SONY TA N7B COMPARED TO TA N90ES

sony fan

New Member
Hello everyone. Pretty new here and a collector of Sony for a few years now.

I have been trying for some time now to get some insight on how these two Sony amps would compare since they I have been offered to get both and trying hard to make a decision. I have read older conversation were the N90 ES has been praised enough but never found a real detailed experience from an owner and how this amp could compare to a v-fet. It seems that on many occasion it has been an issue with the N90ES driving hard speaker loads but I don't have such speakers so im wondering just how good it really is. The TA N7B has also been known for not being too high current and finding difficult to drive complicated loads. It would be really enlightening if anyone could really compare these amps based on listening experience. Especially bearing in mind the fact that im running Sony TA E88 as a pre amp. Thank you!
 
Both of those Sony amps are to die for. MOSFET vs V-fet so hard to say? What speakers are your using? By the way that TA E88 is one hell of a fine preamplifier (and very, very rare)! It may match better with the TA N7B?
 
Hello everyone. Pretty new here and a collector of Sony for a few years now.
I have been trying for some time now to get some insight on how these two Sony amps would compare since they I have been offered to get both and trying hard to make a decision. I have read older conversation were the N90 ES has been praised enough but never found a real detailed experience from an owner and how this amp could compare to a v-fet. It seems that on many occasion it has been an issue with the N90ES driving hard speaker loads but I don't have such speakers so im wondering just how good it really is. The TA N7B has also been known for not being too high current and finding difficult to drive complicated loads. It would be really enlightening if anyone could really compare these amps based on listening experience. Especially bearing in mind the fact that im running Sony TA E88 as a pre amp. Thank you!

No V-fet amp, Sony or otherwise, is happy with dips below 4ohm.
That said, what speakers are you planning to drIve? Out of the 9XX series, I was told that the 902 is the one to have. I do not have any...
I am not sure the 9xx ampls like dips below 4ohms either. If you have speakers that hungry, look for Sony NRs, Yamaha MX-1k, some of the Yamaha pro series, the 101M, Accuphase...that is if you want to stay Japanese.
 
Im jealous you have that pre-amp. Its probably the most incredible pre I have ever seen. Be careful with it as its common for them to lose FETs, rendering one channel useless. I dont think spares are easy to come by.

VFET all the way man.
 
The TA 88 I own is in top form and even caps are still in good condition. Im currently using the TA F80 which beats almost every other integrated amp I have ever listened to. I have researched the Sony TA N7B as no other amp and have been obsessing with it for years but I had read a thread years ago where Mirko Essling was quoting the TA N90ES as an amp that shares genes with the legendary V-Fet amp. The only Vfets I have listened to are the Yamahas and they were pretty stellar. The only reason I was thinking to go for the Mos Fet TA 90ES is to save me from maintenance. Btw speakers im using are the Sony SS A5s La voce. Had a pair of APM 77 before but got really infatuated with the upper section of the Voce and never went back.
 
No V-fet amp, Sony or otherwise, is happy with dips below 4ohm.
That said, what speakers are you planning to drIve? Out of the 9XX series, I was told that the 902 is the one to have. I do not have any...
I am not sure the 9xx ampls like dips below 4ohms either. If you have speakers that hungry, look for Sony NRs, Yamaha MX-1k, some of the Yamaha pro series, the 101M, Accuphase...that is if you want to stay Japanese.

Lost an auction on the N902 esprit a while ago.. The price was good.. Still can't get over it!
 
Both of those Sony amps are to die for. MOSFET vs V-fet so hard to say? What speakers are your using? By the way that TA E88 is one hell of a fine preamplifier (and very, very rare)! It may match better with the TA N7B?

That's the question. And no one I know so far has a good listening report to share on the TA-90 ES! It's true it may match better with the n7b (they were a match made in heaven) but curious how the mos fet beast would compete!
 
Btw speakers im using are the Sony SS A5s La voce. Had a pair of APM 77 before but got really infatuated with the upper section of the Voce and never went back.

Well I have some fellow Sony collector buddies that love that SS-A5 speakers as much as you do; but I'll stick with my APM-77 sets for the next millennium, using a former SS-A3 set to light up the fireplace :)
Ok, the SS-A3 are one or two steps below the SS-A5, but the SS-A5 still give me listening fatigue after 20 minutes. There is some phase difference between the drivers in the cross over zone that annoys my ears.
I am surprised to hear your remark to let off the 77; which was probably due to the oxidising surfaces in the rheostat attenuators for the mediums and tweeters....
Sony (or the manufacturer Alps) did put some lubricant into them that turns sour over time...
The rheostats themselves are no "innocent" items themselves (quite inductive); simply bypassing them removes their influence completely (who on this planet ever used them???)

The SS-A5 are very very bad loads; going inductive and capacitive all over the frequency range.
It takes a very solid amplifier to drive those units adequately.
And the N7B simply isn't capable to do that much (but it is capable of producing very detailed, gentle and spatial sound as few other amps can do)

As for comparing VFETs with MOSFETs..... they are two completely different technologies, each having their own specific pros and cons.
So, simply keep all technologies in the house and rotate equipment every few months.
Keeps you appreciating all of them :)

I have the TA-N902 as well, and it is a wonderful power house (but they can have some aging issues in the auto bias section)
How it compares with the N7B.....pffff.... how to compare a Mercedes SUV with a Bentley ?
The 902 blows a lot of effortless power into sinkhole speakers, no problem, sounding natural with good body
The N7B is incomparable in sound beauty.

PS: good to hear your appreciation on the F80; I got a mint one somewhere, never fired it up until a safety recap is done.
 
Well I have some fellow Sony collector buddies that love that SS-A5 speakers as much as you do; but I'll stick with my APM-77 sets for the next millennium, using a former SS-A3 set to light up the fireplace :)
Ok, the SS-A3 are one or two steps below the SS-A5, but the SS-A5 still give me listening fatigue after 20 minutes. There is some phase difference between the drivers in the cross over zone that annoys my ears.
I am surprised to hear your remark to let off the 77; which was probably due to the oxidising surfaces in the rheostat attenuators for the mediums and tweeters....
Sony (or the manufacturer Alps) did put some lubricant into them that turns sour over time...
The rheostats themselves are no "innocent" items themselves (quite inductive); simply bypassing them removes their influence completely (who on this planet ever used them???)

The SS-A5 are very very bad loads; going inductive and capacitive all over the frequency range.
It takes a very solid amplifier to drive those units adequately.
And the N7B simply isn't capable to do that much (but it is capable of producing very detailed, gentle and spatial sound as few other amps can do)

As for comparing VFETs with MOSFETs..... they are two completely different technologies, each having their own specific pros and cons.
So, simply keep all technologies in the house and rotate equipment every few months.
Keeps you appreciating all of them :)

I have the TA-N902 as well, and it is a wonderful power house (but they can have some aging issues in the auto bias section)
How it compares with the N7B.....pffff.... how to compare a Mercedes SUV with a Bentley ?
The 902 blows a lot of effortless power into sinkhole speakers, no problem, sounding natural with good body
The N7B is incomparable in sound beauty.

PS: good to hear your appreciation on the F80; I got a mint one somewhere, never fired it up until a safety recap is done.

I have kept the apm33w since the 77s were huge for my set up. I have been powering up the SS-A5 with the TA F80 es for a while now and I would describe the sound as pure bliss. Many people don't like the voce speaker. The frequency range is quite narrow but for me the subtle highs through the biocellulose tweeter are just magic. Never listened to cymbals sounding so real before. And on the contrary to your comment about them sounding too fatigue I find them really good for listening to music for hours. I kinda miss the bass response of the 77s though. The 33 small version is also an amazing speaker even if it's missing the full scale piston woofer with four coils.

The 902 has some issues with oscillation that can be easily addressed.

Im wondering my self if I will take my chances with a N7 or a N90 es with the Voce's 6 ohm load and complicated ups and downs. I have the TA E88b sitting to waste on my self so need to power it up! I know many people will not believe it but its hard to beat the Sony TA F80 in any field so my next set up has to be really good.

Perhaps I will just wait for a reasonably priced technics SE-A100 !

Thanks for your great and detailed response!
 
The go a little further on the APM-33: they used different filters in the Japanese domestic version.
They really tuned the export versions to different hearing characteristics/preferences (there once was an article in ES review magazine about it).
Since I have both the JDM and export version, and replicated both their filters with very decent modern parts, the difference is huge between the two filters.
The JDM version is much more spatial, the sound really wide outside the speaker, as where the export version is very tight and strong in the lows, but loosing out much spatial sound (more "boxed")


Since my 77 and 55 sets are all from Japan (I lived there for a few years), it might very well be possible that those filters are different as well compared to the export filters.
My 55 and 77 sets sounds really fabulous; perhaps you didn't like the 77 that much due to different filtering.
I still have to open them up to compare those filters with the (export) service manuals and to see if they differ.
 
The go a little further on the APM-33: they used different filters in the Japanese domestic version.
They really tuned the export versions to different hearing characteristics/preferences (there once was an article in ES review magazine about it).
Since I have both the JDM and export version, and replicated both their filters with very decent modern parts, the difference is huge between the two filters.
The JDM version is much more spatial, the sound really wide outside the speaker, as where the export version is very tight and strong in the lows, but loosing out much spatial sound (more "boxed")


Since my 77 and 55 sets are all from Japan (I lived there for a few years), it might very well be possible that those filters are different as well compared to the export filters.
My 55 and 77 sets sounds really fabulous; perhaps you didn't like the 77 that much due to different filtering.
I still have to open them up to compare those filters with the (export) service manuals and to see if they differ.

never said I did not like the 77! Just had an obsession to buy the SS-A5 and ended up with a pair after a really import from japan. I was quite taken in by them. Their sound grew on me. I believe the TA-F80 brings our the best in them.

In any case I will put the 33s on my system again to try how they sound now some day!
 
Anyone that has actually listened to a TA-N90Es can shed some light on this thread? Any help appreciated! Im really leaning to it's favour since Vfet repairs and maintenance is a tough job to pull off!
 
The 902 has some issues with oscillation that can be easily addressed. Im wondering my self if I will take my chances with a N7 or a N90 es with the Voce's 6 ohm load and complicated ups and downsQUOTE said:
What oscillation issues are you referring to? My rebuilt N7B has driven 6ohm loads for hours at loud, I mean impressive pressure levels withoiut any fatigue, or issue at all. N7B no problems..
 
Not talking from personal expperiece since I never had the ta n902. There was a thread on the the vintage knob.

Since you mentioned the ohm load subject again I really don't get the fact that so many people claim it's tough for the TA-NB to drive loads under 8 ohms where clearly from your experience and others' that's not the case!
And also many claim it's an issue for the TA N90ES! In any case thanks for sharing your experience with this!
 
Anyone than can really share some insight on how those two amps (ta-n90es and Ta-N7) would compare soundwise? They share a lot of similarities in specifications, use similar output (vfet, mosfet offer linearity).
 
Anecdotally -- I think its a general misconception that some folks think that vfets, or amps with vfet power output devices, should not been driving loads under 8ohm. I have read this in comments by people on other forums over the years. I don't know where this notion arised, or from where it may be documented or tested. I can only speak from my own experience in owning a number of vfet amps, and I have driven speakers down to 4ohms without any issues. The Yamaha B-2 sounding very nice driving a set of locally made Krix speakers at 4 ohms, for hours on end, without raising a sweat...
 
Anecdotally -- I think its a general misconception that some folks think that vfets, or amps with vfet power output devices, should not been driving loads under 8ohm. I have read this in comments by people on other forums over the years. I don't know where this notion arised, or from where it may be documented or tested. I can only speak from my own experience in owning a number of vfet amps, and I have driven speakers down to 4ohms without any issues. The Yamaha B-2 sounding very nice driving a set of locally made Krix speakers at 4 ohms, for hours on end, without raising a sweat...

I have been wondering where people get this idea from honestly. I have listened to V-Fet amps driving ''difficult speakers'' without raising a sweat as you said. Im glad someone shares his experience about that clears that out!
 
Well I have some fellow Sony collector buddies that love that SS-A5 speakers as much as you do; but I'll stick with my APM-77 sets for the next millennium, using a former SS-A3 set to light up the fireplace :)
Ok, the SS-A3 are one or two steps below the SS-A5, but the SS-A5 still give me listening fatigue after 20 minutes. There is some phase difference between the drivers in the cross over zone that annoys my ears.
I am surprised to hear your remark to let off the 77; which was probably due to the oxidising surfaces in the rheostat attenuators for the mediums and tweeters....
Sony (or the manufacturer Alps) did put some lubricant into them that turns sour over time...
The rheostats themselves are no "innocent" items themselves (quite inductive); simply bypassing them removes their influence completely (who on this planet ever used them???)

The SS-A5 are very very bad loads; going inductive and capacitive all over the frequency range.
It takes a very solid amplifier to drive those units adequately.
And the N7B simply isn't capable to do that much (but it is capable of producing very detailed, gentle and spatial sound as few other amps can do)

As for comparing VFETs with MOSFETs..... they are two completely different technologies, each having their own specific pros and cons.
So, simply keep all technologies in the house and rotate equipment every few months.
Keeps you appreciating all of them :)

I have the TA-N902 as well, and it is a wonderful power house (but they can have some aging issues in the auto bias section)
How it compares with the N7B.....pffff.... how to compare a Mercedes SUV with a Bentley ?
The 902 blows a lot of effortless power into sinkhole speakers, no problem, sounding natural with good body
The N7B is incomparable in sound beauty.

PS: good to hear your appreciation on the F80; I got a mint one somewhere, never fired it up until a safety recap is done.


I ended up buying a minty TA-N90 ES in the end. I gave up on the TA N7 since the guy would not ship from the UK and also I don't want to end up with an amp that is not repairable if anything goes wrong. I hope the N90 is as good as everyone says it is and a good match for my TA E88 pre!
 
Anyone than can really share some insight on how those two amps (ta-n90es and Ta-N7) would compare soundwise? They share a lot of similarities in specifications, use similar output (vfet, mosfet offer linearity).

I think there is few response as there is 30 years between the amps, and many gear owners tend to collect in a certain era.
I certainly would like to try out the N90ES, but simply will not purchase one as a vintage lover (being well served).
Happy to hear your impressions later :)
 
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