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| April 15, 2010, 8:43 am |
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 This thread topic spans 2 pages - You are currently on page 1
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| Author |
I can't believe I got this!!! |
jon_s
Rank: Sony Devotee
Joined: Jul 19, 2003
Posts: 60
From: Hawaii
 |  Posted: 2004-02-13 03:18
I cannot believe I was able to find this. The is a vintage MINT Sony TA-8650 V-FET (Vertical Feild Effect Transistor) Integrated Amplifier circa 1975. Brand new, this puppy sold for $1300 (equivalent of $4000 today). This amp is rated at 80 watts per channel into 8 ohms with 0.05% THD, weighs a whopping 50 lbs. They do not build them like this anymore. The legendary V-FET output transistors were known for their smooth tube-like sound. Their biggest issue was heat. The aluminum "chimneys" were to dissipate the heat away from the circuit boards. This unit is MINT, absolutely no scratches, dings or cosmetic flaws anywhere. The interior is completely dust free. When I received it, it even had that new Sony smell. The only thing missing is the manual (sigh...). This is so rare, I have only seen it once on E-Bay, and that was two years ago for a broken unit.
 
[ This message was edited by: jon_s on 2004-02-13 03:22 ]
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jon_s
Rank: Sony Devotee
Joined: Jul 19, 2003
Posts: 60
From: Hawaii
| Posted: 2004-02-13 03:20
Here is another shot....
[ This message was edited by: jon_s on 2004-02-13 03:23 ]
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Tiny_Turtle
Rank: Sony Legend
Joined: Oct 09, 2002
Posts: 1116
From: Stockholm, Sweden
 | Posted: 2004-02-13 07:26
Cool.
How on earth has that one been preserved so good?
/Tiny Time-Machine
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STR-DB930 (w/ RM-LJ304), DVP-NS900V, MDS-JA20ES, CDP-CX220, KV29-FX20, SLV-SE70, DSC-P120 (512MB), MZ-E909 (w/ MDR-EX70SP), CMD-Z5
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Maxxwire
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Adept
Joined: Aug 29, 2002
Posts: 22572
From: Portland, Oregon - USA
 | Posted: 2004-02-13 12:31
Great find! Does it sound as sweet as it looks?
-Maxx
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A Satisfied Sony Fan Since 1974!
Explore The New Sony MaxxPix
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duncan
Rank: Sony Legend
Joined: Jul 26, 2002
Posts: 964
From: UK
 | Posted: 2004-02-13 12:55
That looks like new! In that consumer favorite colour of Silver! how modern.
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Sony: DVP-NS930V, STR-DB2000QS, CDP-XB930, SLV-X9, DCR-PC105E, DSC-T200, PS3 , NWZ-A829K, NWS 205. Other: Hitachi 42” Plasma, Samsung 40" LCD, SkyHD, Wii, Xbox 360 Speakers: KEF 2005.2
 
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cdnscg
Rank: Sony Buff
Joined: Feb 04, 2004
Posts: 15
From: Markham
 | Posted: 2004-02-13 15:02
jon_s, out of curiosity, what are you going to do with it? Are you a collector of sorts?
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wmiles
Rank: Sony Aficionado
Joined: Aug 15, 2003
Posts: 114
From: Noble, OK
 | Posted: 2004-02-13 17:30
Beautiful!
Someone either stored this thing in a totally dusts free environment or spent a ton of time restoring it back to new.
So tell me, is it for using or for collecting?
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jon_s
Rank: Sony Devotee
Joined: Jul 19, 2003
Posts: 60
From: Hawaii
| Posted: 2004-02-13 18:06
Actually, the faceplate is brushed champagne gold, with brushed aluminum knobs. I had to remove the top to clean all the switches. There was some distortion from poor contacts since the switches had some oxidation on them, sprayed Caig's DeOxit on them to fix it. The original owner had apparently bought it in 1975 and never used it after a month, but misplaced the manual. When i got it, it still had the new smell on it.
Right now, the unit is sitting on the floor in front of my current system hooked up to a turntable and a pair of Polk LSi15 speakers. The sound is super smooth and kills my Sony STR-V444ES and Denon AVR-3803 receiver. This amp has better depth of image and a wider soundstage. When tested with a pair of KEF 104/2 speakers, the soundstage went beyond the physical spacing of the speakers, unreal.
Sony claims that V-FET transistors behave like tubes instead of bi-polar transistors. It has inherently lower distortion which requires less negative feedback to correct. Their gain goes down as they get hotter (opposite of normal transistors), so the amp uses high bias currents to reduce distortion (the problem is higher bias means the amp runs HOT! so hot, you cannot place your hand on the top for prolonged periods without burning). They also claim that the V-FET has a faster response time than normal amp stages. Tests in older magazines stated that the amp had about 0.004% THD over most of the audio range, climbing in the extreme high end to 0.013% at 20kHz.
Sony finally discontinued the V-FETs because of its high cost ($1300 in 1975 was half the price of a new VW bug) and the public thought that 80wpc was pretty low powered for the price. The V-FET power transistors are no longer available and different for the lower priced low powered (TA-4650, 30wpc, $400; TA-5650, 50wpc, $550) units. Plus they had to be configured with matched sets, so if this ever dies, it ends up as a boat anchor.
I paid $550 for the unit and still think it was a steal. I have not decided what I am going to to with it yet, since I really have no place to put it in the house (my wife hates it, it sounds great, but "What! no remote control? Where's the FM part! It's too hot in here! You mean I have to turn the knob to make it louder? (sigh...))
[ This message was edited by: jon_s on 2004-02-13 18:14 ]
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Stelios
Rank: Sony Aficionado
Joined: Jan 26, 2004
Posts: 140
From: Cyprus
 | Posted: 2004-02-13 22:39
That is a great amplifier. I am wondering though if the capacitors are OK and didn't leak. I was told that by time the capacitors in any electronic board do not last forever. Is this true?
Stelios
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I hope for nothing, I fear nothing, I am free. (Kazantzakis)
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Maxxwire
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Adept
Joined: Aug 29, 2002
Posts: 22572
From: Portland, Oregon - USA
| Posted: 2004-02-13 23:13
I've heard the same thing about the degradation of capacitors in vintage Audio gear, but they were refering to the total hours of use and not storage time although paper and oil capacitors may age differently.
-Maxx
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A Satisfied Sony Fan Since 1974!
Explore The New Sony MaxxPix
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Craig_Nike
Rank: Ultimate Sony Reviewer
Joined: Apr 05, 2002
Posts: 2262
From: Australia
 | Posted: 2004-02-19 06:08
very very cool, well done
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This is the last thing I need for my HT - now i'm finished!
AVR: STR-DA9000ES & STR-DA5300ES
AMP: TA-N9000ES
BLU: PS3
DVD: 999ES & 777ES
SPKR: SS-X70ED, SS-XCN70ED, SS-LA500ED
SUB: SAW-X700M
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Maxxwire
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Adept
Joined: Aug 29, 2002
Posts: 22572
From: Portland, Oregon - USA
| Posted: 2004-02-19 22:34
I guess your good fortune in finding this Vintage Sony TA 8650 makes up for the unit you lost while tying to clean it up a while back.
Shaka Bra!
-Maxx
-----------------
A Satisfied Sony Fan Since 1974!
Explore The New Sony MaxxPix
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jon_s
Rank: Sony Devotee
Joined: Jul 19, 2003
Posts: 60
From: Hawaii
| Posted: 2004-02-21 19:58
So far, i have been running this monster a couple of hours a day. It sounds super smooth but is very particular with speakers. Using a pair of Polk LSi15s, the sound seems flat or very laid back. Changing to a pair of Polk RT2000ps the sound improves a lot. Depth is improved and soundstage is a bit more forward. Switching to pair of KEF 104/2 changes to another level. The sound is open and very sweet. The image goes beyond the speakers with greater depth. The amps still needs some cleaning on some switches as it drops out occasionally. Only thing is that some of the switches are really hard to get into.
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Maxxwire
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Adept
Joined: Aug 29, 2002
Posts: 22572
From: Portland, Oregon - USA
| Posted: 2004-02-21 22:27
It seems like the KEF's mate very well with the TA 8650. What program material were you using during your listening sessions?
-Maxx
-----------------
A Satisfied Sony Fan Since 1974!
Explore The New Sony MaxxPix
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jon_s
Rank: Sony Devotee
Joined: Jul 19, 2003
Posts: 60
From: Hawaii
| Posted: 2004-02-24 14:34
James Taylor's Hourglass (SACD), October Road, Midori's Sinfonia Concertante (by Mozart)(SACD), Norah Jones (SACD), Chesky's Stereo Demonstration Test CD, Rod Stewart's GAS i & II, Gene Harris' The Song Has Ended, Diana Krall's When I look in Your Eyes and others.
After further testing, I went back to the Polk RT2000ps. The KEFs had a tendecy to "boom" in the bass and lower mid range. Moving the speakers helped a bit but i could not eliminate it.
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