bright.
Having been a fan of Harman Kardon’s faceplates, I instantly liked what I was working with
in the Nakamichi.
The front panel is layed out on two levels with
the upper taking up 2/3rds of the overall
heighth. From left to right run the Power Button, Tape/VCR monitor
knob, Input Selector
knob, Tuner display section and remote sensor
on top and the Memory,
AM, FM, Tuning Mode,
Up and Down tuning
buttons. The bottom
row consist of the station memory buttons.
Finally along the upper
right is a recessed outer
ring for balance, and a
large volume knob.
Tucked in-between the
tuner display and the
volume knob is a small
Audio Mute button.
The bottom third of the
front panel, distinguished by a horizontal
groove, sits the Headphone input, A and B
speaker selectors, Bass control, tone Off/On
button, Treble, Subsonic filter, then a flat expanse containing only the STASIS label. Directly under the volume knob is a smaller
Variable Loudness knob instead of the typical
loudness gain button.
The backside is thoughtfully laid out, placing
RCA inputs in a logical sequence and the
speaker connection posts in my personally
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