Sony TA A1-ES impressions

I own both the Sony TA-A1ES and HAP-Z1ES for a year now. Thrilled constantly at the pairing. Amazes my visiting friends for that matter. I've said all along: if this was made by anyone but Sony it would be 2x or 3x the price. Putting the amp on Zu will tell you right quick what kind of amp it is. Sounds like a big meaty tube amp. I've had it on other speakers also; sounds best on the Zu. Minimal stuff in the path maybe. Does run warm btw.
 
Just added a laptop cooling pad to cool down my Sony TA-A1ES. It draws powered from Sony HAP-Z1ES USB port, runs quite, turns on & off by Sony HDD player, and it moves at least 70% the heat away from the heatsinks. Recommended /QUOTE]

Thanks for this tip; I just got the pad also, and keeps the top completely cool to the touch. I have the Sony server also, use that usb for auto on/off. Works great. The amp does indeed run warm, almost hot to the touch otherwise.
 
Upgrading my Sony SS-HA1 speakers to a pair of Spendor SP-100s. I'm using the Sony HAP-S1 now and will probably try it out on the Spendors when they arrive. At 35 wpc, it may work just fine as I'm in a small apartment, all concrete, tile, and glass and the Spendors are pretty sensitive at 90 dB and an easy 8 ohm load.

While I've long hankered for a big Sony integrated like the TA-FA777ES, the TA-A1ES looks like a great alternative. The older model has more inputs and flexibility plus a phono stage but I'd play most of my music off hi-res files in the HAP-S1 and off a tuner. The extra RATED power of the 777 is perhaps not noticeable here. Prices look comparable too.

Any thoughts, experiences, or recommendations?
 
I actually have been running this amp now for a little over a year, driving LS-50s now though it started with my B&W 683s. I put it up against competition at 2 and 3x the price and was very impressed by it. It way outshines the source I was using it with, so I'm in the process of upgrading my Kenwood KD-500 and eventually will be upgrading those LS50s, but I have no doubt I will be sticking with the Sony for a long time to come.
 
Couldn't find the big classic Spendor SP100s so got a pair of new Spendor A6Rs.

The TA-A1ES drives them quite nicely. I'm using the HAP-Z1ES balanced out to the amp's balanced input. A Sony ST-S3000ES tuner, a Pro-Ject TT, and a Pro-Ject Tube Box phono amp round out the rig for my bachelor pad. Sometimes I swap in a McIntosh MA-6200 integrated but it has wire clips for the speaker leads so that's a hassle.

I'm a Happy Camper!

DSC_1226.JPG
DSC_1149.JPG
 
I moved my Sony TA-A1ES into a smaller system with Monitor Audio S2 speakers. In the main room I'm using a Melos SHA-1 pre and a Sunfire Cinema Grand amp. I think both systems have greatly improved.
 
Have both the TA-A1ES and the Yamaha A-S2100 integrateds.

The Sony is slightly more refined, detailed and smooth than the Yamaha, albeit not noticeable unless you do a back-to-back comparison.
The Yamaha on the other hand is almost all of what Sony is while additionally it has a lot more power than the Sony & lower frequencies are stronger on the Yamaha.
I have to stress that I found the Sony to be quite underpowered as compared to the Yamaha - to give you some point of reference, keeping the same speaker, source and cables, I will have to crank up the Sony to about -35-30 dB (volume display reading) to get to the same spl as the Yamaha at say 11°clock position of the volume control. That's almost 70% of Sony to 40% of Yamaha's if that makes some sense. Speakers used for the comparison are the Dali Opticon 8s.

One other similarity b/w the Yamaha and the Sony I found is, both get equally warm/hot after about 30min of operation. I can understand the Sony is Class A and therefore runs hot, the Yamaha from what I gather is Class A/B yet it runs as hot as the Sony...I'm confident there's nothing wrong with the Yamaha as I did read quite a few reviews elsewhere that the A-S2100 do run hot, and there are not operational quibbles, so I just assumed that's how mosfet amplification works (the latest Yamaha A-S1100, 2100, 3000 are mosfet based amps)

Hence using the Sony as my bedroom system and paired it with Tannoy Mercury V4 (not an expensive pair of spkr, but I found the combo to be a nice match).

The Yamaha is paired to Dali Opticon 8 and, using a Marantz CDP 6004 as a source.

Bottomline - both are brilliant amps, I wouldn't trade one for the other!

Hope this helps...
 
Have both the TA-A1ES and the Yamaha A-S2100 integrateds.

The Sony is slightly more refined, detailed and smooth than the Yamaha, albeit not noticeable unless you do a back-to-back comparison.
The Yamaha on the other hand is almost all of what Sony is while additionally it has a lot more power than the Sony & lower frequencies are stronger on the Yamaha.
I have to stress that I found the Sony to be quite underpowered as compared to the Yamaha - to give you some point of reference, keeping the same speaker, source and cables, I will have to crank up the Sony to about -35-30 dB (volume display reading) to get to the same spl as the Yamaha at say 11°clock position of the volume control. That's almost 70% of Sony to 40% of Yamaha's if that makes some sense. Speakers used for the comparison are the Dali Opticon 8s.

One other similarity b/w the Yamaha and the Sony I found is, both get equally warm/hot after about 30min of operation. I can understand the Sony is Class A and therefore runs hot, the Yamaha from what I gather is Class A/B yet it runs as hot as the Sony...I'm confident there's nothing wrong with the Yamaha as I did read quite a few reviews elsewhere that the A-S2100 do run hot, and there are not operational quibbles, so I just assumed that's how mosfet amplification works (the latest Yamaha A-S1100, 2100, 3000 are mosfet based amps)

Hence using the Sony as my bedroom system and paired it with Tannoy Mercury V4 (not an expensive pair of spkr, but I found the combo to be a nice match).

The Yamaha is paired to Dali Opticon 8 and, using a Marantz CDP 6004 as a source.

Bottomline - both are brilliant amps, I wouldn't trade one for the other!

Hope this helps...

Thanks for the detailed reply. I asked because I recently bought an A-S1100 and expected it to be my end game amplifier (at least, for a few years). It was intended to be an upgrade over my Yamaha A-S500 which I was using with Spendor SP2/3s.

The A-S500 was smooth, powerful, and never caused fatigue. I've listened to the 1100 for about 20 hours now, and it sounds bright and fatiguing in comparison. It runs very hot with my speakers as well. I think you're correct in attributing that to the mosfets.

I'm glad to hear you find the Sony to be more refined. That's another gripe I have with the 1100, it seems to be high in distortion compared to my other amps. I've been told they take a long time to break-in, but I guess I'm impatient. I ordered one of the Sonys today, so I'll be able to compare them soon.
 
OK, I've not heard the Spendors before so can't comment on their sound signature. That being said I had the A-S500 before I upgraded to the A-S1000.

I found a similar harsh/overtly on the face/excessively forward sounding treble and mid-range when i paired the S1000 with the Tannoy.

After a fair bit of experimentation and changing some of the components in the chain I did realise that it's really not just the amp that's contributing to the sound signature, the cables (FWIW) I found did make a perceptible difference to the sound signature - both the speaker cables and the interconnects. I was using some basic spkr cables purchased of amazon with some Nakamichi banana plugs and my interconnect was the Philips PXT1000 cables.

I changed them to the Cardas spkr cables & Xindak interconnects and I must say they made a noticeable difference. I did not find the sound to be harsh anymore, it was a lot more detailed and good balance of all frequencies. I then upgraded to the A-S2100 and I find the mosfet sound even more mellow and smooth.

I guess you're after that warm and glowing sound and am sure you will like the Sony's sound, but I think you should look at the other links in your chain. There's more of goodness to be unleashed if you get that link right...

Just my experience...hope it works out well in the end for you....
 
OK, I've not heard the Spendors before so can't comment on their sound signature. That being said I had the A-S500 before I upgraded to the A-S1000.

I found a similar harsh/overtly on the face/excessively forward sounding treble and mid-range when i paired the S1000 with the Tannoy.

After a fair bit of experimentation and changing some of the components in the chain I did realise that it's really not just the amp that's contributing to the sound signature, the cables (FWIW) I found did make a perceptible difference to the sound signature - both the speaker cables and the interconnects. I was using some basic spkr cables purchased of amazon with some Nakamichi banana plugs and my interconnect was the Philips PXT1000 cables.

I changed them to the Cardas spkr cables & Xindak interconnects and I must say they made a noticeable difference. I did not find the sound to be harsh anymore, it was a lot more detailed and good balance of all frequencies. I then upgraded to the A-S2100 and I find the mosfet sound even more mellow and smooth.

I guess you're after that warm and glowing sound and am sure you will like the Sony's sound, but I think you should look at the other links in your chain. There's more of goodness to be unleashed if you get that link right...

Just my experience...hope it works out well in the end for you....

Thanks. If the Sony doesn't work out, I'll just live with the A-S500, it pairs well with my speakers.
 
Did you get the Sony yet? Spent some time with it? What do you think?

I did listen to the Sony for a couple days. I'd say your description of the amp is accurate, though I do prefer the A-S1100. This is partly due to the progression of break-in with the Yamaha. It's grain and brightness have almost completely diminished. The Sony is a bit smoother but a bit boring compared to the 1100. It also runs out of steam quickly with my speakers. <20 on the volume indicator was producing only 87 db peaks. I do however really like those binding posts!

Tonally, the Sony reminds me of the Parasound Halo, very neutral but a bit uninspiring. Now that I have the Yamaha mated to a tube DAC, it is convincingly similar to a tube amp.
 
Have both the TA-A1ES and the Yamaha A-S2100 integrateds.

The Sony is slightly more refined, detailed and smooth than the Yamaha, albeit not noticeable unless you do a back-to-back comparison.
The Yamaha on the other hand is almost all of what Sony is while additionally it has a lot more power than the Sony & lower frequencies are stronger on the Yamaha.
I have to stress that I found the Sony to be quite underpowered as compared to the Yamaha - to give you some point of reference, keeping the same speaker, source and cables, I will have to crank up the Sony to about -35-30 dB (volume display reading) to get to the same spl as the Yamaha at say 11°clock position of the volume control. That's almost 70% of Sony to 40% of Yamaha's if that makes some sense. Speakers used for the comparison are the Dali Opticon 8s.

One other similarity b/w the Yamaha and the Sony I found is, both get equally warm/hot after about 30min of operation. I can understand the Sony is Class A and therefore runs hot, the Yamaha from what I gather is Class A/B yet it runs as hot as the Sony...I'm confident there's nothing wrong with the Yamaha as I did read quite a few reviews elsewhere that the A-S2100 do run hot, and there are not operational quibbles, so I just assumed that's how mosfet amplification works (the latest Yamaha A-S1100, 2100, 3000 are mosfet based amps)

Hence using the Sony as my bedroom system and paired it with Tannoy Mercury V4 (not an expensive pair of spkr, but I found the combo to be a nice match).

The Yamaha is paired to Dali Opticon 8 and, using a Marantz CDP 6004 as a source.

Bottomline - both are brilliant amps, I wouldn't trade one for the other!

Hope this helps...

How well did the Sony run the Opticon 8's? I have the TA-A1ES and would like to buy the Dali Opticon 8's for it, however, am a little unsure. I have read mixed reviews for this amplifier. Some (like the what hi fi review) say it is fine and muscular where as others say it runs out of steam quickly. The confusing part is I have heard both good and bad comments about using this amplifier with the LS50's as well. So I wanted to ask if you would recommend the Opticon 8s for the Sony in my situation?
 
Coincidentally the dealer where I bought my Sony also carries Dali. The Opticon series is IMO among the best speakers I’ve ever heard but I don’t think the Sony integrated is enough for them. I tried mine with my signature speakers which are very similar in size and Sonics to the Dali line and while pleasing the pairing lacked any sense of authority and presence.

I moved the Sony to a smaller room with a pair of Monitor Audio two ways and it’s perfect.
 
My experience with the Sony was that it's great for high sensitivity speakers played at moderate volumes. It's a great amp in that context.
 
My experience with the Sony was that it's great for high sensitivity speakers played at moderate volumes. It's a great amp in that context.
Ahhh I really want to get a set of floor standing speakers for the Sony. Are there any which you feel would suit it?
 
I own both the Sony TA-A1ES and HAP-Z1ES for a year now. Thrilled constantly at the pairing. Amazes my visiting friends for that matter. I've said all along: if this was made by anyone but Sony it would be 2x or 3x the price. Putting the amp on Zu will tell you right quick what kind of amp it is. Sounds like a big meaty tube amp. I've had it on other speakers also; sounds best on the Zu. Minimal stuff in the path maybe. Does run warm btw.

Is this amplifier going to hurt my electricity bill if i bought it? How does it do on power consumption?
 
Back
Top Bottom