Nikko Beta ONE Amplifier -

This is my Nikko Alpha ONE amplifier from 1976.

I have found that I prefer low powered (under 50 wpc) to high power.  I seem to connect with the music, and have a more intimate experience with what I am listening to.  Especially three piece jazz trios, or solo instrument performances.  Also true with voice, female voices are more realistically represented with low power amps, at least to my ears.  

But, having owned some pretty powerful amplifiers from Phase Linear, Carver, McIntosh, Crown, Yamaha, Harman Kardon Citation, Sansui, Great American Sound, SUMO, ADCOM and Krell, the Nikko Alpha ONE is stand out gem. 

This amp doesn’t have the aggressive nature of the Phase Linear 400, or the Power of a McIntosh MC2300, but it does have a stunning sound.  Easily distinguishing itself from other amplifiers I’ve owned with similar power ratings.  The excellent ADCOM GFA 555 for example, has the same power rating and plenty of muscle.  What it doesn’t have is the finesse of the Nikko Alpha ONE.  The Phase Linear 400 and the ADCOM GFA 555 along with the Crown xli1500 are all weight lifters to be sure.  But the Nikko is like an a well toned athlete wearing a tight T-Shirt.  Strength, muscle power but with reserve.  It’s a silent thunder that is there when you need it. 

Similar to my favorite amp of all time the SUMO Andromeda, the Nikko Alpha ONE has substantial weight to its performance.  Bass is presented with restrained authority, but when listening you realize that if necessary, there is more on tap, much more.  You can sense it.  

Pink Floyds Dark Side of the Moon is one of my favorite LP’s, filled with subtleties and powerful dynamics.  The full width of the recording  is represented by the Nikko Alpha ONE like a ballet dancer with poise and control and punch of Mike Tyson.  Surprisingly the amp doesn’t seem to run out of headroom.  The power delivery is authoritative and smooth and the sound isn’t fatiguing. 

I have used the Nikko Alpha ONE with a number of preamps, but Nikko’s very own Beta ONE is the perfect match.  This combination is intoxicating at high volume, and engaging at moderate listening levels.  

If I had never experienced the SUMO Andromeda, this would be my favorite amplifier.  

The build quality is exceptional.  Heavy case work, mil spec epoxy circuit boards, high quality component parts and masterful circuitry.  

This from Nikko’s circuit description “Voltage amplification is carried out in two differential amplification circuits. The first stage uses high resistant PNP Low Noise Transistors.  The second stage amplification is accomplished with a current mirror circuit and a bass time constant which is better than a boot strap circuit.  The power amplification uses a 3-Stage Darlington connection where in the last stage four power transistors are arranged in parallel, constituting a purely complementary quadruple push-pull operation.  In view of superior sound quality in the most recently used power range, the first stage has been designed to drive 100 watts, the second, 30 watts, both in Class A operation.”

So this amp doesn’t become AB operational until you exceed 130 wpc!  Yes, it really can heat a small room if you run it hard. Rated at 220 wpc into 8ohms, my amplifier was tested at 277 wpc into 8 ohms and 305 into 4 ohms. 

The sound of the amplifier is breathtaking.  As with the Nikko Beta ONE preamp, I wonder why everyone in vintage HIFI isn’t talking about this amp all the time?  Those in the know, know.

I can think of two speaker designers who test their speakers with this amplifier, and given the  circuit description I can understand why.  This is a sophisticated amp, with an eloquent circuit and an astonishingly good sound.

Expect to pay $1000.00 today for a beater, and up to $2500.00 for a pristine example.  Paired with the Nikko Beta ONE preamp, you just might have found perfection.  

More to come! 

Nikko Beta ONE Preamplifier -

This is my Nikko Beta ONE preamplifier from 1976.  

I remember seeing the High Fidelity and Stereo Review ads for the Beta ONE Preamp and the Alpha ONE amplifier and thought that it looked so cool, like serious hi-fi.  

Everyone else had large preamps, many that look like you were at Mission Control.  Think Pioneer, Sansui, McIntosh, Phase Linear, Kenwood, Onkyo, etal, and here was Nikko.  Super clean looking amplifier and preamp, just one LED power lamp, no meters, no dancing lights (think Citation 16), no glossy faceplate with toggle switches galore (think Phase Linear 4000), just a sleek, subdued elegance with the lowest profile of any preamp I can recall from that period. This look did catch on with Yamaha’s C2, and Kenwood’s C1, and the Technics ‘slimline’ among others just a year or so later.  But Nikko was the first.  

No frills, just everything you need in a quality preamp, and quality is an understatement.  This thing is heavy, the case work is thick, the circuit boards are mil-spec epoxy, the parts used in the construction of this preamp wouldn’t look at all out of place in a Mark Levinson preamplifier.  The beefy toroidal transformer, the ALP’s volume control, the super clean layout with internal trimming pots all scream ‘HIGH END’.  Which is what Nikko was in 1976, High End Hi-Fi.  

At your local audio store, this sat next to the Sansui Professional line of amps and preamps, next to Pioneers high end Series ONE preamp and amplifiers and Harman Kardons Citation line, and Phase Linear.  If McIntosh and Luxman  were sold, these would all be in the same room with the Nikko Beta ONE and Alpha ONE. 

Nikko had a version of each of their Alpha and Beta line in 1975 that were total class A.  The super rare Nikko C-203 class A preamp, and the Nikko M-204 Class A amplifier.  They both look identical to the Alpha and Beta ONE.  

I have spent many hours over the years  listening to the Mark Levinson ML2 preamp, the Audio Research SP-3, McIntosh C-24, 26, 28 & 29 preamps, Phase Linear 4000 & 4000II, Citation 11 & 17, GAS Thaila, Marantz 7, 7T & 24, Sansui CA-2000, SUMO Electra Plus, and Yamaha C2.  I feel like I’m missing a few. When they come to mind  I will add them later.  It’s the only preamp I ever used where I slap myself and say, “I’ve never heard that before”.  Whenever I have a guest listening, I will play whatever they request, usually something they’re familiar with and I get the same unprovoked response.  It’s uncanny.

The preamp has soundstage, depth, clarity, texture, touch, feel, sensation, and a sonic signature that just sounds amazing, no matter the program source.  You can close your eyes and place every instrument on stage.  

It has the finest phono preamp I’ve ever come across, bar none.  It trounces McIntosh, Marantz, Sansui, and Yamaha with such authority its embarrassing.  And yet I wonder, why aren’t these talked about?  Why aren’t they on everyones wish list?  

Then through the years, I find those who do know what glorious components Nikko built in the mid 70’s, and they quietly hang on to them.  There is a speaker manufacture in New York who tests his speaker with this very same combo.  Another speaker builder in Oregon, who uses the Alpha ONE amp exclusively.

From the Nikko line up, the Alpha ONE and Beta ONE stand out along with the C-203 and M-204  are the ones to have.  Yes Nikko built more powerful amps, (usually for commercial sound reinforcement) but none as musical as the Alpha ONE.  I will get to that in another post.  Yes, they built many, many more preamps, but none with the quality or sound of the Beta ONE sans the C-203 which is basically the same preamp.

Hear what you’ve been missing, it what I think whenever I put this preamp into my system. I almost always mate it with the Alpha ONE amplifier.  

The only flaw I can find is that there is NO head phone jack and no Mono switch.  Okay that’s two flaws.  I mean seriously.  So when I use the Nikko Beta ONE preamp, I use the Marantz 1030 as a head phone amp, fed directly off of the second line out from the preamp.

The Nikko sound, is unmistakably superb.  It does not however have the seductive, romantic, lush, liquid, texture, and tone of my Sansui 4000, Sansui AU-777, or Sansui AU-111.  But you can’t escapes its ability to let you hear with utter clarity and precise placement  every instrument, back ground vocal, key board depression, chord fingering, note plucking, harmonic overtone subtly in the music you are listening too.  It’s addictive.  You want to play everything you’ve ever owned to hear what you’ve missed.  I’m not kidding!

I am 64 years old, I have played my original 1977 copy of The Eagles Hotel California LP what seems like a million times on everything I have ever owned.  Last year I put it on while reading.  The reading didn’t last long.  There were harmonies, guitar parts, keyboard sections that I have NEVER heard before.  And trust me, my 64 year old ears don’t have the frequency range they use too, and yet that LP has never sounded so good.  Same with Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac from 1975 or Rumors, or anything else you put on the turntable.  It’s like there is something new in every song.  

You’re all thinking, “Nikko”, seriously?  I challenge anyone to grab a Nikko Beta ONE preamp, and put it up against whatever you’re currently listening too.  That’s what I have done, over and over and over again.  To date, and yes I am still looking.. this could very well be the finest stand alone preamp I’ve ever heard.  

Up next, Nikko Alpha ONE amplifier.  More to come!

Friday Night Listening_002

It’s been an exhausting week, and here late in the afternoon I am thinking about enjoying the evening and unwinding a bit.  Don’t we all?  

Earlier in the week, I was thinking about pulling out some gear and changing things up a bit.  I have had my all original Sansui 4000 on duty for almost a year straight now.  It’s difficult to pull it out, because I am thinking that this is my favorite all round receiver.  The bass, midrange and highs are always a standout performance no matter what I play.  The soundstage always pulls me in.  Always.  Later I will do a post directly comparing the Sansui 4000, to the 5000X, 2000x, which should be fun.

So, being a jazz nut I have the tune Blue in Green. in my head.  Just an amazing performance by Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane with Paul Chambers and James Cobb.  The inter-play, the space, the tone.  Wow. Has there ever been a better jazz lineup?  It’s the perfect album, which will let you segway into, Miles, Coltrane, or Evans seamlessly.  It’s also the perfect set up for listening to the Keith Jarret, or Tord Gustavsen Trio’s.  

With that, one has to decide what drink to enjoy while winding down.  

Something with a blue label seems fitting. Bourbon or Scotch?  Always a tough call.  

For those listening tonight, enjoy the music.  That’s what it’s all about.  Putting together a system and just ‘puts you in the moment’.  It’s surprising, how difficult we make doing just that, and in the end how easy it really is.  

In the coming weeks we will talk turntables, the wonderful Ariston RD11, the predecessor to the Linn Sondek LP12, and yes the LP12 is on the list.  I am looking forward to discussing phono cartridges  and maybe 1/2 track reel to reel decks as well.  I also want to mention pieces that were a huge disappointment, think ReVox, Linn and McIntosh.   More to come!

SUMO Andromeda Power Amplifier -

Being a fan of James Bongiorno, and having spent some hours visiting  with him during a CES show many years back, I actively looked for stereo equipment that he personally designed.  

There is much to choose from,  having been associated with Marantz, SAE, GAS, SUMO and Spread Spectrum Technologies, just to name a few, it isn’t difficult to find something to listen too.  The challenge is finding someone who will sell it to you.  James has a following.  Avid collectors of nearly all of his work, and for good reason.  It’s musical!  No other way to say it.  The stuff James has designed just sings, in a most glorious way.  

When I read the Stereophile's review of the SUMO Andromeda, I knew I had to have one.  It’s a unique looking amp, with a tall face and shallow backside.  Menacing view from the front, but disappointing at first glance from the backside.  Turns out, that this shape is proven to aid in heat dissipation and cooling, especially if the amp reside in a cabinet or rack like mine was.  It’s extremely well made, with heavy robust case work and quite a bit of heft.  

The amplifier has a unique circuitry, which I won’t even begin to elaborate on.  The ground floats, and the amp has four independent push/pull feedback loops which will maintain your speakers in absolute phase of the musical signal without any drift regardless of demand.  This translates into an amazingly accurate soundstage.  Rated at 200 wpc channel into 8 ohms, and 350 into 4 ohms, the amp will drive most anything without any current limiting.  

The dynamic range of this amp is astounding, and the bass response really reaches downstairs.   According to a quote SUMO’s owners manual the bass response  is “unapproached by any other amplifier”.   In my limited hi-fi history, the McIntosh MC2300 is one of favorite high-powered amplifiers.  Just a sonic beast, with no load limitations whatsoever and a thunderous bottom end.  The SUMO however sounds better….   

The bass output, it’s so deep, and solid, but I not talking about exaggerated flabby subwoofer boom bass.  This bass output has tone, texture, depth, and color.  You can hear the wood of a E note on plucked double bass.  You  can feel it too.  It’s very authentic and natural sounding. Piano notes seems to ring with great sustain.  Listening to Michael Hedges and George Winston on An Evening with Windam Hill makes you feel like your center stage.  Jazz Trio's were realistically presented and Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation never sounded better. 

I could go on, talking about Krell KSA 50 (wow… this one is so sweet), Sansui BA 40, Sansui BA 3000, Phase Linear 400, Series ONE and Series TWO,  Harman Kardon Citation 16A, Nikko Beta ONE (an in depth look at this sleeper amp coming soon), Crown Xli 1500, McIntosh MC-50, McIntosh MC 2105, McIntosh MC 2505, McIntosh MC 2300,Marantz Model 15, Carver M-400’s  (two strapped in mono), GAS Grandson was close,  ADCOM GFA 555, Pioneer M-22, Conrad Johnson MF 200, etc, etc, etc,  I’ve just never heard a better sounding  solid state amplifier than the SUMO Andromeda.  

The midrange of this amp has pulls you in.  Female vocals are especially good. It flatters any preamp that you use with it.  Personally, I have used a Marantz 7,  Marantz 7T, Marantz Twenty Four, Marantz 1030 (as a preamp), YAMAHA C-2, McIntosh C-26, McIntosh C-28, SUMO Electra, Sansui AU-7700 (as a preamp), Sansui 2000X receiver (as a preamp), Sansui 3300 receiver (as a preamp) Citation 17, and GAS Thalia.  It flatters everything you hook up to it.  Nothing was ever objectionable.  It will even make your Phase Linear 4000 listenable.  

The amp runs relatively cool, the built in fans are super quiet.  Not sure mine ever came on.  I just can’t find any fault with this amp.  

If you’re looking for high power, great texture, tone, muscle  and finesse, this amp should be on your short list.  Mine had never been serviced.  I purchased it from an original owner who really took care of it.  

Looking around at my collection, I decided to start selling off what I didn’t use regularly, and I found myself preferring the magic I get from lowered powered amplifiers.  Something I want to get into at a later date.  So, I listed this amp for sale, and it was gone in a day or two.  If I remember correctly, the new owner was so impressed, he bought a second one from a gentleman in New York  to bi-amp his speakers with.  Hands down a winner, and easily one of the best sounding amplifiers of all time.  More to come.