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The Ugliest Receiver Ever? Nikko STA-501

hadrian333 said:
nikko1.jpg


I ran across this receiver on ebay and I just had to have it because it was so ugly. After I restored it, I showed it to SoCal Sam and Vintagestereo and they both thought that it was beautiful. It was a shame because when you just see a photo of it, it's hard to tell that the front panel is a solid piece of aluminum extrusion. The knobs are solid aluminum and the lighted power switch actually is quite pretty.

nikko2.jpg


The rear panel shows the usual Nikko signature. As most of you know already, Nikko was the largest supplier of circuit breakers for JNR (Japan National Railroad) and that gave them the start in the electronics industry. This unit uses the self resettable fuses made by Nikko as you can see on the rear panel with the 3 red buttons on the left side of the photo.

nikko3.jpg


The internal photo shows a clean layout. The amplifier is transformer coupled like the AR receiver yielding a very warm sound.

nikko4.jpg


The bottom photo shows 4 T0-3 germanium output transistors. Again, a very clean layout.

Although this receiver is low powered, when I hooked it up to a pair of JBL L110, it actually sounded really good. It's so funky looking that I actually like it. Your thoughts?

With warmest regards,

Tom Ishimoto
Northridge Electronics
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Well, I don't think it's ugly in context. It's a typical example of its time, and I think actually looks quite sophisticated - not unlike some of the McIntosh gear.
I once had a Nikko STA-70LA, which I eventually (and now regrettably) junked (see another thread on here). That was virtually identical to the 501/701, both inside and out, except that it had an all-champagne finish. I think it was from the previous model year, the only differences being cosmetic. Mine didn't have the thermistors (or whatever they are) on the output transistors though.
Would still love to find somebody who also has / had an STA-70, especially here in the UK!
 
Hmm, I have to concur with the majority here. That's a beauty...I would be proud to display it.
 
Negative your last. Ugliest ever is any of the vaunted Sansui G Series.

If this offends anyone, keep in mind that I think farts are symphonies.

Have at it.
 
bordeno said:
Negative your last. Ugliest ever is any of the vaunted Sansui G Series.
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Yeah, my G-6000 definitely has a bit o'the old Wurlitzer about it; but the G-9000 is perfect for what it is, in a '59 Caddy convertible kind of way.
 
I think the Nikko looks great, but then I like the look of the 60's stuff. The Loewe-Opta would drive me crazy with all of those identical buttons!
 
i found a pic enlited, it's really colorful when turned on...
blurry, but an impression...
377659854.jpg
 
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Wow, that Yorx is hilarious. Cute in the Japanese "gotta have every whistle and bell" design. The H/K 330s and 430s were kind of ugly, even if you liked H/K's "keep it simple" design (which I do). I think Sherwood made some awfully bland recievers in the 70s. It seemed like they couldn't decide to commit to the Pioneer/Technics bling or the H/K subtle and just made "bleah."
 
I promise not to get offended when someone says my Kenwood Galaxy Commander is ugly if they promise not to mind when I say my Galaxy Commander sounds better than my Sansui 9090DB .
 
Lou F Quincy said:
I know this is a morgue thread but...
here's a Nikko STA-501S up for sale in Bellevue, Washington on C'list.
I dig the looks.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/est/ele/d/vintage-nikko-solid-state-501s-am-fm/7333879762.html
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I've got one. I think it's a nice looking, no nonsense unit, and used mine as an office hi-fi source, paired with Frazier Midget speakers. 1970, 18W per channel. Nikko made good stuff.


Specifications
Tuning range: FM, MW

Power output: 18 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)

Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz

Total harmonic distortion: 0.8%

Input sensitivity: 2.8mV (MM), 200mV (line)

Signal to noise ratio: 60dB (MM), 65dB (line)

Speaker load impedance: 4Ω to 16Ω

Semiconductors: 2 x FET, 1 x IC, 34 x transistors, 19 x diodes

Dimensions: 390 x 127 x 340mm

Weight: 8kg

Year: 1970
 
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