toodef

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $600.00 from Privately

Summary:
I don't knw what to say that hasn't allready been said. This amp is seriousl good, i got mine at a bargin price. Sony have really outdone themselve the ES series is brillant and this amp doesnt let down. Smooth musical amp with tight crisp bass, My Infinity alpha 50's are loving the exrta bass extension, of wheich are relativly easy to drive 91DB mine gets mildly warm. Build Quality...its a truck. Great mosfet power supplys. Top amp. I cant give enough praise, i felt i owed it to the sony to sign up and give a review. Top performer. Dont disregard the quoted 80watt rating - more than enough to shake a house down.

Strengths:
build quality Sound - Obvioulsy

Weaknesses:
Mines got cheap plastice legs, my STR DB930 has nice gold bands :(

Price Paid:  $900.00 from 400

Summary:
GENIAL AMPLIFICADOR PARA ROCK Y JAZZ BUENA ELECTRONICA, CARCASA ROBUSTA BLINDADA, PATAS ANTI VIBRACIONES MUY BUEN AMPLIFIADOR EN GENERAL PARA SU PRECIO

Price Paid:  $100.00 from Private sale

Summary:
Bought this amp last week for a give away price. It has been used, but is in excellent condition, apart from the remote control that was missing. Compared to my big Rotel I must say that the build quality of the Sony is slightly better. On my current speakers (Tannoy R2) the Rotel tends to overemphasize the bass and the high frequencies seem slightly masked. The Sony is a better match and tough it sometimes sounds a bit mechanic it is otherwise quite neutral with good timing, imaging and tonality. I think the 3 ES is an allrounder that will satisfy different musical tastes. It may not be the most musical amp in its class, it is certainly an easy match to a lot of loudspeakers.

Strengths:
Excellent allround and neutral character. Will easily drive most loudspeakers. Build quality is unmatched by any other brand.

Weaknesses:
For this price? Nothing serious

Similar Products Used:
I've listened to dozens of amplifiers in as many price categories; NAD C319, C340, C370, Musical Fidelity A-series (both old and new), XA-series, Rotel RA 840 B & BXII, RA 971, RA 980 BX, Arcam Alpha

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Well... SONY ES. Build is absolutely magnificient sound is very detailed and crystal clear I like it... Sounds good when plays quietly and very loud too. Treble is crystal clear, bass is tight and fast. This is my kind of sound. Good luck!!!

Strengths:
Build, sound

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
Sony TA-FA50ES, TA-FA70ES, plastic NAD, but not similar, def MARANTZ, not similar too

Price Paid:  $800.00 from Audio zaak "best get

Summary:
I bought this amp, because I wanted to compose a total new hifi-set. This time I didn''t want a system with digital cinema sound, wich is fun for a week. I just want pure, oldfashioned high quality stereo sound with no compromises. I have had more es-devices before and I know that this standard of sony is very good quality. Of course this has it''s price. This amp cost normally about €1280. If I wouldn''t be so lucky to get it for € 800, I would probably have bought the ta-fa30es .(the little sister of ta-fa50es). Well, now I have the ta-fa50es and I don''t regret a single moment. This more than 20 kilo weighting machine is very good. The sound is super dynamic. The mos-fets and power trafo in it take care of clear sound at very, very loud soundlevels. Comparing it with my str-d50es (sony digital cinema es-receiver) the sound is more dynamic and clear.

Strengths:
Build,(solid as a rock) Amplifies its incoming sound without coloring. Sound is exactly as it should: dynamic and clear. So take care your input devices are good as well.

Weaknesses:
none. Price may be a problem for some people.

Similar Products Used:
sony cdp-xa2es sony str-d50es