Cassette Deck??

Sorry to disagree, but don't avoid Nakamichi. I have three
and thousands of cassettes to go with them. Yes, I occasionally get one that won't play well, but I usually
blame the age or condition of the cassette, not the Nak.
Spend a few bucks and get something you will be glad you own years from now. Don't be suprised if you like the sound so much that you begin adding to your cassette collection. You may never want to let it go.

I have a Nakamichi 500 I bought new back in, I believe, 1976.
It still works just fine.
.

Goodwill has plenty of old Cassette decks. Goodwill also gaurantees the item to work or exchange. So for $7 to $10 you can get a cassette deck. play the tapes. and not worry.

What E. said, or even a Sony Walkman which are always available on the 'Bay. Sounds like this is a 'just for fun' project, so I wouldn't spend a lot of money.

RE Naks: Tonykay is correct. Sometimes tapes recorded on a Nak can sound weird on other decks -- not the other way around ;--) It's because Nak heads have narrower gaps than those in any other cassette machines.

Tapes recorded on other decks sound excellent on Nak, at least as far as I can tell. Also, tapes that I recorded on my 682ZX sounded great in my Sony car deck.
But Nakamichi decks require attention.