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Why doesn’t Sony Hi Fi gear get much Coverage or Respect?

The thing with these is the owners ability to use the word monoblock, that's it. Seems everyone wants to be able to say they have monoblocks.

My tube amps are called monaural amplifiers on the flyer, before the term monoblock was being used so I don't use that term, leaving it for others.

The thing about manageable weight is part of the move to separate amps for each channel as amps are huge now, several hundred pounds.
Yeah I saw on emotiva they had one amp 125 pounds and probably even more heavier ones !!:wtf:
What’s are monaural amplifiers?
 
Yeah I saw on emotiva they had one amp 125 pounds and probably even more heavier ones !!
Old-skool linear power supplies and extensive heatsinks, plus the chonky chassis to support them make for big weight.
What’s are monaural amplifiers?
One channel. You need two of them for stereo.

I note that a number of your questions are easily answered with a quick google. We don't mind asking (and answering) questions that are looking for greater depth, or accounts of direct or specific experience, but for definitions that take a second or two of searching to answer... It would be polite to google first, then read, then ask questions if you're still not clear on things.
 
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It's rather low on the ladder to be honest but it's fine for a plaything to use until you can move further up the rungs.
Yeah it’s intended for my basement not my main bedroom system , did I overpay??
Probably another junk audio component not worth anything . I think it’s CD player actually works but I’ll have to try it out more .

I do google meaning I just wanted more clarification o. What are. monaural amplifiers? Like more natural sounding ??
 
I think it has something to do with Sony selling so much so-so audio gear that the really good stuff doesn't get well known. I have several ES pieces, STR-DA3ES/SR-DA4ES/STR-DA5ES/DVP-S9000ES/SCD-222ES/DVP-NC555ES, and none have cost more than $150. One thing though, Sony ES components do seem to get a lot more respect than regular Sony gear. If only Sony would have kept these pieces in production.
 
Yeah it’s intended for my basement not my main bedroom system , did I overpay??
Probably another junk audio component not worth anything . I think it’s CD player actually works but I’ll have to try it out more .

I think you did well for the price you paid. On most of those shelf systems the supplied speakers are the weak link. Hook it up to some good speakers and enjoy.
 
Picture “ is from a for sale add” I only have the receiver.:angel::banana:
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I think you did well for the price you paid. On most of those shelf systems the supplied speakers are the weak link. Hook it up to some good speakers and enjoy.
Yeah I got plenty of nice speakers to hook to them working on restoring the mids of some lancer mk12 I might replace the midrange if I do I’ll update my thread on them .
I hate those junk speakers in all shelf systems but a few had good sounding ones like sharps side-firing mini subwoofers . But there trash conspired to a real wood or mdf bookshelf speaker .

Found the original speakers on fade book market look there total garbage!
 
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Yeah it’s intended for my basement not my main bedroom system , did I overpay??
Probably another junk audio component not worth anything . I think it’s CD player actually works but I’ll have to try it out more .

I do google meaning I just wanted more clarification o. What are. monaural amplifiers? Like more natural sounding ??

Well, you did say that you think the speakers with the component systems sound terrible except the Sharp side firing ones. That is what I mean by trust your ears. Speaking of monaural, that means one ear, so you need two of them for stereo, provided you have a stereo preamp, or if you use a mono pre, you are getting mono out of two speakers.

The idea with mono blocks is that there is no cross talk between the two amps. And lots of excess power means you can go louder before you start getting distortion. Some music has sudden massive changes in dynamics, which can use up all your reserve power and put you into distortion even though the majority of the music is undistorted.
 
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Well, you did say that you think the speakers with the component systems sound terrible except the Sharp side firing ones. That is what I mean by trust your ears. Speaking of monaural, that means one ear, so you need two of them for stereo, provided you have a stereo preamp, or if you use a mono pre, you are getting mono out of two speakers.

The idea with mono blocks is that there is no cross talk between the two amps. A lots of excess power means you can go louder before you start getting distortion. Some music has sudden massive changes in dynamics, which can use up all your reserve power and put you into distortion even though the majority of the music is undistorted.
Yes wish I had mono blocks .
It's rather low on the ladder to be honest but it's fine for a plaything to use until you can move further up the rungs.
it has separate low and high speaker inputs what are the original speakers bi amp able. ??? How do you hook speakers to it . One for treble one for bass???
 
Yes wish I had mono blocks .
You can use one channel from a stereo amp like the Hafler DH-200 for the right channel speaker and then with a second Hafler DH-200 use one channel for the left speaker. That would give you monoblocks without having to buy the name monoblock. When I did this I had more raw power, more peak power and no crosstalk. This because the transformer/power supply designed to power two channels was only doing one and the left and right signals were not in the same chassis.
 
Over the years I've had respect for Sony's equipment being well-designed and well-made. Even their cheaper models i considered to be robust and worth the slightly higher price. The Trinatron TV's were very good quality compared to other designs of the time. They also had their innovations, like the minidisk - it may not have been audiophile, but had the potential to develop into a serious product if Sony's music division hadn't prevented the hardware division from realizing it's potential.

In more recent years they have pumped out so much bottom-end electronics that I now see them as just another mass-production electronics company.

My opinion has also changed about Sony about a year ago. Mrs.Feline bought a pair of $70 Sony noise-cancelling headphones, and after 6-weeks of light use one day one headphone exploded - almost damaged her hearing with the noise, and plastic broke off it and hit the opposite wall. When claiming warranty, Sony Australia claimed that she left the battery in it too long. Now nothing was mentioned in the manual about the length of time to leave a standard 9V battery in it, and I've had 9V batteries in devices for years without them exploding. The battery used in the headphone was from a major brand, new, the use-by date was years away. Yet Sony blamed Mrs.Feline and wouldn't honour their obligations. After months of arguing, Sony finally offered to give a $35 discount if she bought a new pair. I got Mrs.Feline to tell Sony that she was going to as opinions (via me) on major Australian and International audiophile websites about their claims. It was very strange, within an hour Sony said their engineers had re-examined the returned headphones and determined that she was entitled to a free replacement (which she was entitled to by consumer law anyway).

After that appalling customer service (for a product that would have been a trivial cost for them to replace), Sony lost me as a loyal customer of many decades. Don't these companies understand that PR matters.
 
Sony's always walked their own path. Even today with the video, they tend to sit quietly in the wings then zing the opposition doing things their way.

As already pointed out, their advertising was in need, but some also pointed out that their past uppers did a great job.

Some on board as well of myself have asked why another forum couldn't set set up since there's a plethora of models of the many devices that Sony's produced throughout the years.

Q
 
Naughty Sony story, AudioFeline! That was an incredibly stupid response on their part--I would have thought they would be treating you with kid gloves (whatever those are), anxious to put things right whatever it took! Perhaps not indicative of Sony overall as a company, but I would have bent over backwards to win your trust back.
 
I have loved Sony electronic gear for over 50 yrs. It started with a $10 AM radio, the size of King size pack of cigarettes, that had a great robust sound and a great AM tuner that picked up AM signals for 1000 + miles at night. Then there were cassette players and recorders, Walkman AM/FM radios including the headphone type I still use, portable cassette and CD players, dual cassette stereo players/recorders, 5 disk CD players, TV sets, a shortwave radio, and numerous AM/FM ac/dc radios all of which are still working except the SW radio which I accidentally ruined by operating it under a towel. I have owned a Sony RTR with tubes that was sold and have a solid state Sony RTR.


I have settled on Sony 5 disc CD players and Sony dual cassette players/recorders for most of my stereo systems.


The best Sony I have is a Sony PS-X6 Direct Drive Stereo Automatic Turntable with cast aluminum base and finger conductive controls.


I have noticed Sony made some stereo receivers like the STR-V5 and V7 (latter 150 w/c) but I have never seen one but they should be well made and perform well since they are Sony’s. I know the Sony hi fi gear were not top sellers and their line-up is sparse and would not rate a Sony Manufacturer Forum on AK. Sony chose to concentrate on more consumer products and not emphasis competing for the audiophile type customer as evident by their small lineup of hi fi gear.

Let’s hear from those with good experiences with Sony Hi Fi gear and let many of us see what we missed.

Charlie

One of the last, great, two-channel receivers was the Sony STR-GS80ES. It looked like a typical AVR but had a huge toroidal transformer, massive filter caps, 110 watts RMS with a 4-6 ohm impedance switch on the back. Aluminum face plate, aluminum volume knob with a cool green light in it. Extremely robust construction, triple tone controls, -20dB muting switch, handles seven sources, fairly advanced tuner for a receiver---Typical lab queen with great specs; doesn't quite deliver the audio goods when compared with early 70's Sansui, Marantz, Sherwood gear, but it was built to last and play loud.
 
I've found their components to be short-lived, including a CD spinner, and a receiver --- both failed and were unrepairable at less than the original price. I did just purchase their latest "Walkman" model, the NWA-45, mid-priced.
 
I've found their components to be short-lived, including a CD spinner, and a receiver --- both failed and were unrepairable at less than the original price. I did just purchase their latest "Walkman" model, the NWA-45, mid-priced.

This seems so at odds with the general consensus that one thing Sony gear had going for it was it's reliability. I don't have a lot of Sony gear, just 4 upper tier disc players (original retail $1000 or more) that I picked up for chicken feed and they're all still going strong.

Plus one BluRay player I purchased new a couple of yrs ago for $79 bucks that can't hold a candle sonically to the older units and only time will tell on its toughness. I only purchased it for movies as the older players don't have HDMI to work with the new tv, but for music I don't need that.
 
I agree. The only Sony component I've had fail on me was a high end, top of the line VCR in the early 1990s. I can't remember what the issue was, but it was well out of warranty, and Sony agreed to split the cost of repairs (parts and labor) with me, which I thought was fair. After the fix, it worked perfectly until VCRs became obsolete. All the other Sony products I've owned, and there have been many, have been flawless. And I can't blame them for the lasers on their cd players wearing out, as nothing lasts forever. If only someone would start making replacements!
 
I’ve still got two Sony Beta HiFi HF-900 units that still work great! However I was very much less impressed by their Blue-ray players. It’s almost like they added a whole bunch of desirable features with a built in expiry date just to get people to jump onboard to blue ray. The only reason I bought mine was to use it for my internal streaming movies. I hate blue ray, and I’ve just gotten rid of all my blue ray movies.

Perhaps the comment relates to newer gear. I’ve found their 70s stuff to be extremely good, even their entry level receivers.
 
I’ve still got two Sony Beta HiFi HF-900 units that still work great! However I was very much less impressed by their Blue-ray players. It’s almost like they added a whole bunch of desirable features with a built in expiry date just to get people to jump onboard to blue ray. The only reason I bought mine was to use it for my internal streaming movies. I hate blue ray, and I’ve just gotten rid of all my blue ray movies.

Perhaps the comment relates to newer gear. I’ve found their 70s stuff to be extremely good, even their entry level receivers.
My Sony BluRay player was mostly purchased for its WiFi ability lol.
 
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