Sony TA-5650
(may 1975 - 1978)

Sony's V-FET best-seller.
And the only V-FET amp holding one little unknown gem, too : 2SK63, small-size V-FET for low-power applications. The 2SK63 was used in the phono stage of the TA-5650 and nowhere else.

Since the 5650 was released last among Sony's 1st gen' V-FET amplifiers, this addition makes sense but Sony's discretion about it still seems a little... typical Sony !

As all of Sony's 1st gen' V-FET units, the diodes and some resistors MUST be changed otherwise they'll take the amp section away and quite rapidly. Said diodes are the reason why many TA-5650 died all too quickly in the 1970s and 1980s : the V-FETs had nothing to do with it. The same sad fate happened to many a TA-N88B ; the V-FETs again had strictly nothing to do with the failure(s). Why Sony didn't communicate on this is, again, typical Sony :)
Also, as all 1st generation Sony V-FET, do NOT use a variac when powering the amplifier for the first time !

Thanks to Mark (of vintagetechnics.com) both the 1976 Service and Owner's Manual are available in pristine quality on request from TVK. Mark does "still view it (despite my Technics obsession) as the ultimate integrated amp."