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As I mentioned in a post further down, I was looking for a decent solid-state integrated that would be left ON most of the day. I love my vacuum tube Rogue Cronus Magnum Integrated with KT120s but it's such a terrible waste of costly tubes for background music while I work in the office.
I tried the entry model Marantz PM-8003 but that lasted a day before I removed it. For grins, I tried it again a couple weeks later thinking I could live with it for background music. Nope. I sent it packing to a storage shelf in the basement.
I was thinking of trying the Yamaha A-S2000 when a good deal showed up on the Sony TA-A1ES. Both are $2000 USD MSRP. Both have received a couple online reviews but I thought I would ask here and a couple inmates responded with differing opinions on it.
In any case, it's here and I'm enjoying it! The Sony is almost up there with my favorite bargain Rogue amp. Can't someone make a solid-state amp that sounds just like a good tube amp? Some have tried but the short answer is no, not really. The lines have blurred a bit over the years but they are simply different technologies that sound different.
The Sony is sweet with no edge or grain, dynamic but not as slamming impactful in the bass like some larger amps. In fact, it's a little 'rounded' in the bass kind of like some tube amps. But no, it doesn't really sound like a tube amp, yet it's not sterile and lean like some solid state gear. The Levinson 383 integrated, Krell KAV-2250, and Bryston 7BSST2 monoblocks come to mind in that department.
The Rogue produces a more holographic presentation and larger soundstage than the Sony and there's something magic about how cymbals shimmer and sparkle through it. The Sony has nice treble extension but it's not the same. Still, very enjoyable and very good. One area where the Sony really shines is how it sounds "full" even at lower volume levels. This might have something to do with it's variable bias as you adjust the volume. With some amps you have to turn the volume up to a reasonable level before they sound "right".
I've been listening to the Sony for a few hours now.
The Sony TA-A1ES integrated amp weighs about 40 Lbs., operates Class A, and draws ~300 watts. Runs fairly warm but not unusual.
Slim 'aluminum look' remote selects Line 1-5, volume up/down/mute, display on/off, and power on/off.
Impedance select knob to the left for Low/Med/High Z headphones
The Rogue Cronus Magnum Integrated with KT120 Power Tubes.
In terms of total heat output I wouldn't be surprised if the Sony puts out just as much as the Rogue.
Other gear including Mac Mini, iPad "Controller", PS Audio NuWave DAC. Not shown, Tannoy Definition D500 speakers 91dB 6 Ohm nom.
Follow Ups:
Glad to see SONY back in the high-end space. It looks like a beaut and at a very fair price.
Rogue has to be THE affordable tube amp U.S. company. Reminds me of Sonic Frontiers.
No one expected a solid state design to best well-designed tube equipment.
Nice picture of the Sony. I owned a Sony str7065 receiver[a beast with heat sinks] and it ran warm. I once owned a Krell Pam 1 and a friend bought over a roughly used Krell KSA 50. It hummed and heated up the apartment but what sound...We listened and forgot the time...it was hard to stop listening......I now run a Luxman L503S Limited Edition. Love the Lux sound but its good to see Sony can still make good stuff...Thanks for sharing.....
For what its worth in September HFN & RR Rogue Cronus integrated gets a 80% SQ rating , The Sony DA5400ES/XA5400ES combo got 85% . I would not touch an antique tube amp with a ......
Edits: 07/26/14
I find the whole concept of using percentage ratings in an audio review to be rather odd. What antique tube amp are you referring to?
As far as I am concerned all tube/valve amps are antiques.
That's because you ears and mind are rather closed, sorry if you can't hear the merits of good designed tube gear then you have just willfully refused to listen with an open mind and have too strong preconceived notions to make unbiased observations.
When you have as much experience as I have especially with Live v recorded sound, you may agree with me but I doubt it. ROGUE ( well named ) HFN describe the sound as warm , which you obviously like, I require natural accurate sound.
Well, I won't comment on an inexpensive tube amp that the measurements clearly show have inadequate sized output transformers( want to bet where the warm sound comes from...look no further than those output trannies). It probably still sounds a lot more like live than an equivalently priced SS amp, regardless of the specs.
If your reference of live is amplified music, then I could perhaps understand how you think a Class AB SS amp could sound more like live. But I have TONS of live music experience of the live, unamplified kind and nothing gets closer than a really good tube or tube hybrid amp with no negative feedback.
........ why do you always act like such a schmuck? Were you born that way or did you have to attend special training?
After reading many of your posts (including your trials and tribulations with Electrocompaniet on the Shady Forum) I can almost feel pity for you. It must a real bummer to know that it's ALWAYS a shitty day in your neighborhood.
Take a laxative. It might help,
Al
He MUST disbelieve to be true to himself. Or something.
Laxatives won't help
One person's accurate is another persons compromised sound. Although I've heard outstanding performance from both SS and tubes, I have found that the gear that seems to mostly get closer to the illusion of a musical event has been with tubes.
In fact, some of the best sound from electronics has been with custom DIY tube amps. This preamp/amp combination sounds (subjectively) quite a bit better than the vast majority of commercial amps. The parts costs alone is substantial, but not compared with today's exorbitant high end prices.
The preamp is a Thomas Meyer design, with lots of choke filtering and output coupling transformers. The power amps are 1625 tubes in pentode with 110 watts. The 1625 tube is rugged as hell, sounds like a 6L6 on steroids, and is a better buy than today's Russian/Chinese offerings.
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
Very nice! I thought those 1625 were 807 tubes at first, but I guess they're almost the same, 7-pin vs 5-pin and 12v vs 6v filament. I ran 807 tubes as a kid in my ham radio CW transmitter.
Who made those power amps?
You are correct, Abe. The 1625 is a 12 volt 807 with a 7 pin socket. A good friend of mine who is local made these for me. I have restored old tube amps in the past, but he does great work, it's worth it to pay him to do the work. He has made a LOT of gear over the years for folks across the country. I got most of the parts myself, and sent them to him to build the amps. All the iron was made by Heyboer, who makes excellent chokes and transformers.
Thomas Meyers design for the preamp is outstanding. Due to cost, went with Heyboer iron and for ease of construction, went with a Zhozmo steeped attenuator with upgraded REX resistors. It has 6db of gain, which is fine for a line level based system. It is DEAD quiet, as the music comes from a very black background.
For the power amps, went with 12SN7 input tubes, and employed a MOS-FET to regulate the input tube. It uses fixed bias, with separate screen power supplies from the power transformer. All PRP 1 watt resistors, and Mundorf Silver/Gold coupling caps.
The performance from this combination is several steps above the commercial tube gear I've owned over the years. DIY is a great option if on wants top quality tubed gear without paying exorbitant prices.
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
Here is the preamp:
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
And the underside...
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
Very nice and uncluttered.
In my 180s I'm usinng
X = GE black plate 5751
U = RCA clear tops
Quite heavenly. All are "pulls" from ebay, which work just fine as driver tubes.
I'm not sure...
The Left & Right 12AU7 markings show in grey lettering:
12AU7A
U.S.A.
MADE IN
U.S.A
AZA
The middle 12AU7 markings in grey shows U.S.A. and 12AU7 in a rectangle box:
U.S.A.
12AU7A
The 12AX7 are just J.J. ECC 803S.
The amp sounds wonderful but I bet I can do even better with some nice NOS tubes. The tubes described above are what came with the unit from Rogue.
nt
Japan or elsewhere?
Like other countries, much of Japans manufacturing has moved to lower cost labor.
All neatly arranged too.
Suggest upgrading the entry Tannoys to at least a 12" diver with a Pepperpot HF.. Not the substandard Tulip things.
The performance differences are Substantial..by Anyone's yardstick.
If $ are a consideration (usually are :-) Used allows a wider choice.
Brand new product only gets one a pristine Box finish at exhorbitant pricings
My current Tannoys are plenty large for my smallish room and sound very nice. I don't think 12" drivers are in order here.
glad you are happy with the sound in your temporary, compromised space.
(and you define "audiophile" in finding ways to improve the sound under such circumstances)
For years you have consistently taken some of the best equipment pics I see around here.
Photography a hobby?
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" - Michael McClure
For what it's worth, I took some power consumption and heat measurements with the Sony sitting idle.
The power draw is about 121-Watts steady state, no signal. That's rather high for a compact 80wpc amp indicating it is at least 'biased highly toward Class A'. For comparison, my 150wpc Odyssey Stratos amp drew about 70-Watts steady state at idle.
But I'm not one who believes that Class A amps necessarily sound better. They should but that's not always the case. My 300wpc Ampzilla 2000 2nd Edition monoblocks each draw about 65-Watts at idle and they sound incredible.
Lascar EL-USB-2+ RH/Temperature Data Logger on top of Sony
Temperature over Sony heat sinks about 119 degrees F. For comparison the Pass Labs X150.5 I once owned was about 122 degrees F.
Measured steady state power consumption from AC mains
Sony TA-A1ES with top cover removed
Sony TA-A1ES another top view with cover removed
Sony TA-A1ES left channel heat sink. At about 6"x4"x2" they're not tiny but appear to be sufficient
Sony TA-A1ES right channel heat sink
Not bad actually, around 10 watts Class A or so. But I can't imagine that bias ramping up much more and beyond that 10 watts I guess it is truly AB or B at high powers.
Beautiful pics - Abe.
no, really nice and you like the sound so good one then. I would want to turn off the stupid digital volume readout. Can you?
ET
Yes, the digital readout and the lighting around the selected source button can be shut-off with the remote control. If you then adjust the Volume level, the display comes back ON for about 4 seconds before shutting itself off again.
Nice! I like it a little more.
ET
Thank You! Abe.
Very nice looking system, Abe! However, I'm not so sure that Sony is pure Class A...
-RW-
I am sure that it sounds ok but Class A it is not. If it drew 300 watts continuously with what little heat sinks it has it would get really hot. It probably draws 300 watts Max.
From WhatHifi:
On a practical note, it does tend to run rather warm when pushed hard, so make sure it has enough ventilation around it when placed in an equipment support.
Class AB with probably a lowish bias given the heat sink sizes I have seen from pictures of the guts.
JA from Stereophile notes in many of his amp test measurements that Class AB amps get thermally maximally stressed at continuous 1/3rd power. Some he has tested actually break in that test.
I'll have to run some tests on it. It's probably not "PURE Class A" but it sounds pretty nice.
I'll have to find my AC Watt Meter and measure steady-state power consumption from the AC mains which will give some indication of how it's biased.
However, there are 'sliding' or 'stepped' Class A biasing schemes designed for more efficient Class A operation. Krell once had a marketing term called "Sustained Plateau Biasing" but it was more than just a marketing term. I owned the KSA-50S and it did indeed operate in Class A at different levels which was easily verified by monitoring steady-state AC power consumption from the mains. At it's highest level, it would draw a solid 800-Watts and as soon as you removed the signal going to it, it would remain at 800-watts for quite a long time until it stepped down a level, and then down again. So the bias was adjusted based on demand but remained Class at those different demand levels.
To the touch, the top panel of the Sony is quite warm and there's been no signal going to it for an hour now. I don't think the heatsinks are small. They're bigger in person than how they appear in the photos and we're not talking about a huge amp. We're talking 80wpc tops.
When I have more time, I'll get my AC Watt Meter and temperature data logger and compare power and heat with no signal vs the same at loud listening levels.
From Sony's Press Release. Yeah, their marketing stuff ;-)
Sony TA-A1ES Integrated Stereo Amplifier
The TA-A1ES integrated stereo amplifier is the latest offering in Sony's Elevated Standard Series and has been specifically designed to complement the company's new HAP-Z1ES reference standard Hi-Res Music Player.
More than three years in the making, the new A1ES stereo amplifier utilizes a frame/beam/base chassis that was originally developed for Sony's acclaimed R-Series components. It delivers crisp, noiseless power performance. Employing FET input and buffer circuits that enhance performance, the amplifier's optimum gain volume control combines electronic volume with a discrete buffer amplifier, allowing it to massively reduce gain error and produce sound quality superior to conventional volume controls.
The TA-A1ES has a power amp stage featuring Smart Bias Control for Class-A operation and Single Push-Pull Hi-Current Amplifier. It is designed with a single pair of transistors to eliminate variations in each channel at the source, as well as variation controlling emitter resistance, allowing the transistors to drive the speakers directly, for a more character-free sound quality.
"a power amp stage featuring Smart Bias Control for Class-A operation" sounds like marketing-speak for "NOT true class A" operation. Sneaky marketing.. buyer beware.
Yes but Krells sliding bias amps were still huge with huge power supplies and huge heat sinks. Even then they never ever reached full rated power Class A...only Krells earlier true Class A amps did that.
Look at the reviews of like the Krell KSA200S
http://www.stereophile.com/content/krell-ksa-200s-power-amplifier-measurements
It was only Class A for the first 15 watts or so on the lowest plateau setting (125 watts at idle). Even with full ramp up though it never could do full power in Class A.
The KSA50S could never draw 800 watts for long...it would simply burn up due to lack of heat sink capability for that kind of power consumption. Where did you get those numbers anyway...I didn't see them in the stereophile review. They mentioned bias levels of 765mW and 25.2 watts. I could believe something like 400 watts make consumption for a 50 watt Class A amp. The old Sumo Nine I had in the past had about 420 watts consumption (all the time) for 60 watts Class A power.
"If continuous high powers are required that would lead to overheating, the amplifier reverts to classic class-AB operation.
For a contrast, my NAT Symbiosis consumes 800 watts continuously for 100 watts max output. That is single ended Class A.
Compare the Krell KSA50S or Sumo 9 power supplies and heat sinks (the Sumo also had a fan) to the Sony and it becomes clear that there cannot be more than a few watts Class A or the thing will simply overheat.
"to the touch, the top panel of the Sony is quite warm and there's been no signal going to it for an hour now"
Warm is good but I had for review an AcousticPlan Santor amp some years ago that was 50 watts per channel and it ran VERY warm. I asked the designer to what level of Class A it was biased...he said "about 15 watts". It had bigger heatsinks than what I see in the Sony. I had a SimAudio Celeste W4250 that was 10 watts biased Class A...it ran rather warm as well with rather good sized heat sinks. Like I said, I doubt there is more than a few watts Class A operation with the Sony.
A single pair of transistors is good. I never understood why some companies insist on using dozens of output devices.
For the Krell KSA-50S I measured steady state 800-watts power draw from the AC mains for a sustained period of time with music playing very loud.... and continued 800-watts power draw for several seconds after the input signal was removed. This had to be Class A operation for a 'mere 50wpc' amp. And yes, the heat sinks got very hot.
I measured close to 250-watts steady state on the 30wpc Pass Aleph 3.
So the Sony is not pure Class A but that's fine by me. I'm not convinced that Class A operation is necessary for outstanding music reproduction as I have heard several incredible sounding Class AB amps, and some Class A amps that weren't exactly fantastic.
Well, ok. I haven't heard one Class AB amp that outperforms a top notch Class A amplifier of similar design.
Well, to be fair I have not owned a high power Class A amp for fear of heat and massive idle power draw. The 'largest' Class A amp I had was the 50wpc Krell KSA-50s but I know it put out much more than that.
Although they received rave reviews in their day, the Pass Aleph 3 and Aleph 30 sounded smooth but a little veiled to me and not very dynamic. This may have been a power issue at 30wpc 8 Ohm, 60wpc 4 Ohm. I was running my 91dB 6 Ohm nominal Tannoy D500's which normally sound pretty nice with about 50wpc of tube power but they really come alive dynamically with more.
I went through a phase last year searching out a nice sounding solid state amp to replace the heavenly Manley Neo-Classic 250 monoblocks. These beasts ran hot with 10 EL34 tubes each and sound incredible mated to the Thiel CS2.4. I think Thiels and tubes are a match made in heaven. But the Manleys were expensive to retube and ran very hot.
I was on a mission to find relatively cool running solid-state amps that I could live with.
The Wyred4Sound SX-500 ICEpower Class D monoblocs sound good but I was surprised that they couldn't deliver realistic well defined bass which I thought Class D was supposed to excel at given their use in many subwoofers. The vacuum tube Manleys were much better in with bass detail making the W4S almost 'monotonic' in comparison. However, the W4S do sound much better than the ICEpower based Bel Canto M300's I owned years ago. I sold the W4S monoblocks.
A couple used Bryston 7BSST2 monoblocks came on the market and they were significantly improved over older Bryston from a couple decades ago. They were smooth and powerful, ran cool, with tight bass, and good treble extension. Unfortunately, they sounded very bland, dry, and sterile. The Brystons lacked 'soul'. I tried a couple tube preamps with the Brystons and that helped but it was still an uphill battle and finally surrendered and gave up. Sold the Brystons.
I'm a real fan of Rogue tube gear and when they came out with their well reviewed 'hybrid Class D' amps I thought I would give it a try. Rogue mates a tube input stage to a modified Hypex UcD Class D module. The Rogue Medusa amp arrived and stayed in my system for about a month before I boxed it up and sold it. I thought it sounded worse than many 'standard' Class D amps that use off-the-shelf modules stuffed in a fancy box.
I now have a couple Ampzilla 2000 2nd Edition monoblocks. These are 300wpc Class AB amps each with 2000VA power supply transformer and hefty heatsinks. Yet they idle and run barely warm to the touch. If an amp can be the polar opposite of another sonically, I would place the Bryston and Ampzilla at opposing ends.
As much as I like the Ampzilla monoblocks I have them stored in the basement now that I am confined to a smallish home office listening room. Hence, my search for an 'office size' integrated amp.
you are the first to trash a bryston's sound. i trust your posts, just wonder if any audiophile friend ever seconded your opinion.
thanks for interest.
roger wang
I second Abe's opinion of Bryston.
on joule-electra?
thanks for interest.
roger wang
In general I have a pretty good impression of OTL amps. I used to own a pair of Silvaweld OTL reference monoblocks. They were pretty awesome sounding but ran so damn hot I had to sell them. Joule Electra amps will be the same way as they use the same output tube...and lots of them.
I have not heard Joule Electra amps specifically though but I would be surprised if they sounded less than superb.
.
Well, I have never lived with the Aleph series but I have been more impressed with Nelson's ideas than with the actual sound of Nelson's amps (I have heard at length a large number of the X and XA series amps). They never struck me as overly resolving but neither did they really bring the virtues of a great tube amp.
I am sure the Manley had a nice sound and I know about too hot. I had some Silvaweld OTLs that raised the temp a full 10°C in 2 hours!!
I have had in house several Class D amps, so it's not like I didn't try them...but honestly GACK!
I also tried to go with a Class AB hybrid, the well regarded Einstein "The Absolute Tune". It was ok, but nowhere close to the KR VA350i I had before and nowhere close to the NAT or JJ I have now.
I also had a VAC 30/30, which was an excellent Class A amplifier that didn't run too hot. However, in the end I could tell its Push/pull nature and with my coherent Ref 3a speakers this was somewhat disconcertin to me (I had the same issue also with the OTLs and Acoustats)
So, I have found that only single ended is coherent enough for me in the long run with my preferred coherent speakers. I also tried non-coherent speakers for a while but I heard the issues there as well.
So, for me it's time coherent speakers and single ended amps that give a seamlessness and tone that is simply closer to what I hear live...with appropriate recordings of course.
It's the output transistors working in class A mode. Huge transformer and heats sinks are necessary only to support the power is being WASTED while the amp is idling or running well below its rated output.Various makes have produced "sliding bia" amps over the years. Another one of the current crop is Cambridge Audio's Azur 851A integrated amp, (120 wpc @ 8 ohms).
I love the music of ... ... Gustav Mahler
Edits: 07/25/14 07/25/14
To make a reasonable amount of Class A power, it requires both big trafos and big heat sinks and/or forced air cooling. Even a modest 50 watts requires substantial amounts of both.
This sliding bias is and always was a kind of a gimmick unless the amp can sustain those bias levels for a significant amount of time (like the Krell Sustained Plateau bias schemes), which STILL requires big power supplies and heat sinks (again like Krell KSA-S series and FPB series and probably there newest stuff too).
This Cambridge may be 120 watts but it will never, ever achieve that in Class A without meltdown. It is for sure AB or even B by that power. I would give it max 15 watts in Class A before it moves over to AB or B.
...but huge idle power consumption in a relatively low power amplifier is one indicator of Class A operation.
I have large 300wpc monoblocks each with 2000VA transformer an large heat sinks. They are Class AB and draw about 65-watts idle.
I have the Pass Labs X150.5. According to its specs, it idles at over 200 watts. Pass says its class A operation is up to 16 watts (at 8 ohms). Also, Pass says it take up to an hour of operation before it sounds its best.Because of the long warm up, I sometimes just listen to my Schiit Asgard 2 headphone amp rather than switch on the Pass amp. Incidentally the Asgard 2 is class A and runs very hot -- it consumes 30 watts continuously.
I love the music of ... ... Gustav Mahler
Edits: 07/25/14
Sounds about right. I had a Sphinx Project 14 that was drawing 240 watts at idle and was delivering just over 20 watts in Class A...180 watts total on tap.
My NAT is single ended 100 watts Class A and draws HUGE power (around 800 watts). It takes more than 2 hours before it sounds the best and the shift is not subtle. It goes from being damn good to OMG good. Practically hallucinogenic but you have to wait and wait and wait.
I think the wait is too long with some hot running Class A SS amps. It could be due to thermal mass and everything needing significant time to reach thermal equilibrium.
In fact, I believe hot running tube amps come up to optimal operating temperature - and sound - quicker than many solid-state amps.
I like an amp that needs maybe 10 minutes or so to be 95% there, and maybe another 20 minutes tops to be 100%.
"I think the wait is too long with some hot running Class A SS amps. It could be due to thermal mass and everything needing significant time to reach thermal equilibrium."
Absolutely! My Nak. Amp. takes a good hour to really settle but it's reasonable after twenty minutes. Thermal mass is indeed the culprit. Probably.... May be some capacitors too but most likely it's the bias point that's the main thing.
It's a stupid amplifier for me since I doubt that it ever hits 10W on the peaks but I like the clear mid-range and I need the low Zout. I do still have my Citation 12 that I built as a kit back-when and may work it over some day. Pass has a Mod. for them that replaces the bipolars with FETS of some nature but I bet that I can clean it up quite a bit by focusing on the lower-level stages.
It's tempting to bi-wire my speakers and run the woofers from SSPP (how's that for an acronym?) and the rest from an SE something as I tend to listen at rather low levels. But I wonder if getting the time-domain clean at crossover wouldn't be a problem. The folks using the fancy digital crossovers seem to have the right idea. Hmmm.
Rick
Much quicker in my experience. My Nat is like 140 lbs and it takes a long time to get full warmed up. The heat sinks get hot pretty fast but the rest just slowly builds up and then BLAM amazing sound.
My KR was singing optimally in about 20 minutes. My other current amp, the JJ 322 (parallel 300B SET) takes about 30 minutes and at first it doesn't sound very special at all. Then it opens up and clears up and the sound is pretty darn nice.
I was reading about your NAT as well as the KR 350i. I read from the NAT website as well as your review posted on the Asylum last yer.
"To avoid unnecessary heat from pure class A operation, Symbiosis Se use automatic adaptive bias - mean if the listening level is not so high then dissipation drop due to lower consumption of power."
In any case, do you know approximate MSRP in USD for these amps?
I don't know the US prices but the KR is 10,000 Euro and the NAT 11,500 Euro.
I know the NAT claims to be sliding bias but I don't see/feel any difference in the heat sinks...they just get damn hot after about 30 minutes regardless of what level of music is playing (or just idling).
It must run Class A all the time though because it is single ended. The four big heat sinks all have ONE transistor slapped on the bottom. The back two amplify the signal and the front two regulate the back two.
14k for the VA350i, which doesnt even have an active preamplifier component.
I believe prices rose 30% last year. There also are lots of questionable issues with this company over the years- see the 'gon thread.
Well, I owned 3 of them and they never had any serious issues and now two of my friends have ones and they love them.
I believe they are currently 10K euro here in Europe.
Nice amps but the pricing is almost 10x more than I want to drop on my 'office system'. ;-)
I'm not even remotely suggesting that the Sony is in the same league as the NAT but the similarity in design philosophy doesn't seem that far apart. The Sony also uses a form of 'sliding bias'. It's heat sinks appear to be the same temperature running idle as they do when playing music. And Sony also attempts to minimize the number of output transistors in it's push-pull output stage.
The power amp, meanwhile, uses a simple push-pull design, with a single pair of transistors driving the speaker: as Kingdon’s white paper explains it, ‘In many cases large output amps employ a power amp stage with multiple transistors to achieve high current output volume, but transistors do not perform identically and emitter resistance is used to stabilise transistor variations.
‘In this amp however, the power amp stage features only one pair of transistors and a design that eliminates variations in each channel at the source, enabling elimination of variation-controlling emitter resistance as well.’
The amplifier is also designed to change its bias according to the volume setting, with the result that most users – unless they’re total volume-level maniacs and/or have extremely hard-to-drive speakers – will find the Sony is actually working in Class A for most of their listening.
The idea is that this technique keeps the output devices working in their most linear range, but without excessive heat.
Abe,
Is there a thread where you describe the setup or software used to interface your Mac mini and your Ipad?
I am thinking about replacing my Windows laptop with a Mac mini using my ipad Air as controller/keyboard/monitor but was not sure how well this would work? Thanks.
I wasn't really suggesting one of them for your bedroom system. I might suggest something like the Pathos TT or Classic one though. Both are pretty darn nice sounding hybrid integrateds.
"'m not even remotely suggesting that the Sony is in the same league as the NAT but the similarity in design philosophy doesn't seem that far apart."
That is stretching it quite a lot don't you think? One is a single ended hybrid with no compromise (or almost no compromise) design and the other is pure SS, push pull and clearly built to a price point. One weighs 40 lbs the other 140...
The only two other amps I know of with something like the same design is the old Blue Circle Audio BC-2 and the curent Ypsilon monster monoblocks.
No one else besides these three companies I know of has ever made a single ended hybrid design.
Warm up times, exactly what my Class AB Prime Design A100 amp achieves, I found the Sony TA-1AES to sound very poor when I compared the two side by side. Most suprising is that the pre can not be separated from the power section. Although Abe (excellent photos) has mentioned the not so good bass I am suprised he does not hear the overall artificial sound ( probably due to the FET input) of the amp neither did the two main stream reviewers Words & Music & HFN & RR. This amplifier should not be purchased without first having an audition at Home which is easy to achieve with Sony's 30 Day money back trial offer.
Edits: 07/26/14 07/26/14 07/26/14 07/26/14 07/26/14
"... my Class AB Prime Design A100 amp achieves, I found the Sony TA-1AES to sound very poor when I compared the two side by side. "
Never heard of it. Can't find anything on it. What is a Prime Design A100? I'm not arguing that you like your amp better. I like my Rogue better than the Sony but that doesn't make the Sony a bad amp.
The Sony amp actually sounds very nice to me. No where did I say or describe the amp as having 'not so good bass'. Those are your words, not mine.
"Most suprising is that the pre can not be separated from the power section."
Why is that still 'most surprising' to you when the answer was presented to you when you asked in the comments section following the Words and Music online review? Besides, what does that have to do with how the amp sounds, and why would separating the pre from the power amp section be important to someone who intends to use the Sony strictly as an integrated amp? There are several integrated amps on the market that do not offer access to the pre and power amp sections separately.
"I am suprised he does not hear the overall artificial sound ( probably due to the FET input)" .
And there is consensus that FET inputs sound artificial? Tell that to all the owner's of world class high-end gear that use FET inputs. ;-)
It seems that yours were the only negative remarks about this amp in the comments section after a stellar online review by Words And Music. I saw your remarks there and only AFTER complaining about all it's alleged faults without actually experiencing them, did you decide to audition one. It appears that you didn't want the Sony to sound good.
I already bought the amp. I'm quite happy with it. I don't use 30 day trials knowing ahead of time that I will return the product.
Prime Design A100 is a 18 year old integrated amp with a pre that can be separated from the power section only 100 were manufactured due to manufacturer having problems including a bad review plus a stupid rush to get on to market before it was properly signed off. Mine has been extensively modified hence the excellent performance. I have previously posted part of the spec. 11O watts into 8 ohms, 200 wpc into 4 ohms ,damping factor 200 measured at 40Hz THD 0.005%, 500 VA transformer 80,000 mfd capacitance. Words & Music told me that the TA-1AES could still be used as a power amp despite having to use it via two line stages, the pre-out of the excellent Sony DA5400ES AVR (UK version). Being delighted with my Sony combo DA5400ES/XA5400ES the idea was to use a all Sony system but the new Sony amp was a big disappointment. My TL speakers full range Jordan drivers are not bi-wired so I can not use the Sony AVR in bi-amp mode, the A100 driving front speakers gives a better bass performance than the AVR. I was completely misled by the TA-1AES OTT reviews. I took the Sony amplifier for a second opinion to a loudspeaker designer that I know, he is also an audio electronics engineer and he completely agrees with me over the sound of this latest Sony amplifier. He is also the person who told me that FET inputs in power amps should not be used for lowest distortion especially at HF. Apologies if I miss read you re the bass issue but read it somewhere.
Edits: 07/26/14 07/26/14
The 'true Class A' amps that I have personally owned include the Krell KSA-50S, Pass Aleph 3, and Pass Aleph 30.
The KSA-50S had a stepped Class A system that Krell called Sustained Plateau Biasing. At high volume levels, it would draw 800-watts continuous, and when the volume level was reduced or signal removed, it would continue to draw 800-watts for a while until it stepped down to a lower demand level.
The Pass Aleph and Aleph 30 are 30wpc amps but they each drew over 200-watts just sitting there idle.
I'm all tubes today but I can see a time when I will want to put all that behind me. I think most of us ignore brands like Sony, but I used to have one of their traditional 2 channel receivers (model escapes me) that was quite nice sounding for my deck speakers.
I understand why many folks ignore mass market brands like Sony. They seem to come and go in the 'high-end' space which makes one wonder about their commitment to high quality audio over mass market appeal. I read somewhere that the Sony TA-A1ES is their first "ES" integrated amp in 14 years. I wouldn't know and haven't verified it.
I love tubes too having owned ARC, CJ, Manley, Cary, Rogue, but I recently tried the large SS Ampzilla 2000 2nd Edition monoblocks. They sound wonderful! Unfortunately, those will likely go up for sale soon as they are too large and overkill for my small office listening room. I used to have a dedicated large space in the basement before our recent move. I now have an unfinished basement that's being used for storage. I'll have to work on that someday and set up a listening room down there.
What was wrong with the Marantz?
Nothing really 'wrong' with the $999 USD Marantz PM-8003 but it didn't sound as good as the $2000 Sony or $2295 Rogue. I bought the Marantz a few years ago on closeout discount (almost 1/2 off) as they were coming out with the newer PM-8004. It was slated for use in my wife's reading / TV / music room, which was just a converted small spare bedroom.
Even though the Marantz has similar power output specs as the Sony, it sounded a little compressed or not as dynamic as the other amps, like it was struggling a little to drive my speakers. Yet my speakers are not difficult to drive. So much for Marantz HDAM "Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Module" technology, or maybe it was something else.
I suspect that 'high-end' Marantz amps might sound better. I liked the PM-8003's overall tone but it seemed to lack some detail and dynamics forcing me to turn UP it's volume as it left me wanting 'more'. The other amps just sounded pure, effortless, and open at any volume level.
On it's own the Marantz sounds good but I immediately heard it's limitations only when putting it up against the Rogue and Sony.
Abe-
your overview on Rogue gear is Right On!
This company is doing everything so well.
..your overview on Rogue gear is Right On!. This company is doing everything so well."
They make outstanding all vacuum tube gear but I wasn't a fan of their "hybrid Class D" Medusa amp that couples vacuum tubes to Hypex UcD modules.
I was really surprised when Rogue came out with a class D hybrid amp. The very concept is flawed from the beginning. This switching mode creates more problems than it helps. I think Rogue may have hurt their reputation a bit because of this. I have enjoyed some of their tube gear in the past. I think this is where there forte is and they should stick with it JMHO
The new ST-100 stereo amp is so great...and the M-180 monoblocs...I took them home for a week and was left completely unsatisfied with what I was previously thrilled with.
Edits: 07/24/14
I hear they're working on some new stuff for later this year, but no details yet. Rumor = solid state amp, not class d.
Come on Mark, spill the beans.
"The problem with quotes from the internet is that many of them just are just made up."
-Abraham Lincoln
Abe-
IME, class D stands for 'dicey'.
'Detailed'.
"The problem with quotes from the internet is that many of them just are just made up."
-Abraham Lincoln
I concur about the Sony, and that's a beautiful collection of gear. I'm also diggin the Van Halen and Billy Idol!
The FtTH and FtTH2 are the best examples of integrated amps. The BC1022 fits that description in a power amp.
Observe, before you think. Think before you open your yap. Act on the basis of experience.
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