Sony TA-N7B
Sony TA-N7
(april 1977 - 1981)

One of the very very few units I wish I'd own... which I do own :-)

A masterpiece of understated looks holding 6 pairs of Sony's original VFETs. After the 1st series (the xx50 units, all from 1974), the 1977 pre-Esprit TA-N88B , the N7/B was -along the TA-F7B integrated- the last Sony unit to sport V-FETs and a fairly different design because of its hybrid BJT/V-FET power section.
Fully DC, with 2 transformers for the regulation and 2 toroidal transformers for the power stages, and a total 88,000µf of caps. The frame structure and back "holders" are made of diescast aluminium.

The "B" color varies from the dark grey of some versions (Japan - bottom) to the soft greenish/bronze of others (Europe - right)... It seems however that these color differences were restricted to a few pre-production samples as all produced N7B habe the "euro" bronze/green tint.

The TA-N7 is silver (above) and is extremely rare. Silver units have the name and model number printed on the front while the "B" units have it engraved. It seems the first production run was the silver, quickly changed to the "B" color, hence the extra rarity of the silver specimens.

All versions have a hardcover for the 4 caps except thos sold in the USA. Just as for the TA-8650 / TA- 5650 / TA-4650, there are a few safety mods to be performed before using a TA-N7/B daily - flaky diodes, resistors, bias current, DC offset etc. DON'T power your N7 until you have had it checked by a serious tech who really knows what V-FETs are !!!

The TA-N7 can be seen as an early equivalent of the DTC-2000ES recorder, the SS-GR1 or the MDP-999 Laserdisc monster - statement units produced when things have got to be shelved because they're too expensive - a last hurrah of sorts.

If the Yamaha V-Fet amplifiers are somewhat "muscular", the TA-N7B and TA-F7B are just a bit more laid back. It may be a bit deceptive at first but in the long run... definitively better.
The N7B's sound is however difficult to describe because there is no "sound" - just pure musical bliss.

The production run must be around 2200 units, worldwide and all versions included, so the N7 is... quite exclusive.

The images here come from various sources : french 1978 catalog (N7, top, sadly not too well printed), 1978 USA sell-sheet (N7B, above and the two "nudies") and japanese 1977 catalog (right).
I have many more in stock, including the beautiful 1978 canadian N7/E7 dedicated catalogs.