Nakamichi IA-2 (1980s)
The Nakamichi IA-2 is a Class A solid-state integrated amplifier from the 1980s. It's a less common find than the brand's famous cassette decks. Period classified advertisements in Audio (October 1982, p.125) list Nakamichi tape deck equipment for sale, which shows the brand's market presence at the time. The design is built around a pair of Hitachi MOSFETs in Class A mode, rated at 80 watts per channel into 8 ohms. Collectors care about the signal path: there are no coupling capacitors in it at all, so the usual age-related recapping worries don't apply. Internally it's laid out dual-mono, with two separate toroidal transformers.
The amplifier uses DC detection speaker protection. It's a big, heavy unit - one owner described opening it up as "what a beauty inside."
The one recurring issue owners mention is DC offset on the outputs. The record disagrees on whether the IA-2 has user-accessible trimmers for adjustment. One source says you must check and adjust DC offset with trimmers, and calls the procedure "quite tricky." A forum post says the amplifier typically has DC offset on both channels with no adjustment available. If you're looking at one, budget for a technician who knows MOSFET amps to check the offset before you rely on it.
The original retail price was $599, and it has appeared in used listings around $100-$200. Beyond that, the documentation is thin. No production years, frequency response, THD, or weight figures have survived in any reliable source.
**Known specs:**
- 80W per channel into 8Ω
- Class A solid-state, Hitachi MOSFET outputs
- No capacitors in the signal path
- DC detection speaker protection
- Dual toroidal transformers
- 5 inputs
- Original price: $599
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