Sony TA-E80ES
(1990 - 1994+)

Although it needs a few mods to be brought to full speed, the stock TA-E80ES is neutral, transparent, dynamic, dead silent and built like a tank ; mine has been running about 12 hours/day since I bought it in 1994 and that is what I call reliable.

Its excellent MC preamp is a nice touch as well, along the ALPS 4-cage volume pot, the big copper busses and shielding bars, the G chassis, steel structure and 3mm aluminium top plate, massive aluminium buttons or its relay-activated inputs & outputs.

Unlike its companion TA-N80ES powerhouse, the TA-E80ES was an all new design and bore little from its TA-E77ESD predecessor.
More precisely, it was partly derived from a Japan-only integrated amp (TA-F555ESG), with added balanced inputs and outputs for good measure.

Like the N80ES, the E80ES was export only and unseen in Japan - so who designed it will probably remain a mystery...

The E80ES was alas too quickly replaced by the TA-E90ES, a down-sized preamplifier boasting an understated kind of slim-line looks... Unlike the latter, the TA-E80ES sold extremely well in Europe, either in its original champagne color or in the black version. It didn't sell nearly as well in the US where it was available in black only.

This is one of the best audio preamplifiers around ; fully modded, it will slash a lot of what is available now, nearly twenty years after its debut.