Nikko Alpha ii, Yamaha CA-1000, Luxman R-1050

[travellersol]

I love vintage amps, and currently own Sansui 7070 rec., Teac Ag 3000 rec., and Marantz 1060 amp. My speakers are now a pair of old Rotel floor standers (10" woofers), planning to get a pair of Harbeth Compact 7es-3. In my place there are these 3 amps/receiver available, and I can't audition them easily because they are located out of town in 3 different places:

Nikko Alpha ii
Yamaha CA-1000
Luxman R-1050

Any owner of these gear can tell me how do they sound? I wish to buy one of them. My main diet consist of jazz, vocal, classical and some mainstream pop/rock (Dire Straits, ELO, 80's stuff.)

 

[Blue Shadow]

Yamaha has the natural sound which to me is a bit thinner than the Luxman sound that I find more musical. Some say the Yamaha is clean and the Luxman a bit colored. Just depends on how you listen to it. I don't know the Nikko sound.

The Yamaha will have a bit more power rated 75@8Ω vs the 55@8Ω for the Luxman, which also has a nice tuner built in.

 

[Binkman]

Get money back guarantee and full history of repairs if possible AND seller pays for shipping back. Don't get dumped.
bink

 

[Raynald]

I have owned both the Yamaha and Luxman. Both are very nice sounding units, the Yamaha is one of the earlier ones and actually sounds warmer than the later models so overall the sonic signature is probably pretty similar though I never put them side by side.

If I had a choice to have one of them again, I would take the Yamaha. The difference in Class A mode is subtle but worthwhile on a good system.

 

[Blue Shadow]

Didn't look into the Class A on the Yamaha. I had an M-45 with the Class A switch. It sounded a lot better using the higher bias of the Class A operation. If the difference it that dramatic on the CA-1000 it might well modify my opinion, but the looks of the Luxman is just quality. I'm not a fan of the Yamaha look, but I know there are those that think the opposite. My current system has a Yamaha preamp and tuner. My brother has my Luxman R-1050 since I'm using his power amp and need more power than the Luxman has.

 

[ivandezande]

The Nikko is a great piece of gear being dual mono, and you can't beat those meters. After a recap and some transistors replaced I would fully recommend it.

 

[travellersol]

thanks for the opinions given so far. now there is another seller putting up a Nikko TRM 800 (65 wpc @8ohm) at half the price of the Alpha ii..... tough choice!

 

[mbz]

Regardless of which way you go, you should set aside some $$$$'s for refurbishment. I've refurb'd "a few" CA-1000's. It's a nice amp, yes, the class A
difference is subtle, you really need the rest of the system to be up to scratch to clearly notice the difference. The CA-1000 is a PITA to refurb. It does have
a resonable phono stage. I've tinkered with a few Luxmans (SQ-505X, SQ-700X, L-480...), from the above list I'd be tempted to go for the R-1050 but
I'm not really into receivers, Nikko are from the same stable as Kenwood who made some very tasty gear at the time. Spoilt for choice... and all for a
few bucks...

 

[wmgwizard]

My first question is why ?

Your Marantz 1060 is a highly regarded piece of gear that looks great, built well and sounds wonderful, it's a tough one to improve upon. Perhaps spend the money to freshen up your Marantz ?

You are also comparing apples to oranges to grapefruit in that the Luxman is a receiver, the Yamaha is an integrated amplifier and the Nikko is a straight amplifier.

The Yamaha would be the most direct comparison to your Marantz. The sound is a little less tube like than the Marantz and it does offer a few more WPC but not enough to make a significant difference. While the Class A operation is a nice feature, it only operates in that mode up to about 10wpc and the difference in sound is very subtle. Also NEVER switch for Class A to AB while the unit is powered, expensive, potentially irreparable damage can happen.

The Luxman is a nice looking and sounding piece of gear. I just restored one that I gave to my son in law. A little less tube sounding than the Marantz and Yamaha but still capable of making beautiful music.

The Nikko is a nice amp, it is built well but is the "coldest" or least tube like sounding of the bunch. You could use your Marantz as a preamp and warm things up a bit......

Tough choice, let us know what you decide.

 

[travellersol]

Regardless of which way you go, you should set aside some $$$$'s for refurbishment. I've refurb'd "a few" CA-1000's. It's a nice amp, yes, the class A
difference is subtle, you really need the rest of the system to be up to scratch to clearly notice the difference. The CA-1000 is a PITA to refurb. It does have
a resonable phono stage. I've tinkered with a few Luxmans (SQ-505X, SQ-700X, L-480...), from the above list I'd be tempted to go for the R-1050 but
I'm not really into receivers, Nikko are from the same stable as Kenwood who made some very tasty gear at the time. Spoilt for choice... and all for a
few bucks...

Yeah I understand that, in fact all the three gears that I listed above have been sent for recap within the past one year. Unlike in North America where many vintage gears can be priced as low as $25, I'm in South East Asia, where vintage audio equipment like these cost higher maybe due to more limited quantity. To give you a perspective, The Sansui 7070 was bought at $350, and the Nikko Alpha ii the seller is asking for $240, they are not as affordable as in the US. For new gears the prices are more or less the same however.

 

[travellersol]

Personally, I'd take the Alpha II over the Nikko receiver. This is what I had and loved it actually. I had it back in the early 80s. I didn't have the Nikko EQ but had a Soundshaper eq.

I think if another combo like that crossed my path, I'd be hard tempted not to pop. When I had it, I used it for dj'ing church/fire hall dances. I had the needles running the red almost each weekend for 3 years almost... never a problem. Nothing for nothing, I'd place the Nikko well above Kenwood. Actually, I'd put the Nikko separates on par with Pioneer and some Sansui kit... Just my opinion. They are built like tanks.
ps: hifiengine has all the info on these pieces if you pick one up... Regards.
Just out of curiosity, if you are located in the states you might wish to do a search on hifishark in Canada and take advantage of our terribly schitty dollar. Nikko gear can be had for near nothing up here and with the dollar you'll be saving like 30% right off the top...

Unfortunately I don't live in the North America. Or, maybe I should make good friends with AK members here and solicit some help from them to buy and ship nice and affordable gear?

 

[mbz]

they are not as affordable as in the US.

Yeah, I have the same problem here in Australia. Sick of stories in the US where people pickup a Luxman/Sansui/... on craigslist for $25- or on kerbside
rubbish...

 

[travellersol]

My first question is why ?

Your Marantz 1060 is a highly regarded piece of gear that looks great, built well and sounds wonderful, it's a tough one to improve upon. Perhaps spend the money to freshen up your Marantz ?

You are also comparing apples to oranges to grapefruit in that the Luxman is a receiver, the Yamaha is an integrated amplifier and the Nikko is a straight amplifier.

The Yamaha would be the most direct comparison to your Marantz. The sound is a little less tube like than the Marantz and it does offer a few more WPC but not enough to make a significant difference. While the Class A operation is a nice feature, it only operates in that mode up to about 10wpc and the difference in sound is very subtle. Also NEVER switch for Class A to AB while the unit is powered, expensive, potentially irreparable damage can happen.

The Luxman is a nice looking and sounding piece of gear. I just restored one that I gave to my son in law. A little less tube sounding than the Marantz and Yamaha but still capable of making beautiful music.

The Nikko is a nice amp, it is built well but is the "coldest" or least tube like sounding of the bunch. You could use your Marantz as a preamp and warm things up a bit......

Tough choice, let us know what you decide.

Thank you for your insight, you have given me a fair idea of each of these gears. The reason I am looking for another amp is because I will move to a bigger place, and looking to get something with higher power than the 30wpc of the 1060. I have visited the seller of the Alpha ii, and quite disappointing because the unit looks good at the exterior but internally it is a mess-looks like some electronic intern has meddled with the innards for his lab practice, and the sound is awful with scratchy noises. No point to even bargain for it. As for the Yamaha, there are two other potential buyers competing for it, and the price now is approaching $400, I'll give it a pass most likely.