Strengths: Can drive difficult speakers like Linn Sara's (isobariks) and planar/ribbons. Lots of detail without being overly clinical. Decent damping factor for good, churning bass. Robust, low distortion, and great frequency response. Not showy (which made me initially not be very impressed by it). BEAUTIFUL POWER METERS. I initially was unimpressed by this amp, as it did not have a "sonic character", like my NAD 3020 or SE tube amp. But I eventually realized this is a very important trait of real audiophile gear - to completely get out of the way and disappear. Except did I mention BEAUTIFUL BIG POWER METERS?

Weaknesses: mediocre speaker connectors, gets a tad warm, running. Seems like they develop a very mild transformer hum at this age (2015-2020, not a problem with music playing, but these things bother us OCD stereophiles!).

I've had old Crowns, recapped a couple of MAs with Siemens overkill parts; and yet never got the sound stage of the Alpha 220. The reserve reach is like a Krell 250 for a fraction of the cost: so says the drummer and owner of the Silver Slab. I rate this amp as highly (or more) than an early-run Nakamichi for just the durability... my goto old 4312s were driven one night till the Aquaplas started to chip off in big chunks near the surrounds! Stupid. The Nikko just smiled and kept on coming. It's safe to say I'll die with this item and put the Crowns back in the monitor rack. This from a part-time bass player and now an old, full time hearing aid customer.

It gets hot enough to wok your perch if you stick it in. I was toying with padding down a biscuit fan for parties-- but at a non-metal and sane volume level the heat from the back won't make you reach for the Van Halon.

Regarding the Nikko Alpha II power amp.

I have owned and used this amp since 1979. I purchased this amp and it’s sister preamp Beta II at the same time from the old Tech Hi Fi, way back in the vinyl disco days. I have constantly pushed this amp to it’s limits on a daily basis. What do I mean by that? I’ll tell you, I have been driving this amp with the power meters just touching the red zone at 120 Watts since 1979! I have never had a problem with it. I also upgraded my speakers to a pair of JBL 4311 studio monitors several months after purchasing the Nikko equipment and I have never regretted it!

I recently hooked up a pair of Pioneer CS – G303 three way speakers in conjunction with my JBLs just to see how the amp would drive four speakers at the same time. The amp drives both pairs of speakers without breaking a sweat. I still redline the amp with the four speakers because I’m a nut. I will say that the pioneer speakers handle the power but are not nearly as rich in sound reproduction as my JBLs. But that should not surprise anyone.

If any one out there has or knows of someone who is willing to part with a Nikko Alpha VI drop me a line at my facebook page, Richard Bakish. I will however, keep my Alpha II. I will not part with it under any circumstances.

Solid, clean, clear power. Excellent ratio quality/cost

None that I could mention

I bought this power amp following the recommendation of a seller I know and trust. This happened 10 years ago and since then I've became fascinated by Nikko's products and bought a few more. The clean, solid, dark, potent sound of this amplifier is what I look for in a power amplifier, and the price paid is unusually low for the quality one gets.

Able to handle any sound coming out of my computer. I still haven't put them to the max volume yet.

Right channel falls out some times but with proper maintenance it stay on. Doesn't like to be moved around much.

My Parents bought this entire system in the mid 80's had the whole shabang (tape deck, CD player, Turntable, equilizer, radio) Anyways, I never really though of it much until It was time to move and my parents wanted to get rid of it. I guess it was to big. I went into an electronics store and was talking with one of the salesmen about the new amps and happened to mention the Nikko amp. He was amazed. He asked me how much I paid, and he told me never to get rid of it. He used to DJ with the model up. Right now the Amp is hooked up to my computer, with which I watch all my movies and listen to all my music. I still think it blows all my friends systems out of the water. The 2 tower speakers that come with them are loaded with a 13" woofer, 13" Midrange, a 4 1/4" high range and a tweeter. They sound so crisp. When I was at school I used just the smaller speakers that came with the system. They were nice and loud when I needed them to be.

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nothing yet

it played on even though its output resistance was below 2 ohms. no distortion, and balls of steel for the bass and the highs. this kind of abuse would have melted most other amps of its time.

later it was used when i dj'd nightclubs at some of the smaller venues or when an amp blew. few weaknesses. 1. no cooling fan; the back cage around the heat sinks could burn you or start a fire easily

i also have an alpha II. purchased from crazy eddie in 1979. this amp took one hellava beating, and never broke down.it was cranking out the last days of the southern rock, and the very beginning of the new wave movement;gen x-aka billy idol. during the dance heydays it had a monster pair of cerwins, a medium size infinities, aset of ar's, and an additional set of free standing tweeters set up in stack formation all on at once.

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i worked later for a major d.j. company where crown 1200's were used. this amp although couldn't quite go as loud it maintained a far superior s/n ratio, and its power bandwidth gave it the ability to come close to matching amps at four times the power.

I have a Nikko NA 120 amp, EQ 120 equalizer and a ND 120w tape deck that I got at an auction for $140. The speakers are Nikko too and have built in circuit breakers so you don't blow them. They also have bass reflex things under the woofer (not free air flow). I like the system and it has real high quality sound, but I don't know a thing about it. If you could help me find anything out about it, give me a shout.

Durability, power, never any problems with the amps.

Tiny speaker connections ( older models )

Hi. Have bought Nikko since late 78, my first was an integrated model, Trm 750. Used it home and for some dj'ing, not any problems at all. My next was Alpha 440, Beta 40 and Gamma 40, this set I had for about 15 years without any trouble. I used it with some enormous Coral speakers ( Japanese copies of JBL ) with exellent smooth sound and breathtaking power. Sold this when I heard of a Alpha 2000 ( 330 w.p.c ), big , black with enormous blue V.U meters in front and possible to use balanced connections witch I did connected to an Denon PRA 1500 preamp. What a sound !!!! Clear like glass, power enough to break a rib. I uded this for a year until I looked at some Home Cinema stuff, sold it and bought a Onkyo 901 THX reciever. SOB. Allright, the new box wasn't bad at all, very nice for Home Cinema and a crisp / clear sound but nothing like my Nikko amps. Somebody who want to sell me an Alpha 2000 ??

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Denon POA 2800 ( had this about 5 minutes )

sound and built qualities; sounds clean, open, smooth, natural; even has a pace

aging and starting to deteriorated on circuits, old-fashioned binding posts (but better than spring clips)

Forgive me to post a review of Nikko Alpha II here. No other entry is provided for review. My Alpha II is made in Japan, in April 1978, more than 20 years ago. Actually, it is suffering from its age. It needs some time for "warming up" until it gets fully functional. Until then, you usually don''t hear nothing from the right channel. But to be completely honest with you, I''ve never got messed up with this "minor" problem. I say it is minor because it sounds great. Yes, its performance is almost incredible; clean, open, and natural. No coloration at all. It has even a good pace. If I can add something to the reputation of Nikko gear, it is that in my case, Alpha II outperformed a used Classe CAP 80 (= 101) which cost me nearly $650. The Classe is one of the so-called hi end units. But their comparison was nearly an "unfair match-up". No matter how wonderful unit it is, it has some weaknesses. Most seriously, its binding posts are outdated and you''ll have great hardship if you try to to hook them multi-stranded cables. RCA jacks are not gold-plated (but I don''t think no audio gear had gold-plated even in early 80''s). Finally, it''s pretty rare. For the last thing, I have a solution for you if you''re one of those who really love audio and are not biased by brand names. It is Alesis RA 100 (and probably 150, 300). I owned both. Admittedly, Alesis amps aren''t as powerful as Nikko amps, but they are easier to get and among other, they''re very good performers. Dissapointed with CAP 80, I posted critical reviews of CAP 80 and 101 before. They seem to get a Classe fan mad. In his review, he added a comment on my systems, daring to say that my Nikko and Alesis are "little better than bookshelf systems". Well said, man! I have listened to CAP 80, but I strongly wonder if he EVER known Nikko or Alesis, let alone having listened to any. Let me add a brief comment on Nikko''s brand name. I''m visiting US from Japan and I believed I knew all Japanese audio manufacturers. But I''ve never heard of "Nikko" until I found reviews of their products here at this site. The world is wide .... Do you what "Nikko" means in Japanese? My guess is that it''s an acronym of Ni(ppon) Ko(ugyou), or something like that, roughly meaning "Japan Technologies". But you can''t trust me too much here. I almost nothing about this company except that they manufacture

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Audio Innovations Alto, Alesis RA 100, Classe CAP 80, Creek 4040s2, Harman/Kardon PM625, Linn LK-2, NAD 310, Rega Elex

This work of art could get you through any war. There is nothing I like more than to red line the stereo and this component keeps me out of trouble all night long!

I wish I had one...

I found this beast in an old barn behind my old apartment. Some friends and I were throwing a disc around and I ended up in this old barn. I saw a hunk of metal calling my name. I brought''er inside(like the old sayin'', the heavier the better...) I had a tech buddie take a look at it and a few hrs later she was up and pumpin''. I used an old tube amp before and then moved on to gem in the rough(Alpha 230). I don''t know how it compares to some other amps but by the looks at this page I''m A o K!

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Old school tube amp.