Damage
Super Member
It may be conservative. However, my 130 isn't audibly more powerful than my Adcom 535II. And both light the peak indicators pretty easily. Not trying to diss the Nikko, I have several and prefer them over the Adcoms in general.
Nikko Owners--Show us your stuff!
- Thread starter Bigyank
- Start date
markn2wae
Mark T N2WAE
Rescued this NR-519 from the trash.
I found this on the roadside a few months ago and just got around to fixing it up,
the tuner was "futzed with" or may have just drifted (no stereo reception), controls noisy, etc.:sigh:
It's at the job workbench, no need for a powerhouse there.
BTW, I re-wound the PT on the Onkyo cassette deck to make it work on 120 (free):thmbsp:
Mark T.
I found this on the roadside a few months ago and just got around to fixing it up,
the tuner was "futzed with" or may have just drifted (no stereo reception), controls noisy, etc.:sigh:
It's at the job workbench, no need for a powerhouse there.
BTW, I re-wound the PT on the Onkyo cassette deck to make it work on 120 (free):thmbsp:
Mark T.
Attachments
Elliot Thompson
Well-Known Member
The Peak light on Nikko Triggers at 0.01% THD. It also varies pending on the impedance load switch located on back of the amplifier. In other words, if you have the switch set at 4 ohms, the Peak light will trigger faster than 8 - 16 ohms.
What are the distortion measurements of the Adcom at the rated power from
20 - 20,000 in 8 ohms?
Bare in mind the higher the THD rating the louder the amplifier will sound based on the higher distortion rate it is putting out. When the Nikko's peak light trigger it doesn't sound distorted at all. Many amplifiers are rated at 0.1 - 1% THD in which the peak (Or Clip light) will trigger.
Best Regards,
Damage
Super Member
The Adcom triggers at 1% like you said. So the Nikko peak light you are saying isn't really peak. Maybe I will have to push it a little harder 
Elliot Thompson
Well-Known Member
The Adcom triggers at 1% like you said. So the Nikko peak light you are saying isn't really peak. Maybe I will have to push it a little harder
Years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing a McIntosh MC 2600. The user was driving it at maximum (Meters were bouncing in reverse due to constant pounding at the 600 watt limit) and I heard no distortion. Later on I investigated the specs and found out the rating was 600 watts per channel from 20 - 20,000 KHz with no more than 0.005% THD! :drool:
So you can imagine how much wattage it can put out at 1% THD.
Oh. Another thing about the Nikko Alpha 130. The Peak meters trigger on the combined output of both channels driven. So, the LED really doesn't tell you anything when each channel has reached maximum output. For if the Peak light is flashing, and you turn your balance control to left or right, the LED will lose it's intensity or just not light at all.
The idea was to have ample amount of headroom available why they made many users assume once the peak light triggers you've reached maximum output capacity.
Best Regards,
Glen B
Super Member
Don't the Macs all have Power Guard anti-clipping circuitry that reduces the drive signal when the amp's output approaches 2% clipping ? In such a case you would not hear distortion.
Elliot Thompson
Well-Known Member
Yes. However, no matter how good the power guard claims to be it uses compression, which is audible thus, effects the dynamics.
I forgot to mention that it was going toe to toe against an amplifier that offered 3.6 decibels more (1400 watts per channel) and having the same output. And housing 10 subwoofers versus the other guy was using 12.
What I'm getting at is, if you have a 100 watt amplifier with 0.01% THD, and another amplifier rated 100 watts rated @ 1% THD, the 1% benchmark needs to be reached in order to achieve 100 watts. If the other amplifier achieves 100 watts @ 0.01% THD you can guarantee it will put out more wattage once it reaches 1% THD.
That's what I mean by having a conservative rating.
Best Regards,
A/D/Slover
Well-Known Member
NIkko
So basicly Nikko made good gear......? Compare to bryston/hafler/adcom......?
So basicly Nikko made good gear......? Compare to bryston/hafler/adcom......?
Elliot Thompson
Well-Known Member
It depends on what model you are looking at. I only have experience with the Alpha 130 (Own) & 450 (Owned). So, you would need to start evaluating manuals to see which one fits your needs.
Basically, it was common in the 80's to find gear that spec'd 20 - 20,000 KHz with no more than 0.05% THD in terms of wattage. Some went beyond that and rated their amplifiers with a lower THD like the McIntosh MC 2600.
However, the 0.05% THD that was standard then, is considered more as a perk or high line today. They even have some receivers that limit the bandwidth (40 - 20,000 KHz) just to inflate the wattage. However, doing the above will offer less wattage if you are using from 20 - 20,000 KHz. And we've all seen the mini systems that quote 300+ watts with 10% THD!
Distortion can make a 10 watt amplifier rated with 10% THD sound louder than an amplfier rated at 100 watts with 0.001% THD.
To really understand the specifications, you need to go beyond the wattage rating. There's more to it than finding the amp with the biggest number. There's really no standard how amplifiers are measured. Which is why THD, measurements vary so greatly.
Best Regards,
IsakAlexande
Active Member
So when I decided to buy a minty one for around 177$ including shipping, it`s all good? It even got a bridging option..
IsakAlexande
Active Member
Were thinking of using it on a pair of Mirage M-7si..
Hope it works out. They are 6ohm.
Hope it works out. They are 6ohm.
guiller
Toscaninichus Australis
Here are a few pictures of my system. My Nikko components are
Beta 20 preamp
Alpha 20 Power Amp
Gamma 20 Tuner
I feel very happy and comfortable with the sound they produce
(I owned before a Nakamichi 410+420 setup).
The rest of my system is composed by a Thorens TD 126 Mk 2
turntable with a Yamaha MC-7 MC cartridge, R2R decks: Revox B-77
(Mk I) and A-77 and cassette decks: Akai GXC-570D (not at home at the
moment oftaking the pictures), Tascam 122 Mk 2, Nakamichi
BX-125 and cassette deck 2. My speakers are three-way kits
with Yamaha components (acoustic suspension). CD player:
Denon DCD-1500. Laserdisc: Pioneer CLD-980. DVD player: Pioneer DV-343.
All the best
Beta 20 preamp
Alpha 20 Power Amp
Gamma 20 Tuner
I feel very happy and comfortable with the sound they produce
(I owned before a Nakamichi 410+420 setup).
The rest of my system is composed by a Thorens TD 126 Mk 2
turntable with a Yamaha MC-7 MC cartridge, R2R decks: Revox B-77
(Mk I) and A-77 and cassette decks: Akai GXC-570D (not at home at the
moment oftaking the pictures), Tascam 122 Mk 2, Nakamichi
BX-125 and cassette deck 2. My speakers are three-way kits
with Yamaha components (acoustic suspension). CD player:
Denon DCD-1500. Laserdisc: Pioneer CLD-980. DVD player: Pioneer DV-343.
All the best
onepixel
.
Here are a few pictures of my system. My Nikko components are
Beta 20 preamp
Alpha 20 Power Amp
Gamma 20 Tuner
I feel very happy and comfortable with the sound they produce
(I owned before a Nakamichi 410+420 setup).
The rest of my system is composed by a Thorens TD 126 Mk 2
turntable with a Yamaha MC-7 MC cartridge, R2R decks: Revox B-77
(Mk I) and A-77 and cassette decks: Akai GXC-570D (not at home at the
moment oftaking the pictures), Tascam 122 Mk 2, Nakamichi
BX-125 and cassette deck 2. My speakers are three-way kits
with Yamaha components (acoustic suspension). CD player:
Denon DCD-1500. Laserdisc: Pioneer CLD-980. DVD player: Pioneer DV-343.
All the best
Hey looking pretty good in Argentina!
Glen B
Super Member
In the late 1980s I owned both a Nikko Alpha 2000 (330W x 2) and Hafler XL-600 (305W x 2). To my ears the treble of the Hafler was a bit grainy compared to the Nikko, which had a smoother, cleaner sound. I also compared the Alpha 2000 to a Legacy Audio "high-current" amp (200W x 2) which was designed by the same guy who designs Coda high-end electronics and was well reviewed in Audio Magazine by Bascom King. The Nikko amp sounded more effortless.
guiller
Toscaninichus Australis
Thanks! I do whatever I can. I'm just a normal professional guy without tons of money at hand, and try to optimize my limited resources according to what is locally available. The most important part of my music (I refuse to use such a light-hearted word as "entertainment"!) pleasure is, however, my collection of CDs, LPs, R2R tapes, cassettes, 78 RPMS, laserdiscs and dvds. On the other hand, investing more on my audio equipment is not an obession for me, since most of the time I keep listening to Toscanini, Munch, Reiner, Monteux, Heifetz, Horowitz, and so on, and not precisely for the technical quality of their registrations (although some of the "Living Stereo" recordings have some nice natural presence).
All the best
Hi all
Have a Nikko TRM120 from about 1972 which my old man bought. Lovely amp. Brushed aluminium finish, machined solid aluminium knobs, gauges, and sep'rate tone controls for left and right. Has needed a bit of work about 10 years ago, but still incredible clarity. Even got the original operating manual.
Chris
South Africa
Have a Nikko TRM120 from about 1972 which my old man bought. Lovely amp. Brushed aluminium finish, machined solid aluminium knobs, gauges, and sep'rate tone controls for left and right. Has needed a bit of work about 10 years ago, but still incredible clarity. Even got the original operating manual.
Chris
South Africa
So we go full circle
Picked up Alpha's 440 and 220 which supposedly don't work but are 100% untested so it is like the lottery I guess.
Got them for a nice price. I started this thread 2 1/2 years ago, sold the rig I previously posted but I always seem to come back to this series of amplifier.
Actually the units look better in person.
So again, post those Nikkos!
Yank
Picked up Alpha's 440 and 220 which supposedly don't work but are 100% untested so it is like the lottery I guess.
Got them for a nice price. I started this thread 2 1/2 years ago, sold the rig I previously posted but I always seem to come back to this series of amplifier.
Actually the units look better in person.
So again, post those Nikkos!
Yank
Mike Sloane
New Member
Nikko T400
I have just acquired a Nikko T400 AM/FM digital tuner that I know nothing about, except that it seems to work quite nicely. Sorry about the quality of the image - I always have trouble photographing these "black boxes".
If anyone has any information on this unit, I would appreciate it.
Thanks,
Mike
I have just acquired a Nikko T400 AM/FM digital tuner that I know nothing about, except that it seems to work quite nicely. Sorry about the quality of the image - I always have trouble photographing these "black boxes".
If anyone has any information on this unit, I would appreciate it.
Thanks,
Mike
