Sony TA-2000

Part of Sony's first big push toward HIGH fidelity, along the ST-5000 FM tuner, TA-1120 integrated, TA-4300 frequency divider and TTS-3000 LPdrive. In other words : the original ES series !

Sony was the first japanese brand to go for full-size transistorized high-fidelity lineup in 1965 and got a sizeable head-start from that clever move.

Still today an excellent preamp and, swapping a few parts, easy to turn into a HIGH-end unit... today.
To be powered by the half-width TA-3120A stereo power amp for a multi-amped system, the latter being a TA-1120 stripped down of its preamp section.

Sony would await a long time to give some of its unit the same moniker : SL-2000 Beta recorder, LDP-2000 professional Laserdisc player (1985), TAE-2000ESD Home Theater preamp/processor (1992) and DTC-2000ES DAT recorder (1993).
The LDP being the Schumacher of LD players, the TAE having been hailed as the best DPL processor and the DTC being the best DAT recorder ever.

After seeing an extra-extra-extra-rare and beautiful black version in Germany, the TA-2000 was replaced by the TA-2000F (F for FET), that version remaining available in Japan far longer than elsewhere - probably the best proof possible that these still are worth buying... today.