Anybody used Nikko amps before?

The Nikko amps & receivers that I am familiar with, were entry level, mid-fi solid state components from the 70's that were marketed as bargain components that performed above their price. The Nikkos were heavily pushed by stereo chains, like Tech Hi Fi. As vintage solid state components from the 70's go, I would place the Nikkos below the Marantz 22XX series, Yamaha CT series, Pioneer SX series, and Sherwood 7XXX series. The Nikkos were more on par with offerings from Hitachi, Scott, and Fisher Studio Standard. They were OK components for the price. I am certain that their performance would be easily equaled by similar products today (i.e.: Harman Kardon 3375). Regards, Rich

Unless we are talking TOTL Nikko (which I have no experience with), then in today's entry level market, you will do better with NAD (like the 320BEE), Audiosource (Amp 2), SONY ES, Adcom (not too familiar with recent offerings, but I still own a 545/500II set-up since 1989), Harman Kardon (fan of their 3375 receiver). As for a vintage set-up, I would look to Marantz 22XX series (like 2230 or 2270) or Pioneer SX series. In the entry to mid level arena, I thought that Nikko was OK, but just OK. I own 2 vintage receivers (Marantz #'s 2216B and 2240)and in their niche, they would be hard to beat for all-round FM/AMP performance ... warm, detailed, sweet sound.

Highend64 ... are you looking to set-up a vintage based system? If so, what I found that works best is to focus on what were the best brands from the era and look to acquire an item from those brands. There is a lot of mediocre old equipment out there being touted as vintage collectables. Regards, Rich

Eldragon ... you're right. But ... kindly re-read both of my posts. I stated very clearly the extent of my Nikko experience ... model lines from the 70's and entry level components. Also, Highend64 did not mention any particular Nikko model line, so he may/may not be referring to the Alpha line. If the Alpha line from the 80's is good and worth acquiring, that's fine. But , if we are talking components from the 70's, Marantz components (amongst others) really do outshine Nikko components from that same time period. As an aside, by the 80's, most Marantz components had arguably declined in quality from the Marantz components of the 70's. Regards, Rich

If it helps any, you can contact a.g. tannenbaum (http://www.agtannenbaum.com/catalog.html). They sell a copy of the service manual for the NA-690 for $17. You may also wish to search through the Audio Asylum forums. Opinions on Nikko (Vintage, General, and Amp Asylums) are all over the place (they run hot/cold). Also, I noticed in your system listing, you were pretty high on the Nikko. Has anything occurred to change that opinion(or is it just the general insanity that grips us all)? Regards, Rich

You sounded like you were very pleased with the Nikko in your system listing (pretty high or big fan would be other terms that I would use). I was just not sure if your questions about the Nikko, were because you were thinking about replacing it or you were curious about its heritage. Regards, Rich