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ST-A7B
ST-A7
(october 1977 - 1980)
Just
as pricey as a TA-N7B or TA-E7B, three times as expensive as an
ST-A6B and built
very much like the last original ES series' unit: ST-5000
! Das Meisterwerk as germans would say and quite a rare piece nowadays.
New of course was the digital display and... slightly useless was
the Dolby FM compatibility :-)
The japanese version had an AM section
added on the side - you can see the AM needle at the far right of
the image below. In those versions, the continuously variable muting
function is replaced by AM tuning while fixed 1-step muting is added
to the function switch... In such a statement unit, this addition
wasn't very à propos, especially since it wasn't deemed important
for the export versions. However, just as the ST-5000 from 1965,
the ST-A7B is one of the best
FM tuners ever made : the amount of bass, the stereo width,
depth and separation truly are... unbelievable. A Sansui-killer
!
On
a frivolous note, some of the original japanese A7
were dark grey in color but did not bear the name "A7B"
(B for black) on their frontplates.... although ads and catalogs
advertised them as "A7B"...
And the color itself of the JP and US "B"
versions isn't equivalent to the european "B"
version either: a more neutral grey replacing the greenish/bronze
undertone. If you wish to complicate your manufacturing processes,
just follow Sony's example ! The european silver ST-A7
is very very rare.
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