Sony TA-F700ES

Sony's first 1980s big integrated amps that "looked" like big integrated amps (bar the 1983 TA-F777ES).

Part of the units designed by the first official ES team assembled as such in 1986. Incredible as it may seem but there was no such "fixed" team since... 1965 !

Sony's first units to sport the Gibraltar chassis made of polyester, calcium and carbon.

The F700ES has a double output push-pull of Sanken A1186/C2897, high Gm FETs in the phono section, Great Supply ELNAs and, as always, an assortment of exotic Nichicon MUSE.
The big heatsink seems to have remained bare for the japanese and US models but anodized black for the european versions...

Available with sideburns depending on the market and sold in Japan as TA-F333ESX ; updated a year later with the TA-F333ESXII and a fair change of topology inside but basically the same hardware.


What is interesting, in retrospect, is that many are always willing to bash Sony for not ever having made serious audio. Sure. But these amplifiers sold extremely well, worldwide.

The proportion of equivalently priced Pioneer, Onkyo or Sansui must be around 1 to 5, if not more : there are thousands and thousands and thousands of F800ES and F700ES everywhere. Especially in Germany. And especially in Japan !
Now, Sony didn't force people to buy their amps so the latter must have had some qualities, right ?

Selling as they did, the F700ES and TA-F800ES gave way to a series of integrated amplifiers which sold even better than the original two, this time within a gradually folding market.
Amazing, isn't it ?

Especially coming from a brand which never, ever, made anything worthwhile besides flashy portable gadgets !