Sony TA-N77ES
(1987 - 1990)

Sony's most successful power amp and Sony's only unit sporting monster meters - the TA-N77ES was made to drive just about any loudspeaker available with no signs of stress. Many many many N77s are still in use today. Its only common flaw was fairly unstable meter bulbs - not the meters, just the bulbs.

Included in this powerhouse were most of Sony's technological staples : Super Legato Linear, STD power supply, G-Chassis and resin-cast power supply caps. A triple push-pull of bipolars transistors makes music.
Unlike the TA-N80ES follower, only SE inputs were available ; the reservoir of caps seems to have seen several versions, as catalog images show the N77ES with either 2, 4 or... 6 main power caps. Only the N80ES follower had its bank full with 6 caps while the production N77ES all had four. Whether N77ES or N80ES, specs are nearly identical.

A true worldwide bestseller but not in Japan for Sony never made an ES pre/power combo available on its home market (bar the lower TA-E1000ESD / TA-E2000ESD / TA-N55ES) : so the TA-N77ES, like its preamp mate TA-E77ESD, was export only. I still have no idea where or by whom it was actually designed...