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Cool Thrift Find - ES series Sony Receiver

corbin

corbin

Well-Known Member
An STR-GX49ES, to be exact. A Sony ES model from the 80s has been on my "to try" list for a while, and as luck would have it, this one was at my local thrift store with a $30 sticker on it. Sure it isn't TOTL, and it isn't silverfaced, but hey, it's something different from the usual microwaves and cheap LCDs. The remote was included but dang it - it doesn't work! Oh well. (nevermind, it just started working!) Brought it home, cleaned it up, and took a few pictures:

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Interior:

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Transistors (Sanken) coupled to heatsink (with rather sloppily applied thermal paste):

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Transformer (if I put my ear to it I can hear it humming... is that bad?):

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Mini transformer? Dunno what this is:

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As I mentioned, I've been wondering for a while what these semi-vintage, pre-AV, pre-digital higher end receivers from Sony, Onkyo, Nakamichi, etc. sound like, and if they have anything to offer above my longtime favorite (and 25 years older) STR-6060F. It seems plausible that 25 years of progress from early transistor technology would translate to superior sonics, and that these relatively cheap 80s units are giant killers, still undiscovered due to their visual association with BPC.

It sounds good! Seemingly very neutral, with plenty of power. This thing can rock a lot harder than the cap coupled 45wpc STR-6060F, sounds great cranking the volume on music with synth bass, rock, etc. That said, I prefer the STR-6060F for listening at sane volumes. It seems to retrieve more detail at low volume, whereas the GX49ES needs some volume to open up. The STR-6060F has this lush, rich presentation that to my ear sounds much more compelling. GX49ES sounds somewhat flat by comparison. Don't get me wrong, it sounds good - clean, but somewhat sterile in comparison, I suppose like the IC filled, tons of negative feedback, 80s solid state amp that it is.

I have a Nakamichi SR-3A on the way, which even though it's from the same era, may sound totally different since its amp section is the Nelson Pass STASIS design, minimal negative feedback, lots of bias current. Very different from most 80s/90s amps. Will be interesting to see.
 

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Congrats! I have owned several ES series receivers over the years and they have always been solid performers!
 
Nice. Those aren't STK modules. They are SanKen transistors. Much easier to find replacement parts for if the time ever comes.
 
Your story reminded me of a small town thrift store I visited. It had just opened for the day. In the middle of the floor was a large ES receiver with a drop down front panel. I assumed someone had just dropped it off.

The night before it poured with rain and the sole person attending the store was preoccupied with roof leaks from rain the night before.

Anticipating a low price, I asked how much but the question ignored - said she was too busy with the water leaks.

So away I went.
 
Transformer hum is annoying but not a show stopper. You could get lucky and tighten down the screws. The smaller second transformer is to keep the station presets. That means no super capacitor that sometimes goes bad and leaks.
 
Well you got the remote.. 20-25 to buy one? so you got the amp for 5$.
couln't find sm but the 47-es is the same layout. https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/sony/str-gx47es.shtml
These units have 'fusistors' that need replacing.
I have the 67es free as a butchered up freebee, no remote, vol. knob gone. assh*** put in reg. carbon over the fusistors
messed up output traces.. debating for a couple years to fix it :D
 
I have one too. Used to belong to my father-in-law. It's the heart of my secondary system. I love it. I only wish it had a mono button.
 
redk9258 said:
Nice. Those aren't STK modules. They are SanKen transistors. Much easier to find replacement parts for if the time ever comes.
Click to expand...

Ah, I just saw that they weren't the UFO transistors I'm used to seeing and assumed they were STK. I've changed the OP... don't want to confuse any newbies.

62vauxhall said:
Your story reminded me of a small town thrift store I visited. It had just opened for the day. In the middle of the floor was a large ES receiver with a drop down front panel. I assumed someone had just dropped it off.

The night before it poured with rain and the sole person attending the store was preoccupied with roof leaks from rain the night before.

Anticipating a low price, I asked how much but the question ignored - said she was too busy with the water leaks.

So away I went.
Click to expand...

Heh, this receiver was similarly in the middle of the store, on a piece of furniture away from the rest of the electronics. On the electronics shelf was one of those terrible "Bass Reflex Xtreme 5000" systems you see at Walmart, tuned to a local radio station and with a "Not for sale" sign on it. A good sign I suppose since it would seem the value of real stereo equipment has not yet filtered through to this particular store.

Also had some Technics speakers. They were big 3-ways with vinyl wood cabinets, they seemed pretty light and cheap so I didn't bother. Maybe if they're still available next time I go I'll pick them up.


Binkman said:
Well you got the remote.. 20-25 to buy one? so you got the amp for 5$.
couln't find sm but the 47-es is the same layout. https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/sony/str-gx47es.shtml
These units have 'fusistors' that need replacing.
I have the 67es free as a butchered up freebee, no remote, vol. knob gone. assh*** put in reg. carbon over the fusistors
messed up output traces.. debating for a couple years to fix it :D
Click to expand...

THANK YOU so much for the link to the manual. There is very little information online about this receiver, I'm surprised since it is an ES. At least now I'll be able to check bias.
 
A few more observations:

-the tone controls, bass in particular, have a subtle effect. I almost have to max it out to detect any difference. This is with either set of speakers (EPI 70 and BA A150).
-same goes for the 'Source Direct' mode and loudness. There is a difference, but it isn't very noticeable.
-speaker terminals in back are huge and some of the easiest I've used. I'm using bare wire but looks like they will accept banana plugs as well.
-tuner isn't on the same level as the 70s receivers I've used.
-the remote is a nice feature
 
Hey... on the Bias... that's the 47es Manual not the 49es.. so check first and hopefully compare lowest readings as is if adjustment is required. Those VR's are pretty cheap. I'd give it some low vol. playing time if good.
--I'd assure that any pcb chassis ground screws are good and tighten the asm. screws.
--Might compare the outputs to some pn that might give a bit of kick if you want it.
--If soldering.. be fast as these traces are pretty thin.
--try a good dipole for reception.
No question the ES stuff is pretty good sound but like many sony sm's can be error prone.
 
So I was able to set the bias to the proper setting of 3.5mV (which was printed on the board so no confusion), it was around 6.0mV when it came in. It seems to run cooler. Sounds great.

Thanks for the info on the reliability checks. At this point I think I'll leave it alone since it isn't a keeper for me. It was quite clean inside and judging based on the case screws I think I may have been the first person to take the lid off.
 
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Your welcome. Other sites include electrotania.com. VinylEngine.com. HiFiEngine.com. Vintageshifi.com.
 
Was it made in Japan? I have several 80s remote control receivers, some of them are pretty good for what I like. I have a few ES CD players, would fit that just right, I guess I should look for something like that.
 
Yep, Made in Japan. From around 1991 or so.

Last night during 4th of July while hanging out with my dog I got the chance to do some more listening with the GX49ES. As far as my dog is concerned, when fireworks are going off in the neighborhood, WWIII might as well have broken out right outside the front door. He tends to get anxious when this happens, so I had some classical music playing pretty loud from my BA A150s to mask the sound of the fireworks and calm him down, apparently it worked because he fell asleep with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture blaring in the background (if only I could sleep so easily!)

Playing large-scale orchestral music, my earlier impressions of the GX49ES's ability to play louder on bass-heavy and complex music were confirmed. This makes sense considering the DC coupled output, more robust power supply, and high power output compared to my STR-6060F (45wpc vs 60wpc). Bass drum kicks have a lot of impact through the GX49ES, the STR-6060F sounds 'soft' by comparison. All this is not to say that I prefer the GX49ES. It definitely sounds flat and somewhat lifeless in comparison to the STR-6060F, which was TOTL in ~1968 and has been favorably compared to the best vintage tube receivers for its depth and lushness. So for anything other than pure SPLs and sheer impact, I prefer the earlier Sony. I also played with the "Source Direct" function on the GX49ES, and although the difference was very subtle, there MIGHT be a touch better 'timing' and less smearing with it engaged and the tone controls bypassed. Makes me wish all my gear had such a function.

Ideally, my system would have both the lively, lush quality and the effortless headroom, high impact sound. Of course it is possible to have both qualities in one amplifier, but I suspect that they have names like Accuphase and McIntosh and cost plenty of money. Accuphase made some interesting MOSFET integrated amps in the 80s (E203-E206 series) which sell for bargain prices today, I wonder if one of those would fit the bill.

The Nakamichi SR-3A is the dark horse in this little comparison. It has a reputation for sounding high end, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it compares to both. It should arrive next week!
 
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To summarize, compared to my STR-6060F, the GX49ES is considerably less involving and musical. It may be a bit warmer? The music seems to stay confined to a foot in front of the speakers, the STR-6060F projects it into the room, with a sort of layering effect.
 
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