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VINTAGE SONAB C500/NAKAMICHI TAPE DECK_________________________________________________100volt-240voltCURRENTLY SET ON 240VALL RECORDING PLAY RWD FWD WORKINGVU METERS WORKINGVU LIGHTS DONT WORK BUT EASY FIXALL LIGHTS REC ALL WORKINGPLAY BACK VOLUME LEVEL ADJUST AT THE BACK OF UNITSLIGHT CRACK ON DOOR BUT WORKING AS IT SHOULD IN EJECTING AND CLOSINGHAS MARKS ectVERY RARE UNIT NOT ANY FOR SALE ON SELLING PLATFORMSCOMES WITH POWER CORDPLEASE VIEW PICTURE WHICH FORM PART OF DESCRIPTIONCAN POST OR PICK UP IS AVAILABLE
This is a respected vintage deck with real enthusiast appeal, and at US$880 it sits well above your recent comp set’s US$479 75th percentile, so the asking price is ambitious rather than merely fair. Against a US$334 median and US$105 25th percentile, it needs to bring unusual provenance, a standout cosmetic presentation, or recent service to justify the premium.
The upside is that Sonab/Nakamichi-built pieces can have strong cachet for collectors who want a well-made, serious transport rather than a generic mass-market deck. If it’s complete, clean, and fully functional, the draw is desirability as much as utility; but at this level I’d want proof of recent maintenance, solid heads/belts, and a frank test of transport, recording, and playback before paying up.
Independent perspective — not a price guarantee. Always verify condition, accessories and provenance before purchase.
Sonab is a Swedish hi-fi name that dates to the 1960s, with its best-known early products tied to designer Stig Carlsson and the “Carlsson” loudspeaker lineage. One source says the company was introduced on the market in 1966 as Sonab AB, and later histories describe it as a state-backed Swedish manufacturer associated with Carlsson’s loudspeaker concepts.
The brand is most closely linked to speakers, especially omnidirectional models such as the OA series, and it is also described in vintage-retail and enthusiast sources as having made amplifiers and turntables. There is much less evidence that Sonab was a major player in modern categories like DACs, headphones, or cables, so its identity is really anchored in classic loudspeaker design rather than a broad contemporary audio lineup.
In market terms, Sonab is best understood today as a vintage-collector and cult-hi-fi brand rather than a current high-end mainstream manufacturer. Its reputation rests on distinctive Scandinavian industrial design, historically important speaker engineering, and strong appeal among enthusiasts who value restored classics and unusual omni-directional systems.
See all Sonab listings on RADAR.
