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Sony SS-TL5. Hot DAMN these are good!

lattiboy

lattiboy

Well-Known Member
So, I've been kind of bummed since I sold my Wilson Watt/Puppy 5s a few months back. I never really thought about keeping them as I couldn't really justify a $4,000 pair of garage speakers (or the kind of gear needed to really take advantage of them). Alas, a kind AKer took them off my hands and now they have a proper listening space in California.

I say this only to preface the following sentence: The Sony SS-TL5 are the best speakers I've ever heard in my life besides those Wilson's.

I had heard some rumblings about them here and elsewhere and kind of assumed it was rarity substituting for quality which is so common in this hobby. When a pair popped up about 45 minutes North of me for not much money, I jumped. This, of course, was the day of a VERY large protest in Seattle that started just after I had secured the speakers. What should've been a 90 minute round trip turned into a snarling 3 hour disaster. "These f'ing things better be worth it!" I yelled at nobody in particular having not moved from the stop light for 15 minutes.

So, yeah, not a great start.

Finally got home, hooked them up and did some testing. Damnit! I hear a rattle, must be a woofer. Nope, the bass was so clean and powerful that a metal sign above a shelf was rattling.

Moved them around a touch, read up on them, and am currently wasting most of a Saturday laying in my garage listening to music. Just amazing. They're great for everything. I keep trying to find something that they don't just nail and I'm becoming convinced it doesn't exist.

They look pretty okay too! THICK Oak veneer. Nice, built in platform, built like goddamn tanks.

These will be it for a while. I'm not doing as much selling and I'm pretty positive I'm not going to find anything this good for 20x the price I paid.

Tl;Dr If you see them, buy them!

PS driving them with the ridiculous Sunfire TGR-401 receiver. It's sideways because it doesn't fit properly on my bench otherwise.

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Keep a look out for the TL-6’s (60’s), I believe that they were top of the line for Sony TL’s.
I have the TL-40’s (drop the 0 for US models) and am contemplating selling my 100T3’s, but I would love to get my hands around the TL5’s or 6’s.

Interesting going from Puppy’s to Sony TL’s and still being happy, thanks for sharing.
 
Helle said:
Keep a look out for the TL-6’s (60’s), I believe that they were top of the line for Sony TL’s.
I have the TL-40’s (drop the 0 for US models) and am contemplating selling my 100T3’s, but I would love to get my hands around the TL5’s or 6’s.

Interesting going from Puppy’s to Sony TL’s and still being happy, thanks for sharing.
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Damnit! You've just basically assigned me a quest like in a video game.

Yeah, I'm sure it sounds like hyperbole, but I gave it a week before posting. Whenever I listen I'm actually more impressed with them. The tops were formally used to hold drinks, so I need to refinish.
 
lattiboy said:
Damnit! You've just basically assigned me a quest like in a video game.

Yeah, I'm sure it sounds like hyperbole, but I gave it a week before posting. Whenever I listen I'm actually more impressed with them. The tops were formally used to hold drinks, so I need to refinish.
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Yes, your quest is to locate and procure a set of TL-6’s within the year, if not, your balls will drop off! :D
Good luck!

Anyway, give it a few more weeks and let us know if you still have the love for your Sony’s, you never know, it may wear off or it might just be the speaker for you for ever after.
 
Still kicking myself for passing on a pair locally a couple years ago. Love me some transmission line bass. Currently have a pair of IMF "The Studio" 's awaiting a full re-build. Even have a full fleece of long-haired sheep's wool for them.
 
dogwan said:
Still kicking myself for passing on a pair locally a couple years ago. Love me some transmission line bass. Currently have a pair of IMF "The Studio" 's awaiting a full re-build. Even have a full fleece of long-haired sheep's wool for them.
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Yeah, I've never had TL speakers before but I must say I get it now. The bass range is just crazy. Feels like you have a dedicated subwoofer hidden somewhere. I wonder why they fell out of fashion.
 
Sony has made some great speakers. The ULM series from the early 70’s are top notch. FYI the ones I mentioned are still available I believe. Jot mine but hate to see them lay around.
 
You guys need to check out the Sony SS-Mx series. They are quite possibly the best speakers Sony ever sold in the US.
 
Many of these companies, Sony, JVC, Technics, etc... made some very hi-end stuff sold mostly in Japan only.
 
I used to own a pair of SS-TL5s as well, very fun speakers. My first pair of speakers were SS-TL3s, I sold both pairs a few years ago when I no longer had the space to support the large speakers. I still have the original flyer and manual laying around here somewhere.
Personally I always found that the vocals took a weird back seat to the rest of the instruments in certain types of music. It may have been the small room I was listening in, however.
Interesting to see them compared to Wilsons - I wouldn't think the titanium dome tweeter could really compete with the Wilson tweeters but I have not compared them myself.
Sony SS-TL6s are exactly the same as TL5s but in black. - same relationship between the TL3s and TL4s.

I'll definitely buy another pair someday!
 
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