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A rare Sony ESPRIT trio

Stoffie

Stoffie

Sony afficionado
Figured I'd give this a try as a seperate post, instead of posting in the Show us your Sony's thread, since nobody ever seems to look in there anymore.

Gotta share these rare beauties with the world, and those who think Sony only ever made crap. Forgive me for being so blunt :D

Thanks to our member y.e. (Yves), who now lives here in Gent with me, I have seen a boy's dream fullfill itself. I already had the monoblocks of the series, but finding the pre is a feat in itself. Now that my TA-E88B (its predecessor) is out for servicing with my tech, Yves was so kind to offer me to take his pre, for the time mine is away. For which I owe him eternal gratitude!!! THANKS Yves!

Took the time to take some pictures of the set, I think they look stunning.

Then quickly proceeded to introduce the pre into my current setup. All I can say is... wow...

Everything is more open, silent, instruments sound more real. It makes me want to just sit here and listen all day. Unfortunately I gotta go to work soon.

More reports when I've had the time to listen more. :music:

Here's the links to the pre and mono's:
http://www.thevintageknob.org/SONY/sonyesprit/TAE900/TAE900.html
http://www.thevintageknob.org/SONY/sonyesprit/TAN900/TAN900.html

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Wonder how it will compare to my own pre after its overhaul. It was in dire need of a full recap and checkup, being 30yrs old. :yes:
 
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Gorgeous, and then some. The E88B is no longer a well kept secret, unfortunately. They tend to go for big bucks on eBay when they turn up, which is seldom.

Thanks for the pics.
 
Thanks! Guess I should throw in the APM-77's for a totally awesome view :)

I agree on the prices. They have been steadily going up the last couple of years. I've been relatively lucky getting most of my ESPRIT and pre-ESPRIT gear at reasonable prices.

The search continues to find a TA-E900 for myself at a reasonable price...
 
Glad you guys like it :) Gotta spread the Sony love every now and then ey ;) Many people are not aware Sony even made this top notch stuff.

Pre + 2 mono's would have set you back about $5900 in 1981 or so. According to the inflation calculator that's 14666 of today's dollars...:screwy::D
 
They are absolutely gorgeous :yes::drool:, and that pre is RARE (unlike the 88 and the 86 you can find a lot of in Europe). I never heard the sound of the esprit - is it as meticulous as its look?
 
They sound great. The mono's are a bit more clinical than my TA-N7B VFET poweramp, but they still need an overhaul.

The pre, at least what I've heard of it this morning, sounds great. More later when I've had the chance to do some thorough listening :yes:
 
I was impressed and excited to see the first few pictures, but then when I saw the lowest portion of your rack... :drool:

What a collection. Not many people can say they have listened to such interesting Sony pieces.

:thmbsp:
 
Thanks for the compliment. Trying for the best collection in Belgium ;)

Save a TA-E86B (which I sold to be able to afford the TA-E88B) and TA-D88 I now have all the other pre-ESPRIT pieces. When I have my other pieces back from my tech, I'll be doing some 'group pics' :D

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A SE-P900 parametric ESPRIT equaliser will also be mine somewhere around August.
 
Stoffie, beautiful components! And not all of Sony's stuff is crap!

Actually, a few mass market manufacturers have a premium line....among them:

Onkyo "Integra"

Sony "Esprit" (now ES)

Pioneer "Elite"
 
Wow, that is really nice! I'd love to be able to track down some good vintage Sony equipment!
 
bordeno said:
Gorgeous, and then some. The E88B is no longer a well kept secret, unfortunately. They tend to go for big bucks on eBay when they turn up, which is seldom.

Thanks for the pics.
Click to expand...

The prices in general for the desired ES units have risen sharply. Tried to get a power amp recently but the bidding became too rich for me.

This is a beautiful collection.
 
Stoffie!

Nice collection of Sony there. Thanks for sharing the pix. As others have said, the mojor japanese electronics firms can and have made some great stuff. I'd love to find a rack of ESPRIT series Sony to try. :yes:

Enjoy those rarre pieces~!

Best,

Paul :thmbsp:
 
As a Sony 1990-1994 "lover" myself, I must say beautiful stuff! Gotta love that CDP-X777ES too! :music:
 
Yeah, they didn't market their audio equipment much because they didn't have to. Their bread and butter was TVs as it is today - and Walkmen. But they still created some of the best equipment out there. Brands like Pioneer and Sansui advertised and sold a ton, but Sony's stuff was just as good IMO. And often better, consider sleepers such as the STR-7065, ST-4950 and PS-X7.....fantastic equipment.
 
And soon a second CDP-X777ES, as good as NOS, will be mine.

Bordeno: don't forget the great VFET lineup, great amps if you treat them well!
 
Thanks for posting your gear. I would never know about any of the cool Sony gear if you didn't. Thanks.

:thmbsp:
 
Beauitiful gear Kristoff,Thanks for the photo's!
I think most of the people over here that own esprit gear
dont part with it.
When/If I do see it,It commands a big pocket book
(Lucky dog you)
 
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