Sony TAN-5550
(march 1975 - 1978)


The little VFET power amp, made to amplify the TAE-5450 signals, midway from the smaller TA-4650 integrated and the TA-5650 best-seller. As confirmed by Zeljko :

"The TA-5650's power amp section is not the same as the TAN-5550 power amp. The 5550 is a bit more complex and has a JFET front end, many maintain that it sounds a bit better than the 5650, however, since I've listened to both, I have my reservations.

The 5550 indeed sounds even smoother but only on 8-ohm loads. The 5550 has a signifficantly smaller power transformer than the 5650 (by about 30%!), though a higher power supply voltage. The larger transformer quite obviously gives the 5650 the extra oomph for low impedance loads, which makes it a more versatile performer."

Even if sporting only eight V-FET transistors (compared to the twelve of a TA-8650 or TA-N7B), V-FETs are V-FETs : amazingly rich, lush, smooth and "natural". There is unfortunately no audio other transistor that can equal those sadly abandoned amplifying devices.