Sony ST-S707ES
(1991 - 1995)

After the quick succession of tuners of the mid-to-late 80's, the 707 remained available until the ES line's 1995 turning point. I've owned one for 7 years and liked it very much. The 707 is stable, easy to use and -if you hook it to a decent antenna- will provide an ample and dynamic sound. If your favorite radio station doesn't use too much compression, this tuner is a pleasure to listen to with only a brilliance that is sometimes uncalled for and high-mids that can be a little harsh at times.

Like most of Sony's tuners since the ST-S555ES (1983), the 707 sported the SST (Super Sound Tracing), the Radial Power Supply, the WOIS, the WODD, the WODSD, the AMSO, the Direct Comparator and a display resembling a fully lit Christmas tree :-) Adding a more careful design of the output stages to these high-tech functions probably would have benefitted the 707... However, for the price it was sold back then the 707 was a bargain.

And if you want to turn your 707 into
a Christmas tree, just press & hold the SHIFT key while powering it on.

On eBay, the 707 easy to find and goes for about 200€ in Europe and much more than that in the US. It seems the champagne dressing sold slightly better.

I still haven't found a proper catalog image and that is why the images here posted are from my own (ex)unit. One thing is sure, though: the 707 looks way better in real life, it is a very elegant machine, like the pre-Esprit ST-J88B was.
This pure circuit LED lights up when all servos and control circuitry have turned off, for a reception free of internal interferences. The blue LED wasn't an xxx-rare option - I had swapped it myself ; the original was amber.

The programming feature (4 different pre-sets) was a nice touch which I've never used even once in 7 years...

Easy improvements:
1. phase of the power plug + ferrite ring (ART's Q-Rings or equivalent),
2. replace the original phono plugs along with the attendant wires with better componentry,
3. decouple C905 and C907 with SCR MKPs (or equivalent),
...and the 707 is already in another league to say the least. Tweak some more (better caps and op'amps) and it will be on par with the other ES units of the times.