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Nikko advice...

fazman

fazman

Active Member
Hey guys, can I get your expert opinions please?
I'm going to see a guy next week who has a host of Nikko stuff that he is willing to sell me. Prices are unknown yet but I know he wants to move the entire lot of stuff. The list includes the likes of...

Preamp Beta 28 (I think or maybe 20 I dunno)
Alpha 220 power amp
EQ 20
Gamma 40 tuner
NP-800 turntable
NO-1000 Cassette deck and NP-700 II
CD player... CDP 0265 ???? not sure on model number
Time delay synth ATD-1 (whatever this is????)
Integrated DC stereo amp NA-700

Now I'm normally a Marantz, Pioneer, Sansui Yamaha kind of guy and I normally stick with these. I've got big receivers from each of these companies.
What does Nikko bring to the table? I really don't here much about them.

Thanks in advance.
 
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The power amp, integrated amp and tuner are worth looking at. I've owned both Nikko amps and preamps. IMO the preamps are only so-so. The amps are much better.
 
Never play with any of their stuff till now..

I got free Nikko receiver last Dec and have let it sit til now. A buddy of mine mentioned he would like to spin vinyl and I said I would go thru it and check it out. It a model 1010 and its well made and heavy. Probably late 70's.

After a good cleaning I hooked her up to a pr of AR 4X's I have on my bench and to my FM ant. Very decent reception as good as my Pioneer SX 850 whic is my "test" amp along with my Onkyo T-4 tuner. It held its own against both. Pulls in WNYC FM from New York City here in Ulster Co 80 miles out. I am way outside WMNR's coverage which is in Conn. They are only 9000 watts and it it got them well.

If the price is right they are worth a look. I think my buddy will like it. Sounded good on my AR's. They are not the best speakers I own. May try it with my JBLs before I let go of the Nikko. The Pioneer SX 850 sounds crappy on the AR's. Go figure..:scratch2:

Eric
 
I used to have an Alpha 230. It was a fantastic amp. I did finally sell it to help pay for my big bad Dennon. But it was a great amp.
 
NIkko

I have an assortment of NIkko equipment...I started with an Alpha 220.....then came across a pre amp and 2 more amps..alpha 130 and Alpha II....I think the amplifiers are great ....and currently run 2 alpha 220's in my main setup with great results......The pre amp seamed to function well....And i also have a nice analog tuner which also functions well......
 
I have a whole Nikko setup, but the units I use are the Alpha 440 amp and the Gamma 20 tuner, these are well-built and sound very good. I'd definitely buy the power amp and the tuner. The preamps aren't as highly thought of, but they look good and seem well constructed, so I'd be tempted to buy the preamp as well...
 
I would like to add that one of the Nikko tuners, the model number of which I don't recall now, was good enough to make it onto the top of Stereophile's Magazine's Recommended Components list in the late 1980s.
 
Nikko kinda gets a mild bad rap, but I think it is good stuff for the most part. I just scored a Alpha 230 amp, Beta 30 preamp, and a Gamma 30 tuner. When I took the top off the heavy 230 amp, I was amazed to see a big toroidal power tranny!
I owned an Alpha II power amp some years back too. It delivered a clean 150wpc or so and was very well built and quite handsome in satin black with big analog power meters.
They're not going to beat your door down to buy it for big $$$, but you could do a lot worse, should you choose to use it.
IIRC, the Gamma V tuner (as alluded to above), is very desirable even today, pulling close to $500.00 in one ebay auction in recent memory.
 
Thanks so much guys for the feedback your opinions are always much appreciated :yes:
I was kinda thinking the same way as some of you suggested, look at the amp, tuner and maybe the preamp but I know this guy wants to move everything, he doesn't want it cluttering up things anymore. So I guess I'll be doing him a favour if I buy everything :D
I don't want to turn this into a dollars and sense thread so my sincere apologies asking this question but... Do you think I'm far off in trying to get the whole thing for about $150 to $175 range? I mean really the cassette decks are pretty much worthless IMHO and the turntable, well I guess if someone was into a Nikko turntable then it might be worth something but I know it is not to me. So really that leaves us with the pre the amp the tuner and the EQ which I never really use anyway unless it is a 31 band then it is good for a sub.
Of course all this depends on the condition and operational condition of the units

Thanks
 
If you can get all that for anywhere near the price you are thinking of, I think you are doing very well indeed. Certainly the power amp and tuner are probably the stars, but the preamps are certainly ok, and some quite good. The rest of the stuff is probably quite acceptable also, and could probably be resold easily enough.
Nikko was sort of the house brand electronics for Tech HiFi, which was a major chain on the east coast in the 70s, and I believe their reputation suffered by being presented as the cheaper alternative to everything else Tech Hifi sold (never mind whether it sounded better or not). And their advertising was often rather clunky, so even their first rate stuff got lost in the shuffle. Nikko is actually a major producer of circuit breakers (hence their use in much of their equipment), and the audio stuff was just part of their business, and (I was told) when the founder died, an inheritance battle left the company drifting, and the audio business sort of died. And with neither a continuing company or a large reputation, they sort of faded from view for collectors and users. But that seems to be changing a bit.
 
Update... I bought the Nikko gear!

Well, I finally bought the Nikko gear. Neaded some clean up but all in all pretty good condition. The rack handles on the amp need to be painted again but that is about it.
The sound... I was very pleasantly surprised. Not a hint of metallic sound anywhere. Very smooth is the best way I can describe the sound. It's just running my garage speakers at the moment but I will get it in the house soon enough.
The Gamma 40 tuner... wow! excellent performance. I'd say this combo is a real receiver killer!
I'll try and get some pics up a little later for you guys to look at.
Very satisfied with the purchase. :thmbsp:
 
I think Nikko gear gets a bad rap - don't know why. It looks good and every piece I ever heard worked just fine. I have Nikko on my shopping list for a good mid-up receiver if I come across one. I have it juts behind the H-K 730 Twin Power on the shopping list.

You dun good. Hose er down (not really) and shine er up and you got some home stereo pieces, fur shure :)
 
BrocLuno said:
I think Nikko gear gets a bad rap - don't know why. It looks good and every piece I ever heard worked just fine. I have Nikko on my shopping list for a good mid-up receiver if I come across one. I have it juts behind the H-K 730 Twin Power on the shopping list.

You dun good. Hose er down (not really) and shine er up and you got some home stereo pieces, fur shure :)
Click to expand...

Hey Broc, Yes I don't know why they would get a bad rap. Maybe because their advertising in the 70's was not on par with Marantz, Pioneer etc... Maybe it's the fact they are a Japanese company and none of it was "American" engineered? :scratch2:
As far as the sound quality, I'd say they are right on par, if not better??? As far as build quality goes, well there are some areas that are suspect. Some of the buttons feel cheap but when you pop the trunk, there is no skimping.
Excellent sound quality by yesterday and today standards for sure.
 
If the units are old enough (likely if they're early 1980's), the power sections could use a re-cap. I've heard that Nikkos respond well to a re-cap. Just what I've heard. Have not done one myself.
 
Just checking in on Nikko comments.
A guy down the street had a yard sale this weekend and had a Nikko receiver he was going to give me as it needed work, but I passed on it as I hve too much stuff as it is and have a list of electronic project to do before I could get to it. I also had to pass on his Advent small loudspeakers he was selling for $20. I told him to come here the sell it because he didn't want to junk it. Hope he makes it...
 
I'm a Yamaha and Sony guy along with JBL, want to get into the likes of merantz. Though I do have a Nikko integrated stereo DC amplifier NA 700ii and as an analog amp I find it to be a tank. It has- over the span of over 15 yrs, -sometimes cut out and not let me raise the volume; and this may be a con but leave it unplugged for a while and it pounds just as hard a while later(few days). It has a lot of power and truly can take a beating. Wanted to share.
Kind regards
 
fazman said:
Hey guys, can I get your expert opinions please?
I'm going to see a guy next week who has a host of Nikko stuff that he is willing to sell me. Prices are unknown yet but I know he wants to move the entire lot of stuff. The list includes the likes of...

Preamp Beta 28 (I think or maybe 20 I dunno)
Alpha 220 power amp
EQ 20
Gamma 40 tuner
NP-800 turntable
NO-1000 Cassette deck and NP-700 II
CD player... CDP 0265 ???? not sure on model number
Time delay synth ATD-1 (whatever this is????)
Integrated DC stereo amp NA-700

Now I'm normally a Marantz, Pioneer, Sansui Yamaha kind of guy and I normally stick with these. I've got big receivers from each of these companies.
What does Nikko bring to the table? I really don't here much about them.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I am with Glen B. I am going the other direction to Yamaha and Marantz! I own Nikko 130, Alpha II and they sound loud and good for their price. I am using a Yamaha CX-600U preamp that I bought online. I acquired a Citation 19 and need to find the 17 pre that goes with it to find that sound I was looking for when my brother owned a Harman Kardon 12 and 17 pre...Nikko to me is great but I am just starting out and have not heard others...money is a bit tight.
 
fazman said:
Hey guys, can I get your expert opinions please?
I'm going to see a guy next week who has a host of Nikko stuff that he is willing to sell me. Prices are unknown yet but I know he wants to move the entire lot of stuff. The list includes the likes of...

Preamp Beta 28 (I think or maybe 20 I dunno)
Alpha 220 power amp
EQ 20
Gamma 40 tuner
NP-800 turntable
NO-1000 Cassette deck and NP-700 II
CD player... CDP 0265 ???? not sure on model number
Time delay synth ATD-1 (whatever this is????)
Integrated DC stereo amp NA-700

Now I'm normally a Marantz, Pioneer, Sansui Yamaha kind of guy and I normally stick with these. I've got big receivers from each of these companies.
What does Nikko bring to the table? I really don't here much about them.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I'd pick the Beta 20, the Alpha 220 and the Gamma 40, a very solid combination. The EQ-20 could be also a nice addition if you have any use for a equalizer.
 
Nikko was very well designed and well made stuff: not so much fancy face plates as big name brands, and virtually no advertising.
They served HiFi shops as a "follow up choice" to offer customers that were a little short to buy the more expensive big name brands.
In many case, moving "down" to the Nikko stuff meant actually getting superior better sounding gear in disguise.
 
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