Sony TA-N9

December
1 9 7 8 december 1978
1 9 8 1 1981

Neither an ESPRIT unit, nor a pre-Esprit, the TA-N9 monoblock was sort of "in between" : alongwith the prototyped but sadly unproduced EL-D9 professional Elcaset deck, the PS-X9 masterpiece, the PUA-9 long tonearm and the APM-9 which was finally produced as APM-8.

Enclosed in this monster was all that was meant when the PPS/PLPS system was introduced by Sony in 1977 : huge power in small and lightweight boxes. The Heat-Pipe and MOS-Fet were later novelties but the N9 wasn't particularily small or easy to carry around :)

Heat-Pipes were en vogue between 1978 and the early 1980s ; Luxman carried the feature as late as 1994 (!) and the last versions of the L-570. It seems the Freon gas held inside was at some point deemed dangerous, which is why seemingly all manufacturers (but Luxman) stopped putting Heat-Pipes in their (hot) amplifiers...


Not counting the EL-D9, the TA-N9 is the most elusive of all "9" units ; the highest serial numbers spotted are #253 and #289 but there were about two dozen pre-prod samples made as well. So I guess some 300 were made (= 150 pairs).
There must be very few surviving units and those that resurface in Japan are almost always the pre-prod. samples...

Each N9 was delivered with urethane-coated Litz connecting wires nevertheless - a staple of high-end Sony since 1976.

Sony TA-N9, image 1 Sony TA-N9, image 2 Sony TA-N9, image 3
Sony TA-N9 specifications
Title Value
System : all stages full DC / SEPP monaural power amplifier
Pulse Lock Power Supply
MOS-FET power devices
Class A power : 1x 80W (8 Ohm, 20Hz...20Khz, THD 0,005%)
Class B power : 1x 450W (8 Ohm, 20Hz...20Khz, THD 0,007%)
THD at rated power : 0,005% (Class A)
0,007% (Class B)
IMD : 0,007% (Class A)
0,007% (Class B)
S/N ratio : > 128dB (Class A)
> 120dB (Class B)
Frequency response : 0Hz...300Khz (+0 / -1dB)
Damping factor : 300 (1Khz / 8 Ohm)
Residual noise : 22µV (8 Ohm)
Input : 1,1V / 50kOhm (Class A)
2,5V / 50kOhm (Class B)
Output : 8...16 Ohm (Class A)
4...16 Ohm (Class B)
Componentry : 10 MOS-Fet
1 Fet
7 ICs
72 transistors
55 diodes
PC : 450W
Dimensions : 48 x 18,5 x 50cm
Weight : 18kg.
Accessories : RK-10S
RK-5S
RK-2S
Coaxial cable construction using urethane coated Litz wires as core
Parallel connection of coaxial cable for clear sound
Low resistance and low inductance cable for high separation :
No inducing peak to another channel even when L/R cables are placed in parallel
Ends of Litz wires are already peeled for easy connection. (12,000¥ / 6500¥ / 4500¥)
RK-113
RK-112
RK-116
Core cable of urethane coated Litz wires
Gold-plated pin plug for low resistance and high durability
Mold block moveable on cable to comply with the various distances between terminals.
page online since : april 2007
page updated : march 2010
page type : LGT / KNB
page weight : 186.36 Kb / 0 b
  • TVK Talk Forum
  • TVK Museum
  • Specials
  • Timelines
  • Utilities
  • Games